TIDAKLAH berlebihan bila kupu-kupu dikatakan sebagai primadona di antara satwa avertebrata lainnya. Sayapnya yang indah dan menarik mampu memikat hati banyak orang. Susunan sisik serupa atap genteng pada sayap kupu-kupu memberi corak serta pola warna, dan ini merupakan dasar pemberian nama pada kelompok serangga ini, yaitu Lepidoptera.
Indonesia dianugerahi keragaman kupu-kupu yang berlimpah. Dari perkiraan 17.500 jenis kupu-kupu di dunia, tak kurang dari 1.600 jenis di antaranya tersebar di Indonesia. Kekayaan jumlah jenis ini hanya tertandingi oleh negara-negara tropis di Amerika Selatan, seperti Peru dan Brasil yang mempunyai sekitar 3.000 jenis.
Gambaran tentang keragaman dan kekayaan jenis kupu-kupu Indonesia dapat terlihat di sini. Spesimen kupu-kupu tersimpan dengan baik di Laboratorium Entomologi, Bidang Zoologi, Museum Zoologi Bogor, dan Pusat Penelitian Biologi Lembaga Ilmu Pengetahuan Indonesia.
Geografis mendukung
Keadaan geografis Indonesia sangat mendukung kekayaan khazanah flora dan fauna Nusantara, dengan pengaruh elemen Asia di kawasan barat, elemen Australia di kawasan timur, dan pengaruh kedua elemen di kawasan Wallacea.
Dari sekitar 1.600 jenis kupu-kupu ini, sebagian tersebar di seluruh Indonesia, sementara sebagian lainnya hanya dapat dijumpai di beberapa pulau tertentu.
Sebagai negara kepulauan, Indonesia memiliki keunikan dalam hal sebaran fauna, yang dikenal sebagai endemisitas. Tingkat endemisitas yang tinggi terlihat jelas sekali pada kupu-kupu Indonesia, yang mencapai lebih dari 35 persen dari total jumlah jenis yang menduduki peringkat pertama di dunia.
Peru, Brasil, dan negara-negara lain di Amerika Selatan hanya memiliki tingkat endemisitas kupu-kupu kurang dari 10 persen dari total jumlah jenisnya. Artinya, keunikan kupu-kupu Indonesia jauh melebihi negara-negara mana pun di dunia.
Sulawesi adalah pulau yang memiliki keunikan kupu-kupu tertinggi di Indonesia. Dari 557 jenis yang ada di sana, sebanyak 239 jenis (lebih dari 40 persen) merupakan jenis yang hanya dapat dijumpai di kawasan itu, contohnya Papilio blumei.
Kupu-kupu juga dijadikan simbol metamorfosis yang menakjubkan. Dalam perubahan fase kehidupan (telur-ulat-kepompong-kupu-kupu dewasa), sesungguhnya banyak satwa yang juga mengalami proses metamorfosis serupa, misalnya nyamuk, tawon, dan kumbang. Namun, karena keindahan wujud dewasanya yang sangat kontras dengan bentuk pradewasa, kupu-kupulah yang sering disorot. Dengan demikian, kupu-kupu sering menjadi sumber inspirasi dan motivasi bagi banyak orang.
Ancaman dan perlindungan
Seperti satwa lainnya, kupu-kupu juga menghadapi ancaman kelangkaan dan kepunahan, terutama disebabkan alih fungsi lahan dan habitatnya. Kebanyakan jenis kupu-kupu sangat bergantung pada satu atau dua jenis tumbuhan, yang umum disebut sebagai tanaman inang, sehingga ancaman terhadap jenis tumbuhan tersebut sama saja dengan mengancam keberadaan kupu-kupu.
Jika jenis kupu-kupu itu berperan sebagai penyerbuk tanaman buah atau tanaman potensial lainnya, hilangnya kupu-kupu akan berdampak negatif terhadap produksi tanaman tersebut. Keterkaitan kupu-kupu yang sangat erat dengan tanaman inangnya membuat usaha pelestarian habitat semakin diperlukan.
Dari sekian banyak jenis kupu-kupu di Indonesia, ada 19 jenis yang telah dimasukkan ke dalam daftar jenis satwa yang dilindungi di Indonesia, yaitu Cethosia myrina yang dikenal sebagai kupu-kupu sayap renda dan hanya dijumpai di Sulawesi, Trogonoptera brookiana yang dikenal sebagai kupu-kupu raja Brooke yang dijumpai di Sumatera dan Kalimantan.
Enam jenis kupu-kupu dari marga Ornithoptera yang dikenal sebagai kupu-kupu sayap burung dijumpai di Maluku dan Papua. Adapun 11 jenis kupu-kupu dari marga Troides yang dikenal sebagai kupu-kupu raja (contohnya Troides hypolitus), kebanyakan dijumpai di Indonesia bagian barat dan Sulawesi, serta beberapa jenis berada di Maluku dan Papua.
Masih banyak lagi jenis kupu-kupu yang layak mendapatkan status perlindungan karena berbagai ancaman yang dihadapi. Sebagai contoh, kupu-kupu sayap burung Ornithoptera aesacus yang hanya ditemukan di Pulau Obi dan kupu-kupu sayap burung Ornithoptera croesus yang hanya ditemukan di pulau-pulau di Maluku Utara, perlu segera mendapat perhatian dan perlindungan.
Temuan jenis baru
Kupu-kupu telah menarik perhatian banyak orang sejak lama sehingga kegiatan eksplorasi pengumpulan berbagai jenis kupu-kupu juga telah dilakukan di berbagai belahan Bumi, termasuk di kawasan Nusantara. Saat ini tidak terlalu banyak ditemukan kupu-kupu jenis baru, tetapi tidak tertutup kemungkinan ditemukannya jenis-jenis baru dari pelosok Nusantara.
Selain temuan jenis baru sebagai rekaman sejarah, penggalian potensi kupu-kupu juga harus terus dilakukan. Kontribusi kupu-kupu terhadap kemajuan ilmu medis terbilang cukup signifikan. Demikian besar potensi dan pesona kupu-kupu Indonesia sehingga kita selayaknya memberi ruang bagi kelangsungan hidup mereka.
Butterflies, Uniqueness Tara Gone
NOT excessive if a butterfly is said as a prima donna among other invertebrate animals. Wings are beautiful and interesting to attract the hearts of many people. The composition of the tile roof similar scales on butterfly wings give color shades and patterns, and this is the basis of name of this insect group, namely Lepidoptera.
Indonesia was awarded the diversity of butterflies are plentiful. Of the estimated 17,500 species of butterfly in the world, no fewer than 1,600 species of which are spread in Indonesia. The wealth of this kind simply unmatched by tropical countries in South America, like Peru and Brazil which have about 3,000 species.
Picture of the diversity and richness of species of butterflies Indonesia can be seen here. Butterfly specimens stored properly at the Laboratory of Entomology, Division of Zoology, Bogor Zoological Museum and Research Center for Biology Indonesian Institute of Sciences.
Geographic support Indonesia's geographical situation is very supportive of wealth treasure of flora and fauna Nusantara, with elements of Asian influence in the western region, the elements in eastern Australia, and the influence of these two elements in the Wallacea region.
Of about 1,600 species of butterflies, some scattered throughout Indonesia, while others can only be found in some particular island.
As an archipelago, Indonesia is unique in terms of the distribution of fauna, known as the endemicity. High level of endemicity seen clearly in the butterfly Indonesia, which reaches more than 35 percent of the total number of species was ranked first in the world.
Peru, Brazil and other countries in South America has only butterfly endemic level of less than 10 percent of the total number of type. That is, the uniqueness of Indonesian butterflies far exceeds any other country in the world.
Sulawesi is an island that has a unique butterfly highest in Indonesia. Of the 557 species there, as many as 239 species (more than 40 percent) are the kind that can only be found in the region, for example Papilio blumei.
The butterfly is also used as a symbol of the amazing metamorphosis. In the changing phase of life (egg-caterpillar-pupa-adult butterfly), indeed many animals that also undergo a similar metamorphosis, such as mosquitoes, wasps, and beetles. However, because the beauty of the adult form is in stark contrast with the shape pradewasa, butterfly-kupulah are often highlighted. Thus, the butterfly is often a source of inspiration and motivation for many people.
Threats and protection
Like other animals, butterflies also face the threat of scarcity and extinction, mainly due to land conversion and habitat. Most butterfly species depend on one or two types of plants, commonly referred to as host plants, so that threats to these species is tantamount to threatening the existence of the butterfly.
If a species of butterfly that act as pollinators for fruit trees or other potential crops, the loss of butterflies will negatively affect crop production. Linkage of butterfly that is very close to its host plants create habitat conservation efforts increasingly necessary.
Of the many species of butterflies in Indonesia, there are 19 species that have been included in the list of protected species in Indonesia, namely Cethosia myrina known as the butterfly wings of lace and was only found in Sulawesi, Trogonoptera brookiana known as the butterfly Brooke king butterflies that are found in Sumatra and Kalimantan.
Six species of butterfly from the genus Ornithoptera known as bird wing butterfly found in Maluku and Papua. The 11 species of butterflies from clans Troides known as the Monarchs (eg Troides hypolitus), mostly found in western Indonesia and Sulawesi, as well as several species are in Maluku and Papua.
Of the many species of butterflies in Indonesia, there are 19 species that have been included in the list of protected species in Indonesia, namely Cethosia myrina known as the butterfly wings of lace and was only found in Sulawesi, Trogonoptera brookiana known as the butterfly Brooke king butterflies that are found in Sumatra and Kalimantan.
Six species of butterfly from the genus Ornithoptera known as bird wing butterfly found in Maluku and Papua. The 11 species of butterflies from clans Troides known as the Monarchs (eg Troides hypolitus), mostly found in western Indonesia and Sulawesi, as well as several species are in Maluku and Papua.
There are many other butterfly species that deserve protection status for a variety of threats faced. For example, bird-wing butterflies Ornithoptera aesacus which is only found on the island of Obi and bird wing butterfly Ornithoptera croesus which is only found on islands in North Maluku, need immediate attention and protection.
The findings of a new type
The butterfly has attracted the attention of many people since long that the exploration activities of collecting various types of butterflies have also been conducted in various parts of the Earth, including in the area of the archipelago. Currently not too much found a new species of butterfly, but it is also possible the discovery of new species from all over the archipelago.
In addition to finding new species as recorded history, excavation potential butterfly also should continue to be done. The contribution of the butterfly against medical science progress is quite significant. So much potential and a butterfly charm Indonesia so we should make room for their survival.
