First butterfly to be discovered and described by an all Indian research team from the Western Ghats.

A new taxon of Lycaenid butterfly belonging to the Nacaduba genus has been discovered by researchers from the Western Ghats. This adds a new species to the butterfly fauna of India as well as that of the Western Ghats and Kerala state as well. The common name of the butterfly is suggested as Ramaswami’s Six Lineblue and ‘Ceylon Varayanneeli’. The discovery was done by a team of four researchers, namely, Dr. Kalesh Sadasivan and Baiju. K from Travancore Nature History Society (TNHS) Trivandrum, Rahul Khot from Bombay Natural History Society, Bombay and Ramasamy Naicker from Vanam, Theni. 

         Line blues are small butterflies belonging to the subfamily Lycaenidae with Indo-Australian. Their distribution ranges from India and Sri Lanka to the whole of south-eastern Asia, Australia, and Samoa. They are characterised by hairy eyes, anastomosis of veins 11 and 12 on forewings, male wings

NATURALISTS REDISCOVER OF TWO RARE DRAGONFLIES FROM WESTERN GHATS

 

Martin’s Duskhawker (Anaciaeschna martini)

    Dragonflies & Damselflies belong to the group called Odonates. These insects are prime ecological indicators. Serious study of Odonates of the Western Ghats has gained momentum only recently, to be precise since the early part of the last decade.  Apart from the scientific community, citizen science initiatives are also now on to identify and conserve these little-known fauna of our region. Thus, it was on the Odonates of Western Ghats Facebook group discussion between Dr. Kalesh Sadasivan, an avid naturalist from the Travancore Nature History Society (TNHS), Trivandrum, Kerala and Manoj Sethumadhavan from the Wynter-Blyth Association (WBA), The Nilgiris,  the surprising fact that one species which was described in 1922 had not been sighted in south India ever since has sprung to light.  The last record of the three species was by F.C. Fraser in 1933 from Anamalai Hills and another described in 1958 was sighted in Agasthyamalais and Kakkayam.