How many Butterflies present in Bhutan ?

Forget-Me-Not Catochrysops strabo 

Ceske Budejovice, 6th June 2016:
Initially when I started studying butterflies in Tsirang Bhutan during 2010, I was looking for a baseline data for butterflies recorded from Bhutan. But I could not come up with any satisfactory literature on Butterflies of Bhutan. That time I was surprised, Why a country with so diverse flora and fauna does not have a check-list on butterflies?

The answer lies to the researchers of Bhutan, who never published their works in reputed national or international journals and produce a good quality book on these jewels of the nature. They kept their works with them only in their office files or they were so selfish to share their findings with other fellow researchers. 

Tailed Judy Abisara neophron neophron

In 2011, my wife brought me a book on butterflies which she bought during "National Book Fair" which was held at Wangdue. I was excited to see this book and the author was Mr. Piet vander Poel and Tashi Wangchuk's "Butterflies of Bhutan. Mountains, hills and valleys between 800 and 3000m' published by RSPN in 2007 which is the first book on butterflies of Bhutan. The book mentioned only 130 species of butterflies mainly from eastern Bhutan. In 2012, UWICE, Bumthang under the supervision of Karma Wangdi and Sherub published three field guides on Papilionidae, Nymphalidae and Hesperiidae which contains only 42 species of Papilionidae, 164 species of Nymphalidae and 93 species of Hesperiidae which information is insufficient to me. Inspired through this books, I decided to come up with a complete check-list on the butterflies of Bhutan through my own fieldwork and literature research.

 In 2011, I initiated study on butterfly fauna in Tsirang district. Till 2015, I collected data from different parts of Tsirang covering almost 70% of the district and recorded 241 species in 5 different families of butterflies from Bhutan (Click Here). These recordings of butterflies are reported through national and international journals (Irungbam 2014; Irungbam & Chib 2014).

Pasha Herona marathus marathus 

During this period, I was working on the literatures available on Bhutan butterflies to come up with an annotated check-list of the butterflies’ fauna of Bhutan. The check-list is clearly incomplete but attempts to provide baseline information and to generate research interest in this diverse yet poorly known group of species. I have referred many literatures available; Bingham (1905), Evans (1927, 1932), Talbot (1939, 1947), Wynter-Blyth (1957), Yazaki & Kanmuri (1985) and Harada (1987a, 1987b), Van der Poel & Wangchuk (2007), Singh (2012), Wangdi et al. (2012, 2013), Wangdi & Sherub (2012a, 2012b, 2014), Harada et al. (2012), Dorji & Motoki (2013), BWS (2013), Dorji (2014), Irungbam & Chib (2014), Irungbam (2014), Nidup et al. (2014) and Nidup (2015) which collectively gives an overview of the rich butterfly fauna of Bhutan.

Five Bar Swordtail Graphium antiphates pompilius  

After careful analysis and verification of the available literature on butterflies of Bhutan, the presence and absence of butterflies confirmed occurrence of 670 species of butterflies. These butterflies are represented in 5 families viz. 

1. Papilionidae (55 species)
2. Pieridae (51 species)
3. Lycaenidae (160 species)
4. Nymphalidae (265 species), and 
5. Hesperiidae (139 species)

Tawny Rajah Charaxes bernardus 

Interestingly, among the recorded species, Papilionidae (16 species), Pieridae (10 species), Lycaenidae (38 species), Nymphalidae (93 species) and Hesperiidae (25 species) were listed as rare and very rare in India but the status of these species are not known due to lack of their studies. Ludlow’s Bhutan Glory (Bhutanitis ludlowi) listed as a vulnerable species in IUCN’s Red data book (Collins & Morris, 1985). 

Ludlow's Bhutan Glory Bhutanitis ludlowi (Ref: Harada et al 2012)

My works and findings has been published in the national journal, The Journal of Bhutan Ecological Society, produce by Bhutan Ecological Society in 2015 (For complete check-list Click here). Another important and a very rare butterfly, Chitoria sordida sordida (Sordid Emperor) was also observed from Mendrelgang during my study and the finding was reported at Journal of Threatened Taxa.

Now, I have a check-list on the butterflies of Bhutan which will serve the purpose of encouraging the butterfly enthusiast and young researchers of Bhutan to explore more on these least and poorly studied group of invertebrates.

Lastly, I would like to thanks all the peoples involved and supported me during my work. Specially, to my wife (and co worker), my students, friend (Sonam Dorji) and staffs of Mendrelgang Central School who have supported during my research work. 

Blue Tit Chliaria kina

References:

Harada, M., K. Wangdi, S. Wangdi, M. Yago, T. Aoki, Y. Igarashi, S. Yamaguchi, Y. Watanabe, Sherub, R. Wangdi, S. Drukpa, M. Saito, Y. Moriyama, and T. Uchiyama. 2012. Rediscovery of Ludlow's Bhutan Glory, Bhutanitis ludlowi Gabriel (Lepidoptera: Papilionidae) morphology and biology. Butterflies (Teinopalpus). The Butterfly Society of Japan. No. 60: 4-15.

Irungbam, J. S. & M. S. Chib (2014). Butterfly Diversity Of Dzamling Norzoed Community Forest, Tsirang, Bhutan – A Preliminary Study. SAARC Forestry Journal. Vol. III, 38-46.

Irungbam, J. S. (2014). A preliminary check-list of butterflies (Lepidoptera: Rhophalocera) of  Mendrelgang,  Tsirang District, Bhutan. Journal of Threatened Taxa 6(5): 5755-5768.

Irungbam, J.S., M.S. Chib & Z.F. Fric (2016). Notes on the occurrence of Chitoria sordida sordida (Moore, 1866) (Nymphalidae: Apaturinae) in Tsirang District, Bhutan. Journal of Threatened Taxa 8(5): 8814–8817. 
Irungbam, J. S. & M. S. Chib (2015). Checklist of Butterflies of Bhutan. Journal of the Bhutan Ecological Society. Vol. 1. Issue 2. pp. 22-58. 

Wangdi, K. & Sherub. 2012a. Field Guide for Swallowtails of Bhutan. UWICE Nature Guide Series.  Ugyen Wangchuk Institute of Conservation and Environment, Bumthang, Bhutan.

Wangdi, K. & Sherub. 2012b. Field Guide to Nymphalids (Brush-footed) of Bhutan. UWICE Nature Guide Series. Ugyen Wangchuk Institute of Conservation and Environment, Bumthang, Bhutan.

Wangdi, K. & Sherub. 2014. Field Guide to Hesperiidae (Skippers) of Bhutan. UWICE Nature Guide Series. Ugyen Wangchuk Institute of Conservation and Environment, Bumthang, Bhutan.