Butterfly occurrences in rainforest fragments of the Valparai Plateau and Anamalai Tiger Reserve, Western Ghats, India

Surveys were carried out between January and May 2022 in eight rainforest fragments. Butterflies were recorded within 5 m radius circular plots over a 5-minute observation period at each point.

The sampling design consisted of paired open-canopy and closed-canopy points placed 20 m apart, classified into edge (≤5 m), intermediate (5–50 m), and interior (>50 m) distance classes from the forest edge. The dataset includes 231 occurrence records covering five butterfly families (Hesperiidae, Lycaenidae, Nymphalidae, Papilionidae, Pieridae). The data form part of a Masters thesis project examining butterfly responses to an edge-to-interior gradient in mid-elevation wet evergreen rainforest fragments of the Anamalai Hlls, Western Ghats.