Itanagar, Apr 6: Much to the delight of nature lovers especially conservationists, a remarkable discovery unfolded in the heart of Tale Valley Wildlife Sanctuary in Arunachal Pradesh with a group of butterfly enthusiasts documenting for the first time in India an elusive butterfly species, Neptis philyra, a member of the family Nymphalidae recently.
A group of passionate butterfly enthusiasts comprising Atanu Bose, Mahesh Baruah, Abhishek Dutta Choudhury (all from Assam’s Bongaigaon), and Anitava Roy from West Bengal stumbled upon the elusive Neptis philyra, also known as Long-streak Sailor in June 2023.
This marked the first recorded sighting of the species in India, originating from Pange.
“This finding is important for informed conservation efforts and strategic management decisions, contributing to the preservation of biodiversity within the sanctuary and its surrounding ecosystems,” sources said.
Their dedicated efforts, supported by Wiki Loves Butterfly Project and the field expertise of Kojmama Taman and Punyo Chada, culminated in the awe-inspiring revelation. The groundbreaking discovery was later documented and disseminated in the esteemed international scientific journal -- Journal of Tropical Lepidoptera Research, Florida, USA on April 5, 2024.
This butterfly was first described by M Ménétriés in 1859 from Russia. This species has been found to be well distributed across various regions in East Asia, including eastern Siberia, Korea, Japan, Taiwan, Central and Southeast China, Tibet, Northwest Yunnan, and Northern and Central Vietnam.