A study on butterflies in Coimbatore Forests Division was released here on Wednesday.
The study was conducted by Prabhakar Veerarajendran of Osai, a non-governmental organisation involved in nature and wildlife conservation, and the Coimbatore Division of the Forest Division. to carry out a survey of butterfly species present in Coimbatore Forest Division.
The aim of the study is to record the species of butterflies found in the forests, to record the presence of rare species, and identify the butterfly hotspots, said K. Kalidasan, president of Osai.
The survey report was released by Field Director of Mudumalai Tiger Reserve Srinivas R. Reddy.The first copy was received by Coimbatore District Forest Officer M. Senthilkumar.
A dedicated long term field work was required to understand the butterflies of a particular patch of forest area, said Mr. Veerarajendran. Butterflies are found in abundance during the beginning of monsoon.
The survey found that their number gradually increased from September and reached its peak between October and December. November recorded the maximum butterfly count in Coimbatore Forest Division.
A total of 193 butterfly species were recorded till date, which included 38 skippers, 14 swallotails, 22 whites and yellows, 52 blues, and 67 brush footed.
Thirteen endangered species -- southern bird wing, Tamil spotted flat, Tamil catseye, Madras ace, bicolor ace, many tailed oakblue, Nilgiri tiger, southern blue oak-leaf, malabar rose, Malabar banded swallowtail, Malabar tree nymph, Malabar raven, and white disc hedge blue – were sighted in the division.
Nilgiri tit, and endangered species was found in good numbers. Of the about 330 butterfly species peculiar to Tamil Nadu, 193 were sighted. About 30 more were likely to be sighted, he said.
Source : The Hindu
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