Biswarup Mandal - Chilkigarh Iswar Chandra Institution (H.S.), Chilkigarh, Jhargram, West Bengal ۷۲۱۵۰۳, India
Subhajit Roy - Durgapur Wildlife Information and Nature Guide Society, Durgapur, West Bengal ۷۱۳۲۰۶, India; Department of Information Technology, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad University of Technology, Haringhata, West Bengal ۷۴۱۲۴۹, India

Diversity and abundance of butterfly (Papilionoidea) species were studied intensively between January ۲۰۱۷ and December ۲۰۲۱ from six heterogeneous sites of the newly created Jhargram district in West Bengal state, India. A total of ۱۴۲ species from all six butterfly families were recorded from the study sites, of which ۴۵ belong to the family Lycaenidae, ۴۲ to Nymphalidae, ۲۹ to Hesperiidae, ۱۴ from Pieridae, ۱۱ from Papilionidae and ۱ from Riodinidae. Thirteen of the species observed are new reports from the district. New distributional records of Deudorix epijarbas (Moore, [۱۸۵۸]), Notocrypta curvifascia (C. Felder and R. Felder, ۱۸۶۲) from the southern part of West Bengal are reported. Rachana jalindra (Horsfield, [۱۸۲۹]) is rediscovered from the southern part of West Bengal after a long period. Gangara thyrsis (Fabricius, ۱۷۷۵) is reported from this part of the state for only the second time. Additionally, Cupitha purreea (Moore, ۱۸۷۷), Gerosis bhagava (Moore, [۱۸۶۶]), Sarangesa dasahara Moore, [۱۸۶۶], Celaenorrhinus leucocera (Kollar, [۱۸۴۴]), Rapala pheretima (Hewitson, ۱۸۶۳), Athyma inara Westwood, ۱۸۵۰, Athyma selenophora (Kollar, [۱۸۴۴]) and Tanaecia lepidea (Butler, ۱۸۶۸) are among the other notable species which are reported for the first time from Jhargram district. The statistical analysis of the diversity and abundance of the study sites and the analysis of variance and rarefaction have been performed to study the β-diversity and compare the abundance of the sites in order to understand the heterogeneity of butterfly observations. The distribution by site of the species has also been studied.

Butterfly, Chhotanagpur, Rachana, Euripus, Notocrypta, new record, Peninsular India