Two New Species of Butterflies from Jammu and Neighborhood, Jammu and Kashmir, India

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ORIGINAL ARTICLE Two New Species of Butterflies from Jammu and Neighborhood, Jammu and Kashmir, India

Shakha Sharma 1* and Neeraj Sharma 2

Department of School Education, Govt. of Jammu and Kashmir, India. Faculty of Life Sciences, Institute of Mountain Environment, University of Jammu, India.

Abstract The present communication is based on the sightings of two new *Corresponding Author: butterflies viz., Common Jay, Graphium doson and Common Jezebel,

Shakha Sharma Delias eucharis recorded for the first time in the state of Jammu and Kashmir. The paper calls for more organized and intensive butterfly Email: [email protected] surveys to understand their status, distribution and population dynamics in and around Jammu. Received: 14/01/2017 Accepted: 21/02/2017 Keywords: Butterflies, Common jay, Common Jezebel, Jammu region, Opportunistic surveys.

1. Introduction season from March to June, a warm humid monsoon Jammu though rich in insect diversity is least season from July to September and a dry and cold known for butterfly fauna. Most of the butterfly records weather from October to December. During the are limited to Kashmir and Ladakh, the attractive opportunistic surveys, among more than 40 species of destinations for most entomologists and naturalists for butterflies recorded from the study area (unpublished), over more than a century (Bingham 1905, 1907; two species are new to the state of Jammu and Meinertzhagen, 1927; Evans, 1932; Home, 1938; Kashmir. Talbot, 1939, 1947; Wynter-Blyth, 1957; Das et al ., 1964; Das and Verma, 1965; Sidhu et al ., 2012; 4. Papilionidae Qureshi et al ., 2013a, b; Qureshi et al., 2014; Tara and Hussain, 2016). Only a few efforts have been made to 4.1 Common Jay, Graphium doson C. and R. study the butterflies of Jammu Shiwaliks (Sadhotra and Felder Tripathi, 2010; Bala et al ., 2014). The present paper is based on the sightings of two new butterflies recorded 4.2 Description for the first time from the state of Jammu and Kashmir Black with pale blue semi-transparent central during the opportunistic surveys conducted in and wing bands with large spots and a marginal series of around Jammu in the year 2015. smaller spots. The wings underside brown with markings similar to upper side, whitish in colour. 2. Species Identification Abdomen black. The species identification was done by consulting the pictorial field guides, catalogues and 4.3 Distribution keys (Evans, 1927; Varshney, 1983, 1993; Kunte, India (Uttarakhand to West Bengal, Arunachal 2006; Pajni et al ., 2006; Singh, 2010; Varshney and Pradesh, South India); Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar and Smetacek, 2015; Kehimkar, 2014, 2016). Sri Lanka.

3. The Study Area 4.4 Remarks Located at the southern extent of three The species (Image 1) was first recorded from contagious districts of Jammu, Samba and Kathua, the near University of Jammu at an elevation of 330 m study area represents low-level hill country outside (June 17, 2015) and later from the Kandi Shiwaliks at Pirpanjal and between Jhelum and Ravi constituting different spots viz ., Utterbehni (650 m), Parmandal Jammu hills (Fig 1) with a moderate elevation of 318 m (690 m) Raya Suchaini (780 m), Muthi (340 m) during to 780 m. The study area has a markedly periodic June to August. A swift flier, the butterfly mostly climate, characterized by dry and increasingly hot dominated the plantations like Polyalthia longifolia, -

Journal of Wildlife Research | January-March, 2017 | Vol 5 | Issue 1 | Pages 10-13 © 2017 Jakraya Sharma and Sharma… Two New Species of Butterflies from Jammu and Neighborhood, Jammu and Kashmir, India

Fig 1: Map of the study area showing locations of Butterfly records

Image 1: Common Jay, Graphium doson Image 2: Common Jezebel, Delias eucharis

Michelia champaca and Cassia glauca in the city and 5.1 Common Jezebel, Delias eucharis Drury sub-urban limits and Lantana camara , Ziziphus oxyphylla and Acacia modesta in the sub-tropical dry 5.2 Description scrub during the spring and late summers. Male groups Under hind wing bright yellow with black veins were seen mud-puddling in sandy river beds during the with row of red spots pointed towards the outer monsoon. margins bordered by black. The upper side white with upper fore-wing apex and veins black in males and 5. Pieridae

Journal of Wildlife Research | January-March, 2017 | Vol 5 | Issue 1 | Pages 10-13 © 2017 Jakraya 2 Sharma and Sharma… Two New Species of Butterflies from Jammu and Neighborhood, Jammu and Kashmir, India tinged with yellow and pink in females. Under hind Sharma, 2013) is thus a possible range extension wing has a white area instead of yellow. further north and thus a new record for the state of Jammu and Kashmir. 5.3 Distribution India (except arid regions and Andaman and 6. Conclusions Nicobar Islands, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand to The first record of otherwise very common Arunachal Pradesh, Northeast, West Bengal, Orissa, species reveals that the baseline information on the Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Western Maharashtra); diversity of butterflies in this part of Himalayas is Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan, North Myanmar and Sri scanty and equivocal and thus calls for comprehensive Lanka. surveys to understand the current status, distribution and population dynamics of butterflies in and around 5.4 Remarks Jammu region. The species was observed flying over the tree canopy along the urban and sub-urban parks and Acknowledgements gardens and sub-tropical dry deciduous forests below The authors wish to put on record their sincere 750 m (Image 2). The species was first recorded near gratitude and appreciation for Ms. Mamta Sharma and University of Jammu (320 m) on July 23, 2015. Other Mr. Pardeep Sangwan for the reporting and thus individuals were observed around Bari-Brhamnana ascertaining the presence of Delias eucharis and (318 m) Raya Suchani (680 m), Utterbehni (730 m), Graphium doson from Jammu Shiwaliks . The authors Samba (320 m), Dyala Chak (317 m), Surinsar (650 m) are also grateful to Institute of Mountain Environment and Mansar (700 m) during our surveys till December, for providing the logistics and equipment during the 2015. surveys. The species so far been previously recorded from nearby Punjab and Himachal Pradesh (Kumar and

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