The overexploitation of 25 species of host crops valued for his or her medicinal properties threatens the swallowtail butterflies within the forest habitats of part of Assam also known as the “citrus belt of the world”, a brand new examine has discovered.
The examine, performed within the Bodoland Territorial Area on the northern financial institution of the Brahmaputra River, additionally underscored unlawful cattle farming throughout the protected areas, agriculture and tea cultivation close to the habitats, unlawful tree felling, and pesticide use to be among the many essential elements contributing to the decline within the variety of these butterflies.
Kushal Choudhury of Bodoland College’s Division of Zoology is the writer of the examine, which was revealed within the Journal of Threatened Taxa.
“The decline of swallowtail butterflies in forest habitats, which was not a serious concern about 20 years in the past, made the Worldwide Union for Conservation of Nature mark them as globally endangered,” he mentioned.
India hosts 77 of the 573 swallowtail butterfly species recorded internationally thus far. The Worldwide Union for Conservation of Nature designated the northeastern a part of the nation, the place 69 species have been recorded, a ‘swallowtail-rich zone’ below the Swallowtail Conservation Motion Plan.
Dr. Choudhury’s examine documented 4,267 people belonging to 35 species representing eight genera. Three are endemic to the area whereas 12 get pleasure from federal safety.
“Butterflies are worthwhile indicators of the setting, whose well being can affect their presence, abundance, and variety. The findings recommend that the studied panorama [in the Bodoland Territorial region] is essential in supporting larval host crops, grownup assets of swallowtail butterflies, and different abiotic elements,” he mentioned.
The Bodoland Territorial Area is a Sixth Schedule space overlaying 8,970 sq. km. About 40% of it’s coated with forests, largely towards the border within the north with Bhutan. The butterflies Dr. Choudhury studied within the Area’s Manas Biosphere Reserve had been discovered to rely 25 plant species from six households as their important meals sources.
Plant drawback
“Sadly, these host crops, valued for his or her conventional medicinal properties, are being overexploited,” Dr. Choudhury mentioned, noting the absence of two uncommon species – the Bhutan glory (Bhutanitis lidderdalii) and the Kaiser-i-Hind (Teinopalpus imperialis) – throughout the survey.
The black-bodied swallowtails had been noticed to feed on six distinct plant households, together with the Rutaceae or citrus. “The examine space is located within the citrus belt of the world and helps 52 forms of 17 citrus species and 6 potential hybrid species,” he mentioned, underscoring the hyperlink between the citrus crops and the Papilio genus of those butterflies for the event of their larvae.
In response to the examine, these citrus species at the moment are confined largely to residence gardens or yard settings as an alternative of untamed or semi-wild habitats as a result of the protection of forested lands has been shrinking and as a consequence of overexploitation. “This decline within the wild inhabitants of citrus species could also be a attainable purpose for the disappearance of those butterfly species,” the paper learn.
The in depth harvesting of three species of crops of the household Aristolochiaceae from the wild was discovered to have affected the density of the swallowtails belonging to the Atrophaneura, Pachliopta, and Triodes genera. These butterflies have a specialised food regimen and feed completely on crops from this household.
The exploitation of Ligustrum cordatum, a plant utilized in conventional medication, has equally affected the swallowtails of the genus Lamproptera. The situation isn’t any completely different for the butterflies of different genera, similar to Graphium, which feed on crops of the Lauraceae and Magnoliaceae households.
“The shortage of associated host plant assets for these species raises issues about their long-term survival and ecological well-being. Host crops are basic to the lifecycle of many species, taking part in a necessary function of their replica and sustenance,” Dr Choudhury mentioned.
rahul.karmakar@thehindu.co.in
Revealed – October 02, 2024 05:30 am IST