Fisheries in the Southern Border Zone of Takamanda - Impact ...

1 Introduction
Butterfly Fauna of Takamanda Forest Reserve, Cameroon
Butterflies (order Lepidoptera) constitute about 1% of all
named insects (Larsen 1996) and are one of the most
intensively studied groups (Borror et al. 1989). Their
comparatively large size and bright colors, species
distributions and abundances, and the relative ease in
rearing some species in captivity has led to a considerable
amount of research—and some very interesting findings.
As example, it was genetic information from research on
the polymorphic Swallow Tail (Larsen 1996), which in
Cameroon is represented by Papilio dardanus, that
uncovered the Rhesus factor in human blood. Other
important advances made possible in part by research on
butterflies include studies on the evolution of plantherbivore
interactions (Ehrlich and Raven 1964, Johnson
1994).
From the human perspective, butterflies are both
beneficial and harmful. In the beneficial category, some
species of butterflies are prolific plant pollinators, and
many of these creatures have relatively high economic
value as they are used for entertainment, decorative art,
and collections (Johnson 1994, Spiers 1990). The fact
that some butterflies exhibit a high host specificity makes
them a potential biological control agent.
On the other hand, Lepidoptera such as the gypsy
moth (Lymantria dispar) can defoliate trees across large
tracts of forest (Work and McCullough 2000), while
others are crop pests (Haile and Hofsvang 2001).
Of the 17,280 species of butterflies already
described worldwide (Shields 1989), about 3,600
occur in Africa (Carcasson et al. 1995)—many in the
Guineo-Congolian tropical rainforest, part of a larger
region that contains the “greatest density of butterfly
Ebwekoh Monya O’ Kah
Chapter 4
species” and is one of the richest units of butterfly
diversity, mainly because of humid and warm climatic
conditions that allow several broods and a “consequent
rapid evolution” (Carcasson et al. 1995).
Takamanda Forest Reserve (TFR) in
Southwest Province of Cameroon is included in this
diverse rainforest. While the Reserve is expected to
harbor a highly diverse butterfly fauna, no systematic
study had been undertaken for this group (Fomete
Nembot and Tchanou 1998) until the research that
forms the basis for this paper. An assessment of
Lepidoptera at the Reserve took place during 21 days
between April and June 2001. The objective was to
obtain initial data on the composition of the butterfly
fauna and elaborate the first-ever checklist for TFR.
2 Methods
Specimens were collected using 20 locally constructed
aerial bait traps (Davies, 1994) placed at 16 survey sites
that ranged between 200 and 800m above sea level,
many of which were also used for vegetation, mammal,
and bird surveys at Takamanda. All sites were georeferenced,
using a Garmin 12XL GPS (Figure 1, Table
1).
The traps were set at different heights in the canopy
to capture and record species that typically feed at
progressively higher levels. Bait (rotten fruit and dog
faeces) was changed daily, and the traps were checked
twice daily. Trapped butterflies were collected and
identified.
Sweep-netting was also carried out along forest
paths at the sites where the aerial traps were placed and
while traveling among the sampling locations.
SI/MAB Series #8, 2003, Pages 55 to 71