• M.P. Krishna
• nil
• nil
• nil
• nil

Butterflies are very sensitive to pollution and have been used as bio-indicators to detect the pollution levels. They play a vital role in pollination of various flowering plants besides a key component of food chain. Different species of plants and habitats of Pushpagiri Wildlife Sanctuary attract wide variety of butterflies. The present investigation has been carried out to enumerate the butterfly diversity and abundance. The study has been carried from September 2016 – February 2017 in Pushpagiri Wildlife Sanctuary, Central Western Ghats, Karnataka. Data of butterfly fauna was collected by conducting random surveys by all search out method during the morning hours. Identification of the butterflies will be primarily made directly in the field and by using standard reference materials. A Total of 48 species of butterflies belonging to 5 families 44 genera were recorded. Out of these, family Nymphalidae were dominant with (22 species) followed by Papilionidae (10 species), Hesperidae (09 species), Pieridae (04 species) and Lycaenidae (03 species) were recorded. Four species those are endemic to the Western Ghats including Papilio budha, Papilio dravidarum, Troides minos, and Atrophaneura pandiyana. The different habitats of the study area are home to endemic and protected species, it needs conservation to protect the butterfly fauna of this region.

Abundance, Bioindicators, Endemic species, Landscape, Pollinators,

"DIVERSITY OF BUTTERFLIES IN PUSHPAGIRI WILDLIFE SANCTUARY, CENTRAL WESTERN GHATS, KARNATAKA", International Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research (www.jetir.org), ISSN:2349-5162, Vol.5, Issue 6, page no.361-368, June-2018, Available :http://www.jetir.org/papers/JETIR1806655.pdf

"DIVERSITY OF BUTTERFLIES IN PUSHPAGIRI WILDLIFE SANCTUARY, CENTRAL WESTERN GHATS, KARNATAKA", International Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research (www.jetir.org | UGC and issn Approved), ISSN:2349-5162, Vol.5, Issue 6, page no. pp361-368, June-2018, Available at : http://www.jetir.org/papers/JETIR1806655.pdf