2019 Quarterly Magazine of The Nature and Butterfly Society Jan-Mar 2019
PATTAMPOOCHI
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The Nature and Butterfly Society (TNBS) North East Butterfly Meet V– Pakke Tiger Reserve Participation in Larsen Memorial Butterfly Survey (The Nilgiris) Butterfly Migration 2018: An update An update on the re-validation of species in Tamil Nadu Upcoming Butterfly Survey at Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve In News From the Facebook Pages
Angled Flat, Tapena thwaitesi
PATTAMPOOCHI
Dear Butterfly Lovers, வணக்கம் [Greetings]. Butterflies thrive by good weather and good monsoon rains always ensure that the butterflies flutter in good numbers especially in October and November, the months of Butterflies for the state. The state, however, saw a deficient rain month in October, and decent rains during Cyclone Gaja (which battered the Delta districts and interior states) and in November. The December month was a disappointment too. Abundancy of certain species seen on the previous years during the same period were missing. The migration was however on. We are happy to share with you that the TNBS is now a registered society and has taken a more opt name -The Nature and Butterfly Society, reflecting the broader purposes for which the society is started with and will continue to work towards the Tamil Nadu land mass. A few members of TNBS made a trip to Arunachal Pradesh to attend the Annual Northeast Butterfly Meet, this time around held in Pakke Tiger Reserve. The details accounts of the same can be found in this issue as the first feature. Couple of TNBS members participated in the first ever Butterfly Survey held at The Nilgiris by the Tamil Nadu Forest Department and WBA. They have narrated their experiences here in the next feature. The annual migration of Danainae butterflies kept its date this year and the migration was observed almost entirely through the months of October and November. This should be one of the longest migration period observed during the recent years. Observation is also made at the sea shore of Rameswaram, where Crimson Roses were making its journey towards Sri Lankan landmass, which is also confirmed by the Naturalists from the other side of their arrival there. Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve conducted a Birds and Butterflies Survey during Dec 29-30, 2018 and TNBS is happy to be associated as coordinator for this exercise. Other regular sessions include Species validation update, In News and Images from the Facebook pages. We hope you enjoy going through this Newsletter and looking forward to your valuable feedback. We believe that the News Letter belongs to every one of us and expect more contribution from all our members going forward . Please write to tamilnadubutterflies@gmail.com
Editorial Team The Nature and Butterfly Society Pattampoochi– A quarterly magazine of The Nature and Butterfly Society Wings 3 Veins 1 Jan –Mar 2019. Issued on 01.01.2019 Issued from Coimbatore, TN For Private Circulation Only. Copy right is with TNBS. Please write to us for getting permission to use any of the contents Editor: A Pavendhan Editorial Team: Balakrishnan R, Gopalakrishnan S, Nishanth CV, Theivaprakasham H , Viswanathan S and Ramanasaran H The Nature and Butterfly Society (259/2018) is registered under the Tamil Nadu Societies Registration Act, 1975
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The Nature and Butterfly Society (TNBS)
Naturalists come in different forms, and each one of them is passionate about something that is unique and need not match with another interest; however, they are all united and overwhelmed by the surprises that the Mother Nature gives them every day whenever they step on to the field. Some of the naturalists are after smaller subjects while clear majority is after mammals and birds. A small group of people from the Western parts of Tamil Nadu, were no different years ago, when they were after birds primarily, when they were accidently united while looking for identification of butterflies that they saw in the field and were frantically seeking for help in the national on line mediums; some of these queries were answered and most of these were either delayed or not answered. And that fuelled the group to come together and they soon started exchanging notes on what they saw and what it could be! The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing- Albert Einstein. I can just let my curiosity wander unleashed- James C Collins Curiosity is one word that pushed us forward and opened many doors before us and we kept on moving from one door to another and learned many new things. In vain have you acquired knowledge if you have not imparted it to others- Deuteronomy Rabbah. Share your knowledge. It is a way to achieve immortality- Dalai Lama (1357-1419) This is the basis on which the group, Tamil Nadu Butterfly Society came into the reckoning. The like minded team set to explore many areas of Tamil Nadu in search of butterflies. When the exploration started in 2014 (although individual interests were pursued much earlier, say from 2012), much of the early explorations were in and around the Coimbatore and The Nilgiris. And slowly other area too were covered which included ATR, KMTR, Megamalai, Palni Hills, Eastern Ghats, Courtallam and many other places. Such an exploration brought many species to the common knowledge for the first time in recent times and that prompted one of the first purpose of the Society, bringing out a properly validated Checklist for the state of Tamil Nadu. Checklists of Western Ghats, Peninsular India, data available on hand, species validation so far, etc, were taken as a basis of arriving at a target checklist of 323 species (this was later revised to 324). Soon, may of these in the targets were ticked off and in October 2015, a press release was done (which is published in leading news papers) announcing a validation of 271 species. The validated numbers today stand at 311 with just 13 of the species eluding our effort to identify. Another significant outreach activity that we have undertaken is opening a Facebook page to unite butterfly enthusiasts from Tamil Nadu and other places of India. We started this in October 2014 and today it has a membership of 1800 with many active participants. For example, in 2016, we had 3580 posts from 29 districts out of 32 districts of Tamil Nadu. No of species posted for the year stood at 277 species. These data were not only valuable in knowing the distribution of species and months of occurrence, it also helped new people to learn about these wonderful creatures in double quick time. Like it happens with many groups and organisations, a few of the members bid adieu from us to pursue their own successful path and rest of us continued the activities of TNBS here. From 2017, we have been regularly bringing out a Quarterly magazine called, Pattampoochi (in English) with articles covering from Field Trips, Surveys, new finds, Life cycle studies, etc. So far, 8 issues have come out and the current one is 9th in the series, stepping into the 3rd Year. There were regular outreach programs such as presentation to school and college children, public associations, and many walks were held or like minded enthusiasts. Members participated in various surveys and meet held outside of the state too, to expand the knowledge base. TNBS was fortunate too in organising a few surveys with Tamil Nadu Forest Department and chief among them was the one held in Kodaikanal Wildlife Sanctuary, a first such exercise for the WLS, which yielded good results and many hidden hotspots. A repeat survey too was conducted for them. On 25th July, 2018, TNBS was formally registered under Section 10 of Tamil Nadu Act 1975 for Societies. We have assumed a new and more meaningful name to the society, The Nature and Butterfly Society, retaining the old charm on the abbreviation, TNBS. This society registration will give us enough ammunition to protect our works and data and will enable us to move with Government organisation for the butterfly related activities such as surveys, exploration, dissemination of information, etc. The new logo is presented on the opposite page. We take this opportunity to thank all our well wishers, officials of government organisation, other NGOs, naturalists and loving members of TNBS and other naturalists and friends from all over India and request you to wish us well in our continued journey– Balakrishnan R, Gopalakrishnan S, Nishanth CV, Pavendhan A, Ramanasaran H, Theivaprakasham H and Viswa Nathan S.
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North East Butterfly Meet V– Pakke Tiger Reserve
On the way to Seijosa The success of NEBM Season IV held at Dzongu Valley, Sikkim in 2018 meant, the participants were looking forward to the next meet. The next meet venue and dates were announced sometime during the month of May 2018. The place was chosen to be Pakke Tiger Reserve, Arunachal Pradesh and the dates were Sep 29th to Oct 1st, 2018. From TNBS, two of us, Nishanth and I, were scheduled to visit again and approached the Organisers accordingly we were accommodated for this meet too, which generally has restriction with respect to no of participants which is pegged at about thirty.
Photo Credit: NEBM Meet WhatsApp group
With all the preparations and plans, we landed at Tezpur military airport on 28 th September early morning from Kolkata. We took a private taxi to reach the Tezpur ASTC bus stand and from there we were taken to the Kekorapul Private Bus Stand by Mr. Monsoon who was kind enough to pick us from the ASTC to this private bus stand which is a Km apart from each other, but for the first timers to the unknown lands, it is surely a few Km away. The pick-up traveller van was waiting for us at the Private Bus Stand and we took the time available with us until 230 PM for a quick but delicious lunch at a local restaurant and for some butterflying around the bus stand. Tezpur, I was told had a record of a few hundreds of butterflies (records maintained by one Ms. Binita Goswami). In the couple of hours, we spent on spotting these butterflies in and around the area, we could record about 30 species which included species like Leopard Lacewing, Grey Pansy, Commander, Darkbranded Bushbrown, Eastern Striped Albatross and a possible Black-spotted Pierrot. It was raining on and off from the time we landed at Tezpur. The participants from various locations, and mainly from Guwahati, were coming in slowly and we all left the town of Tezpur around 3 PM. The pick-up van had enough space as a group of participants reached the venue a day earlier and we also picked up a few more participants on the way. The road to Seijosa was about 60 Km but the condition of the road and a Teastop in between meant, we reached the gates of Pakke TR, when the light just failed for the day. As it happens with any meet, there was a buzz in meeting new and old friends and the race to select some good resting places for everyone. Mr. Chandan, who works as a Biologist with the TR, Mr. Kamal Azad, Mr. Baskar, Mr. Deepak and Mr. Monsoon (this is basically the core team of Organisers) took great care in accommodating everyone’s room and we were allotted a single room with double cot. The facilities were good and beyond expectation except for the Electricity which is cut off due to floods here for quite some time now. So, we must adjust with the ration of a few hours of power in the night and in the PATTAMPOOCHI A TNBS MAGAZINE WINGS 3 VEINS 1
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North East Butterfly Meet V– Pakke Tiger Reserve
morning thanks to a Genset available at the TR. The weather was a mixed bag throughout the meet period with the nights and early mornings were usually filled with rains and sometimes heavy in it. During the day, it started with cloudy sky and soon improved to have some good sunshine. The rains and heat meant, we had to deal with a high humidity which made people sweat a lot. Before we get into the action on Day 1, which is on 29th September, let us briefly have a look at what the Pakke Tiger Reserve holds for us:
Pakke Tiger Reserve, Arunachal Pradesh Pakke Tiger Reserve, also known as Pakhui Tiger Reserve, is a Project Tiger Reserve in the East Kameng district of Arunachal Pradesh in northeastern India. The 862 km2 reserve is protected by the Department of Environment and Forest of Arunachal Pradesh. In a notification dated Itanagar 19 April 2001, issued by the Principal Secretary, the Governor of Arunachal Pradesh renamed Pakhui Wildlife Sanctuary as Pakke Wildlife Sanctuary Division. The sanctuary is delineated by rivers in the east, west and north. In addition, the area is drained by a number of small rivers and, perennial streams of the Bhareli and Pakke Rivers, both of which are tributaries of the Brahmaputra. The main perennial streams in the area are the Nameri, Khari and Upper Dikorai. The terrain of Pakhui WLS and adjoining areas is undulating and hilly. The altitude ranges from 150 m to over 2000 m above sea level. The habitat types are lowland semi-evergreen, evergreen forest and Eastern Himalayan broadleaf forests. At least 40 mammal species occur in Pakhui Tiger Reserve (PTR). Notable mammals in the Tiger Reserve are: tiger, leopard, clouded leopard, jungle cat, wild dog jackal, Himalayan black bear, binturong, elephant, gaur, sambar, hog deer, barking deer, wild boar, yellowthroated marten, Malayan giant squirrel, flying squirrel, squirrel, capped langur, rhesus macaque, Assamese macaque, gaur. At least 296 bird species have been recorded from PTR including the globally endangered white-winged wood duck, the unique ibisbill, and the rare Oriental bay owl. PTR is a good place to see hornbills. Of the over 1500 butterfly species found in India, it is estimated that Pakke Tiger Reserve could be home to at least 500 species. (Source: WIKIPEDIA)
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North East Butterfly Meet V– Pakke Tiger Reserve
Day 1: Opening Ceremony and Butterflying around the Park Area We were up and ready by 630 AM in the morning in full gears for the day ahead and went around the area for some early morning skippers. We just missed an Orange Awlet which left its spot a bit early than we expected. However, a Small Green Awlet was kind enough to accommodate most of the participants need for a picture. We also saw plenty of Grass Yellows, Niggers, Common Four-rings, Common Five-ring, Bushbrowns, Lineblues and Yellow Helens. After a while, we were treated by a Banded Lineblue on a spot where we were scheduled to see so many other species, chief among them will be Common Tit. We also walked around residential areas of the Park employees and we could add species like Pale Wanderer, Common Snow Flat, Indian Skipper, Common Banded Awl, Yellow and Lemon Pansies, Small Branded Swift, a rare Colon Swift, Common Sailer, Chinese Dart, Transparent Six-Lineblue, a Pale Grass Blue and a few more. In between we watched a baby elephant being milk fed by the TR people and we also saw two of the adult elephants just outside the fenced area into the woods. These elephants are under the care of the TR and is also used for the Safari for the tourists. It was tie for the opening ceremony and the guests and the participants were all assembled, and the proceedings started by 930 AM sharp. The chief guests on the dais and inaugurated the meet include Mr. T R Tapu, Seijosa Additional Deputy Commissioner, Mr. Tana Tapi, Pakke TR DFO and Mr. Takam Nabam, Ghora Abhe Society Chairman. After the formal introduction by all participants and speech by the guests, followed by presentations, the meet was declared open formally.
Elbowed Pierrot Common Tit
Grey Scrub Hopper
The day’s further schedule was to roam around the park area for easy and open butterflying; Just out of the meeting, we were welcomed by a Large Yeoman and a Common Tit. Both the species are easily the most abundant and dominant here during the meet. It won’t be an exaggeration to say, we might have seen about five hundred of Common Tits. The small mud-puddling spot in front of where we stayed started now attracting species like Common Ciliate Blue, Pointed Ciliate Blue and Orchid Tit. The much waited White Dragontail was spotted near the residential area, and it was such a joy to see this tiny one from otherwise the family of big fellows (Papilionidae). We were to see a lot more of them during the meet, but the first one was always a special, although it was not a pristine specimen. One by one species were getting added to the list and that include a Common Imperial, Glassy Tiger, Common Castor, Fluffy Tit, Pallid Nawab. Chocolate Royal, Parnara bada, Neptis clinia, Common Bluebottle, Chocolate Pansy and Three-spot Grass Yellow. And it was time for lunch (the lunch was usually Rice, Dhal and Vegetables for vegetarians).
After the lunch, a Sikkim White Flat was sighted near the canteen area and further searches added species like Great Swift, Small Yellow Sailer, Lesser Gull, Common Gull and a Striped Blue Crow. The wet cloths which were hanged to dry attracted further set of species like Tawny Rajah. Around 2 PM, we went to the far end of the residential area, where the domestic waste and water created a nice hunting ground for us and the butterflies. I am here to see my first Five-bar swordtail which is still eluding me in the Western Ghats. The other good sightings here include Grey Scrub Hopper, Light Straw Ace, Great Orangetips in good numbers, Chocolate Demon and a Chocolate Albatross which ended its life after landing on a mud-puddling spot. I was fortunate enough to see another lifer here, which is a Tree Yellow. This was restless totally and gave only a fraction of second every time it settled down before moving to a new spot. We left the spot, after realising that we are disturbing the residents, probably beyond their tolerance and the way to our favourite mud-puddling spot near our stay and on the way, we could spot a Common Acacia Blue and a Bush Hopper. We could spot species of what we saw in the morning and in addition, a Blackvein Sergeant, a Great Eggfly and a Grass Demon. As the light falling away slowly (in this part of the land, the light comes early around 5 AM and goes of on the late Afternoon), the sightings got reduced one by one as the species flew away for the day’s rest. We could add a Copper Flash, however, late in the Afternoon and a small walk outside the park gate yielded species like Golden Birdwing, Common Batwing, etc. By 430 PM, all activities ceased, and we retired for the day for the day’s count at the Conference Hall and while I have ticked about 80 +, the team total was about 120+, a good start to the proceedings. This was followed by a screening of a short film on Hornbills by an NCF staff and it was heartening to see the efforts of locals, Forest officials and the NGOS. They are also trying with artificial nest to improve the breeding efforts of Hornbills. This was followed by a Quiz program, conducted by Mr. Atanu Bose, on the butterflies and three teams were identified as the first, second and third. This was a fun event. After this and the Dinner, we retired to the room with lots of memories for the day and excitement for the new day. PATTAMPOOCHI A TNBS MAGAZINE WINGS 3 VEINS 1
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Banded Lineblue
Five-bar Swordtail
Small Yellow Sailer
Colon Swift
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North East Butterfly Meet V– Pakke Tiger Reserve
Day 2: The walk into the Woods and the Nullahs The day dawned on the usual pattern, rain during the night and cloudy morning. However, the plan for the day took lot of time on the previous night and managing 30+ on the 7 Km trail with just a jeep available as a challenge. It eventually got split into 3 teams and we took the West Bank- July Road for the day’s exploit. This is not before we saw the camp elephant dragging a big wood log from the woods and its fresh dung immediately was sought by the Lineblues and the False Tiger Moth and a few more early morning sightings including an Orangetail Awl. Since we were the last batch to move, we started walking on the trail, led by Mr. Monsoon and others. The Forest Department staff also accompanied him to learn about the butterflies and they took a serious note of what they have observed all along. The first to appear on the screen was a Punchinello. A little further walk led to a open space with small stream running and this place was an extremely good place for Skippers, the sightings of which include the rare Purple and Golden Flitter, Common Spotted Flat, Common Small Flat, Common Banded Demon, Water Snow Flat, Chestnut Bob, Chocolate Demon, Dark Velvet Bob, a possible Rice Swift and a Dark Yellow-banded Flat which did not oblige for a photo shoot. We were soon approached by the Jeep and we got dropped at a point where a big tree fell cross to the road. From this point, we need to walk a 3 Km stretch and come back all by legs. As soon as we got down from the Jeep, an Elbowed Pierrot was moving around, and a long wait and the chase went fruitless and we had to again get it when we reached the stream. We spent some good time at the stream searching for goodies, but the Common Tit was omnipresent, and they were all over bodies and our bags, caps and what not, even the wrist watches. Not many species were noted as the time was still not ripen for the butterflies to come out. We had seen a Common Lascar and a Commander and moved on to the woods. At one point in time, the trail was to take a right to reach the camp site, but we took a straight path which led to another big stream and through the stream, reached the camp site and on return took the original intended route. There was some good activity at the stream where the water flow was very minimal. I could personally add a few lifers here including Magpie Crow, Common Yeoman, vagrant, Common Earl and Staff Sergeant. Other species sighted here include Common Tit, Large Yeoman, Birdwings, Dark Blue Tiger, Striped Blue Crow, Common Bluebottle, Fluffy Tit, Five-bar Swordtail, Chocolate Albatross, Tufted Ace, Red Helen, Yellow Helen, Common Castor, Dark Palm-Dart and Spangle. After a brief rest there and some pieces of Papaya going down the hungry food pipes, we took the reverse journey and at some places saw mud-puddling of Albatrosses, Helens and Gulls. The place where we took a detour on our onward journey, the team made an improvised board indicating how the team that follows us must come along. It was very surprising to see the piece of paper was swarmed by a few Lascars. A Long-banded Silverline was the only other notable species along the trail until we reached the first stream. At the stream, all the teams have joined finally and there were now more species and counts compared to what we saw in the morning. There were many species, but I could add only a Common Map to the list as others were seen earlier. During the walk on the stream, I slipped over a small rock that made my left ankle paining, not to risk further, I have requested for a Jeep ride back to the park and all of us in schedules returned to the Park office completing the trail successfully by 1PM. After lunch, another round of searches nearby added a Great Mormon and a Great Jay to the list. We rested until 5 PM and proceeded to a place (a village called A2 Block) to see the roosting and nesting sites of Wreathed Hornbill which is abundant in the Pakke TR and the areas outside of it. Because, we were late, and light was failing fast, we could not clearly sight these hornbills. However, we were lucky to see 30+ hornbills flying from a roosting site at the same time. The Hornbill warriors or the protectors are all from the local tribal community and the Society, Ghora Aabhe, had built Pakke Jungle Camp, an eco-tourism initiative in the village of Mabusso 2. We visited the site to have a first hand feel but since it was pitch dark and without electricity, we could not see these properly. The young brigade was however enjoying the evening over a Camp fire. We returned to the park late in the evening and discussed the plan for the concluding day before retiring for the day!
Leopard Lacewing
Great Mormon PATTAMPOOCHI A TNBS MAGAZINE WINGS 3 VEINS 1
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White Dragontail
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Day 3: The walk into the Woods towards Sukhanala The third day morning started with Shaheer Babu making a call at 545 AM to have a go at the Awlets which have come on time for the morning mineral supplements. When we reached there, there were actually a few Orange Awlets and a Small Green Awlet. We had enough time have some good shots of both. And until 9AM, where we were scheduled to go for a walk, we were roaming around the residential area. We could add only a Common Evening Brown and a Yamfly to the list, while all others have been repeated sightings. This is the day of meet completion and since Zoom Air has goofed up by cancelling the return flight from Tezpur to Kolkata, I must make alternate arrangements through Guwahati and hence need to leave Pakke (Seijosa) by mid-afternoon so that Guwahati can be reached by the night and a safe journey back home on the next day. Due to the changed schedule, the organisers split the team into two, the first one has to go for a longer circuitous route through Sukhanala and eventually reaching the TR through the West Bank front gate. The second team to which I am part has to walk until Sukhanala and return on the same route. The trail is a 2.5 Km one way and reaches the stream. Due to the heavy downpour earlier, the road was very slushy and was infected with leeches for most part. The first species to welcome was a mating pair of Bengal Spotted Flat. After walking for a while, we came across a Rehabilitation Centre for Asiatic Bears. There were about 5 bears and photography here was banned. The centre is supported by Wildlife Trust of India. I could see a male and female of Common Earl here and photograph which I could not do the previous day, despite sighting a few. There were many Common Four-rings and Demons along the trail. At a place, where there was a water stagnant, we spotted a Redbase Jezebel resting on a leaf and eventually coming down for mudpuddling. An Orange Oakleaf too appeared on the screen but vanished quickly. Waling further, we came across a small mudpuddling party comprising Spangle, Yellow Helen and a Common Hedge Blue. It was difficult for the Sun to penetrate in for the most part of the trail, and where we saw some sunshine next, we could see some activity of butterflies; a Leopard Lacewing and a Grey Scrub Hopper kept us engaged for a while. We saw a Bushbrown which I strongly suspected for a Long-branded Bushbrown and in fact the profile of Intermediate forms of Bushbrowns seen could also be of a Long-branded in my opinion. A Brown Pied Flat played hide and seek game with us and it eventually won, leaving us with a disappointment. We soon reached the stream and the first team was already there ahead of us. Not much activity at the stream and the species have now become repetitive in nature. We could see a Neptis clinia and a Spotted Sailer here. On the return, a Grey Count was the species added to the list and just before the trail ended, we were sent off by a beautiful, tiny, Wavy Maplet and a Tailed Sulphur. A good way to end the trail and trip, I thought. We quickly freshened up, packed things and left for Guwahati after lunch. In total, I had sighted 123 species with 39 among them are lifers. We have later learnt that the total sightings stood about 180. We could not attend the closing ceremony; but said good bye to all fellow participants and organisers and started our return journey. One of the participants of the Meet, Mr. Minom Pertin was able to successfully get the next Meet scheduled at Namdapha National Park, Arunachal Pradesh sometime
Wavy Maplet
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Spangle
Chocolate Royal
Eastern Striped Albatross
Vagrant
Small Green Awlet PATTAMPOOCHI A TNBS MAGAZINE WINGS 3 VEINS 1
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North East Butterfly Meet V– Pakke Tiger Reserve
Acknowledgement We would like to thank all the Organisers of the event, including Mr. Kamal Azad, Mr. Monsoon Jyoti Gogoi, Mr. Chandan and Mr. Bhaskor and others for giving us a opportunity to participate and made all arrangements to the best that they can. Our thanks are due to staff and management of Pakke Tiger Reserve, especially to Mr. Tana Tapi, the DFO. The fellow participants were really active, fun loving and good at spotting butterflies. All these helped. We look forward to the next butterfly meet at Namdapha National Park in 2019! Narration : Pavendhan A Participants: Pavendhan A, Nishanth CV Pictures credit: Pavendhan A, Nishanth CV PATTAMPOOCHI A TNBS MAGAZINE WINGS 3 VEINS 1
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Participation in Larsen Memorial Butterfly Survey (The Nilgiris)
In October 2018, in The Nilgiris district of Tamil nadu, a district-wide butterfly survey, conducted by the Wynter-Blyth Association, along with the Forest Department, was conducted between 11th and 14th October. This will be the first time in 30 years that the Forest Department will be involved in the survey of butterflies, said Mr. Sumesh Soman, DFO. The survey will be done across the Nilgiris in differing types of forest and vegetation along the southern slopes, including parts of Coonoor, Kotagiri, Udhagamandalam and Manjoor. (Source: The Hindu Newspaper dated Oct 12, 2018) With 15 base camps identified in the Nilgiris, the exercise covered all elevations and habitats in the hill district. During the survey, 198 species of butterflies among which three new species were identified. The new species are Pale Green Awlet, Extra Lascar and Many Tailed Oak Blue, while Sitala Ace (Thoressa sitala sitala) has been rediscovered in the Nilgiris after many decades of absence, according to Sumesh Soman. (Source: Times of India Newspaper dated Oct15, 2018)
Team Coonoor Team Members: Dr. Pratapan, Mr. Manoj & Mr. Nishanth C.V Places: Katteri Park to Runny Medu & Marappalam Habitat: Coffee Plantation Degraded Forest Forest Officials: Mr. Periyasamy (Forest Ranger), Mr. Ram Kumar (Forest Guard) Wynter Blyth Association in association with many NGO’s and Tamil Nadu Forest Department conducted Larsen Memorial Survey on butterflies from 11.10.2018 to 14.10.2018. This survey was conducted after 30 years. I was so honoured to participate in the survey. We reached our forest guest house at coonoor on 11.10.2018 by 08.30 PM. Next day we started our survey at 8.30 AM along with the forest officials. Our transact line was from Katteri park to Runny medu and we walked along the railway track, as there was not much of activity. We returned to our base camp by afternoon with 18 species. On 13.10.2018 we went to marappalam which is surrounded by coffee plantation and some patches of degraded forest. The activity was pretty good when compare to the first day as there was lot of host and nectar plants. It was a great learning for me as my team members were teaching about the host plants. The day was ended up with 26 species. The commonest species on our area were Red Helen, Blue Mormon, Common Four-ring, Common Grass Yellow, Rustic and Common Sailer.
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Red-eye Bushbrown
White-bar Bushbrown
Blue Admiral
Double-banded Judy
Habitat PATTAMPOOCHI A TNBS MAGAZINE WINGS 3 VEINS 1
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Participation in Larsen Memorial Butterfly Survey (The Nilgiris)
Team Longwood Shola Team Members: Baiju K , Ramanasaran H, Jayakumar, Vinay Krishnan, Rosita V Places: Longwood Shola, Banagudi (Kotagiri) Habitat: Shola Forest, Tea Plantation Forest Officials: Range Officer: - Mr. Srinivasan, Forest Reserve Watcher- Mrs. Siva Parvathi Forest Guard- Mr. Murugan It was a 2 day survey. First day our team went to Longwood Shola Forest which is surrounded by a tea plantation. We Started by 8:30 in the morning after having our breakfast. Since it was a thick forest with very fewer open areas, we aren't able to find much of butterfly species. We returned to the base camp by afternoon with 16 species. Next day, we went to the Banagudi Shola Forest which is a small forest area surrounded by a small village and tea plantation. It was a good place and our team were able to find 75 species at that day. Since we completed the transect earlier on that place, we went to Kunjapanai Forest and joined with another team for a walk. The commonest species on our area was Red-eye Bushbrown, Cabbage White, Rustic and White-bar Bushbrown. The highlighted find of our team was 1st Instar Caterpillar of Common Awlking and Egg of Banded Royal Butterfly.
Rustic pupa
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Butterfly Migration 2018: An update Rains & Monsoon - October/ November 2018 The month of October had mixed fortune with respect to rains for the state of Tamil Nadu, with the first week of the month saw widespread rain over the state. However, the next couple of weeks saw the cyclones on either side of the land mass moving elsewhere depriving the rain that is due to TN. Also, the 3rd week onset of Northeast monsoon got delayed and conditions favoured only on the last week of October for the commencement of the Monsoon, which finally set on Nov 1st over TN, but the rains started arriving from 31st October. The NE monsoon was however active only on coastal districts. The intensity of Butterfly Migration was however noticed only from end of 3rd week of October from the Eastern Ghats and Plains to the Western Ghats in their regular and shortest straight-line routes that they have been using since time unknown and making use of the favourable wind directions. To recap of what has happened in September 2018, we have reported that between September 1st and 15th, migration was reported from Chennai, Madurai and Salem (Yercaud Hills) and nothing over the Western districts until September end; they are however under action from October 2018.
Carrying from September movement of Danainae species, the month of October until end of the third week was eventless, except a stray case of Crows and Emigrants moving from plains to the hills in south of Tamil Nadu. However, the action started from 19th October, where observation was made when travelling between Dindigul and Madurai highways, where the Tirumala species alone were moving from the direction of Sirumalai hills (which is the Eastern Ghats hills) to the Palani/ Kodai Hills area direction. This was followed by information from Erode on the next day, i.e. on 20th October that the Tigers and Crows are on the move from the Eastern Ghats (most likely from the Yercaud– Kolli malai– Pachamalai complex) to the direction of Coimbatore– Mettupalayam. These were expected to reach the foothills near Coimbatore in a day or two after it is noticed in Erode. For the next 3 days (21-23, Oct), the Tigers and Crows were reaching over a wide area, from Ponnuthu to Walayar and lack of data from Mettupalayam area, was an issue in confirming if they reached the foothills up to Mettupalayam from Ponnuthu. From the directional prediction, we expect these to reach Anaikatti Hills and The Nilgiris and also Anamalai Tiger Reserve (ATR). Except for a day (29th Oct), the movement in places and in varying degree have happened until Oct 31st. The Oddanchathiram– Dharapuram road also witnessed continuous movement of Tigers and Crows towards the Western Ghats directions. All of these movements have continued until Nov 20th, even after commencement of widespread rain over Tamil Nadu landmass, signalling the arrival of North-East monsoon from Nov 1st. After the failure of migration in 2016, the last two years have successfully witnessed the migration movement. It is not just the Tigers, Crows and Emigrants which make these migration/ dispersal movement, there are also other species we find going with these. In this year, the notable among them are Brown Awl (which were actually making a downhill movement in The Nilgiris), Small Salmon Arab, Pea Blue and Red Helens. In a few places, Common Banded Peacock, Common Leopard, Common Mormon and Chocolate Pansy too were observed among the moving specimens. In the next 3 pages, these information have been presented in easy to understand graphic forms. In the first infographics, date wise movement of the species were marked. The second infographics highlights point of observation, along with direction and approximate numbers per species at the point of observation. PATTAMPOOCHI A TNBS MAGAZINE WINGS 3 VEINS 1
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Butterfly Migration 2018: An update
Migration Zonal Theory for Tamil Nadu– Proposal
Zone 1: The Eastern Ghats complex stretching from Jawadhu Hills up to Chennai has witnessed housing of the Tigers and Crows and their movement to the Eastern Ghats bordering Karnataka- AP is also noted. This phenomenon has however to be studied in detail to understand better. Zone 2: An important zone which witnesses the movement regularly. The Yercaud- Kolli- Pachamalai Complex is usually the first to trigger the movement and the movement is usually through Erode and reaches a wider area from Palghat Gap to The Nilgiris and part of the ATR (Anamalai Tiger Reserve) through Pollachi Zone 3: The lower part of the Zone 2 complex and the rich plains usually send the Tigers and Crows through vast plain to reach Palni Hills/ Kodai foot hills Zone 4: The Sirumalai- Azhagar Hills complex (being the last Eastern Ghats points in India) witnesses the movement to the Western Ghats of Madurai and Theni District including Albatross and Emigrants apart from Crows and Tigers Zone 5: The Southern most part of WG usually does not see the movement from the interior TN as there are no hill complex nearby, and there may be some local movements, however. This Zone has witnessed, however, a huge Emigrant migration in the recent years. PATTAMPOOCHI A TNBS MAGAZINE WINGS 3 VEINS 1
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Butterfly Migration 2018: An update
Direction of movements towards Western Ghats
Data Source: Arun Kumar, Nishanth CV, Pavendhan A, Prakash Loganathan, Ramanasaran Hari, Sravan Kumar, and Theivaprakasham Hari TNBS WhatsApp group PATTAMPOOCHI A TNBS MAGAZINE WINGS 3 VEINS 1
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4 11.10.2018 Coonoor Brown Awls were moving downhills. 30-40 /min
19.10.2018 Dindigul– Madurai Road Tirumala sp. From Sirumalai hills to Kodai/ Palani Hills. 10 per 5 min
20-21.10.2018 Erode East– West Blue Tigers: 20-30/ min Crows: 20-30 / min
21.10.2018 Coimbatore Euploea & Tirumala species moving at 140 / hr, with a ratio of 2:1, from Hope College to Singanallur and beyond, a width 3-4 Km. Chocolate Pansy, Pea Blue and Red Helen too are seen towards Marudhamalai
22.10.2018 Coimbatore Euploea & Tirumala species Emigrants, Common Mormons are moving towards Palakkad, at 20 sp/ min. In the city, Blue Tigers movement was seen. Pea Blues in the AN were seen moving
23.10.2018 Coimbatore Blue Tigers and Crows towards Palakkad and Emigrants towards Pollachi
Butterfly Migration 2018: An update 23-24.10.2018 Erode few Blue Tigers and Crows migrated in the East to West direction. Approximate count 2-5/Minute.
25-26.10.2018 Erode Blue Tigers and Crows seen from 9 AM-2 PM. Approximate count 8-10/Minute.
26.10.2018 Coimbatore Crows, Blue Tigers, Common Banded Peacocks, Blue Mormons, Red Helens seen moving towards 280°W Palakkad ... CBP, Blue Mormons and Red Helens are seen Totally around 30-40 each sps in the migration period whereas Crows and Blue Tigers were seen in the ratio 3:1 at the rate of 20/min... No Emigrants sighted
20.10.2018– 28.10.18 DharapuramOddanchathiram movements of DBT, BT, Crows were observed on these directions by me. At vantage points, 10-15 specimen/ 5 min. Tirumala sp. count> Euploea sp. count
28.10.2018 Kothagiri– Ooty Migration of crow, emigrant, blue tiger today, towards Ooty, witnessed in Kotagiri Ghats section from 9 AM till noon. Majority being crow and emigrant. Around 25 / per minute
28.10.2018 Satyavedu Ranges Huge numbers of common crows , blue tigers and dark blue tigers were found at Satyavedu ranges , around varadaiahpalem falls , Andhra Pradesh. They were hovering around a few trees in a area about 1 acre...
30.10.2018 Erode Emigrants, Tigers & Crows East to West. 20-30/min
31.10.2018 Coimbatore Tigers & Crows East to West. 60/ hour 01.11-20.11 Coimbatore Tigers & Crows and others like Emigrants, Leopards, Plain Tigers East to West. And also North
03.11-20.11 Erode/ Tiruchengode blue tigers, crows, Emigrants and plain tigers are seen moving from East to West direction.
05.11.18 Erode Good movements (15nos/ min) of Dark Blue Tiger, Blue Tiger, Crow spp and Lime Butterfly towards North and North Western Direction
Info graphics: Pavendhan A PATTAMPOOCHI A TNBS MAGAZINE WINGS 3 VEINS 1
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Butterfly Migration 2018: An update
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Butterfly Migration 2018: An update
Crimson Rose Migration Crimson Rose (Pachliopta hector Linnaeus, 1758) is known for its migratory/ dispersal movement behaviour and interestingly to Sri Lanka via Rameswaram. There are references for the same in the following books: The Butterflies of Ceylon, by Ormiston W (Year:1924) The Butterfly Fauna of Ceylon, by L. G. Ollyett Woodhouse (Year:1942) Ormiston recorded of seeing fair number of crimson rose butterflies “far out to sea, off the Indian and Ceylon coasts” in November 1914 and stated further that several of them came on board the ship. The pre-history knowledge of these stopped there and not much information is available in the recent past.
Coming to the recent years, Crimson Rose movement from Rameswaram to Sri Lankan coast have been reported including the current observation by Rohit Girotra (Tamil Nadu Butterflies FB Page dated xx.10.2018). Observations from Chennai too (Rama Neelamegam, Vikas Madhav, et al.,) have observed their movement. Interestingly, Coimbatore too saw its movement in hundreds in 2017 (observation by Hema Mohandas). In this context, We were curious to know if really these migrating specimens from Rameswaram coast reach Sri Lankan coast, and if yes, when and where? We have posted this query on the on-line platform called “Butterfly Interest Group of Sri Lanka”. Interestingly, we have got some good response and we sincerely thank here Mr. Haneesh Km in tagging a few of his known friends out there for their responses. We summarise below the observations from all of them:
At least, for the last 10 years or so, Crimson Rose heading towards Sri Lankan coast from Indian Coast is observed It is likely that these are Rameswaram Coast and Mannar area (especially through Adam’ bridge island) Given the fact that the distance is just 30 Km, it is quite normal that they do these easily and hence it need not be considered as migration (asking people to understand metapopulation theory) and may be the species urge to disperse. Reverse migration: not much information from them There are other species too migrating along with them especially among them are Danaid Eggfly. One of them wanted to tag the CRs flying towards Sri Lanka, so that they can do the population genetical analysis which they are already doing for the local population out there.
Acknowledgement: Moditha Hiranya Kodikara Arachchi , Samitha Harischandra, Chathura Udayanga, Tharanga Aluthwattha, Hemachandra Kularatne, Tharindu Ranasinghe, Himesh Dilruwan Jayasinghe, Tharaka S Priyadarshana, George van der Poorten and many more. All members of Butterfly Interest Group of Sri Lanka.
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An update on the re-validation of species in Tamil Nadu
At the end of September 2018, we have reported 310 species as part of revalidation exercise (Ref: Pattampoochi Wings 2 Vein 4 for more details). Subsequent to this, until December 2018, one more species have been added to the list of Tamil Nadu taking the numbers to 311.
S. No
Family
Target
Available
1
Papilionidae
19
19
2
Pieridae
32
32
3
Nymphalidae
96
91
4
Lycaenidae
92
87
5
Riodinidae
2
2
6
Hesperiidae
83
80
324
311
Total
96%
Pic Credit: Mr. Sojan Munnar through The Hindu/ Wynter Blyth Association/ TNFD
Thoressa sitala was photographed from The Nilgiris by Mr. Sojan Munnar during the Larsen Memorial Butterfly Survey (first ever Butterfly Survey for The Nilgiris) conducted by TNFD and Wynter Blyth Association during October 2018. This means that there are just 13 species left to be ticked off from the possible target list for the state. We hope the remaining species will be unearthed as early as possible !
The following table provides details of the latest species sighted along with person who recorded it and date and place since September 2018, the last time we have provided an update on this. The details of all of them can be found in our official Facebook page. S. No
Species Name Sitala Ace, Thoressa sitala
1
Person recorded Sojan Munnar
Place The Nilgiris
Date October 2018
The following table provides the names of remaining 13 target species S. No
Scientific Name 1 2
Amathusia phidippus Mycalesis igilia
Common Name (as per BNHS Field guide) Palmking Small Long-brand Bushbrown
Other Common Names (as per IFB website)
3
Mycalesis visala
Long-brand Bushbrown
Long-branded Bushbrown
4
Lasippa viraja
Yellow Jack Sailer
5
Neptis (soma) palnica
Creamy Sailer
6
Anthene emolus
Common Ciliate Blue
7 8
Tarucus indica Arhopala bazaloides
Pointed Pierrot Tamil Oakblue
Indian Pierrot Dusted Oakblue
9
Arhopala abseus
Aberrant Bushblue
Aberrant Oakblue
10
Tajuria maculata
Spotted Royal
Spotted Royal
11
Hasora badra
Common Awl
12
Zographetus ogygia
Purple Spotted Flitter
13
Hyarotis microstictum/ Hyarotis coorga
Brush Flitter
Sahyadri Long-branded Bushbrown
Palni Sailer
Kodagu Brush Flitter
Text: Pavendhan A PATTAMPOOCHI A TNBS MAGAZINE WINGS 3 VEINS 1
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Birds & Butterflies Survey– Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve
Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve is situated in Erode District. First ever combined exercise of Birds and Butterflies was conducted by the Tamil Nadu Forest Department, Government of Tamil Nadu between 29th and 30th December 2018 under the guidance of CCF & FD of STR. The Survey results are expected to draw a baseline for the species occurrence. A detailed report on the survey will be made in the next issue of the Newsletter.
Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve is located in the strategic confluence region of Western and Eastern Ghats. An area of 1,40,924 ha is declared as Tiger Reserve on 15.03.2013 from erstwhile Wild Life Sanctuary with an area of 1,41,161 ha. It comprises of 2 divisions; Sathyamangalam and Hasanur with District headquarters at Erode. This area holds a significant population of tiger, and it is also contiguous to other Tiger conservation landscapes like BRT, Bandipur, Mudumalai and Nagarahole. The region is also a part of Nilgiri-Eastern Ghats Elephant Reserve and is an abode to about 800 to 1000 Elephants as per Synchronised Elephant Census conducted during 2012. The Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve is the confluence of two distinct geographical regions of bio diversity landscape; Western Ghats and Eastern Ghats. The diversity of habitat has got an assemblage of several species of rare plants, animals, birds, invertebrates, fishes, amphibians, and reptiles. Source: Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve website
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In News
IFGTB Training Program Mr. A Pavendhan of TNBS made a presentation on "An introduction to Birds and Butterflies and their role in the eco-systems; Butterflies as a flagship species for conservation" as part of " Biodiversity Conservation & Nature Education for Eco Club Teachers" organised by IFGTB, Coimbatore and Sponsored by Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change. Thanks to Mr. G. Rajesh, IFS, Conservator of Forests.
CASFOS Seminar Central Academy for State Forest Service, Coimbatore conducts professional induction training to forest officers and forest range officers. On 5th December, 2018, they have invited TNBS to deliver a seminar on Introduction to Butterflies. There were two batches and the trainees were from states like Orissa, Maharashtra, Goa and Karnataka. The program was well received and created much enthusiasm on the trainees and they are now looking forward to field trips
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In News
Participation of TNBS in Munnar Survey A few members from TNBS participated in the Birds, Butterflies and Odonates Survey conducted by Munnar Wildlife Division, Kerala Forests and Wildlife Department between 13th and 16th December and co-organised by Travancore Natural History Society (TNHS).
Field Visit for CASFOS Officer Trainees As a follow up to the class room session, the officer trainees of Central Academy for State Forest Service, Coimbatore were taken for a field trip on 22nd December, 2018. Two of the TNBS members, Pavendhan A and Ramanasaran H, were on the field, along with the CASFOS team led by Mrs K Pradeepa, IFS. The team were shown the adults and other life cycle forms and host plants. There were about 48 species seen during the visit to Botanical Gardens, CBE.
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From the Facebook Pages...
Common Nawab by Amar Bharathy
Plain Puffin by Andipatti Pandi
Common Castor by Arumugam Chandrasekaran
Peacock Pansy by Arun Kumar
Tawny Coster by Balaji Balachandran
White-bar Bushbrown by Bhanu Mathi
Danaid Eggfly by Bhupathi Vignesh
Dark Evening Brown by Darshan M Trivedi PATTAMPOOCHI A TNBS MAGAZINE WINGS 3 VEINS 1
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From the Facebook Pages...
Common Lascar by Devika Devi
Chocolate Pansy by Edward Gnanaraj
Gaudy Baron by Elavarasan Malaiyappan
Plain Tiger by Enger Soll
Pale Four–lineblue by Franklin Sukumar
Leaf Blue by Gandhi Sankar
Great Orange-tip by Geetha Mani
Common Five-ring by Gopakumar VR Namboothiri PATTAMPOOCHI A TNBS MAGAZINE WINGS 3 VEINS 1
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From the Facebook Pages...
Red Flash by Gopal Krishnan
Common Cerulean by Harish Raghavan
Glad-eye Bushbrown by Hema Mohandas
Nilgiri Four-ring by Jee Jeevith
Lime Butterfly by Jyothi Iyer
Anomalous Nawab by Kalai Chelvan
Nilgiri Clouded Yellow by Kalmadi Rajiv
Small Salmon Arab by Karthi KD Karthi PATTAMPOOCHI A TNBS MAGAZINE WINGS 3 VEINS 1
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From the Facebook Pages...
Common Map by Lakshmi Kumar
Angled Sunbeam by Lenin Raj
Plum Judy by Madhan Kumar
Small Leopard by Madhan Kumar
Small Cupid by Maheshvar E
Dart sp. by Merlin Selvan
Common Leopard by Mithun Kumar
Golden Angle by Muniraj Palanisamy PATTAMPOOCHI A TNBS MAGAZINE WINGS 3 VEINS 1
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From the Facebook Pages...
Rounded Pierrot by Muthu Krishnan
Pioneer by Nishanth CV
Southern Birdwing by Nmk Mahes
Blue Pansy by Pamela Sai
Conjoined Swift by Pavendhan A
Plains Blue Royal by Prakash Loganathan
Peacock Pansy by Preethi Anu
Lemon Pansy by Preethi Selvaraj PATTAMPOOCHI A TNBS MAGAZINE WINGS 3 VEINS 1
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From the Facebook Pages...
Forget-me-not by Priyanka Das
Common Banded Peacock by Rahul Subbiah
Danaid Eggfly by Rainold Lazar Thekkey Edath
Small Salmon Arab by Rajesh Ramnarayan
Indian Sunbeam by Rajesh Rkm
Blank Swift by Ramanasaran Hari
Dark Wanderer by Ramasamy SRK
Common Castor by Ramesh Thiyagarajan PATTAMPOOCHI A TNBS MAGAZINE WINGS 3 VEINS 1
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From the Facebook Pages...
Red Pierrot by Rengaraj Bettai
Common Banded Peacock by Rohini Ramalingam
Indian Sunbeam by Rohit Girotra
Plain Tiger by Sahithya Selvaraj
Guava Blue by Saravana Saran
Lemon Pansy by Sasikumar Appu
Grey Pansy by Sathya K Selvam
Common Baron by Selvaraj Rangasamy PATTAMPOOCHI A TNBS MAGAZINE WINGS 3 VEINS 1
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From the Facebook Pages...
Common Mime by Senthil Kumar
Common Castor by Shankar Balasubramnian
Lime Butterfly by Soundar Ells
Small Grass Yellow by Sravan Kumar
Plain Tiger by Srini Tsr
Blue Tiger by Subraja Narasimhan
Parnara bada by Sundar Manikkam
Nilgiri Tiger by Sundar PATTAMPOOCHI A TNBS MAGAZINE WINGS 3 VEINS 1
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From the Facebook Pages...
Plains Cupid by Surendiran Ryan
Apefly by Theivaprakasham Hari
Restricted Demon by Thalavai Pandi
Tigers & Crows by Vicky Chinna
Forget-me-not by Vijayakumar Ramamoorthy
Dark Blue Tiger by Vinithashri Gautam
Common Acacia Blue by Vishvajit Kadam
Tawny Rajah by Vishwa Nathan PATTAMPOOCHI A TNBS MAGAZINE WINGS 3 VEINS 1
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Common Hedge Blue
Oriental Grass Jewel
