STATUS OF LEPIDOPTERAN DIVERSITY AT ASOKAPURAM LOCALITY, ALUVA, KERALA, SOUTH INDIA

Abstract

The insect order Lepidoptera comprises both butterflies and moths. There are over 180,000 Lepidoptera species described, divided into 126 families and 46 superfamilies. 10% of the total number of living creatures described. It is one of the most common and well-known insect orders on the planet. Butterflies are an important category of insects that can function as sensors of environmental change. Butterflies are insects from the order Lepidoptera's macrolepidopteran clade Rhopalocera. Except for Antarctica, there are around 18,500 species of butterflies. Moths are a paraphyletic group of insects that contain all non-butterfly members of the order Lepidoptera, with moths constituting the great bulk of the order. Moths are expected to number over 160,000 species. The majority of moth species are nocturnal, however there are crepuscular and diurnal species as well. Asokapuram is a tiny hamlet located east of Aluva. The current analysis was carried out to identify the Lepidopterans in the area for 6 in diverse habitats surrounding the area. During the inquiry, a total of 46 lepidopterans were noted, 27 of which were recognised, 13 of which were various species of butterflies and the remaining 14 were different species of moths.