Abstract

In a study on the butterflies of Periyar Tigar Reserve, Kerala, 119 species of butterflies were recorded from different habitats. Maximum number of species recorded belonged to Nymphalidae (29 spp.) followed by Pieridae (18 spp.), Satyridae (18 spp.), Hesperiidae (14 spp.) and Lycaenidae (13 spp.) Thedistribution of butterflies in the different habitats was also studied. The evergreen forests contained several endemic and rare butterflies like Pachliopta pandiyana Moore (Papilionidae), Parthenos sylvia virens Moore (Nymphalidae) and Idea malabarica Moore (Danaidae) . The most deciduous forests including teak and eucalypt plantations supported a variety of butterflies belonging to Nymphalidae, Lycaenidae, Pieridae and Danaidae. Local aggregations of certain endemics like Parantica nilgiriensis Moore and Tirumala sepentrionis dravidarum Fruhstorfer (Danaidae) were recorded from this habitat. The grasslands, because of their characteristic vegetation, supported relatively