Reviews of: A Naturalist's Guide to the Butterflies and Dragonflies of Sri Lanka, and A Naturalist's Guide to the Butterflies of India

Butterflies have always attracted attention due to their unique colourations. As most butterflies are highly specific in their niche utilisation, abundance of the species in a locality may advocate status of ecosystem functioning and environmental health. In recent times, different anthropogenic activities and unscientific management of nature have resulted in a decline of butterfly communities at a rapid rate. The objective of the present study is to study butterfly diversity in and around Midnapore Town, West Bengal, India. A total of 82 butterfly species belonging to six families were recorded during the two years of the study period. Of the six families Nymphalidae is the most abundant family comprising 42.54% of the total population followed by Lycaenidae (22.5%), Pieridae (19.03%), Papilionidae (8.58%), Hesperiidae (7.24%), and Riodinidae (0.11%). Different diversity indices, Lorenz curve, Whittaker plot, and Gini index show high diversity in the butterfly community structure. As Midnapore Town is the connecting area between the plains of Bengal and Chota Nagpur Plateau, the present study may be the baseline for further ecological, environmental, and conservation studies.

Butterfly diversity throughout Midnapore urban area in West Bengal, India

/pdf/effect-of-climate-change-on-the-population-of-butterfly-1hs6dbno95.pdf

Effect of climate change on the population of butterfly families - species richness, abundance and species composition across the different seasons of the year in Kalaburagi, Karnataka, India

Butterfly diversity at Serampore, West Bengal, India, was studied on the post monsoon season and the habitat includes tree canopy, shrub, herbs, climbers and grasses. Permanent line transect counts were used to record species richness and abundance of butterfly communities. A total of 38 butterfly species belonging to the families of Hesperiidae, Papilionidae, Pieridae, Nymphalidae and Lycaenidae were identified in the present investigation. Quantification of butterfly diversity and species richness was prime objective of this study. This study revealed that even a small natural green patch of a highly populated suburban riverside may hold a high species richness and evenness of butterfly diversity.

https://www.entomoljournal.com/archives/2016/vol4issue2/PartA/4-2-3.pdf

Butterfly diversity at suburban green patch: A sustainable approach towards conservation

Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 3.0 Unported License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/), permitting all non commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Global Journal of Science Frontier Research: C Biological Science Volume 20 Issue 4 Version 1.0 Year 2020 Type : Double Blind Peer Reviewed International Research Journal Publisher: Global Journals Online ISSN: 2249-4626 & Print ISSN: 0975-5896

Diversity of Butterflies (Lepidoptera: Rhopalocera) of Jhargram, Paschim and Purba Medinipur districts, West Bengal, India

67 species of butterflies under 5 families and 51 genera were recorded from Haldia industrial beltand adjacent rural area. Industrial zone hadfewer species low diversity and evenness indices and high dominance index. Nymphalidae outnumbered all other families in the industrial zone with 48% of the total species of that area. Such preponderance of any single family was not evident in the rural area, likewise industrial belt had 3 dominant species but no dominant species could be seen in the rural zone. Results suggest that industrialization could alter the butterfly diversity but it was not enough to make the two sites dissimilar as revealed by the index of similarity (0.52).

A study on the butterfly diversity of Haldia industrial belt and adjacent rural area in Purba Medinipur district, West Bengal, India

Background and Objectives: In recent years, resurgence of mosquito-borne diseases has become a serious health problem in India. In the present study, Stigmatogobius sadanundio, a common indigenous fish, has been tested for its biocontrol potentiality for controlling Culex quinquefasciatus larvae. This small larvivorous fish can consume large number of Culex larvae even in the presence of alternate prey. This is the first report on the mosquito control ability of this fish. Materials and Methods: Experimental fishes were captured from tidal canals of Rupnarayan River in Purba Medinipur district, West Bengal. Mosquito larvae, pupae, and chironomid larvae were collected from Tamralipta municipality drainage system. Predation efficacy of the fish was evaluated on C. quinquefasciatus larvae and pupae as well as on Chironomus ramosus larvae which were collected from the drainage system of Tamralipta municipality and reared in the laboratory maintaining similar water parameters. Prey were offered to the fish separately and in paired combination to study its dietary preference. Results: S. sadanundio is a diurnal predator consuming significantly large number of prey during daytime. It prefers mosquito and chironomid larvae over mosquito pupae. The rate of predation was very high during 1st h of predation. It consumed more chironomid larvae in the presence of mosquito larvae during daytime but consumed large number of mosquito larvae as compared to other larvivorous fish. Conclusion: S. sadanundio, an indigenous fish, is an effective biocontrol agent for the larvae of C. quinquefasciatus in laboratory condition. Even though the presence of alternate prey chironomid larvae influences the predation rate, it consumed large number of mosquito larvae. However, careful controlled field trials must be conducted before this fish is used as a biocontrol agent.

First record of the mosquito control potentiality of Stigmatogobius sadanundio (F. Hamilton, 1822) Gobiidae, Perciformes in laboratory condition.

Anemia is a significant public health concern in India, with an esti-mated prevalence of 38% to 82% in non-pregnant females and 18% to 59% in males. Destitution, poor nutrition, illiteracy, unhealthy practices, obliviousness, and inadequate health service is the significant reasons for the higher rate of IDA in the tribals of India. The objective of the present study was to estimate the disease burden in Binpur-I and II, Jhargram blocks in West Bengal, India. The research was planned as a multiethnic community-based investigation that includes age and sex-specific gradation of anemia with iron status (SF, SI, TIBC). 910 participants (female: 529 and male: 381) were enrolled in the study. Overall, 67.47% of individuals were diagnosed with anemia (female: 42.74% and male: 24.73% ). According to severity, 29.12%, 27.14%, and 11.2% of individuals were moderate, mild, and severely anemic. Results also showed that IDA is prevalent among all age groups irrespective of sex, with the highest rates in the 40.1 - 60 age group (female). The higher prevalence of the geriatric population could be due to chronic disease, iron deficiency, and genetic polymorphisms, which require future investigations.

/pdf/a-longitudinal-study-on-the-prevalence-of-iron-deficiency-qjebgo1t.pdf

Niladri Prasad Mishra

Papers

A study on the butterfly diversity of Haldia industrial belt and adjacent rural area in Purba Medinipur district, West Bengal, India

First record of the mosquito control potentiality of Stigmatogobius sadanundio (F. Hamilton, 1822) Gobiidae, Perciformes in laboratory condition.

A longitudinal study on the prevalence of iron deficiency anemia in the multiethnic communities of Jhargram, West Bengal