KATTAPPANA, April 1, 2014
A survey conducted by the Department of Forests and
Wildlife has found rare species of butterflies in Idukki Wildlife
Sanctuary. The presence of Baby Five-ring, Bright Babul Blue, Blue
Oakleaf, Cornelian and Coorg Forest Hopper is mainly because of the
natural ecosystem in areas close to the Idukki lake. “It’s a very
positive sign,” said Dr. Unni Krishnan Pulikkal of Butterfly Art
Foundation of India, who led the survey. Most of the rare species were
found in the virgin shola forest areas of the sanctuary near the Idukki
dam.
Ecosystems
A major finding was that there were different ecosystems congenial to the growth of these species, Dr. Krishnan said.
Baby
Five-ring (Ypthima tabella) is one of the rarest butterflies found in
Kerala. “It has been found only in Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Myanmar, that
too very rarely,” Dr. Krishnan said.
The presence of
Bright Babul Blue (Azanus ubaldus) in Idukki is rather surprising
because this is the first time the species are found from the western
slope of the Western Ghats, far away from the dry eastern slope that is
its natural home.
Cornelian (Deudorix epijarbas),
Southern Blue Oakleaf (Kallima horsfieldi) and Coorg Forest Hopper
(Arnetta mercara) have been found sporadically from other parts of the
State.
A survey of invertebrates carried out by the
Zoological Survey of India last week had found the presence of Malabar
Flash (Rapala lankana) and Golden Tree-flitter (Quedara basiflava). The
total number of butterflies spotted in the sanctuary is now 148.
The
survey was done by Dr.Unni Krishnan Pulikkal and Arun T.P. of the
Butterfly Art Foundation with the operational support of K.Saji,
Wildlife Warden and G.Jayachandran, Assistant Wildlife Warden, of the
sanctuary.
The survey was conducted during the third
week of March. Dr. Krishnan said the survey underlined the need for
protecting such fragile ecosystems.
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