Two New Species of Butterfly | 02 Jul 2020

Why in News

Recently, the lepidopterists have discovered the two new species of butterfly i.e. Striped Hairstreak and Elusive Prince in Changlang district of Arunachal Pradesh.

  • At present, India has 1,327 species of butterfly as compared to 1,318 species in 2015.
  • A lepidopterist is a person who specialises in studying butterflies and moths.

Key Points

  • Striped Hairstreak:
    • Scientific Name: Yamamotozephyrus kwangtugenesis
    • Discovery: It is found in Vijaynagar village of Changlang district of Arunachal Pradesh, bordering Myanmar.
      • It was a subject of interest for the lepidopterists as its genus is diversified into several genera (i.e. sub-divisions) and thus, difficult to trace.
    • Habitat:
      • It was first recorded in Hainan province of China.
      • It is also found in North America, from the Rocky Mountains
  • Elusive Prince:
    • Scientific Name: Rohana tonkiniana
    • Discovery: It is found in Miao subdivision situated on the periphery of the Namdapha National Park.
      • In India only a male specimen of the Elusive Prince was found.
      • Initially it was considered as a variant of the Black Prince, but the study revealed that it is different and not recorded in India before.
    • Habitat: It was first recorded in Tonkin in north Vietnam.
    • The Rohana Genus: It has been represented in India by two species — the Black Prince (Rohana parisatis) and the Brown Prince (Rohana parvata).
  • Significance for Arunachal Pradesh:
    • These discoveries from Arunachal Pradesh indicate the rich biodiversity of the State.
    • The government thus needs to focus on helping volunteers or citizen scientists by providing the support needed. This will help in boosting eco-tourism apart from regular scientific research.

Butterfly

  • Butterflies are insects from the order Lepidoptera of phylum Arthropoda which also includes moths.
  • Adult butterflies have large, often brightly coloured wings, and conspicuous, fluttering flight.
  • Significance:
    • Rich Biodiversity: Abundance of butterflies in any area represents the rich biodiversity.
    • Indicator Species: The butterfly acts as an indicator species.
      • An indicator species provides information on the overall condition of the ecosystem and of other species in that ecosystem. They reflect the quality and changes in environmental conditions as well as aspects of community composition.
    • Pollinator: It acts as a pollinator by helping in pollination and conserving several species of plants.

Namdapha National Park

  • It lies at the international border between India and Myanmar within Changlang District in the state of Arunachal Pradesh.
  • It is only park in the World to have the four Feline species of big cat namely the Tiger (Panthera Tigris), Leopard (Panthera Pardus), Snow Leopard (Panthera Uncia) and Clouded Leopard (Neofelis Nebulosa).
  • Hoolock Gibbons, the only ‘ape’ species found in India is found in this National Park.

Source: TH