Presence of 176 species of butterfly recorded in 171-sq.km. sanctuary

At a survey of fauna in the Shendurney Wildlife Sanctuary, a butterfly species, Tufted White Royal, was recorded for the first time in the State.
The survey, jointly organised by the Forest Department and the Travancore Natural History Society (TNHS) a few weeks ago, recorded the presence of 176 species of butterfly in the 171-sq.km. sanctuary.
Kalesh S. Sadasivan, public relations officer of TNHS, the large number of species in the sanctuary during the dry spell reflected the biodiversity of the region. The new species will be added to the checklist of Kerala butterflies, he added.
Around 40 experts and enthusiasts of the field representing various institutions including the National Centre for Biological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science, Education and Research, and non-governmental organisations took part in the exercise.
The survey was formally launched by the wildlife warden of the sanctuary A. Shanavas. To survey the entire area within the sanctuary, the facility was divided into eight sub-units with a base camp being established in each of them.
While the largest butterfly in India, Southern birdwing was recorded by almost all the sub-units, the smallest butterfly, Grass jewel, was seen in one among them. The survey also found 16 of the 39 endemic species in the Western Ghats. These are not found anywhere else in the world, the experts said.
Other interesting records that were made included Malabar Rose, Malabar Banded Swallow tail, Malabar Raven, Spot Puffin, Lesser Albatross, Red Disc Bush Brown, Malabar Tree Nymph, White Hedge blue and Rosy Oakblue.
Birds
As many as 150 species of birds were also recorded in the region. Two, Painted Stork and Malabar Pied Hornbill, were detected for the first time in the sanctuary, according to birdwatcher K.B. Sanjayan, who was part of the team. The other birds found included Lesser Fish Eagle, Shahin Falcon, River tern, Nilgiri Woodpigeon, Malabar Parakeet, Malabar trogon, Malabar grey hornbill, Great Indian Hornbill, White-rumped Shama, Wayanad laughing Thrush, Blanford’s Laughing Thrush, Nilgiri Flycatcher, Tickell’s Flowerpecker, Small Sunbird and White-bellied Treepie.

Source : The Hindu