Butterfly community structure and diversity in Sangihe Islands, north Sulawesi, Indonesia

Abstract

Butterflies have an important role in the ecosystem of Sangihe Island, North Sulawesi, Indonesia. Currently, data on the diversity of butterflies on the island are still lacking and have not been published yet. Therefore, this study was aimed to analyze the structure of the butterfly community and its diversity in Sangihe Island, North Sulawesi, Indonesia. The research was conducted from March 2018 to May 2018 in Sangihe Island, North Sulawesi. Sampling was performed at three types of habitat: a farm, a forest edge, and bushes. Sampling method used was surveyed with purposive sampling. A collection of butterflies was gathered by the sweeping method using sweep net following the transect line randomly for 500 m long. At each habitat, four transects were set and the collection step was duplicated. Sampling was performed from 8.00 am to 15.00 pm. The collection comprised of 5 families, 39 species, and 944 individuals. The most commonly found family was Nymphalidae, while the most abundant species were Junonia hedonia intermedia and Eurema tominia. Species abundance, species richness index, species diversity index, and species evenness index were found to be the highest at the forest edge habitat, while the lowest ones were from the bushes. The diversity of the butterflies at the forest edge habitat was higher since host plants were located in the area, and the vegetation served as a food source and shelter for the animals.