Diversity and abundance of odonates (dragonflies and damselflies) and lepidopteran (butterflies) fauna of Kalyani Lake Park, Nadia district, West Bengal, India
Author affiliations
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.15625/2615-9023/20121Keywords:
Abundance, biodiversity, conservation, Odonata, Lepidoptera, Kalyani Lake Park.Abstract
Butterflies, dragonflies and damselflies are indeed important for ecosystem productivity, playing roles in pollination and insect control, contributing to a balanced and thriving ecosystem. Their presence showcases the health and abundance of the ecosystem. Biodiversity protection and conservation are indeed essential aspects of both national and international agendas, as they contribute significantly to the sustainable development of regions and countries. Biodiversity ensures the health and stability of ecosystems, provides ecosystem services crucial for human survival and well-being, and supports various industries such as agriculture, fisheries, and tourism. Lepidoptera and Odonata assemblage along with Kalyani Lake Park of Nadia district in West Bengal has been investigated. The study on dragonflies, damselflies and butterfly species were conducted from August 2021 to September 2023. A modified “Pollard Walk” method was used to record species and abundance. In this survey, 25 species of dragonflies, 10 species of damselflies and 75 species of Butterflies were recorded. Among the odonate species, Libelluidae and Coenagrionidae were the dominant families with the maximum number of species being 23 and 08, respectively. In the case of butterflies, Nymphalidae was the dominant family with 27 species while others have fewer representatives. Relative abundance and diversity indices were calculated for all species groups. However, in the case of the urban forest area, the observed high anthropogenic disturbances create significant biotic pressure on the Kalyani Lake Park. Given the significance of understanding the insect diversity in this study area, a detailed list of recorded Odonata and Lepidoptera from the study would provide valuable insights into the specific species present, their distribution, and their potential interactions with the environment.
Downloads
Metrics
References
Adarsh C. K., Aneesh K. S. & Nameer P. O., 2014. A preliminary checklist of odonates in Kerala Agricultural University (KAU) campus, Thrissur District, Kerala, southern India. Journal of Threatened Taxa, 6(8): 6127–6137. http://dx.doi.org/ 10.11609/JoTT.03491.6127-37
Aluri J. S. R. & Rao S. P., 2002. Psychophily and evolution consideration of Cadaba fructicosa. The journal of the Bombay Natural History Society, 99: 59–63.
Boggs C. L., Watt W. B. & Ehrlich P. R. (Eds.)., 2003. Butterflies: ecology and evolution taking flight. University of Chicago Press. http://dx.doi.org/10.7208/ chicago/9780226063195.001.0001
Bonebrake T. C., Ponisio L. C., Boggs C. L. & Ehrlich P. R., 2010. More than just indicators: a review of tropical butterfly ecology and conservation. Biological conservation, 143(8): 1831–1841. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2010.04.044
Borcard D., Legendre P., & Drapeau P., 1992. Partialling out the spatial component of ecological variation. Ecology, 73(3): 1045–1055. http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/19 40179
Chakraborty U., Sarkar S. & Bhadra K., 2018. Butterfly diversity in and around Kalyani, A suburban city near Kolkata, West Bengal. Bionotes, 20(2): 66–67.
Ceballos G., Ehrlich P. R., Barnosky A. D., García A., Pringle R. M. & Palmer T. M., 2015. Accelerated modern human–induced species losses: Entering the sixth mass extinction. Science advances, 1(5): e1400253. doi: 10.1126/sciadv.140253
Chovanec A. & Waringer J., 2001. Ecological integrity of river–floodplain systems-assessment by dragonfly surveys (Insecta: Odonata). Regulated Rivers: Research & Management: An International Journal Devoted to River Research and Management, 17(4–5): 493–507. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/rrr.664
Clark T. E. & Samways M. J., 1996. Dragonflies (Odonata) as indicators of biotope quality in the Kruger National Park, South Africa. Journal of applied ecology: 1001–1012.
Condit R., Pitman N., Leigh Jr E. G., Chave J., Terborgh J., Foster R. B. ... & Hubbell S. P., 2002. Beta-diversity in tropical forest trees. Science, 295(5555): 666–669. http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/2404681
Clarke A., Mac Nally R., Bond N. & Lake P. S., 2008. Macroinvertebrate diversity in headwater streams: a review. Freshwater biology, 53(9): 1707−1721.
Dawn P., 2014. Taxonomic study of Odonata (Insecta) in Kolkata and surroundings, West Bengal, India. Journal of Entomology and Zoology Studies, 2(3): 147–152.
Dawn P., 2021. A new species of Cephalaeschna Selys, 1883 (Odonata: Anisoptera: Aeshnidae) from Neora Valley National Park, West Bengal, India. Zootaxa, 4949(2): 371–380. http://dx.doi.org/ 10.11646/zootaxa.4949.2.1032
Dey R., 2021. Preliminary checklist of butterfly (Insecta, Lepidoptera, Papilionoidea) species around Haringhata dairy farm, Nadia district, West Bengal including range extension of Prosotas bhutea (de Niceville,[1884]) for southern West Bengal, India. Cuadernos de Biodiversidad, (61): 1−16. http://dx.doi.org/10.14198/cdbio. 2021.61.01
Dey T. & Ghosh S., 2016. A study on the diversity and abundance of Butterfly fauna in urban green areas of Krishnagar, Nadia, West Bengal. Journal of Entomological and Zoology Studies, 4(4): 117–122.
Dwari S., Mondal A. K. & Chowdhury S., 2017. Diversity of butterflies (Lepidoptera: Rhopalocera) of Howrah district, West Bengal, India. Journal of Entomology and Zoology Studies, 5(6): 815–828.
Duivenvoorden J. F., Svenning J. C. & Wright S. J., 2002. Beta diversity in tropical forests. Science, 295(5555): 636–637.
Ehrlich P. R., & Raven P. H., 1964. Butterflies and plants: a study in coevolution. Evolution, 586–608. http://dx.doi.org/ 10.2307/2406212
Ehrlich P. R., & Wilson E. O., 1991. Biodiversity studies: science and policy. Science, 253(5021): 758–762. doi: 10.1126/ science.253.5021.758
Eslami Z., Ebrahimi M., Kiany, M. & Sadeghi S., 2021. Ecological drivers of Odonata beta diversity in arid and semi-arid regions of the central plateau of Iran. Insect Conservation and Diversity, 14(1): 40–51. doi: 10.1111/ icad.12464
Evans W. H., 1932. The Identification of Indian Butterflies, Bombay Natural History Society, Bombay. Today and Tomorrow’s Printers and Publishers, New Delhi: 454 p. http://dx.doi.org/10.12691/ aees-8-5-19
Fraser F. C., 1933. The fauna of British India, including Ceylon and Burma. Odonata. Pt. 1. London: Taylor and Francis. 423 p.
Fraser F. C., 1934. The Fauna of British India including Ceylon and Burma, Odonata.. Taylor and Francis, London, xxiii + 398 pp., col. Pls. I–IV excl..
Fraser F. C., 1936. The Fauna of British India including Ceylon and Burma, Odonata. Taylor and Fancis Ltd., London, 1936; I: 461.
Ghazanfar M., Malik M. F., Hussain M., Iqbal R. & Younas M., 2016. Butterflies and their contribution in ecosystem: A review. Journal of Entomology and Zoology Studies, 4(2): 115–118.
Gupta I. J., De M. L. & Mitra T. R., 1995. Conspectus of Odonata fauna of Calcutta. Records of Zoological Survey of India, 95: 107–121.
Hammer O., 2001. PAST: Paleontological statistics software package for education and data analysis. Palaeontol electron, 4, 9.
Haribal M., 2000. The Butterflies of Sikkim Himalaya and their natural history. Natraj Publishers.
Kehimkar I., 2008. The Book of the Indian Butterflies. Bombay Natural History Society and Oxford University Press.
Kehimkar I. D., 2016. Butterflies of India: BNHS Field Guides. Bombay Natural History Society.
Kalkman V. J., Clausnitzer V., Dijkstra K. D. B., Orr A. G., Paulson D. R. & van Tol J., 2008. Global diversity of dragonflies (Odonata) in freshwater. Freshwater animal diversity assessment: 351–363. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007//978-1-4020-8259-7-38
Kalkman V. J., Babu R., Bedjanič M., Conniff K., Gyeltshen T., Khan M. K., Subramanian K. A. & Orr A. G., 2020. Checklist of the dragonflies and damselflies (Insecta: Odonata) of Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Zootaxa, 4849(1): 1–84. http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/Zootaxa. 4849.1.1
Kocher S. D. & Williams E. H., 2000. The diversity and abundance of North American butterflies vary with habitat disturbance and geography. Journal of biogeography, 27(4): 785–794. http://dx.doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-2699.2000.00454.x
Koh L. P., 2007. Impacts of land use change on South‐east Asian forest butterflies: a review. Journal of applied ecology, 44(4): 703–713. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2664.2007.01324.x
Koli V. K., Bhatnagar C. & Shekhawat D. S., 2015. Diversity and Species Composition of Odonates in Southern Rajasthan, India. In Proceedings of the Zoological Society, 68: 202–211. Springer India. http://dx.doi.org/ 10.1007//s12595-014-0103-x
Kunte K. J., 1997. Seasonal patterns in butterfly abundance and species diversity in four tropical habitats in northern Western Ghats. Journal of biosciences, 22: 593–603. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/ BF02703397
Kunte K., 2000. Butterflies of Peninsular India Universities Press (India) Limited.
Kunte K., Joglekar A., Utkarsh G. & Padmanabhan P., 1999. Patterns of butterfly, bird and tree diversity in the Western Ghats. Current Science, 577–586.
Lahiri A. R. & Mitra T. R., 1972. A note on Acanthagyna dravida (Lieftinck) (Insecta: Odonata: Aeshnidae). Journal of Bombay Natural History Society, 69: 438–439.
Lander E. S. & Waterman M. S., 1988. Genomic mapping by fingerprinting random clones: a mathematical analysis. Genomics, 2(3): 231–239. http://dx.doi.org/ 10.1016/0888-7543(88)90007-9
Losey J. E. & Vaughan M., 2006. The economic value of ecological services provided by insects. Bioscience, 56(4): 311–323. http://dx.doi.org/10.1641/0006-3568
Magurran A. E., 1988. Ecological diversity and its measurement. Princeton university press. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-94-015-7358-0
Mallick M. A. I., 2023. Abundance, habitat preference and seasonal patterns of different butterfly species (Order: Lepidoptera): A preliminary study in West Bengal State University (WBSU) campus, West Bengal, India. Int. J. Adv. Res. Biol. Sci, 10(3): 6–21. http://dx.doi.org/ 10.22192/ijarbs.2023.10.03.002
Mallick M. A. I., 2023. A Preliminary Study on Status, Guild and Diversity of Avifaunal Species in and around Serampore, Jolkol, Hooghly District, West Bengal, India. World Scientific News, 179: 93–111.
Mallick M. A. I. & Ghorai N., 2023. Temporal distribution pattern of butterflies in an unfenced location at Serampore, Hooghly, West Bengal, India. Nova Geodesia, 3(3): 126–126. doi: 10.55779/ng33126
Mallick M. A. I. & Ghorai N., 2024. Biodiversity and relative abundance preliminary assessment of Odonata (Insecta) fauna in and around Serampore, Jolkol, Hooghly, West Bengal, India. World Scientific News, 187: 47–65.
Mallick M. A. I. & Mondal A., 2024. A preliminary assessment: seasonal variations of damselfly and dragonfly abundance in Serampore, Jolkol, West Bengal, India. Biodiversity, 25: 11–16. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/14888386.2023.2271446
Mallicka M. A. I & Malakar R., 2023. Diversity and abundance of butterfly in Kalyani Lake park, West Bengal, India: A reconnaissance. e-planet, 21(1): 60–70.
Meyer W. B. & Turner B. L., 1992. Human population growth and global land-use/cover change. Annual review of ecology and systematics, 23(1): 39–61. http://dx.doi.org/10.1146/annurev.es.23.110192.000351
Mitra T. R., 1983. A list of Odonata of Calcutta. Entomologist’s Monthly Magazine, 119: 29–31.
Mitra T. R., 2002. Geographical distribution of Odonata (Insecta) of eastern India. Zoological Survey of India.
Mitra T. R., 2005. Evolutionary adaptations in morphology and ecology of Tholymis tillarga (Fabricius) and Bradinopyga geminata (Rambur) (Insecta: Odonata). Records of the Zoological Survey of India, 104(1–2): 101–104.
Mukherjee K. & Mondal A., 2020. Butterfly diversity in heterogeneous habitat of Bankura, West Bengal, India. Journal of Threatened Taxa, 12(8): 15804–15816. https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.5136.12.8.15804-15816
Nair M. V., 2011. Dragonflies and Damselflies of Orissa and Eastern India Wildlife Organisation. Forest and Environment Department, Government of Odisha, 252 pp.
Nallu S., Hill J. A., Don K., Sahagun C., Zhang W., Meslin C., … & Kronforst M.R., 2018. The molecular genetic basis of herbivory between butterflies and their host plants. Nature ecology & evolution, 2(9): 1418–1427. http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41559-018-0629-9
Nayak A. K., 2020. Additions to the Odonata (Insecta) fauna of Asansol-Durgapur Industrial Area, West Bengal, India. Journal of Threatened Taxa, 12(3): 15391–15394. http://dx.doi.org/10.11609/ jott.5138.12.3.15391-15394.
Nayak A. K. & Roy S., 2016. An observation on the Odonata fauna of the Asansol-Durgapur Industrial Area, Burdwan, West Bengal, India. Journal of Threatened Taxa, 8(2): 8503–8517. http://dx.doi.org/ 10.11609/jott.2572.8.2.8503-8517
New T. R., 1991. Butterfly conservation. Oxford University Press.
Nimbalkar R. K., Chandekar S. K. & Khunte S. P., 2011. Butterfly diversity in relation to nectar food plants from Bhor Tahsil, Pune District, Maharashtra, India. Journal of Threatened Taxa, 3(3): 1601–1609. http://dx.doi.org/10.11609/JoTT.02612.1601-9
Noss R. F., 1990. Indicators for monitoring biodiversity: a hierarchical approach. Conservation biology, 4(4): 355–364. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1523.1739.1990.tb00309.x
Oliver I. & Beattie A. J., 1993. A possible method for the rapid assessment of biodiversity. Conservation biology, 7(3): 562–568. http://dx.doi.org/10.1046/ j.1523-1739.1993.07030562.x
Payra A., Das G. N., Pal A., Patra D. & Tiple A., 2017. New locality records of a rare dragonfly Gynacantha khasiaca Maclachlan, 1896 (Odonata Aeshnidae) from India. Biodiversity Journal, 8(1): 27–32.
Payra A. & Tiple A., 2016. Notes on the occurrence of Mortonagrion aborense Laidlaw, 1914 (Odonata: Coenagrionidae) from lower West Bengal, India. Journal of Threatened Taxa, 8(7): 9038–9041. http://dx.doi.org/10.11609/jott.1992.8.7.9038-9041
Payra A. & Tiple A., 2019. Odonata Fauna in adjoining coastal areas of Purba Medinipur District, West Bengal, India. Munis Entomology and Zoology Journal, 14(2): 358–367.
Paulson D., Schorr M. & Deliry C., 2024. World Odonata List. Available from: http://www.pugetsound.edu/ academics/academic-resources/slater-museum/biodiversity-resources/dragonflies/world-odonata-list2/ (accessed 6 May 2024).
Person R. V., Peterson B. R. & Lightner D. A., 1994. Bilirubin conformational analysis and circular dichroism. Journal of the American Chemical Society, 116(1): 42–59. doi: 10.1021/ja00080a006
Pielou E. C., 1969. An introduction to mathematical ecology. Wiley Interscience, New York, USA, 294 pp.
Pollard E., 1977. A method for assessing changes in the abundance of butterflies. Biological conservation, 12(2): 115–134. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/0006-3207(77)90065-9
Pollard E. & Yates T. J., 1993. Monitoring butterflies for ecology and conservation: The British butterfly monitoring scheme. Springer Science & Business Media.
Prasad M. & Varshney R. K., 1995. A check-list of the Odonata of India including data on larval studies. Oriental insects, 29(1): 385–428. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/0030 5316.1995.10433748
Prosenjit D., 2021. Dragonflies and damselflies (Insecta: Odonata) of West Bengal, an annotated list of species. Oriental Insects, 56(1): 81–117. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00305316.2021.1908188
Ram R., Srivastava V. D., Prasad M., 1982. Odonata (Insecta) Fauna of Calcutta and surroundings. Records of Zoological Survey of India, 80: 169–196. http://dx.doi.org/10.26515/rzsi/v80/i1-2/1982/161723
Ramesh T., Prakash R. & Shukla K. K., 2010. Life cycle energy analysis of buildings: An overview. Energy and buildings, 42(10): 1592–1600. http://dx.doi.org/ 10.1016/j.enbuild.2010.05.007
Rathod D. M., & Parasharya B. M., 2018. Odonate diversity of Nalsarovar Bird Sanctuary-a Ramsar site in Gujarat, India. Journal of Threatened Taxa, 10(8): 12117–12122. https://doi.org/10.11609/ jott.4017.10.8.12117-12122
Robbins R. K. and Opler P. A., 1997. Biodiversity II, understanding and protecting our biological resources. Joseph Henry Press, Washington DC. http://dx.doi.org/10.17226/4901
Rohmare V. B., Rathod D. M. & Parasharya B. M., 2016. Diversity and population dynamics of Odonata (Insecta: Odonata) in rice growing area of Central Gujarat. Journal of Biological Control, 149–157. https://doi.org/10.18641/jbc/30/3/97792
Root T. L. & Schneider S. H., 2006. Conservation and climate change: the challenges ahead. Conservation biology, 20(3): 706–708. http://dx.doi.org/10.1046/ j.1440-6055.2003.00341.x
Rowe R., 2003. Dragonflies: Behavior and Ecology of Odonata. Australian Journal of Entomology, 42(2): 210–211.
Selys Longchamps, E. de., 1891. Odonates in ‘Viaggio Di Leonardo Fea in Birmania e Regional Viccine. Annali del Museo civico di storia naturale Giacomo Doria, 2(10): 433–518.18. http://dx.doi.org/ 10.1111/j.1523-1739.2006.00465.x
Salmah M. R. C., Tribuana S. W. & Hassan A. A., 2006. The population of Odonata (dragonflies) in small tropical rivers with reference to asynchronous growth patterns. Aquatic Insects, 28(3): 195–209. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/01650420600922315
Shannon C. E., 1948. A mathematical theory of communication. Bell System Technical Journal, 27: 379–423. https://doi.org/ 10.1002/j.1538-7305.1948.tb01338.x.
Shannon C. E. & Weaver W., 1949. The Mathematical Theory of Communication. University of Illinois Press, Urbana. https://doi.org/10.4236/chnstd.2018.74024
Sharma G., Sundararaj R. & Karibasvaraja L. R., 2007. Species diversity of Odonata in the selected provenances of Sandal in Southern India. Zoos’ Print Journal, 22(7): 2765–2767.
Simpson E. H., 1949. Measurement of diversity. Nature, 163: 688. http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/163688a0
Subramanian K. A., 2005. India-A Lifescape, Dragonflies of India–A Field Guide. Vigyan Prasar.
Subramanian A., Krishnan U. M. & Sethuraman S., 2009. Development of biomaterial scaffold for nerve tissue engineering: Biomaterial mediated neural regeneration. Journal of biomedical science, 16: 1–11. http://dx.doi.org/ 10.1186/1423-0127-16-108
Subramanian K. A. & Babu R., 2017. Checklist of Odonata (Insecta) of India. Version 3.0. Records of the Zoological Survey of India, Kolkata.
Summerville K. S., Metzler E. H. & Crist, T. O., 2001. Diversity of Lepidoptera in Ohio Forests at Local and Regional Scales: How Heterogeneous is the Fauna?. Annals of the Entomological Society of America, 94(4): 583–591. http://dx.doi.org/ 10.1603/0013-8746(2001)094
Syaripuddin K., Sing K. W., & Wilson J. J., 2015. Comparison of butterflies, bats and beetles as bioindicators based on four key criteria and DNA barcodes. Tropical Conservation Science, 8(1): 138–149. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/194008291500800112
Tiple A. D., Deshmukh V. P. & Dennis R. L., 2005. Factors influencing nectar plant resource visits by butterflies on a university campus: implications for conservation. Nota lepidopterologica, 28(3/4): 213–224.
Tiple A. D., Khurad A. M. & Dennis R. L., 2011. Butterfly larval host plant use in a tropical urban context: Life history associations, herbivory, and landscape factors. Journal of Insect Science, 11(1): 1–21. doi: 10.1673/031.011.6501
Tiple A. D., Padwad S. V., Dapporto L. & Dennis R. L., 2010. Male mate location behaviour and encounter sites in a community of tropical butterflies: taxonomic and site associations and distinctions. Journal of biosciences, 35: 629–646. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s12038-010-0071-x
Tiple A. D., Paunikar S. & Talmale S. S., 2012. Dragonflies and Damselflies (Odonata: Insecta) of Tropical Forest Research Institute, Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, central India. Journal of Threatened Taxa, 4(4): 2529–2533. http://dx.doi.org/10.11609/JoTT.02657.2529-33
Tiple A. D., Sharma S. N. & Srivastava A.S., 2006. Psychiatric morbidity in geriatric people. Indian Journal of Psychiatry, 48(2): 88–94. http://dx.doi.org/10.4103/ 0019-5545.31596
Thomas J. A., 2005. Monitoring change in the abundance and distribution of insects using butterflies and other indicator groups. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B. Biological Sciences, 360(1454): 339–357.2. http://dx.doi.org/ 10.1098/rstb.2004.1585
Varshney R. K. & Smetacek P. (eds.) 2015. A Synoptic Catalogue of the Butterflies of India. Butterfly Research Centre, Bhimtal and Indinov Publishing, New Delhi, ii + 261 pp., 8 pl. http://dx.doi.org/10.13140/ RG.2.1.3966.2164
Verspagen N., Ikonen S., Saastamoinen M. & van Bergen E., 2020. Multidimensional plasticity in the Glanville fritillary butterfly: larval performance is temperature, host and family specific. Proceedings of the Royal Society B, 287(1941): 20202577. http://dx.doi.org/ 10.1098/rspb.2020.2577
Watson R., Baste I., Larigauderie A., Leadley, P., Pascual U., Baptiste B. ... & Mooney H., 2019. Summary for policymakers of the global assessment report on biodiversity and ecosystem services of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services. IPBES Secretariat: Bonn, Germany: 22–47.
Wright S. W., Jeffrey S. W., Mantoura R. F. C., Llewellyn C. A., Bjornland T., Repeta D. & Welschmeyer N., 1991. Improved HPLC method for the analysis of chlorophylls and carotenoids from marine phytoplankton. Marine ecology progress series, 183–196. http://dx.doi.org/10.3354/meps077183
Wynter-Blyth M. A., 1957. Butterflies of the Indian region. CiNii Books.
Zaghloul A., Saber M., Gadow S. & Awad F., 2020. Biological indicators for pollution detection in terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. Bulletin of the National Research Centre, 44(1): 1–11. doi: 10.1186/ s42269-020-00385-x
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Sayak Dolai , Md. Abu Imran Mallick, Narayan Ghorai
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
