The Biogeography of the Butterfly Fauna of Vietnam With a Focus on the Endemic Species (Lepidoptera)

Long term studies of Vietnamese Rhopalocera suggest that by using a taxonomic composition analysis of the modern fauna, with ecological and biogeographical characteristics and comparative data with butterfly faunas of adjacent regions, it is possible to offer a plausible account of the history and derivation of the Vietnamese fauna. In former works on the butterfly fauna of Vietnam and of the Oriental tropics generally, we completed the first steps in understanding possible derivation mechanisms for the group. In particular, all Vietnamese butterfly species have been classified according to their global geographical ranges (Holloway, 1973; 1974; Spitzer et al., 1993; Monastyrskii, 2006; 2007), from the most restricted to the most widespread (Methods). A similar approach for notodontid moths in Thailand has been adopted by Schintlmeister & Pinratana (2007). Moreover, depending on the representation of various species distribution range categories, a scheme of biogeographical zonation has been suggested (Monastyrskii, 2006; 2007).