Urbanization is one of the leading causes of habitat loss, habitat degradation, and fragmentation. Urban development negatively affects biodiversity. This study aimed to clarify the change of butterfly communities on effect of urbanization in urban green areas. Butterfly survey was conducted using the line transect methods from April to October in 2012. A total of 59 species and 1,465 individuals of butterflies were observed in four urban green areas: Namsan Park (NS), Ewha Womans University (EW), Bukseoul Dream Forest (BD), and Hongneung Forest (HF), and natural forest: Gwangneung Forest (GF). The category of land use around study site was determined based on GIS data. Species richness and abundance of niche breadth and habitat type in urban green areas differed significantly from those in GF. Estimated species richness and species diversity (H’) in four urban green areas were significantly lower than those in GF. Species richness and abundance of forest interior species and specialist were positively correlated with paddy, field, and forest, whereas those of forest interior species and specialist were negatively correlated with urban area and road. Butterfly communities in four urban green area differed from that in GF. The result suggests that the decrease of paddy, field, and forest associated with increase of urban area and road negatively influences species composition and changes butterfly communities.

• Lee Cheol Min(Division of Forest Ecology, Korea Forest Research Institute)
• Park Jin Wook(Department of Landscape Architecture, Catholic University of Daegu)
• Lee Young Geun(Division of Forest Ecology, Korea Forest Research Institute)
• Kim Sung-Soo(Research Institute for East Asian Environment and Biology)
• Ryu Jae Won(Ewha Womans University Natural History Museum)
• Jung Seung Jae(Department of Biology, Kyung Hee University)
• Lee Sun Kyung(Entomology program, Department of Agricultural Biotechnology, Seoul National University)