Ecology of Nymphalid Butterflies in Assam Himalaya : Study Conducted in Assam-Meghalaya foothill tropical forests

Northeast India is one of the most important hotspot of biological diversity. Owing to varied topography, dense forests and humid climate, the state of Assam has harboars a rich butterflies fauna and including many species which are confined to this region only. However, in recent years, the forest of Assam and Northeast India are rapidly being logged owing to increasing pressure of illegal tree fellers, shifting agriculture, construction of rail roads & highways, human settlements, construction of dams and thus most of the natural biota are potentially been lost. Those habitat alterations also lead to the elimination of most of the native butterflies from the region. Amongst butterflies, the Nymphalid supports both wide and narrow range species. The narrow range species are restricted to specific bio-geographical regions, whereas, others are widely distributed. These groups are used as a potential subject for analytical studies by the ecologists across the globe concerning recent scenarios of anthropogenic disturbances. Thus the present study had been carried out in Assam as a modeled study to highlight the effect of forest degradation on butterflies for future conservation.