Butterfly diversity and community dynamics in the central Himalayas: Species composition, richness, abundance, and seasonal variation of butterflies (Lepidoptera: Papilionoidea) in Bhorletar, Nepal

Butterflies are among the most effective bioindicators of climate change; however, their diversity in many rural areas of the Central Himalayas remains understudied. This study provides an assessment of butterfly diversity in the foothills of Bhorletar, Madhya Nepal Municipality, Lamjung District, Nepal, within an elevation range of 420–600 m. Conducted between July 2019 and January 2021, the survey involved opportunistic observations and photography of adult butterflies in their natural habitats, with sampling occurring six times each month. The study aimed to investigate the species composition, richness, and abundance of butterflies across the survey period and identify seasonal changes in species composition and richness. A total of 94,009 individuals across 226 species, 129 genera, and six families were documented. During this study, Halpe arcuata Evans, 1937 and Hasora taminatus bhavara Fruhstorfer, 1911 were recorded for the first time in Nepal. Additionally, Halpe filda Evans, 1..., A survey of adult butterfly fauna was conducted in the foothills of Bhorletar (28°09′20.1″ N, 84°14′15.1″ E ) (Fig. 1) from July 2019 to January 2021 within the elevational range of 420 to 600 meters. The survey was conducted within an approximate 3-square-kilometer area. The survey followed an opportunistic design mostly owing to the variable landscape of the study area often altered by seasonal changes. While this method may lack consistency (Van Strien et al. 2013), such as in following a fixed transect throughout the survey (Pollard 1977, 1979), we maintained uniformity by ensuring an equal number of observation hours each survey session. The survey was conducted six times each month by the first author covering various habitats of the study area, including riverbanks, forest trails, streams, clearings, hilltops, residential areas, and open agricultural fields. Observations were conducted between 10 am and 5 pm Nepal Standard Time (NPT), except when inclement weather or unforeseen c..., , # Butterfly diversity and community dynamics in the central Himalayas: Species composition, richness, abundance, and seasonal variation of butterflies (Lepidoptera: Papilionoidea) in Bhorletar, Nepal

[Access this dataset on Dryad](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.ghx3ffbzh)

## Description of the data and file structure

Dataset Organization

The dataset includes the following files:

1. NASA Power data.csv: Monthly temperature and precipitation data for the study period extracted from NASA Power.
2. Bhorletar Paper temp and ppt data.xlsx: Temperature and precipitation data for the study period with monthly averages and their correlation with species richness.
3. Paper Bhorletar analysis.xlsx: A detailed list of species observed during the study, along with various diversity indices and family-level data.
4. BUTTERFLIES_SPECIES_TOTAL.xlsx: Monthly species richness data for each butterfly family observed.

File Descriptions

1. NASA Power data.csv
• Description: Temperature and precipit...