A Study on the Current Status of Butterfly Diversity of North 24 Parganas District of West Bengal with Reference to the Nectar Plants Found in the Region

Recognizing butterflies’ vital ecological role as indicators of environmental health and essential pollinators for plants is crucial for sustainability and floral diversity preservation. They are key in assessing urbanization impacts on species diversity. However, due to habitat loss from urban development and unsustainable exploitation of natural resources, butterfly populations are rapidly dwindling, posing a significant threat to their survival. The primary objective of this study was to assess the current status of butterfly diversity in the district of North 24 Parganas, West Bengal. An effort was also made to identify plants that serve as nectar sources for the butterflies. The land use and land cover maps of the study area were developed to understand the land-use pattern. Our findings reveal a total of 107 butterfly species across 70 genera and five families. Notably, the family Nymphalidae exhibited the highest species count (33 species) while the family Papilionidae showed the lowest species count (10 species). Furthermore, nine of the documented butterfly species are protected under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. Barasat and Laketown areas exhibited the highest and lowest species diversity respectively. Beta diversity analysis indicated significant variation between different study sites, with the greatest being observed between Taki and Laketown. Our study successfully identified 38 species of flowering plants spanning 38 genera across 18 families, which serve as sources of nectar for various butterfly species. In a nutshell, this study documents the present butterfly diversity of North 24 parganas and it emphasizes the importance of preserving heterogeneous habitats to support diverse butterfly populations.