Pattampoochi Butterfly Magazine - Wings 1 Veins 4 2017

2017 Quarterly Magazine of Tamil Nadu Butterfly Society Oct-Dec 2017

PATTAMPOOCHI

Q4

Butterfly Hotspot Series: Kallar Birds & Butterflies Survey: Kodaikanal Wildlife Sanctuary North East Butterfly Meet 2017– Season IV Butterfly Migration 2017– An update Validation report on some studies on Butterflies and their diversity– around Chennai Trekking from Kookal to Kudhiraiyur Dam and Counting the Butterflies on the way From the Facebook Pages

Dear Butterfly Lovers,

PATTAMPOOCHI

வணக்கம் [Greetings].

The period, July to September 2017 saw increased butterfly activities everywhere in the state. The Southwest monsoon was kind enough to give the state plenty of rains and in some places exceeded the average monthly rainfall. The month of September witnessed the migration of milkweeds and other butterflies all over the state.

We were also fortunate to help conducting a full-fledged survey for one of our Wildlife Sanctuary along with state Forest Department.

In the current issue, the first article deals with one of the favourite hunting spots of butterfly lovers of the state – Kallar in Coimbatore District. We shall try to introduce butterfly hotspots of Tamil Nadu, one by one, in coming issues. The second article is about the birds and butterflies survey held at Kodaikanal Wildlife Sanctuary in the month of August and the team’s participation. The next is on a meet attended by a few of the members to the North East, the Dzongu Valley of Sikkim. They share their wonderful experience on the land of waterfalls and butterflies. Next on the list is an update of recent migration observed throughout the state and many members have enthusiastically observed and shared the information. Vikas Madhav reviews on the published checklist information for the Chennai and surroundings. This is followed by Amol Mande’s trekking experience in Kodaikanal and his encounters with butterflies on the way. The issue ends with the regular photo gallery section picked up from Facebook postings during the quarter by members.

We believe that the News Letter belongs to every one of us and expect good contribution from all our members . Hope to see some valuable contribution in the coming Quarters from some of you. And, please do send us your feedback on this newsletter issue, by writing to tamilnadubutterflies@gmail.com

Editorial Team Tamil Nadu Butterfly Society Pattampoochi– A quarterly magazine of Tamil Nadu Butterfly Society Wings 1 Veins 4 Oct – Dec 2017. Issued on 01.10.2017 Issued from Coimbatore, TN For Private Circulation Only. Copy right is with TNBS. Please write to us for getting permission to use any of the contents Editor: A Pavendhan Editorial Team: Balakrishnan R, Gopalakrishnan S, Nishanth CV, Theivaprakasham H , Viswanathan S

Butterfly Hotspots: Kallar (Coimbatore Dt.) Kallar is an” Amudha Surabhi”. In the Manimegalai, one of the five great epics of Tamil literature, a character named Kaya Sandigai, was always hungry, no matter how much she ate, due to a curse and suffered from a disease called “Elephant Fire”. Manimegalai, (the daughter of Kovalan and Madhavi of Silapathilaram, with her “aaputhiran kai Amudha Surabhi (a cornucopia bowl)), offered food from the same and cured Kaya Sandigai from her curse and disease.

To the hungry naturalists, Kallar always stores something to offer, anytime during the year and many people have benefited from the generosity of the place so much so that people tried to own the place out of jealous! But Kallar is not owned by anyone and treats everyone the same with occasional preference to non-regular seekers!

Kallar, more specifically the Kallar Fruit Garden, run by state Department of Horticulture, is situated 14 Km from Mettupalayam (a city in Coimbatore District), just a Km away from the Gundlupet- Coimbatore- Nagapattinam highways, before the ascend starts to the Nilgiri Hills. From Coimbatore city, it is about 47 Km. The Fruit Garden is situated on the sides of Kallar stream, which run down from Coonoor uphill. The stream eventually joins the River Bhavani near Odanthurai. The surroundings of Fruit Garden boasts some rare flora and fauna and very rich of it. This is a known Elephant corridor and they frequent the area. Other predatory animals such as Leopards and Tigers are present here means the visitors have to be watchful and never cross the line to the reserved and protected area without the permission of authorities.

The place is situated 360m above Mean Sea Level and is humid on most days with rainfall accounting approximately 120 cm per year.

The walk from the Highways into the farm and the paths inside the farm and stream side (need permission to approach) are the main pales to look for the butterflies.

Indian Butterflies were first looked into by Linnaeus in the year 1758 and systematic account of Nilgiri Hills butterflies were first accounted by Sir George Hampson (1888), followed by Evans, Yates, WynterBlyth (1943-1957) and recently Larsen (1987,1988). Interestingly, M A Wynter-Blyth was Head Master at St. George’s School in Ketti (1941-44). His book, Butterflies of the Indian Region published by the Bombay Natural History Society in 1957 was for a long time the only handy guide to butterflies in India. In fact many of the specimens collected/ species identified are from places like Kallar, Nadugani and Connoor. Low land forest closely followed by wet evergreen forest make the habitat rich for Butterflies (Source: ZSI).

Search for good places to observe Butterflies in and around Coimbatore introduced this place to us from the literature and we have been regulars to this place for the past 5 years. In fact the first informal meeting of Tamil Nadu Butterfly Society was scheduled here! As described earlier our search for the butterflies was confined to the road leading to the Garden and inside the Garden premises and to the river streams with prior permission. We are sure we have only touched the tip of the iceberg and deep, exploratory surveys may unearth many hidden treasures. This may, however, be hampered by presence of elephants and other predatory mammals. Studies were usually undertaken around 8 AM when the sun sets to beat down and butterflies start showing up one by one and around 10 AM the Garden is fully open which can then be explored to. Sundays were the ideal days that we have chosen to visit!

Butterfly Hotspots: Kallar (Coimbatore Dt.) A total of 174 species (as of September 2017) have been recorded in the past 5 years from the place. This is almost half the numbers that of the target number of butterfly species for the state of Tamil Nadu (which stands at 323). The Nymphalidae butterflies top the list with 50 species, closely followed by Lycaenidae (48). Papilionidae and Pieridae are well represented too.

The Hesperiidae family, however, is by proportion least represented with just 33 species. Average no of species one could sight given any day will be around 40 species with maximum of closer to 100 and a minimum of 11 species (just once during the driest period in 2016). Hence, one would never come back with much disappointment.

Papilionidae The Swallowtail butterflies as the species from Papilionidae are called are well represented in Kallar with 14 of 19 species is recorded. The ones to miss out are the species with Malabar names and the rare Five-bar Swordtail. Common Banded Peacock (Papilio crino) is the icon of the Kallar and is sighted in most part of the year in good numbers. This butterfly is also a prime candidate for Tamil Nadu State Butterfly. Early mornings are best time to see their open wing spread while on their mood during Mud-puddling will allow for a very close encounter. The Blue Mormons and Red Helens, both the giants, can be seen moving between nectaring plants within the Garden.

The Spot Swordtail and Limes are seasonal and can be seen in good numbers. The bluebottles and Jays are best seen during mud-puddling otherwise flying past between plants in a swift manner. The Common Mime is a rarity here! The Southern Birdwing is sighted but not often and with surety. The Roses are present according to the season!

Pieridae The Whites and Yellows as they are normally called from the Pieridae family are well represented too. The higher elevation species from the family is totally absent here like Nilgiri Clouded Yellow, Lesser Gull, Indian Cabbage White, etc. Among the Grass Yellows, the small and spotless are not recorded so far wit rest making their presence regularly. Gulls and Pioneers are present in good numbers. Among the tips, it is Great Orange-tip that can be easily spotted when they are on song. The Yellow Orange-tip, however, should take up the icon position for the Pieridae, as they are present in abundance at times and at other times, at least a few. The Salmon Arabs and other tips are not that common. Common Albatross is a regular here with high numbers equate with their migration (especially observed at Aralam of Kerala). Striped Albatross is not that common and a Lesser is sighted recently while chocolate is yet to be seen.

The uniqueness of the place lies however with the Wanderers with both common and dark are seen at the same time.

Kallar Species

174

Total

174

Hesperiidae

36

Lycaenidae

48

Nymphalidae

53

Pieridae

23

Papilionidae

14 0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

160

180

200

Butterfly Hotspots: Kallar (Coimbatore Dt.) Nymphalidae The most dominant family of butterflies here as is the case with many places, has a representation of 53 species spanning different sub-families. The Libythea genus is represented by both Club Beak as well as recently recognised full species, the Lobed Beak/Southern Beak. We usually see Club Beak of relatively higher elevation, but here both are sighted although Lobed Beak is more often seen. The Milkweed butterflies- Tigers and Crows are well represented except the high elevation species- the Nilgiri Tiger. Surprisingly, the Plain Tiger is seen less compared to others and during peak season and their migration, many Tirumala species and Euploea species can be seen flying around and mud-puddling. The Nawabs and Rajahs are sighted here except the Tawny Rajah.

Among the Bushbrowns, the Glad-eye Bushbrowns occupy the centre of attraction with others are sparingly represented. The Bushbrowns for some reason missing for the last couple of season from its early glories. The Common Evening Brown is the lone representative of Melanitis genus. The rings (Ypthima species) are well present with White Four-ring being the most abundant among them. Extra Lascar is recorded here among the regular Lascars and Sailers. Tamil Yeoman and Rustic can be sighted during their season. Among the rarities, Redspot Duke, Tamil Lacewing and Clipper are recorded. All Pansies except Grey Pansy are recorded, so too both the Eggflies and Blue Oakleaf. The Chocolate Pansy being the most aggressive and dominant that it takes the unfortunate hater tag from the butterfly chasers!

Lycaenidae The Blues are second most dominant family here and they are generally small with many of them have a shade of blue.

Sunbeams (which have red on the upper wing especially of the males) are represented by all the three species here- Indian, Angled and Shiva’s. However, Silverlines are rare and only a Common Silverline is sighted with Common Shot occasionally.

From the Lineblues, 6 species have been recorded here including relatively rare White-tipped and couple of Nacaduba species too. The Pierrots- Common, Angled and Banded Blue Pierrots and Zebra Blues can be easily sighted on their day and Red and Striped Pierrots have not been recorded from the locality so far. All the four Grass Blues, Cupids, Hedge Blues, Malayans and Quakers are well represented. The Lime Blues are abundant during the season with their host plants are available in healthy numbers here. Many-tailed Oakblue which is definitely a pride of Coimbatore District and is seen in good number of places unlike other part of the state can be seen here. The Acacia Blues- Common and Silver-streaked both have been recorded. In fact, the Common Acacia Blue and the Yamflies have the special liking towards bamboo shoots and can be easily spotted around them.

Nilgiri Tit. Orchid Tit. Mentioning of these names can bring excitement among butterfly lovers. Sighting of Nilgiri Tit in September 2014 brought much joy and excitement as the species was not seen on the field before except an image of the same on line taken in 2005. Since then Nilgiri Tit has obtained an iconic status and many made numerous visits to have a glimpse of the same. But being rare in nature, not everyone was lucky. The species also has its presence in Sri Lanka apart from certain places in Western Ghats like Coimbatore Dt and Virudhunagar Dt in Tamil Nadu. Orchid Tits are very rare in South India while it is relatively common in Northern part. They feed on epiphytic orchids and hence derive the name from them. Kallar has these orchid plants well tucked in tall Tamarind trees. A rare Orchid Tit was reported from here in 2016 and again in September 2017. Monkey Puzzles and Planes (now Blue-bordered/ Blue-edges Plane) are other speciality blues from here. In fact, Kallar is the best place to see the Planes. Flashes are represented by Slate and Indigo. The Judies from Riodinidae family is totally absent here!

Butterfly Hotspots: Kallar (Coimbatore Dt.) Hesperiidae Skippers as they are called are small in size and many may fail to recognise them as Butterflies. They are so named after their swift and straight line like movement. They also have powerful eyes. The three Awls that are recorded here are Brown, Orange-tail and Common Banded. Malabar Spotted Flat and Common Snow Flat are the regulars among the other Flats that are sighted here. Common Yellow-breasted Flat (which is rare) was recorded from here in the year 2009. While the Chestnut and Golden make up the Angles, the Indian Skipper is sighted more often than the other skipper- African Marbled, which is rare here. Among the Halpe species, the Halpe hindu is more common than the Halpe porus. The Chestnut Bob should easily be the most dominant of skippers while Grass Demon, etc are seasonal. Wax Dart and Tree Flitters – not so common- are recorded once or twice from the location. Other species to make a presence include most common ones like Palm-Darts, Potanthus sp., Parnara species, Borbo species and Grass Darts.

The common Oriens goloides and a relatively higher elevation species and rare Oriens concinna both have been recorded here. However, skippers have been poorly represented compared to all other families.

Birds & Butterflies Survey– Kodaikanal Wildlife Sanctuary Survey of Kodaikanal WLS Kodaikanal Wildlife Sanctuary (KWLS, henceforth) under the guidance of Dr. Murugan, IFS, DFO and Dr. Ravi, Ranger of Tamil Nadu Forest Department proposed a study on the status of birds and butterflies present in the 8 ranges and reserved forests of KWLS to draw a baseline status. it is evident that birds and butterflies are excellent indicators are healthy eco system and hence periodical assessment of their status in a particular place indicated the status of the ecosystem they are present in, is improving, degrading or maintaining a status quo. A base line drawn with respect to such data is useful to draw an action plan necessitated with their species count and population.

Participants for the survey reached Kodaikanal on Friday evening (4 th August 2017 evening) and assembled at the District Forest Office, Kodaikanal. All the participants were briefed about the Kodaikanal WLS and the need for the current survey by the DFO, Dr. Murugan, IFS and Ranger Mr. Ravi and other FD officials.

Teams were sent to Vandharevu, Mannavanur, Poombarai, Berijam, Kodai City, Perumpallam, Devadhanapatti, etc. The study places include Vandharevu, Kavunji, Mannavanur, Kookal, Poombarai, Berijam, Madhikettan Shola, Bombay Shola, Tiger Shola, Perumpallam, Adukkam, Devadhanapatti, Kumbakkarai falls, etc.

All teams were accompanied by forest officials to the field and helped in the assessment on both the days. The teams recorded their observation on the field notes provided and later transferred the data to Checklists provided. Stay and food arrangements were provided by the Department and the hospitality extended is of the highest quality. All teams have experienced misty, cloudy, drizzling, rains and suns of various degrees and generally the sky was under cloud cover which is likely to influence the results to a certain degree.

Teams have assembled back at Kodai on 6th AN, for results consolidations and concluding meeting. Individual teams shared their experiences, followed by briefing from Dr. Ravi, Ranger and speech by Mr. Pavendhan on behalf of TNBS. The results were happily shared by DFO, Dr, Murugan, IFS, to the participants, Forest officials and press people and explained various measures taken to bring back the Kodai glory to pre-British days and answered to the queries and concerns expressed by participants. It was a happy end to all and the study, a grand success!

Birds & Butterflies Survey– Kodaikanal Wildlife Sanctuary Detailed Observation- Butterflies • • • • •

On an overall count, 140 species of butterflies from 5 families were recorded during the survey comprising all ranges, habitation and elevation This number can be taken as a very good base, since we have no prior survey information of the hills, of this scale. Also, considering the month of August, which is not a peak butterfly activity month, coupled with not so good weather prevailed during the survey days, this is an excellent count Good number of common species and count is observed from low to medium elevation ranges, while certain rarities showed up on the mid-elevation and the higher elevation returned specialities of their range. A few groups of butterflies were however seen missing in total or in numbers in various locations.

Nymphalidae dominated the species count, followed by Lycaenidae and Pieridae (mainly due to species count from lower elevations) and joined by Hesperiidae and Papilionidae.

Most dominating species are Dingy Scrub Hopper, Palni Fritillary, Indian Cabbage White, Common Bluebottle, Red Helen and Nilgiri Clouded Yellow in the upper hills of higher elevation places.

• Papilionidae: 13 out of 19 swallowtails were recorded with all butterflies with common name of Malabar missing. The higher elevation saw plenty of Southern Bluebottle, Red Helen, Southern Birdwing and Blue Mormon. Surprisingly commonly seen Swallowtails were missing in the higher elevation while lower and middle saw all the dominant swallowtails including the Jays and Bluebottles, Roses (Common & Crimson) and the Common Mormons.

Good sightings include Common Mime and Spot Swordtail.

• Pieridae: 24 out of 32 Pieridae species were recorded which is a good species count thanks to the lower elevations where tips and arabs dominated. On the higher elevation, Nilgiri Clouded Yellow, Grass Yellows and Indian Cabbage Whites were seen. A lone Emigrant is sighted in the higher elevation, which is very surprising considering mass generation of them during April-June period where they were seen migration within hills in lakhs and eventually to the plains. The lower to medium returned all the expected species. Prominent to miss out are Puffins, Chocolate Albatross and Painted Sawtooth. The rarity tag easily goes to Nilgiri Clouded Yellow, Indian Cabbage White and Lesser Gull.

Birds & Butterflies Survey– Kodaikanal Wildlife Sanctuary Detailed Observation- Butterflies •

Nymphalidae: Half of the target species, 50 out of 96 are recorded from this family, which is most dominant among other species. Beaks, Tigers, Crows, Bushbrowns, Treebrowns and Evening browns, Rings, Pansies, Sailers are all well represented. Nilgiri Tigers, Palni Fritillaries were the dominant in the higher elevation while the other species were fairly commonly seen in the other elevations. Rarities and good sighting include Nilgiri Tiger, Red-disc Bushbrown (another dominant species), Blackvein Sergeant, Clipper, Redspot Duke, Common Map, Black Prince, Indian Red Admiral and Blue Admiral.

• Lycaenidae: Although Blues were the second dominant family after Nymphalidae, the species count was low at 31 against the target of 91 species. The Grass Blues were seen in good numbers in the lower as well as in higher (to a lesser degree). Only the commonly seen Lineblues- Common and Tailless were seen, with Nacaduba missing from the sighting.

Hedge Blues- especially White and White-disc were commonly seen in the higher elevation while Common in the other elevation. Three types of Pierrots were seen, surprisingly no Common Pierrot. Good and rare sightings include Redspot, Yamfly, Leafblue, Monkey Puzzle and Common Tinsel.

•

Riodinidae: There are 2 species in this family- Plum Judy and Double-banded Judy and they are not sighted during the survey period.

•

Hesperiidae: Because of their nature, usually active in the early morning and evenings, these are difficult to sight usually.

During the survey, only 22 of 83 species were sighted. Dingy Scrub Hopper was abundant everywhere on the higher elevation, literally. Flats and Awls were reasonably represented, so too some of the swifts and darts. Important sightings include Orange-striped Awlet and Indian Awlking.

Brief Observation- Birds • •

•

On an overall count, 122 species of birds from all families were recorded during the survey comprising all ranges, habitation and elevation This number, although appears to be on a slightly lower side can be taken as a good base, since the hills are without much rain and short of flowering/ fruiting plants for the season and there may be some local movement downhills/plains or elsewhere. Also, considering the cloudy and rainy days of survey days, certain species will take cover and will not venture out easily like Raptors.

Good number of common species and count is observed from low to medium elevation ranges, while certain rarities showed up on the mid-elevation and the higher elevation returned specialities of their range. A few groups of birds were however seen missing in total or in numbers in various locations due to dried waterbodies.

Birds & Butterflies Survey– Kodaikanal Wildlife Sanctuary

Birds & Butterflies Survey– Kodaikanal Wildlife Sanctuary

Acknowledgements Dr. R. Murugan, IFS, DFO, Kodaikanal and Dr. R. Ravi, Ranger, on behalf of Kodaikanal Wildlife Sanctuary thanked all the voluntary participants who has come from various organisations and all over the state enrolled for the Birds and Butterflies surveys conducted during 5th and 6th Aug, 2017 on all the 8 ranges of the sanctuary. The enthusiastic participation and results of the surveys from each team is well appreciated and the birding and butterfly knowledge of the participants was helpful in unearthing more species. They also would like to thank their team, the Forest officials of all Ranges, including Rangers, Foresters, Guards, APWs and ECO watchers. Special thanks are due to the following: 1.Dr.R. MURUGAN, IFS, DFO, KODAIKANAL 2.N. ANANDKUMAR, FRO, KKL, M.SC FORESTRY. 3.R. RAVI, FRO, IDP, KKL, M.SC FORESTRY , 4.M. KRISHNASAMY, FRO, BERIJAM, M.SC FORESTRY, 5.A. MANIMARAN, FRO, MANNAVANUR, 6.T. SYED USMAN MADANI, FRO, POOMBARAI., 7.T. CAPTAIN NEPOLIN, FRO, VANDARAVU, B.COM, 8.P. KARUPPAIAH, FRO, PERUMPALLAM, M.SC B. ED, 9.K. GANESHRAM, FRO, PALANI, B.COM, 10.D. SURESHKUMAR, FRO, DEVADANAPATTI, B.E Tamil Nadu Butterfly Society (TNBS) would like to thank the DFO and Ranger on entrusting to co-ordinate the event among the participants and thank all the participants and members of various organisation who readily accepted the invitation and came to the survey. On behalf of all participants, we would like to place on record our thanks to the wonderful care taken by DFO and his dedicated team on the participants and the treatment was exemplary. Thanks are placed on the participating organisations: Tamil Nadu Butterfly Society, Coimbatore Nature Society, Madras Nature Society, Tirupur Nature Society, Madurai nature Forum and Rajapalayam Butterfly Club and all other participating members.

Birds & Butterflies Survey– Kodaikanal Wildlife Sanctuary

Team 1

Team 2

Team 3

Team 4

Team 6

Team 7

Team 8

Team 9

Birds & Butterflies Survey– Kodaikanal Wildlife Sanctuary

Nilgiri Tiger

Palni Fritillary

Red-disc Bushbrown

Palni Four-ring

Pea Blue

Indian Red Admiral

Nilgiri Four-ring

Common Tinsel

Birds & Butterflies Survey– Kodaikanal Wildlife Sanctuary

Blue Admiral

Red Helen

Black-vein Sergeant

Palni Bushbrown

White Hedge Blue

Nilgiri Clouded Yellow

Indian Cabbage White

Dingy Scrub Hopper Report by : Pavendhan. A Pictures credit: Survey Participants

North East Butterfly Meet– Season IV The Meet North-East Butterfly Meet 2017 (Season IV) was organised by Butterflies and Moths of Sikkim-Nature Conservation Society (BAMOS-NCS) and Butterflies of North Eastern India Group.

The meet was held at picturesque Dzongu Valley, North Sikkim District in the state of Sikkim between 3rd and 5th September 2017. This is the fourth meet and the last 3 meets were held elsewhere in North East. There were 32 participants from all over India and about 10 organisers were part of the meet group. Local children were also invited to the meet and field.

The announcement to the meet came a few months before the meet date which allowed ample time to plan and execute especially participants flying up from down south to Sikkim as Air travel cost can be prohibitive if tickets are booked closer to the date. The meet is in sequence to the ones held for the last 3 years and this is a 4th year in success. The number of butterflies in North-Eastern part of India (could be numbering about 1000 species) is easily the reason why people wants to go there. It was no secret that this is the reason, why a few of us from Tamil Nadu, planned to be there. There were about 5 participants from the state of Tamil Nadu and 3 more from the neighbouring state of Kerala, ensuring enough representation on the meet from South. The team from Tamil Nadu included Pavendhan A, Nishanth CV, Gowathaman Ganesan and Harish G Mallaya.

With different travel plans, all of us have landed on the Camp site, which is the forest guest house located in the Dzongu Valley, exactly at the place where a tributary of River Teesta joins the main river on 2nd evening. It was such a beautiful place and we were welcomed by intermittent rains throughout the afternoon of 2nd September. This was a worrying factor, which continued to be the worrying factor for days to come too. People have been provided tents to stay with lady members and a few others within the guest house. Couple of us travelling from Coimbatore (I (Pavendhan) and Nishanth) had an opportunity to travel with Mr. Isaac Kehimkar from Bagdogra Airport to the Guest House by car together along with couple of more participants from Mumbai. It was a good outing as we exchanged lot of information on the status of butterflies and listened to many experiences from Mr. Isaac Kehimkar, who is the author of the new book– Butterflies of India (A BNHS publication). He is currently associated with iNaturefoundation, Mumbai which focus on spreading the knowledge and awareness of nature to all.

North East Butterfly Meet– Season IV Sikkim Sikkim is a north-eastern state of India. It borders China in its north and east, Bhutan in its east, Nepal in its west and the Indian state of West Bengal in its south. Sikkim is also located close to the Siliguri Corridor near Bangladesh. Sikkim is the least populous and second smallest among the Indian states. A part of the Eastern Himalaya, Sikkim is notable for its biodiversity, including alpine and subtropical climates, as well as being a host to Kanchenjunga, the highest peak in India and third highest on Earth. Sikkim's capital and largest city is Gangtok. Almost 35% of the state is covered by the Khangchendzonga National Park.

Modern Sikkim is a multi-ethnic and multilingual Indian state. Sikkim has 11 official languages: Nepali, Sikkimese, Lepcha, Tamang, Limbu, Newari, Rai, Gurung, Magar, Sunwar and English. English is taught in schools and used in government documents. The predominant religions are Hinduism and Vajrayana Buddhism. Sikkim's economy is largely dependent on agriculture and tourism, and as of 2014 the state had the third-smallest GDP among Indian states,[9] although it is also among the fastest-growing.

Sikkim accounts for the largest share of cardamom production in India, and is the world's second largest producer of the spice after Guatemala. Sikkim has the highest share of agricultural land dedicated to organic farming in India. It is also among India's most environmentally conscious states, having banned plastic water bottles and styrofoam products. Source: WIKI

Opening Meeting. Quote from the Press Release: Sikkim Minister of Forest, Environment and Wildlife Department T.W Lepcha inaugurated the NEBM-2017. Lepcha appreciated the initiative of BAMOS-NCS for the conservation of Butterflies and moths in Sikkim and congratulated president of BAMOS, Nawang Gyatso Bhutia for his “Limca Book of Record� for attracting 95 species of butterflies on his body and presented him the Record Certificate. Addressing the participants he observed that such types of programme need to be organized on a regular basis for the awareness of nature conservation in general and butterflies in particular. He emphasized the potential of the rich biodiversity like butterflies and birds to generate alternate source of income for the people of Sikkim through sustainable ecotourism. Addressing the gathered students, he advised them to take maximum benefit out of this programme to learn about the conservation of natural resources and consider a career in this field. Deputy Speaker of Legislative Assembly cum Dzongu MLA Sonam Gyatso Lepcha, congratulated BAMOS for conducting National Level Butterfly Meet at Dzongu which would help the local people of Dzongu to be aware of the rich butterfly biodiversity.

Yellow Coster

Tabby

Tufted Ace

Fluffy Tit

Punchinello

Hill Jezebel

Dark Tinsel

North East Butterfly Meet– Season IV Day 1 (03.09.2017) The day starts little early in this part of country and we could see good light 5AM IST. The overnight rain has relented a bit and we were hoping for the light to stop totally and sun to come out. This was never the case to be for the day. Since, it was the first day of the meet, people took the walk to the open ground and beyond on the road before the breakfast. The first to make appearance to us was a Common Dartlet (Oriens gola) which was nectaring. A Straight-banded Treebrown, a Dark Evening Brown and a Common Hedge Blue, all made their appearances quickly and went off. The banana bait could attract only a Lilac Bushbrown and that too vanished quickly from the scene.

However, much of the action before the breakfast was t the grounds. The grassy open land with a few wild flower plants were hosting Purple Sapphires and Yellow Costers. In fact such a vast area had only these two on the Day 1. The small sized purple Sapphire kept everyone engaged while the Yellow Coster was seen moving slowly amidst drizzle and lack of light. All of us had to return to the dining table for the Break fast and we could add only a Paris Peacock flying past to the list before we all went for the opening meeting which was held at a local administrative block, couple of kilometres away. The detailed account and the official version of the meet is given in the previous sections.

The minister took some time to around and it was good enough for most of the people to have a go at Bushbrowns, Grass Yellows, Hill Jezebel, Yellow Helen, Yellow Jezebel, Indian Fritillary, Striped Tiger, Bevan’s Swift and an Autumn leaf, which was resting on top of the outer wall.

The meeting got underway, once the Forest Minister reached the meet. After the customary introductions and facilitations, a few of the organisers and resource persons spoke. The Forest Minister then took the stage finally and he dwelt in length in English as well as in Nepalese language since there were many school children and he wanted them to understand what he spoke. He was suggesting them to chase their passion.

While the meeting was going on , the light actually improved for a while, although none of us were able to move out. Eventually the meeting was over around 2 PM and we returned to our campsite for the Lunch. It started raining in the after noon and totally hampered the enthusiasm of all.

The rain coats, umbrella and improvised camera covers were then out from everyone and we walked around the campsite looking for some butterflies. It was probably our first experience, butterflying with umbrella and rain coats. Our relentless search in failed light yielded a Forest Pierrot, a Banded Treebrown and a Pale Hedge Blue apart from Grass Yelllows, Yellow Costers and Purple Sapphires.

With no more luck and light, we have returned to the camp and there was a couple of technical session on Butterfly Identification by Mr. Monsoon, who is one of the two resource person for the event along with Mr. Isaac Kehimkar. It was then time for the day’s consolidation of species, and it was a surprise that the whole group was able to record 56 species for the day 1 while we have personally recorded 25 species.

The time after the dinner was spent on watching and photographing Moths which came for a Moth trap through lights. There were about 20-30 species of moths and a Common Peacock too came to the light. The group was then divided into two teams with plan being each team go on a different paths the next day and exchange the places, the day after. With rains started again, in fact, it was getting heavier by the time, we were all worried about the prospectus of the coming day!

Blue Tit

Popinjay

Fluffy Tit

Veined Scrub Hopper

Purple Sapphire

North East Butterfly Meet– Season IV Day 2 (04.09.2017) The human mind makes certain assumptions and stays with it even if the fact changes. When we all went to the bed, it was raining and we were used to the sound the rains were making when it hit the ground and the trees. We all herd the noise throughout the night , fearing the worst, that the rain is hitting us hard. When we woke up in the morning, we still heard the sound, but the rain was missing. It is River Teesta which is making the noise, which made us believed that it was raining the whole night . The river was fast and furious and was flowing with enormous strength. The sun could not convince the rain clouds for the whole day and we have to settle for the little light we could get although it was raining only on and off.

We were slotted into Team 1 and were off to area near Lingdong. The drive was about half an hour or so. The habitat had the river flowing on one end and the rock cut on the other side with the roads to take us to the bridge. We were dropped off a point and started walking in. As soon as we got down, we spotted a few Veined Scrub Hopper (Aeromachus stigmata) and a Conjoined Swift on the wet rock taking the minerals. A Punchinello and an Orange Punch (both from the Riodinidae family) was seen. It was eventless for a while until we spotted a Popinjay checking out the bag of one of the participants. The Large Yeomans were soon everywhere, but they are not in a mood to oblige any one of us. Soon, we reached the Iron Bridge and after some customary selfie and photo shoots, we crossed the bridge and spent on the edges of the river below. We saw Yellow Jezebel, and a few Grass Yellows here and a Yellow Flat (which I again missed). There was also a Sapphire which was turned out to be a Dark Sapphire also called Indian Purple Sapphire.

The return was much more exciting with a Spotted Palmfly and a Blue Spotted Crow making appearing, but vanished before anyone good get a decent picture of them. A Chocolate Demon and a Restricted/Spotted Demon were seen from the Skippers and the Tufted Ace from the same family however was much more obliging. That sweet spot also gave us a Blue Tit, a Common Jester. Some sharp eyes then spotted an Orange Oakleaf and a Glassy Tiger. The team also saw couple of Dark Judies, which was missed by a few including myself. We relaxed for a while at the Buddha temple and we need to refill ur body with plenty of fluids as the climate was pretty humid and we lost lots of fluids by sweating. The vehicle picked up as back to the camp side for the lunch and as usual the chasing butterflies for the day, ended little earlier than we anticipated. The lunch was again a simple Rice, Dhall, Potato and Papad, a kind of standard for most of the times.

We wish there were sessions on the afternoon, which was not the case. The Afternoon was left to us and we have to again explore areas around the camp. There is no more addition to the list we had already despite hard searches. However, a lucky few got Great Darkie and Tailed Sulphur, on the previous day and the long time that we spent around the same place on this day did not yield any of them. We have to settle for the Yellow Costers and Purple Sapphires only.

There was again a couple of sessions in the evening and the consolidation for the day had a count of 100+ species, both the days, together and our personal count was around 45+ species. Many interesting species were reported which I was hearing for the first time. It was hard to see any of those special catches as there was no mechanism to have a look at the rare catches.

With just a day left and the personal count on the lower side, we were really worried if we could see any more special ones as it is not easy making a trip to North East every now and then.

Indian Tortoiseshell

Green Commodore

Redbreast

Yellow Jezebel

Bhutan Sergeant

North East Butterfly Meet– Season IV Day 3 (05.09.2017) This was easily the best day of the meet as the sun came out pretty early and strong and the rain clouds went for the hiding.

We could sense the excitement all around us on account of this. We decided to have the Pre-breakfast walk to the open ground and the small water falls beyond. The Pale Hedge Blue was the first to make an appearance. As we neared the falls, we could see good activities from Skippers and we recorded a Paintbrush Swift and Yellow Spot Swift, both nectaring and sun bathing. A Spangle was drying its wing too. On the return, people were excited with a Dysphania militaris moth. The jackpot was however waiting to happen. Anyone could have dismissed this dark ugly looking insect for a tree bark waste, if it had not moved and on our path. It happened to be a Dark Tinsel and soon we found out it is just the second sighting for India for this species.

The campsite was going great with sudden outburst of species and we could easily sight and photograph species like Fluffy Tit, Sullied Sailer, Common Birdwing, Golden Birdwing, Chocolate Pansy, Autumn Leaf, Blue Duke, Straight-banded Treebrown, Indian Tortoiseshell and a Common Nawab. It was time for breakfast and we had to leave to the location .

In August 2016, incessant rains triggered a massive landslide in North Sikkim district blocking a tributary of the Teesta and creating an artificial lake that could pose danger to the people living near downstream of the river. The landslide occurred at SoBhir cliff at Dzongu and blocked Kanaka river, a small tributary of the Teesta. The artificial lake estimated to be 150 ft wide has been created. And this was the location of this day’s walk.

The drive to the place was swift and through the village of Mantam. We have stopped to look at a few species like Yellow Flat , Restricted Demon and Golden Sapphire. As soon as we reached the spot, we were overwhelmed by the devastation and water is now being let out steadily from the lake. The vegetation will take some years to catch up. However, with plenty of rock soils and wet by the rains, there were plenty of mud-puddling and fluttering activities. We could immediately sight species like Bhutan Sergeant, Glassy Bluebottle, Common Bluebottle, Common Lineblue, Dingy Lineblue, etc. It was a narrow and difficult path to reach the other side of the road and I have to be personally helped out by couple of strong local Sikkimese. As soon as we reached the other side, a Khaki Silverline and a Long-banded Silverline welcomed us. The Khaki is a rare one. Plenty of Red Helens, Yellow Helen, Striped Tigers, Grass Yellows, Indian Cabbage white too were seen.

We then took the road which is being laid to reach the old road, and the spot where it joined was buzzing with activities too.

We saw a few Himalayan Sergeants, a Redbreast, a Common Windmill, a Common Map and an Autumn Leaf which was kind enough to give us its open wing view. We returned to the zero point where we added a Rich Sailer, a Green Commodore, a Himalayan White Flat and a Pallid Nawab. A short break spent on the canteen helped us to recharge. When we returned to the vehicle, the rest of the teams were busy surrounding the mud-puddlers. We could add a Plain Puffin to the list from this.

It was time to return and an Orange Staff Sergeant sent us off to the campsite. Back to the familiar territory, and hard searching, resulted in adding 3 more lifers– a Purple Spotted Flat, an Angled Red Forester and a Dark Judy. After a quick concluding session, the day was over. The final list, after consolidation stood at 163. With three of our individual counts varying between 80 and 90 and the total of 3 us stood at 91. An Ypthima sp., Ypthima methora (Variegated Five-ring) is a rare catch. This was photographed by our Gowathaman and his friends. They were in other team.

North East Butterfly Meet– Season IV

Acknowledgement & Conclusion On 6th Morning, all of us bid adieu each other and we three of us proceeded to Bagdogra for the return journey and other two participants from Tamil Nadu stayed back to spend a few more days in Sikkim. It was another 24+ hours journey to reach our destination in TN. At the end, we would say, it was wort h a travel , and if not for the 2 days predominantly lost in the rain, we could have hit some more species into out pack. It was a very good outing overall.

Our special thanks are to all the Organisers of the event, for giving us a opportunity to participate and made all arrangements to the best that they can. Our thanks are also due to the resource persons who helped one and all with identification of butterflies etc. The fellow participants were really active, fun loving and good at spotting butterflies. All these helped. We are really looking forward to the next butterfly meet!

Narration : Pavendhan A Participants: Pavendhan A, Nishanth CV, Gowathaman Ganesan, HG Mallaya +1 Pictures credit: Gowathaman Ganesan, Nishanth CV and Pavendhan A

Butterfly Migration 2017– An update Milkweed Butterflies After missing out couple of years in trot (2015 & 2016), the Milkweed butterflies are back to what they have been doing for years unknown- migrate to Western Ghats during September and October.

From end of September to November beginning, every year, from time immemorial, Nymphalidae butterflies like Dark Blue Tiger, Blue Tiger, Common Crow and Double-branded Crow along with a few other species will undertake their migration journey from plains and Eastern Ghats of Tamil Nadu to the Western Ghats . (The migration here is discussed only from Tamil Nadu perspective).

Butterflies undertake migration mainly to escape from harsh climate for their living and lack of sufficient food and environment for their survival. The Monarch Butterfly migration in America is a well-known and closely followed event.

In India, especially in South India, the Danainae butterflies mentioned above, undertake their journey every year, fairly regularly, and in large numbers of tens of thousands. The data available with Tamil Nadu Butterfly Society (which has been tracking these events since 2012) indicates that this migration to Western Ghats just before the commencement of North East Monsoon happened between September last week and October middle.

Their return to the plains and Eastern Ghats happens during next April- May (not the ones that migrated but their off-springs), before the commencement of South West Monsoon in the hills.

Tamil Nadu Butterfly Society (TNBS) has been observing and documenting the migration since 2012 and the past data showed that 2015 and 2016 are the worst years with respect to butterfly migration. It was almost nil and this was attributed to the failed monsoons.

The rains in the current South West Monsoon was more than the normal across the state by 29% between June and September, especially for the month of August and the good rains continued until the first two weeks of September and thereafter too. Coimbatore Dt has recorded 169% excess rain during this period for example. We also saw some good rains during the months of April and May this year. This has resulted in an unprecedented generation of Emigrants butterfly during May-June throughout the Tamil Nadu Ghats and Plains and their migration. (See Pattampoochi– Wings 1 Veins 3 for more details on the same).

Migration, for the running year (2017) was observed continuously between the period 5th September and 15th September (with 13th September being the peak day) and subsequently up to 30th September in patches and in random manner. Movements of species like Dark Blue Tigers, Double-branded Crows, Common Crows and Common Emigrants are in good numbers. From observations made at Coimbatore, they were steadily moving towards hills to the direction of Palakkad gap and Siruvani Hills from Coimbatore. Observations were also made at Anaikatti Hills of Coimbatore Dt. They were seen moving between 930 AM and 3 PM at a height of 2-15m, making steady movement in one direction.

Sample observations (multiple observations of smaller time windows and mathematical projections) from a specific location in Coimbatore resulted in an estimated 38000 specimens moving in a single day for a width of 1.5 Km. That means an estimated lakhs and lakhs of butterflies could have reached the hills as part of the migration.

Past data with us show that they usually migrate during last week of September and this is an early migration due to favourable conditions advanced.

Observations made at Erode, Thiruppur and the foot hills of Coimbatore (like Marudhamalai) are supporting the theory that the origin of migration may be from the Eastern Ghats Hills of Yercaud, Kolli and the surroundings apart from the plain population. They might have travelled a distance of about 150 Km.

Butterfly Migration 2017– An update Observation are also made at Mettupalayam area, where large number of Tirumala and Euploea species and Emigrants were moving towards the hills. Albatross species has also be seen moving along, reportedly (is discussed in detail later here).

Further observations were made in Erode district indicated that they were heading to Sathyamangalam TR. Elsewhere, movements were recorded in Periyakulam of Theni District, Rajapalayam (Virudhunagar Dt), Namakkal, Chennai and Madurai Districts (Saptur, Alagar Hills, Thirumangalam areas).

Other Participants as part of these Migration Other species which migrated along with these are Lime Butterfly, Common Leopard, Plain Tiger, Striped Tiger, Pansies, Eggflies, Small Salmon Arab and a few unidentified Skippers (most probably Awl species).

The Pansies especially Lemon Pansies in very sizable population, Yellow Pansy and Blue Pansy were migrating in huge number over Saptur (Madurai Dt) into Western Ghats and also reported from Chennai. Coimbatore surroundings were filled with Pansies too.

Red Helen is also seen moving with the migrants in a few places. Crimson Rose was making movements in Coimbatore. Many Pieridae species were seen part of the migration in a few places. The information provided is what has come to our knowledge and we are sure there may be more movements which has not come to our knowledge directly. Sadly, road kills were observed during this migration.

Butterfly Migration 2017– An update

Butterfly Migration 2017– An update Albatross Migration Common Albatross (Appias albina) from the Pieridae family was making news this year. They were seen in large numbers during August and September and were making movements. Although the Common Albatross migration in and through Aralam Wildlife Sanctuary of Kerala is well marked event every year, their movements within Tamil Nadu is not well known.

This year, however, Common Albatross were seen in good numbers, first during as part of migration with other butterflies, and then as a well formed group of themselves moving. During the first week of September, Common Albatross were seen along with other migrants near Mettupalayam.

Between 17th and 19th September, Common Albatross were observed in good numbers in Alagar Hills and Sathankudi villages and joining these two points as origination and migration path, they were well heading to the Western Ghats and this is confirmed by the observation made at Saptur which is at the tip of the western ghats and also at Palani Hills.

On 21st September, Common Albatross were seen moving between Vellore and Pallikonda. The migration was running parallel to the River Palar. Marking the movement of direction, east to west, on the map, it may be assumed that they were moving probably from Vilappakkam Reserve Forests and Kannamangalam RF to the Koundiya Wildlife Sanctuary.

A huge population of Common Albatross in year 2015 was reported from Pachamalai (of Eastern Ghats from Trichy Dt) and it could have migrated to elsewhere too, but no observations were available. On the current year running, Yercaud Hills were seen with good population of Common Albatross during September and in the foothills of Palani Hills too.

All these observations indicate that Common Albatross are migrating within Tamil Nadu between Eastern and western Ghats and within Eastern Ghats. Long term observation will provide us more clues on their actual behaviour.

Narration : Pavendhan A Observers: Andipatti Pandi, Arun Kumar, Gopalakrishnan S, Hema Mohandas, Jeswin Kingsly, Kumaresan Chandrabose, Naveen, Nishanth CV, Padmashree Vijayakumar, Pavendhan A, Prakash G, Prakash Loganathan, Rama Neelamegam Ramanasran H, Ramasamy SRK, Sharan Venkatesh, Theivaprakasham Hari & Vikas Madhav Pictures Credits: Pavendhan A, Kumaresan Chandrabose (Common Albatross mud-puddling)

Validation report on some studies on Butterflies and their diversity– around Chennai Vikas Madhav Nagarajan madhavvikas@gmail.com

Chennai city is located in the North East of Tamil Nadu. It is one of the few Metropolitan cities that have some historical data with regard to butterflies. Most of the studies with checklist have been done during the year 2000 to 2014. Most of these checklists have been prepared during one year studies in a particular locality in Chennai city. Only one of the checklists deals with the entire Chennai city and another deals with Thiruvallur district. These checklist have been done by various persons including researchers who have a background in entomology, zoology or biology. This article gives a critical appraisal of various the checklists of the studies for the purpose of validation The purpose of validation of these records is :To check for rare species to include in the Chennai checklist To verify old records that may not have enough evidence to support their claim To filter out mistakes in the lists published and note the common mistakes made.

Madras, Chennai: A 400-year Record of the First City of Modern India, Volume 1-Some butterfly species recorded in IIT Campus This was a small Annexure in the 400-year-old catalogue of Madras city.

The list has no systematic order and lists the various species recorded by Ruth Paul Raj in the Madras Christian College (Expand) also Few records which are treated as important are tricolour flat, Pale grass blue, common blue bottle, suffused snow flat, South Indian cruiser,, Common Nawab and Tamil bush Brown.

There is a mention of pale Palm Dart. This species is easily confused with the more likely dark palm dart. Hence without any notes or photographic evidence or recent reports. I choose to exclude this from the Chennai checklist.

Diversity and community structure of butterfly of Arignar Anna zoological Park ,Chennai , Tamil Nadu Authors: D Rajagopal, M shaker, A. Manimozhi, N. Basker and G. Archunan This list was published in 2011. The investigation was carried out on the diversity of butterfly fauna and select localities of conservation breeding centre of Arignar Anna Zoological Park. This was published in the Journal of environmental biology. Few errors in the list are pretty glaring to the onlooker.

They have mentioned the presence of Bright Babul blue ( misspelt as’ Aright Babul blue’ in the list) in the park under the family of Nymphalidae instead of Lycaenidae.

Several species like red Helen, chocolate albatross and Indian cabbage white have been recorded as common species, while in reality the species are very rare in Chennai city No notes on five bar swordtail , hence this record is not included in the Chennai checklist.

The white Bar bush Brown, chestnut tiger, medus brown (Nigger) , baby five ring and Palani four-ring are highly unlikely in Chennai, Hence without any photo documentation or specimen collection or small note on the species I choose to exclude these species from the Chennai checklist.

The white tipped line blue might have been seen. However, photo verification is needed. The Tailless line blue is the most likely candidate in that area.

Diversity and status of butterflies in the city of Chennai, Tamilnadu Authors: Thangapandian , A Ganesh, P RamRaj, C SelvaKumar, Janarthanan This list was published in the entomology Academy of India's journal – Hexapoda . It was published in the year 2014. The survey and status assessment of butterflies was undertaken in the city of Chennai from November 2014 two April 2014(according to them, might have been November 2013).

The list has few important species like the common Guava blue , Grey pansy, brown King Crow . The specimens have been collected, hence easily verifiable. The dark evening brown specimen is unclear.

The white Bar bush Brown and conjoined Swift have been misidentified. Few common species like Tailed jay , common Jay , yellow orange tip and common wanderer have been listed as rare !

The two jays are commonly seen throughout Chennai, while the yellow orange tip and common wanderer are locally common in Chennai during this season of survey. These rare records hence will not be included due to insufficient evidence.

Validation report on some studies on Butterflies and their diversity– around Chennai Nature study Butterflies of Tambaram: a checklist Authors: Dr Gift Siromoney This is the oldest and most comprehensive list for Chennai. All relevant details about the sightings are mentioned. This is one of the most valuable lists for Chennai city as it deals with old records from 1970 to the 1980s. Majority of the sightings are from Madras Christian College.

He records few rare species like the South Indian cruiser, southern birdwing , Grey pansy, suffused snow flat, Indian red flash, Tamil bush Brown. He also mentions the presence of the five bar swallowtail and common Nawab. The five bar swordtail was reported in July-August season in 1983. It would be unfair to include this in the present Chennai checklist without any recent confirmation. No extra notes were made on the Common Nawab. The Anomalous Nawab is more common in the area , hence both could have present at that time.

Overall this list is a very important and interesting document which gives us a window into the butterfly diversity at Chennai in 1970-1980 time frame. It is one of the best lists from the city.

Seasonal dynamics of butterfly population in DEA Campus, Kalpakkam, Tamil Nadu, India Authors:- K Jahir Hussian , T Ramesh , KK Satpathy and M Selvanayagam This list was published in 2011 as at the 3rd Asian Lepidoptera Conservation Symposium. They were able to record 56 species of butterflies , using permanent line transect method of field surveying .The purpose of the study was “ to determine trends in butterfly species constellations and identify their temporal variations , diversity and abundance”. This is the only study that has used Pearson’s correlation analysis to find a correlation between butterflies and abiotic factors.

Overall this list was very satisfactory. Some important records include Bright babul blue , Indian cupid , Great orange tip and Common Silverline .Though the list doesn’t provide the status of the species , it gives the number of individuals seen throughout the seasons , so the reader can come to a conclusion.

Butterfly studies of Thomas Sathyamoorty Thomas Sathyamooorty, the former curator of the Madras museum , brought out a book on the collection of butterflies kept at the Madras museum. The book has well written text describing the butterflies on display and also has a catalogue from where they were collected. The interesting records from his book include Tamil Bushbrown , Great Orange tip , Indian cupid , Brown Awl and Great orange tip. He had mentioned a record of Dark wanderer from ‘Madras’ , which is highly unlikely . The word ‘Madras’ is too ambiguous. Does it refer to the ‘Madras presidency or the city of Madras? The Madras presidency at one time included most of south India , The date of collection is also missing from the book. Hence, I choose not to include this record for the Chennai checklist.

Diversity of butterflies in Tiruvallur district,Tamilnadu , India Authours :- Prabakaran S , Chezhian Y , Evangelin G , John Willam S The above authors have attempted to study the butterfly diversity at Tiruvallur district . This report was published in 2014.

Some of the errors are very glaring. I doubt the identification of many species.

Some of the species are Malabar Raven , Yellow breasted Flat , Common Awl, Dingy scrub hopper ,Black prince , Blue king crow, Tamil lacewing , Sullied sailor , Common onyx , Nilgiri grass yellow , Madras ace and Nilgiri clouded yellow are definitively misidentifications as some of these are yet to be properly documented even in the state. Many more are mentioned in the report. Many other records like Kanara swift , painted sawtooth , Indigo flash , Chinese dart ,Club beak , Tamil yeoman need photo documentation to prove and uphold their validity. A total of 30 records are disputed from this list. As much as I would like to treat these records as sporadic sightings, they are too suspicious to validate.

Diversity of butterflies in different seasons in north-eastern Tamilnadu, India Authors – Veeramuthu Anbalagan , Savarimuthu Ignachimuthu , Shanmugam Chandarn and Jonad Gunasekaran Errors in this report are very glaring. Few species are not even spotted in Asia like the Brown Pansy , Booklice swift and fiery swift. There are many mistakes in this list , similar to the one before. This list seems to be made based on the list of the previous article.71 of the 101 species are common and validated. The remaining are controversial and have no supportive data or notes.

Conclusion The city of Chennai has been studied in the past by various groups and individuals. The current study shows more species growth than any of the predecessors, but also sees the disappearance of certain species. The above mentioned lists are all I could collect from the various sources I have. Hopefully my energetic team in Chennai will throw us some surprises.

Editorial Note: The views expressed here are the personal opinion of Mr. Vikas Madhav Natarajan

Trekking from Kookal to Kudhiraiyur Dam and Counting the Butterflies on the way...

Amol Mande NIT, Trichy

Kodaikanal, Dindigul District

I have been to Kodaikanal for a one-day trek, from the Kookal Village to Kudhiraiyur dam. We reached Kodai on Saturday, 8 th July 2017. After lunch, the hunt for butterflies and birds begun in the area near to the lake. To my surprise I spotted 4-5 Reddisc Bushbrowns in the same area, where I had seen them almost a year back. They were kind enough to give me the chance to photograph their colourful open wings and cryptic closed wings. Several small white butterflies were flying amidst the nearby bushes. Though I waited for 10-15 minutes, they were not in the mood to settle down. Finally I managed to click one and it was identified as a White-disc Hedge Blue. Sadly after a while, there were no butterflies to be seen around.

Sunday, 9th July 2017 morning, I started the trek with fellow trekkers from the Kookal village. As we descended, I could spot few restless Grass Yellows. Butterfly activities started to increase steadily and I spotted the rare Palni Four-ring and a tiny skipper, Dingy Scrub Hopper (Aeromachus dubius). As I moved ahead I saw a Bushbrown with a thick white band. Though I was not able to identify the species, I managed to click few pics. Over the next 1.5 km, the same butterfly was spotted around 4-5 times. It was later identified as the Palni Bushbrown (Telinga davisoni). I enjoyed capturing the commonly seen butterflies such as Indian Skipper (Spialia galba), Indian Cupid (Everes lacturnus) and Gram blue.

As we strolled in a coffee estate, I found a Red Helen wing and an active Apefly (Spalgis epeus). Then, we came across a water stream and I was hoping I could see lot of butterflies mud-puddle. I found a lone common albatross sipping the minerals from the soil. At some distance there was some activity over a wet path. It was the beautiful Red Pierrot partying along with a Common Gull.

Around 20 Common Gulls on a single tree nectaring on the flowers and a spider feeding on a poor Common Emigrant were the other highlights. Plenty of activity was going on in the lantana bushes surrounding a small waterfall Common Mormon, Golden Angle, Yellow Orange Tip, Tiny Grass Blue, Common Leopard, Common Sailor, Tailed Jay, and Tailless Lineblue were busy nectaring in the lantana flowers.

As we were about to finish our lunch, it started to drizzle. This made the butterflies vanish along with my camera, which had to be kept safe in my bag. After an hour drizzle, a little sunlight brought butterflies like White Four-ring, Striped Tiger, Glad-eye Bushbrown, Ceruleans and around 10-15 Psyche, out of their hiding places. Common Wanderer and Indian Cupid was spotted when we were climbing up the slope.

After trekking for around half an hour, we finally reached our destination, the beautiful Kudhiraiyur dam. The complete trek was almost 17 km and I could see many butterflies. There could be plenty more but since I have to be cautious for elephants around and had to keep up with the fellow trekkers, I couldn’t click them all. The day ended with 34 species getting ticked in the checklist and with Palni Bushbrown and Red Pierrot as lifers.

Trekking from Kookal to Kudhiraiyur Dam and Counting the Butterflies on the way...

From the Facebook Pages...

Common Banded Peacock by Meena Valli

Black Rajah by Karthikeyan Ponnambalamoorthy

Blue Tiger Cat by Sankar Balasubramaniyan

Blue Tiger by Rama Narayanan

Chestnut Bob by Arumugam Chandrasekaran

Red Pierrot by Sundaram Thiyanes

Club Beak by Kalmadi Rajiv

Many-tailed Oakblue by Gopal Krishnan

From the Facebook Pages...

Malabar Flash by Sharan Venkatesh

Grey Pansy by Jeswin Kingsly

Fulvous Pied Flat by Geethanjali Raghunathan

Grass Demon by Lakshmi Kumar

Pale Palm Dart by Gandhi Sankar

Pioneer by Arun Kumar

Painted Courtesan by Kumaresan Chandrabose

Wanderer by Nishanth CV

From the Facebook Pages...

Dark Wanderer by Hema Mohandas

Plain Tigers by SSNK Naicker

Great Eggfly by Andipatti Pandi

Plain Puffin by Rajesh Rkm

Lime Butterfly by Vicky Chinna

Plain Orange-tip by Sathya k Selvam

Narrow-banded Bluebottle by Vishwa Nathan

From the Facebook Pages...

Danaid Eggfly by Senguttuvan Subburathina

Lemon Pansy by Soundar Ells

Painted Lady by Darshan M Trivedi

Striped Albatross by Rajdeep Jhala

Spot Swordtail by Rama Neelamegam

Orchid Tit by Bhanu Mathi

Tailless Lineblue by Pradeep Kumar

Yamfly by Prakash Loganathan

From the Facebook Pages...

African Marbled Skipper by Civin Solomon

Anomalous Nawab by Bharat Kumar

Common Banded Awl by Kalpana Jayaraman

Common Gull by Rajalakshmi Kalimuthu

Lime Butterfly by Ramesh Thiyagarajan

Malabar Tree Nymph by Sahithya Selvaraj

Palni Bushbrown by Amol Mande

Gaudy Baron by Franklin VG

From the Facebook Pages...

Common Castor by Anand Sundaram

Common Emigrant by Arvind Sundararajan

Southern Birdwing by Vinithashri Gautam

Common Imperial by SRK Ramasamy

Common Leopard by Vijay Prakash

Common Mormon by Monika Gandhi

Crimson-tip by Karuppu Amal

Wanderer by Preethi Selvaraj

From the Facebook Pages...

Brown Awl by Pamela Sai

Dark Grass Blue by Vijayakumar Ramamoorthy

Golden Flitter by Thalavai Pandi

Grass Jewel by T. a. Natarajan

Indian Skipper by Merlin Selvan

Lime Butterfly by Mirthula Rani

Orange Awlet by Jee Jeevith

Indian Fritillary by Ramanasaran Hari

From the Facebook Pages...

Zebra Blue by Rajdeep Jhala

Nilgiri Tit by Santhosh Kshathriya

Psyche by Jagathesh Kumaran

Indian Red Admiral by Abhinav Raja

Orsotriaena medus by Harish G Mallaya

Transparent Six-Lineblue by Franklin Sukumar

Tailless Lineblues Arun Vasimalai

Tawny Rajah by Amirtha Balan

From the Facebook Pages...

Monkey Puzzle by Felix Nirmal Dev

Rustic & Common Leopard by Ravi Muthusamy

Common Crow by Muniraj Palanisamy

Common Emigrant by Rajesh Gopinath

Common Mormon by Sundara Manickam

Crimson Rose by Edward Gnanaraj

Golden Angle Thanigai Velu

Common Crow by Radhika Chidambaram

From the Facebook Pages...

Common Pierrot by Divya Barathi Ramamurthy

Lime Butterfly by Dharini Varadharajan

Lime Butterfly by Gowathaman Ganesan

Club Beak by Lekshmi Ravindran Nair

Tawny Costers by Alagu Ravi Solaiappan

Bushbrowns by Muthu Krishnan

Nilgiri Clouded Yellow by Balaji P Balachandran

Double-banded Judy by Ganeswari Chandrasekaran

From the Facebook Pages...

Brown Awl by Satya Seelan

Dart sp. by Vijay Srinivasan

Indian Skipper by Rajesh Ram Narayan

Common Silverline by Kavi Bharathi

Quaker by Pratiksha Patel

Lime Butterfly by Osborn Iniyan

Parnara sp. by Aravind Amirtharaj

Lime Butterfly by Rose Kumar

From the Facebook Pages...

Peacock Pansy by Anita Paulpandian

Paris Peacock by Aswin Simman

Common Gull by Periasamy Aruna R

Lime Butterfly by S Uma Shankar

Chocolate Pansy by Rushiraj Puwar

Nilgiri Tiger by Princess Nellai

Lemon Pansy by Prakash Gururajan

Lesser Albatross by Pavendhan A

Pic: Sharan Venkatesh