A preliminary checklist of butterflies (Lepidoptera: Rhopalocera) of Dhorpatan Valley, Dhorpatan Hunting Reserve, Nepal.
Butterfly species were studied in the Dhorpatan Valley, situated in the western region of Nepal, during the pre-monsoon and monsoon seasons of 2021 and 2022. This preliminary study documented forty-three species of butterflies from five families Lycaenidae, Pieridae, Nymphalidae, Papilionidae, and Hesperiidae. A purposive sampling method was applied to locate various butterfly species across elevations ranging 2,846–4,000 m. This study recorded Polyommatus nepalensis, an endemic species and Polyommatus stoliczkanus, a rare species. No reports have been made of this endemic butterfly from eastern region of Nepal.