Rare dragonfly spotted at Thenmala

The rare lesser blue wing dragonfly sighted at the Thenmala Butterfly Safari Park in Kollam district. 

 

The lesser blue wing dragonfly (Rhyothemis triangular) considered a rare dragonfly in South India has been spotted and photographed at the Thenmala Butterfly Safari Park in Kollam district. 

This feast for the eyes sighting was made on January 14 by the butterfly and bird enthusiasts, C. Sushanth and M.S. Akhil during the monthly butterfly and dragonfly monitoring exercise. 

The slow-flying lesser blue wing is a medium-sized elusive dragonfly with metallic blue markings on the base of its wings. Ponds and marshes are the favourite spots of these dragonflies since they love perching near water bodies. This could be because it breeds in marshes and similar habitats. 

But in the southern part of the country they are rarely sighted. The previous recorded sighting of this dragonfly was some last year by wildlife photographer and dragonfly enthusiast T. Dragon fly close to a wetland in Vithura of Thiruvananthapuram district. 

Mr. Sushanth said that one of the fascinating aspects of the lesser blue wing is that it can float in the air for long periods without flapping the wings. Both Sushanth and Akhil recorded sighting rare dragonflies and damselflies within and around the Thenmala butterfly park. 

Full Story

 

Rare butterfly sighted in Ponmudi forests

Staff Reporter





Colours of nature:The Blue Nawab, a medium-sized butterfly with black wings, can be identified from its white band laced with blue.
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A team of nature lovers from Thiruvananthapuram have spotted the life cycle of the ‘Blue Nawab' butterfly in the forests of Ponmudi-Kallar region.
The team from nature group ‘Warblers and Waders', comprising C. Susanth, K.A. Kishore, Baiju and P.B. Biju saw the larvae of this rare butterfly amidst rock formations on either side of a stream deep in the forests. “Sighting this butterfly itself is a very rare thing. Still rarer it is to see its life cycle. We could not find the eggs. After we spotted the larvae, we returned to the location and kept watch as the butterfly finally emerged,” Mr. Susanth told The Hindu.
The study team, in July 2010, also observed the larave feeding on Scarlet Bauhinia( ‘Kaattu Mandaaram'). “The Nawab is a medium-sized butterfly with black wings. It can be easily identified from its white band laced with blue. The males can be found basking on chosen trees among rocky peaks during the hottest part of the day,” Mr. Susanth said.
The earlier studies of the life cycle of this butterfly were conducted by British lepidopterists J. Davidson, T.R. Bell and E.H. Aitken in 1896 at Coorg. “This is the first life cycle record of this butterfly in Kerala, The Kaattu Mandaram has not been previously recorded as a host plant for this butterfly,” Mr. Susanth said.
The team plans to report the sighting to the Journal of Bombay Natural History Society and to other International Journals.
Californian Lepidopterist Keith V. Wolfe, who conducted studies on host plant utilisation of butterflies and Kishen Das, US-based lepidopterist, provided the literature to Warblers and Waders on the life cycle of Blue Nawab, Mr. Susanth added.

Story

197 species sighted during butterfly survey

KALPETTA, September 23, 2009


The Hindu The Blue oakleaf, a rare, endemic butterfly among the 197 species of butterflies sighted in the three day Butterfly survey conducted by the Kerala Forest and Wildlife Department in Wayanad.

A survey of the butterflies in the district conducted by the Wildlife Department has reported sighting of 197 butterfly species. The three-day survey, which concluded on Monday, was conducted in association with the Hume centre for Ecology and wildlife biology, a wild life research organisation of the district. This was the first ever survey of butterflies of Wayanad, adopting a new scientific methodology.

The survey was conducted in 14 locations spread across the Wayanad wildlife sanctuary and the North Wayanad Forest division including Maragadha, Cheeradan Kolly, Rampur and Chethalayam under the Wayanad Wild Life Sanctuary (WWLS), and Begur, Chandanathodu, Peria, Brahmagiris, Makkimala, Doddakulassi, Panoth and Makkiyad under the North Wayanad Forest Division.

As many as 56 researchers and students from three southern States took part in the survey. The team reported the sightings of 52 species of skippers, 34 species of blues, 17 species of swallow tails, 23 pierids, and, 66 species of Nymphalids, C.K. Vishnudas of the Hume centre said.

As many as 149 species of butterflies were sighted in North Wayanad division, and 141 species in Wayanad Wild Life Sanctuary. “As many as 334 species of butterflies have been sighted in the Western Ghats and recording nearly 200 species in a three day survey is evidence of a healthy habitat of butterflies in the region, E. Kunchikrishnan environmentalist and Professor, Department of Zoology, University College, Thiruvananthapuram, told The Hindu.

Rare species of butterflies such as the Baronet was sighted at Rampur and Nallathanni in the sanctuary. Endemic Species such as the Shiva sunbeam, the Banded blue Piorrot, the Malabar raven and the Southern bird wing were sighted in many places. Other significant species were the Common caster, Grey Pancy, Blue tigers, Angled Piorret and water snow flat.

The results and feedback from the survey will be used for developing the host plant and nectar plants in the sanctuary, V.K. Sreevalsan, Wild Life Warden, Wayanad Wild Life Sanctuary told The Hindu. We are also planning to set up a butterfly garden at Muthanga and Tholpetty under the sanctuary, he added. The survey results will also help us to develop a proper management plan for the habitat improvement of butterflies, he added.

The survey was lead by Prof. E. Kunhikrihnan, Dr.Kalesh, C.Susanth, Vinayan P.A, Daisy Caroline, Balakrishnan Valappil, Pavithran Vadakara and Ajayan, butterfly experts, in each base station. The three day survey was coordinated by J. Ratnakaran, Dr. Anil Zacharia and Vinayan P.A of the Hume centre.

The Common map, a rare, endemic butterfly among the 197 species of butterflies sighted in the three day survey conducted by the Kerala Forest and Wildlife Department, the Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary and the North Wayanad Forest Division, in association with the Hume Centre for Ecology and Wildlife Biology, a research organisation on wildlife in the district.

Story