A spatial and temporal analysis of butterfly diversity in different habitat types in Xundian county, Yunnan province, China

As an indicator taxus for environmental monitoring, butterflies play an important role in ecosystem services. Xundian county is located in the northeast of Yunnan Province, in the middle of the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau.. However, researching the diversity of butterfly species in Xundian County is still lacking. In the present study, we described a study conducted from June 2022 to May 2023 to compare butterfly diversity in 7 habitats in Xundian of Yunnan province. The study used line transect to record butterfly species and found a total of 74 species, belonging to 9 families and 49 genera. Among these, Pseudozizeeria maha and Pieris brassicae had the largest abundance. The results showed that the diversity of butterfly was highest in the valley area, and the number of individuals was highest in grasslands. There are differences in the species richness and Shannon-Wiener index between habitats. Beta diversity analysis revealed that the butterfly species composition in different habitats was dominated by the turnover components. Among them, the turnover components of natural forests and farmland were the largest, while the nestedness components of villages and grasslands were the largest. We also found that butterfly diversity varied over the months, with the highest diversity observed in July and the lowest in May. This study provides basic data and policy guidance for butterfly diversity conservation and management in Xundian County. From a conservation perspective, the conservation strategy should focus on protecting the entire ecosystem, with particular attention paid to valley area with the highest butterfly diversity. In addition, relevant government management departments should pay special attention to monitoring during the months with the highest butterfly diversity.