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The Nandhour Landscape located in an eco-fragile biodiversity rich Terai Arc Landscape of India is protected in the form of a wildlife sanctuary and is least explored in terms of insect diversity and functions. Therefore, this study aimed to provide baseline information on the biodiversity of insects and their ecological functions in tropical to sub-tropical forest ecosystems which is important for the successful long-term provisioning of ecosystem functions and services in the protected landscape. Using standardized sampling techniques, the present study examined the structure and composition of insect assemblages in terms of their comparative diversity and richness across a range of habitat types in the Nandhour Landscape. Besides, the present study also evaluated the ecological significance of insect fauna. A total of 230 insect species belonging to 47 families and nine orders were recorded from various habitats and Lepidoptera was the most dominant insect order in terms of both richness and abundance, followed by Coleoptera, Hymenoptera, Odonata and others. Species diversity and richness were the highest in dense moist and open dry riverine forests, while the least in plantation forest and agricultural land. The heterogeneous structure and composition substantiated the importance of overall spatial heterogeneity and natural forests in sustaining and maintaining the rich insect diversity. Conservation of insect diversity is highly important as several species provide crucial ecosystem services and aid in the functioning of various ecologically fragile habitats of the landscape.

Uttarakhand has a rich tradition to conserve its immense array of biological and cultural diversity. An annotated checklist on butterfly diversity and distribution across protected areas of state Uttarakhand is provided here which is a culmination of published literature over a period of the last 38 years (1981-2018). The list comprises 393 butterfly species under 188 genera and six families. The local status was also assigned to the compiled species of butterflies after critical review of referred literature, wherein 22.70% of the total species were found ‘rare' while 41 species of butterflies are entirely lacking published record from the last many decades. A total of 51 species compiled in the present checklist, which was reported based on its presence or absence unique and rare to a particular protected area, are the species of concern as they might face extinction through slight alterations in their habitats.

Uttarakhand has a rich tradition to conserve its immense array of biological and cultural diversity. An annotated checklist on butterfly diversity and distribution across protected areas of state Uttarakhand is provided here which is a culmination of published literature over a period of the last 38 years (1981-2018). The list comprises 393 butterfly species under 188 genera and six families. The local status was also assigned to the compiled species of butterflies after critical review of referred literature, wherein 22.70% of the total species were found ‘rare' while 41 species of butterflies are entirely lacking published record from the last many decades. A total of 51 species compiled in the present checklist, which was reported based on its presence or absence unique and rare to a particular protected area, are the species of concern as they might face extinction through slight alterations in their habitats.