Butterflies Of Sarawak: Documentation Of Rhopaloceran

Tan, Qiu Xiang (2011) Butterflies Of Sarawak: Documentation Of Rhopaloceran. [Final Year Project Report] (Unpublished)

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Abstract

Rhopaloceran species in Sarawak had been studied by many researchers but not all data are available and documents are scattered. Information on species distribution is also lacking. The purpose of this project is to compile all the Rhopaloceran species of Sarawak into a report so that it is easily accessible to researchers and publics. Rhopalocerans stored mainly in Sarawak Museum and Unimas Museum is compiled into a checklist of butterfly in Sarawak. A total 6894 individuals of butterflies represented by 654 species belonging to five families, namely Papilionidae, Pieridae, Nymphalidae, Lycaenidae and Hesperiidae are compiled. Nymphalidae has the highest number of species (264) with 3673 individual. The second highest number of Rhopalocerans is Lycaenids represented by 201 species (30.7%) out of 914 individuals compiled. Family Hesperiidae situated at the third after Nymphalidae and Lycaenidae represented by 100 species (15.3%) out of total species compiled with 495 individuals. Family Pieridae and Papilionidae show almost the same number of Rhopaloceran species with 53 species (8.1%) and 36 (5.5%) species respectively. Nine endemic species had been compiled and one protected insect in Sarawak Trogonoptera brookiana brookiana, Raja Brooke's Birdwing also are recorded. Papilio iswara araspes is categorized as rare species in Sarawak as well as Borneo. The high number of Nymphalids in Sarawak is due to island Isolation and large island size. Butterly is highly susceptible to environmental changes, It can be used as all indicator to determine forest health. Appias olferna olferna is the introduced species from Peninsular Malaysia: while Eurema hecabe is the most widely distributed butterfly compiled Throughout Sarawak.

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