Diversity and status of true butterflies (Lepidoptera: Papilionoidea) in two ecological parks of Butuan City, Agusan del Norte, Philippines with new locality record

Abstract

Studies on butterflies in the Philippines are scanty and some areas still need to be explored, especially in Butuan City, Agusan del Norte. The current study provided information on the species composition and status of true butterflies in Lauan Eco Park and Bood Promontory Eco Park, Butuan City. The studies employed transect walks and opportunistic sampling using insect net-sweeping techniques. A total of 218 individuals of true butterflies belonging to 37 species, 24 genera and four families were documented. 34 species belonging to 22 genera were observed in Lauan Eco Park, while 12 species belonging to 10 genera were recorded in Bood Promontory Eco Park. Of these, the family Nymphalidae was the most represented group having 20 species (54.05%) in two sites, followed by the family Pieridae with 11 species (29.72%); the family Lycaenidae with four species (10.81%); and the family Papilionidae as the least represented group with only two species (5.40%). Regarding national status and endemism, 25 (71%) out of 35 species were common, 1 (2.70%) rare species, 1 (2.85%) rare Mindanao endemic and 8 (22.85%) were Philippine endemic species; five (5) species were rare Philippine endemics and four (4) species were common Philippine endemics.As for the local status, 25 species were assessed as very rare, seven (7) were rare, three (3) were common and two (2) were very common. New locality record of Ptychandra lorquinii plateni and Mycalesis igoleta were reported in Agusan del Norte. Lauan Eco Park showed a higher number of individuals (156) than Bood Promontory Eco Park (65). Diversity assessment using the Shannon-Weiner index showed a high index with H = 2.92 in Lauan Eco Park compared to Bood Promontory Eco Park with H = 1.933. The species richness, abundance and diversity of butterfly species, plus the presence of rare endemic species in Eco Parks, are essential for conservation and protection as a habitat for butterfly species.