Swallowtail butterflies (Lepidoptera: Papilionidae) species diversity and distribution in Africa: The Papilionidae collection at the National Museums of Kenya, Nairobi, Kenya

Abstract

Species data from the Museum collections have been shown to be of great value as a tool for prioritising conservation actions in Africa (Fjeldsa and Tushabe 2005). The National Museums of Kenya (NMK) have an entomology collection, housed in 4,000 drawers in cabinets that contain over 1.5 million specimens, including the largest butterfly collection in Africa (Arnett et al. 1997). Lampe and Striebing (2005) demonstrated how to digitise large insect collections in order to make their associated label data into databases that can be used for functions, such as creating distribution maps. The NMK’s swallowtail butterflies' collection had not been digitised and thus there was a need to capture the label data to create a database that can be used for mapping the distribution of the species in Kenya and elsewhere. These data have addressed one of the most significant challenges to insect conservation i.e. the lack of baseline information concerning species diversity and distribution (Summerville and Crist 2003). These data have provided key historic papilionid species diversity and distribution data that can be used to monitor their populations, as butterflies are declining due to changes in land use, intensive agriculture and pestcide use, diseases and pest and climate change (Potts et al. 2016; Bongaarts 2019). The publication of the occurrence data records in GBIF has been undertaken, thus making the data available to a wider audience and promoting availability for use. The swallowtail butterflies collection at the National Museums of Kenya was digitised from 2017–2019 and this paper presents details of the Papilionid collection at the Zoology Department, NMK, Nairobi, Kenya. The collection holds 7,345 voucher specimens, consisting of three genera and 133 species. The collection covers the period between 1850 to 2019. The distribution of the swallowtail butterflies, housed at the NMK, covers East Africa with 88%, Central Africa (6%), Western Africa (4%) and Southern Africa (2%).

Geographical and temporal distribution of hawkmoth (Lepidoptera: Sphingidae) species in Africa

“…Though hawkmoths play important roles in the ecosystem in pollination and as indicator species, data on their diversity, temporal and geographic distribution in Africa is limited. The National Museums of Kenya have a large active entomology collection that is in continuous growth ( Kioko et al 2020 ). The NMK’s collection of hawkmoths had not been digitised prior to 2017 ( Kioko et al 2021 ).…”

基于肉食性动物粪便和地表骨骼遗骸探讨肯尼亚山小型哺乳动物多样性

“…on the eastern slopes and from 3 400 m to 4 200 m a.s.l. on the western slopes (Kioko et al, 2016; Musila et al, 2019). These vegetation zones are more clearly defined in the Chogoria site than the Sirimon site, which has a mixture of Erica and bamboo along its elevational gradient from the lower forest zone (Malonza, 2015).…”

Rearing Performance of Oak Tasar Silkworm, Antheraea Frithi Moore on Different Host Plants During Spring and Autumn Season in Manipur, India

“…The forest fauna of the sub-Himalayan belt of India is the natural abode of a large variety of sericigenous insects (Jolly et al, 1976;Chaudhury, 1981;Jolly, 1985;Sarkar, 1988;Thangavelu, 1991;Baruah et al, 2000;Singh et al, 2000;Singh and Maheswari, 2003). The wild silkmoths play an important role in the conservation and utilization of biodiversity as reported by Frankel (1982), Peigler (1993Peigler ( , 1999 and Kioka (1998). Out of the thirty five recorded Antheraea species (Crotch, 1956), thirtyone species have been recorded in the Indo-Australian biographic region (Seitz, 1933).…”