Butterfly diversity in Gidakom Forest Management Unit, Thimphu, Bhutan

This study was carried out to establish the diversity and distribution of butterflies in Gidakom Forest Management Unit (GFMU), Thimphu, Bhutan. A survey was conducted from June 2016 to July 2017 in three locations within GFMU: Jamdo, Chimithanka, and Jedekha. A total of 90 species belonging to 52 genera and five families of butterflies were recorded. Nymphalidae was dominant with 38 species, followed by Lycaenidae with 19, Pieridae with 15, Papilionidae with 11, and Hesperiidae with seven species. Diversity of butterfly species was highest in farmland associated with pockets of forest cover in the lower valley, and a decreasing trend was observed towards higher elevations. The maximum species richness (83 species) was recorded from Chimithanka between 2500m & 2900m, where agriculture is associated with patches of forest, streams, forest edges, and open scrub land. Butterfly diversity was lowest at Jedekha above 2,900m (37 species), an area dominated by mixed conifer forest with little agriculture.