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The Butterfly Census
The table below describes the 5
zoogeographical regions of the world, each of which has it's own
characteristic fauna.
The
zoogeographical regions
|
|
Holarctic |
Palaearctic
( Britain,
Europe, north Africa, the Middle East, temperate Asia,
Korea, Japan ) and Nearctic ( United States, Canada,
Greenland, Hawaii ). |
|
Neotropical |
Mexico,
Central America, the whole of South
America including the Amazonian and Andean fauna, the Caribbean islands,
the Falkland islands. |
|
Afrotropical |
Africa
south and west of the Sahara, Ethiopia, Arabia, Madagascar,
and the
Seychelles. |
|
Oriental |
Nepal,
Tibet, India, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Thailand, Malaysia,
Taiwan, southern China, the Philippines, Borneo, Sumatra,
Sulawesi. |
|
Australian |
Australia,
Timor, the Moluccas, Irian Jaya, Papua New Guinea, New Zealand,
the Solomon Islands and other islands of the south Pacific. |
Each region has it's own
characteristic butterfly fauna, and certain sub-families are
restricted almost entirely to specific regions, e.g. the
Trapezitinae occur only in the Australian region, Pyrrhopyginae
are exclusively neotropical, Lipteninae are restricted to
Africa, Parnassiinae are found only in the Holarctic, and the
Poritiinae are confined to the Oriental region.
Most of the other subfamilies have
representatives worldwide, although many such as the Danainae,
Riodininae, Satyrinae, Theclinae and Heteropterinae have much higher diversity in the
Neotropics than elsewhere.
The Coliadinae, Pierinae and Nymphalinae
comprise species that in a large number of cases are nomadic or
migratory in nature, and are thus more widely distributed.
The figures
below have been
collated by learnaboutbutterflies from resources listed at
the bottom of the page, and should be read in conjunction with the
notes beneath the table.
| |
World |
Holarctic region |
Neotropical region |
Afrotropical region |
Oriental region |
Australian
region |
|
HESPERIIDAE |
4127 |
497 |
2365 |
525 |
570 |
174 |
|
Hesperiinae |
2117 |
275 |
1039 |
321 |
395 |
87 |
|
Heteropterinae |
180 |
9 |
138 |
33 |
0 |
0 |
|
Pyrginae |
1474 |
200 |
992 |
152 |
130 |
14 |
|
Pyrrhopyginae |
164 |
0 |
164 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
Trapezitinae |
61 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
61 |
|
Megathyminae |
55 |
12 |
33 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
Coeliadinae |
76 |
0 |
0 |
19 |
45 |
12 |
|
PAPILIONIDAE |
568 |
97 |
141 |
98 |
170 |
70 |
|
Papilioninae |
547 |
80 |
140 |
98 |
170 |
70 |
|
Parnassiinae |
17 |
17 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
Baroniinae |
1 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
PIERIDAE |
1036 |
158 |
339 |
188 |
160 |
191 |
|
Pseudopontinae |
1 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
|
Coliadinae |
226 |
75 |
69 |
13 |
54 |
15 |
|
Pierinae |
753 |
78 |
219 |
174 |
106 |
176 |
|
Dismorphiinae |
56 |
5 |
51 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
LYCAENIDAE |
4507 |
575 |
1182 |
1680 |
586 |
484 |
|
Theclinae |
2295 |
244 |
1061 |
519 |
381 |
90 |
|
Polyommatinae |
1082 |
267 |
7 |
454 |
96 |
258 |
|
Lycaeninae |
291 |
60 |
114 |
4 |
0 |
113 |
|
Poritiinae |
30 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
30 |
0 |
|
Miletinae |
159 |
2 |
0 |
73 |
64 |
20 |
|
Curetinae |
17 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
14 |
1 |
|
Lipteninae |
599 |
0 |
0 |
599 |
0 |
0 |
|
Liphyrinae |
34 |
0 |
0 |
31 |
1 |
2 |
|
RIODINIDAE |
1428 |
33 |
1324 |
15 |
34 |
23 |
|
Euselasiinae |
172 |
0 |
172 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
Riodininae |
1256 |
33 |
1152 |
15 |
34 |
23 |
|
NYMPHALIDAE |
5978 |
864 |
2433 |
1458 |
891 |
332 |
|
Libytheinae |
17 |
3 |
4 |
3 |
4 |
3 |
|
Nymphalinae |
590 |
172 |
195 |
71 |
93 |
59 |
|
Heliconiinae |
479 |
74 |
147 |
235 |
12 |
11 |
|
Argynnini |
120 |
73 |
18 |
11 |
10 |
8 |
|
Heliconiini |
72 |
0 |
72 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
Acraeini |
287 |
1 |
57 |
224 |
2 |
3 |
|
Limenitidinae |
1014 |
94 |
89 |
587 |
220 |
24 |
|
Biblidinae |
331 |
2 |
266 |
31 |
25 |
7 |
|
Apaturinae |
87 |
43 |
19 |
3 |
21 |
1 |
|
Charaxinae |
392 |
8 |
110 |
179 |
80 |
15 |
|
Satyrinae |
2279 |
460 |
1099 |
326 |
275 |
119 |
|
Morphinae |
226 |
0 |
136 |
0 |
72 |
18 |
|
Morphini |
42 |
0 |
42 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
Brassolini |
94 |
0 |
94 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
Amathusiini |
90 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
72 |
18 |
|
Danainae |
563 |
8 |
368 |
23 |
89 |
75 |
|
Danaini |
199 |
8 |
13 |
23 |
89 |
66 |
|
Ithomiini |
355 |
0 |
355 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
Tellervini |
9 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
9 |
|
TOTAL |
17657 |
2224 |
7784 |
3964 |
2411 |
1274 |
The totals above are distorted
because surveys of the various subfamilies, genera and
zoogeographical regions have used differing methodology. Also there is considerable
contention amongst taxonomists as to whether any particular
taxon is a full species or merely a subspecies or form.
Estimates of the number of
currently described species therefore vary between 17000 and
19000. The eventual total will never be known, as many will become extinct before
they are discovered, but taxonomists estimate that
at least another 1,100 species await discovery in the neotropical
region
alone.
A
further
50 are likely to be discovered in the Asian part of the Holarctic, 150 in
the Oriental region, and probably another 50 in Irian Jaya and
Papua New Guinea, which are part of the Australian region. In Africa alone, the new number of known species has jumped
by 366 in the last 12 years to reach a 2007 total of 3964, and
will certainly jump by at least another 200 species within the
next decade.
DNA analysis will probably result
in at least another 300 species being "discovered", i.e.
separated, from amongst existing species in collections. A
further 200 species could be discovered as a
result of breeding experiments. A good example of this is the
case of the apparently identical Pierids,
Colias alfacariensis
and
C. hyale,
which were thought to be the same species until Berger
discovered distinct differences in the larvae and pupae.
Taking all the above factors into
account it is reasonable to estimate that the eventual world total
could
exceed 21,000 butterfly species - and perhaps as many as 600,000
moths !
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The Amazon rainforests and the cloudforests of the Andes together
account for about 40 percent of all butterfly species on Earth. If
deforestation continues at it's present rate, the rainforests will
have entirely disappeared within 50 years, and almost half of the
world's butterfly species will by then be extinct, with nothing
more than museum specimens and photographs remaining.
learnaboutbutterflies urges every
person viewing this website to take immediate action - please
visit the
rainforestportal and
mongabay websites where you
can find more detailed information, and take part in
on-line petitions to save the Amazon
and the rainforests of Africa and Asia.
|
How YOU can help to save rainforests
-
drastically reduce consumerism
-
reduce your mileage
- bio-fuel in your petrol and
diesel destroys rainforests
-
boycott tropical hardwoods
-
boycott South American beef - the
main cause of Amazonian deforestation
-
boycott oil palm products - the
main cause of Asian rainforest deforestation
-
support initiatives to create
eco-friendly employment for indigenous peoples
-
support eco-tourism - creating
demand for privately owned nature reserves
-
reduce your carbon emissions
-
support rainforest conservation
organisations
-
lobby politicians to make
rainforest conservation a high priority issue
|
Sources include :
Tolman ( 1997 ), Larsen ( 1991, 2005 ), Lamas ( 2004 ), McCubbin (
1971 ), Preston-Mafham ( 1988 ), d'Abrera ( 2001 ), Scott ( 1992
), Eliot / Corbet & Pendlebury ( 1992 ), Shields ( 1989 ), Ackery
( 1995 ), Hoskins ( unpublished data ).
Text, charts, tables and photographs protected by Copyright © Adrian
Hoskins 2007-2008, and must not be reproduced or published in part
or in whole elsewhere in any form without written permission from
Adrian Hoskins. Breach of copyright will be pursued by litigation.
Website designed, produced and owned by
Adrian Hoskins
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