Species in Nepal - Insects

Various large butterflies are a common sight in the Terai. The species pictured here (<i>Danaus genutia</i>), frequently seen in bushes and flowers, is called the common tiger - as opposed to the other tiger that is notoriously difficult to sight.

Various large butterflies are a common sight in the Terai. The species pictured here (Danaus genutia), frequently seen in bushes and flowers, is called the common tiger - as opposed to the other tiger that is notoriously difficult to sight.
© WWF-Canon / Helena Telkanranta

The insect world - the most diverse of all

Tilak Dhakal, Project Co-Manager for the TAL project, takes a look at an impressive termite mound in the Royal Suklaphanta Wildlife reserve.

The larval stage of the ant lion (<i>genus Myrmeleon</i>) that digs a hole in the ground & waits for ants/other insects to fall in.

Red cotton bug (<i>Dysdercus cingulatus</i>) - one of the most common insect species in the Terai.

Think conservation and a lot of attention is often drawn to handsome megafauna like tigers and elephants.

But nature comprises many smaller species, equally important in maintaining the delicate balance, and if they were to suddenly disappear, the whole ecosystem would collapse.

In most terrestrial ecosystems, insects are also the group with most biodiversity. It is quite common in any habitat that the number of insect species found surpasses the number of all other animal and plant species combined.