Photographic Records of Some Lepidopterans from Mt. Napulak, Panay Island, Philippines

1. Introduction

Lepidopterans, which includes butterflies and moths, are among the most recognizable insect groups and serve as indicators of ecological health and habitat quality [1]. The Philippines, a megadiverse archipelago, hosts a rich assemblage of lepidopterans [2], yet many areas remain poorly studied. Panay Island, located in the Western Visayas, contains several mountain ranges but lacks comprehensive faunal inventories.

Photographic records have become increasingly valuable in biodiversity research, offering accessible means for documenting species occurrence and distribution. In regions where formal surveys are limited, such visual records can provide verifiable evidence of species presence and habitat associations [3,4]. Because of their charismatic appearance, striking looks, and ease with which they can be observed and photographed, lepidopterans enjoy strong public appeal [5,6,7]. Therefore, citizen science data have provided reliable and important photographic records on conservation status, geographic distribution and even in the discovery of species new to science [7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14].

Mt. Napulak, situated in Igbaras, Iloilo Province, forms part of the Central Panay Mountain Range. Despite its ecological significance, published biodiversity research in this area is scarce. In January 2026, during a mycological fieldwork along the Bagay Trail (Figure 1), various species of butterflies and moths were photographed. The images were later sent for identification to Bukad Project, a Philippine butterfly conservation initiative. These were later verified by Jade Aster T. Badon and Leana Lahom-Cristobal of the Philippine Lepidoptera Butterflies and Moths, Inc. (PhiLep).

2. Lepidopterans in Mt. Napulak, Panay Island

Photographic documentation revealed several butterfly and moth species inhabiting the open shrubland and forest edges along the Bagay Trail. Photographic records show at least eight butterfly species (four endemic: end.) were observed (Figure 2), such as Papilio polytes (Linnaeus, 1758), Mycalesis teatus teatus (Fruhstorfer, 1911) (end.), Eurema sarilata risa (Morishita, 1981) (end.), Lexias satrapes amlana (Jumalon, 1970) (end.), Cepora aspasia rhemia (Fruhstorfer, 1910), Notocrypta feisthamelii alinkara (Fruhstorfer, 1911), and Faunis phaon carfinia (Fruhstorfer, 1911) (end.).

At least six species of moths were also recorded (Figure 3), namely Monobolodes sp., Monobolodes cf. prunaria (Moore, 1887), Acropteris cf. rectinervata Guenée, Hyposidra leucomela (Walker, 1866), Penicillifera apicalis (Walker, 1862), and Callidula cf. sumatrensis (Pagenstecher, 1887).

These records contribute to the growing dataset of lepidopteran diversity in Panay Island and highlight the importance of integrating opportunistic field observations into citizen science, eco-tourism initiatives and conservation planning. More comprehensive surveys and conservation assessment for these species should also be conducted to provide wider inventory and threat documentation in Mt. Napulak and the rest of Central Panay mountains.