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

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58 O’Kah<br />

Table 3. Species found <strong>in</strong> <strong>in</strong>tact forest formations <strong>Takamanda</strong><br />

Forest Reserve, Cameroon<br />

Species<br />

1. Pseudopontia paradoxa (wet forest)<br />

2. Graphium (Arisbe) latreillianus (moist forest)<br />

3. Aterica galene galene<br />

4. Bicyclus mesogena<br />

5. Catuna cri<strong>the</strong>a conjuncta<br />

6. Harma <strong>the</strong>obene blassi<br />

7. Hypolimnas d<strong>in</strong>archa<br />

8. Hypolimnas salmacis<br />

9. Neptis clarei<br />

10. Euxan<strong>the</strong> (Euxan<strong>the</strong>) eur<strong>in</strong>ome elgonae<br />

11. Eurema (Terias) senegalensis<br />

12. Epitola viridana<br />

Table 4. Summary <strong>of</strong> Butterfly conservation status for<br />

<strong>Takamanda</strong> Forest Reserve, Cameroon.<br />

# <strong>of</strong> Spp.<br />

Rare 5<br />

Common 76<br />

Primary forest species<br />

56<br />

Disturbance tolerant<br />

species<br />

Total no. <strong>of</strong> species<br />

fully identified<br />

were identified <strong>in</strong> our samples. It is not certa<strong>in</strong><br />

whe<strong>the</strong>r <strong>the</strong>se species are threatened <strong>in</strong> <strong>Takamanda</strong><br />

Forest Reserve and face local ext<strong>in</strong>ction if<br />

precautions are not taken. However, <strong>the</strong> presence <strong>of</strong><br />

Family<br />

<strong>Takamanda</strong>: <strong>the</strong> Biodiversity <strong>of</strong> an African Ra<strong>in</strong>forest<br />

25<br />

81<br />

No. <strong>of</strong><br />

specimens<br />

collected<br />

%<br />

specimens<br />

No. <strong>of</strong><br />

species<br />

<strong>the</strong>se rare species may <strong>in</strong>dicate undeterm<strong>in</strong>ed<br />

qualities <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>ir habitats, which underscores <strong>the</strong><br />

need for <strong>the</strong>ir conservation and additional research.<br />

Table 2 presents <strong>the</strong> relative abundance <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> 10<br />

most frequent and 10 least frequent species <strong>in</strong> TFR.<br />

Most <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> common species are typical <strong>of</strong> forests<br />

(Appendix 2), and <strong>the</strong>ir abundance here <strong>in</strong>dicates that<br />

<strong>the</strong> vegetation is characteristic <strong>of</strong> a nondegraded<br />

ra<strong>in</strong>forest. The <strong>Takamanda</strong> area is dom<strong>in</strong>ated by<br />

primary forest (see Sunderland et al. this volume), a<br />

condition verified by <strong>the</strong> proliferation <strong>of</strong> butterfly<br />

species such as Neptis clarei, Leptosia alcesta<br />

<strong>in</strong>alcesta, and Catuna cri<strong>the</strong>a conjuncta that will<br />

disappear at <strong>the</strong> first sign <strong>of</strong> forest disturbance<br />

(Larsen 1992). The least common species are also<br />

forest dwellers, but are more prone to disturbed<br />

and/or open forest formations, which comprise just a<br />

small portion <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>Takamanda</strong> area (see Slayback<br />

this volume).<br />

Table 3 shows <strong>the</strong> degree <strong>of</strong> <strong>in</strong>tactness <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong><br />

<strong>Takamanda</strong> forest through <strong>the</strong> much higher number<br />

<strong>of</strong> primary forest-dependent species (56, or 69% <strong>of</strong><br />

all identified species) compared to disturbance<br />

tolerant species (25, or 31%). The majority <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong><br />

species found were common with<strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> forest reserve<br />

(Table 4). This is probably expla<strong>in</strong>ed by <strong>the</strong> fact that<br />

<strong>the</strong> forest is generally conducive to <strong>the</strong>ir survival.<br />

The Nymphalidae is <strong>the</strong> dom<strong>in</strong>ant family <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong><br />

area (Table 5), with 260 (68%) specimens <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> total<br />

384 collected and 74 (67%) <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> 111 identified to<br />

Table 5. Butterfly families represented with <strong>the</strong>ir respective number <strong>of</strong> specimens <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>Takamanda</strong> Forest Reserve, Cameroon.<br />

%<br />

species<br />

Papilionidae 35 9 12 11<br />

Pieridae 60 16 14 13<br />

Lycaenidae 13 3 6 5<br />

Nymphalidae 260 68 74 67<br />

Unidentified 16 4 5 5<br />

Total 384 100 111 100

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