Butterfly fauna in and around Kyoto City in the early Showa period inferred from the butterfly specimens collected by Dr Tadachika Minoura

Abstract

Based on the label information of butterfly specimens collected in Kyoto Prefecture, Japan by Dr. Tadachika Minoura, the distribution of butterfly species in and around Kyoto City in the early Showa period （1930’s to 1950’s） was inferred and compared with the Red Lists of Kyoto Prefecture and the Ministry of the Environment. The specimens contained 63 species and 961 individuals collected at 50 sites in Kyoto Prefecture from 1904 to 1969, including 7 species listed in the Red List of Kyoto Prefecture 2015 or Ministry of the Environment 2018. In particular, it became clear that several species listed on the Red Lists such as Fabriciana nerippe and Eurema laeta were distributed in the Saga or Kinugasa areas, which are now an urban area. Thus Minoura’s collection was proved to an important means for inferring the butterfly fauna in and around Kyoto City in the early Showa period.