Butterfly species diversity, relative abundance and status in Tropical Forest Research Institute, Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, central India

A survey was conducted to record the butterfly diversity, status and occurrence of butterfly species in the Tropical Forest Research Institute campus area of 109 hectare within Jabalpur city from June 2008 to May 2009. A total of 62 species of butterflies belonging to 47 genera of 5 families viz., Papilionidae (5 species), Pieridae (9 species), Nymphalidae (25 species), Lycaenidae (16 species) and Hesperiidae (7 species) were recorded. Of the total 65 species, 24 (37%) were commonly occurring, 16 (26%) were very common, 2 (3%) were not rare, 17 (26%) were rare and 6 (8%) were very rarely occurring. Of these eight species are listed in the Indian Wildlife (protection) Act 1972. The observations support the importance of the Tropical Forest Research Institute campus which provides a habitat and valuable resources for butterflies