Butterfly species abundance and habitat preference in Farin Ruwa waterfall in Wamba Local Government Area of Nasarawa State, Nigeria.

Abstract

Butterflies are considered as good ecological bio-indicators of the environment and play significant roles as pollinators of Agricultural crops, aesthetics and range forage productivity. Their occurrence and diversity in populations contribute to ecosystems and can indicate the state of environmental health. Though, there is a high increase in human disturbances in most protected area. However, information on butterfly species abundance and richness on different habitats is limited in the study area. The study assessed the diversity and abundance of butterfly species in relation to its environmental factors. Sampling was done quantitatively using three complementary methods, line transect (walk-and-counts), hand sweep nets, and fruit bait traps in April to August 2023. Data was analysed using descriptive statistics, diversity indices and Pearson’s correlation. A total of 34 butterfly species belonging to 4 families in the order Lepidoptera were recorded across the three different habitats. Members of Nymphalidae family occurred most and accounted for 58.81% species in riparian, 56.25% species in waterfall and 55.97% species in farmland with Acrsea serena been the most dominant across the habitats. Farmland habitat had the highest species composition (n = 1196). There was no significant relationship between the environmental factors and the total number of individuals or species richness. But rainfall was found to be positively correlated with the species diversity and abundance. Hence, understanding the factors affecting butterfly species diversity and abundance in farin ruwa waterfall is very important for conservation purposes.