The composition and phenology of butterflies are determined by their functional trait in Indian tropical dry forests

To understand the effects of local landscape factors on functional species composition and phenology of butterflies across multiple spatial scales, a study was carried out in a tropical dry forest of the northern highlands of the Eastern Ghats of India from November 2016 to October 2017. A total of 3343 individuals of 88 species of butterflies were recorded, under 62 genera, 18 subfamilies, and six families in three different forest types (open, riparian, dense). Butterfly species richness showed no significant deviations, but diversity patterns varied across transects. Beta diversity indicated differences in common species populations, likely due to uneven resource distribution in study site forests. The contribution of β transect to gamma diversity was greater than that of β elevation, except for specialists. Specialists were favoured by landscape attributes over forest type. Butterfly abundance peaks in April for open and dense forests and May for riparian forests. Results show variation in seasonal patterns across different forest types (F = 15.92, P < 0.001). Generalists and versatilists are more prevalent in April and February, while specialists are more abundant from October to November. Relative humidity, shrub density, and temperature were the major contributors (40.2%) for richness, whereas relative humidity and shrub density contributed 26.3% for abundance. The relative humidity was predominant over temperature for species richness and is a major predictor for assemblages of generalist species. Elevation-dependent resource utilization is crucial for habitat specialists, underscoring the significance of spatial elevation zones in effective conservation planning strategies.