This is a checklist of butterflies of Nagpur city. This checklist consist of total 145 species of butterflies which were recorded using a field survey and investigations carried out on a daily basis from June 2006 to May 2008 at 8 sites in and around the area of Nagpur city. The survey sites include Seminary Hills, Satpuda botanical Garden, Agricultural Land (Bull Rearing Center) RTM Nagpur University Campus and LIT Campus; Ambazari garden and bare land at Lake Side; Sides of National Highway, Maharaja bagh and Futala farm area. Among the 145 butterflies recorded in this checklist 24 species come under the protection category as per the Indian Wild Life protection Act 1972 and it has 64 new species recorded compared to previous checklist recorded in this region.
Nagpur is a city in the state of Maharashtra, the largest city in the central India. It is the 13th largest city of India and is famous for its oranges and thus is also called the ‘Orange city of India’. Nagpur lies precisely at the center of the country with the Zero Mile Marker indicating the geographical center of India. It lies on the Deccan plateau of the Indian Peninsula at a mean altitude of 310 meters above sea level. Nagpur city is dotted with natural and man-made lakes with Ambazari Lake being the largest. Other natural lakes include Gorewada Lake and Telangkhedi Lake. Sonegaon Lake along With Gandhisagar Lake are man-made lakes created by cities historical rulers. Nag river, Pilli nadi along with nallas form the natural drainage pattern for the city. Nagpur is known for its greenery, and was judged as the cleanest and second greenest in India after Chandigarh. As it is located at the centre of Indian peninsula far from Bay of Bengal and Arabian sea, Nagpur has a tropical wet and dry climate with dry conditions prevailing for most of the year. The city of Nagpur witnesses a tremendous climatic variation with scorching summers and chilling winters.
Suggested reading:
1). Indian Lepidoptera (Insects as Umbrella species)
http://www.scribd.com/doc/7243010/Indian-Lepidoptera-March-2008-Issue7
2). Butterfly Diversity of Pune City along the Human Impact Gradient http://www.people.fas.harvard.edu/~kunte/KuntePuneButterflies01.pdf
3). Chhota-Nagpur dry deciduous forests
http://www.worldwildlife.org/wildworld/profiles/terrestrial/im/im0203_fu...