A Note on The Butterflies of Gunung Belumut, Kluang Forest Reserve, Malaysia

Abstract

: Gunung Belumut is a hill dipterocarp forest that contains the third highest peak in Johor. It is surrounded by oil palm plantations and lacking comprehensive biodiversity data. Biodiversity data is important especially for long term monitoring of an ecosystem. To accommodate this, a butterfly survey was done in Gunung Belumut Amenity Forest located within Kluang Forest Reserve, Johor. Sampling was done through manual collection using aerial nets and baited traps. A total of 128 individuals comprising 64 species were collected. Despite the high plant species richness in Kluang Forest Reserve, the butterfly diversity observed within Gunung Belumut Amenity Forest was relatively low when compared to other forested areas in Johor. This may be attributed to the abundance of oil palm plantation surrounding the area.