Dragonflies & Butterflies of the Western Ghats

Naturetrek Tour Report 7 - 16 September 2019

Ruby-tailed Hawklet

Tamil Lacewing

Gladeye Bushbrown Bonnet Macaque

Report by David Raju Images courtesy of Paul Hanks

Naturetrek Mingledown Barn Wolf's Lane Chawton Alton Hampshire GU34 3HJ UK T: +44 (0)1962 733051 E: [email protected] W: www.naturetrek.co.uk

Tour Report Dragonflies & Butterflies of the Western Ghats

Tour participants: David Raju (leader) with three Naturetrek clients

Summary

It was a wonderful eight-days trip to the Western Ghats to search for butterflies and dragonflies. We had a bit of rain at times but managed to see good butterflies and dragonflies with a few endemic ones. All the guests were keen on other wildlife, so we did some birding every morning and then looked for butterflies and dragonflies; after dinner we went out to look for amphibians and reptiles. We have managed to see 76 species of butterfly, plus some unidentified ones, and 47 species of dragonfly. During the trip we also managed to see Smooth-coated Otter, Jungle Palm (also known as Jungle Striped) Squirrel, Indian Giant Squirrel, Nilgiri (Dusky-striped) Palm Squirrel, Nilgiri Langur, Bonnet Macaque, Lesser Woolly Horseshoe Bat, Flying Foxes, Bengal (Indian) Monitor lizards, and a few rare species of geckos and frogs. In fact, it was turned out to be a very fruitful trip for biodiversity.

Day 1 Saturday 7th September

The group boarded their overnight flight to Kochi, via Dubai.

Day 2 Sunday 8th September

Nedumbassery Airport to Kumarakom (Coconut Lagoon) The group landed at Cochin International Airport, in Nedumbassery, and met with David, to start the adventure. We reached the Coconut Lagoon resort, our hotel, at lunchtime and we set out looking for butterflies and dragonflies right after our lunch. The weather was partly sunny. We managed to see around 16 species of dragonflies and 19 species of butterflies, the highlight being the Southern Birdwing, the largest butterfly of India. Butterflies like Tailed Jay, Common Palmfly, and dragonflies like Kerala Dartlet, Pygmy Dartlet, Scarlet Marsh Hawk and Pied Paddy Skimmer added colour and beauty to our walk! While walking around the backwaters we saw a Smooth-coated Otter and a few Bengal Monitor lizards. It was a fairly successful day and a good start!

Day 3 Monday 9th September

Cloudy / sunny This morning, we set out for Thattekkad, and our next accommodation. It started out as a rainy day with a light drizzle but when we reached Thattekkad we had a clear day. We quickly went out to look for butterflies and dragonflies around the lodge and the sunny day held a promise for a lot of species!

After lunch we set out for Thattekkad Bird Sanctuary where they have set up a butterfly garden. We saw quite a few butterflies Including Paris Peacock, Malabar Raven, Common Indian Crow, Blue Mormon, Common Mormon, Malabar Rose, etc. We also saw a few dragonflies, including Common Picturewing, Granite Ghost and Clear-winged Forest Glory.

Dragonflies & Butterflies of the Western Ghats Tour Report

Day 4 Tuesday 10th September

Cloudy / sunny Today morning we set out for Urulan Thanni, a wet evergreen patch of forest. Once we arrived, we saw a pair of Sri Lankan Frogmouth sitting right next to the road and we managed to get some good images. Some of the special butterflies which we got in Urulan Thanni were Acacia Blue, Clipper, Red Helen and Common Imperial, and a Paris Peacock butterfly put up a show. It was mud-puddling on the road, and we have managed to click some great images! Also, we got to see one rare and endemic dragonfly, the Ruby-tailed Hawklet. This dragonfly is one of the highlights of our trip because it is highly seasonal and seen only seen during post-monsoon months. We also saw Wayanad Bambootail, Stream Ruby and Black-tipped Forest Glory, amongst others.

Day 5 Wednesday 11th September

Cloudy / sunny Today we went to Boothathankettu, a 10-kilometre drive from the place where we were staying. This patch was a heavily wooded area and we got to see quite a few butterflies and dragonflies. Wax Dart, being a rare butterfly, was one of the prized catches, and we managed to get quite a good number of images. While walking though the woods we saw a rare Dusky Striped Palm Squirrel, and lesser Woolly Horshoe Bat.

In the afternoon we went back to the butterfly garden and saw many more butterflies including Brown King Crow, Paris Peacock, Grass Demon, Malabar Raven, Monkey Puzzle etc.

Day 6 Thursday 12th September

Sunny/ rainy Today we moved on to Periyar Tiger Reserve and we reached there at lunchtime. After having lunch, we set out for the park. We walked from the main gate of the Periyar Tiger Reserve to the main boat landing. Some of the dragonflies we got to see were Tricolour Marsh Hawk, Fulvous Forest Skimmer, White Dartlet, Bush Darts etc. Butterflies included Malabar Rose, Red Helen, Common Mormon, Glad-eye Bushbrown etc. We also saw huge colony of Indian Flying Fox roosting, Bonnet Macaque and Indian Giant Squirrel among other species.

Day 7 Friday 13th September

Sunny Today we went for the nature walk in the Periyar Tiger Reserve; we had proper gear, including leech socks. Periyar is not only known for the Elephants and other mammals, it is also a haven for invertebrates. We encountered Malabar Rose, Blue Mormon, Paris Peacock, Glassy Tiger, Dark-blue Tiger and Plain Hedge Blue. Dragonflies included Blue Darner, Common Clubtail, Common Hooktail, Asiatic Blood-tail, Blue-tailed Yellow Skimmer, Common Torrent Hawk and Stream Ruby. We also bumped into Sambar Deer, Wild Boar, Nilgiri Langurs, Bonnet Macaque and saw a fresh Tiger track on our pathway.

2 © Naturetrek December 19

Dragonflies & Butterflies of the Western Ghats Tour Report

Day 8 Saturday 14th September

Sunny Today we went for a green walk in Periyar Tiger Reserve. When we started walking, we saw a herd of Gaur peacefully lying down near our walking path. Some of the interesting butterflies we could see were Common Red-eye, Blank Swift, Glad-eye Bushbrown, Common Four and Five Rings, Paris Peacock, Red Helen etc. Some of the dragonflies we got to see were Orange Marsh Dart, Saffron-faced Blue Dart, and a rare species of Spreadwing Lestes dorothea. Crimson-tailed Marsh Hawk, Green Marsh Hawk, Common Picturewing, Pied Paddy Skimmer, Ground Skimmer etc were abundant. Some interesting birds we got to see were Pompadour Green Pigeon, Black Eagle, Jungle Myna, Great Tit etc.

Day 9 Sunday 15th September

Sunny Today morning we set out for Aleppey, our last destination of our trip. It was a nice journey through the hills and eventually we passed through backwaters and paddy fields. Once we reached the hotel, we went out to their butterfly garden to see some butterflies, and plenty of butterflies were around. We saw Southern Birdwing, Glassy Tiger, Common Crow, Common Cerulean, Dark Grass Blue, Blue Mormon, Psyche and few dragonflies like Wandering Glider, Coral-tailed Cloudwing, Blue Grass Dart, Ditch Jewel etc.

Day 10 Monday 16th September

Sunny Today morning we left for the airport and wound up our trip with great satisfaction. Two guests had a later flight as they had extension to Goa for another week. The London flight, via Dubai, landed in the evening.

During our trip we had a few showers but still managed to see many endemic and exciting species of butterflies and dragonflies.

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Dragonflies & Butterflies of the Western Ghats Tour Report

Species Lists (Compiled By- Muhamed Palot, V.C.Balakrishnan, Balakrishnan Valappil & S.Kalesh)

Butterflies (✓=recorded but not counted) September Common Name Scientific Name 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 FAMILY: PAPILIONIDAE 1 Common Jay Graphium doson (C & R Felder) ✓ ✓ 2 Tailed Jay Graphium agamemnon (Linnaeus) ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ 3 Common Bluebottle Graphium sarpedon (Linnaeus) ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ 4 Common Rose Pachliopta aristolochiae (Fabricius) ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ 5 Crimson Rose Pachliopta hector (Linnaeus) ✓ 6 Malabar Rose Pachliopta pandiyana (Moore) ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ 7 Southern Birdwing Troides minos (Cramer) ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ 8 Common Mime Papilio (Chilasa) clytia, Linnaeus ✓ ✓ ✓ 9 Blue Mormon Papilio polymnestor (Cramer) ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ 10 Red Helen Papilio helenus (Linnaeus) ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ 11 Common Mormon Papilio polytes (Linnaeus) ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ 12 Malabar Raven Papilio dravidarum (Wood-Mason) ✓ ✓ ✓ 13 Paris Peacock Papilio paris (Linnaeus) ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ FAMILY: PIERIDAE 14 Common Jezebel Delias eucharis Drury ✓ 15 Chocolate Albatross Appias lyncida Cramer ✓ 16 Common Albatross Appias albina Felder ✓ 17 Psyche Leptosia nina Fabricius ✓ ✓ ✓ 18 Great Orange-Tip Hebomoia glaucippe Linnaeus ✓ 19 Common Emigrant Catopsilia pomona Fabricius ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ 20 Small Grass Yellow Eurema brigitta Cramer ✓ 21 Common Grass Yellow Eurema hecabe Linnaeus ✓ ✓ 22 Three-Spot Grass Yellow Eurema blanda Boisduval ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ FAMILY: NYMPHALIDAE Subfamily Danainae 23 Glassy Tiger Parantica aglea (Stoll) ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ 24 Dark Blue Tiger Tirumala septentrionis (Butler) ✓ ✓ ✓ 25 Blue Tiger Tirumala limniace Cramer ✓ ✓ 26 Common Or Striped Tiger Danaus genutia Cramer ✓ ✓ ✓ 27 Common Indian Crow Euploea core (Cramer) ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ 28 Brown King Crow Euploea klugii Moore ✓ 29 Southern Duffer Discophora lepida (Moore) sp 30 Gladeye Bushbrown Mycalesis patnia Moore ✓ ✓ ✓ 31 Common Bushbrown Mycalesis perseus (Fabricius) ✓ 32 Bamboo Treebrown Lethe europa (Fabricius) ✓ 33 Common Fivering Ypthima baldus (Fabricius) ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ 34 Common Fourring Ypthima huebneri Kirby ✓ ✓ ✓ 35 Nigger Orsotriaena medus (Fabricius) ✓ 36 Common Palmfly Elymnias hypermnestra (Linnaeus) ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ 37 Tamil Yeoman Cirrochroa thais (Fabricius) ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ 38 Rustic Cupha erymanthis (Drury) ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ 39 Tamil Lacewing Cethosia nietneri Felder & Felder ✓ ✓ ✓ Subfamily Limenitidinae 40 Commander Limenitis procris (Cramer) ✓ 41 Common Lascar Pantoporia hordonia (Stoll) ✓ ✓ 42 Common Sailer Neptis hylas Linnaeus ✓ ✓

Dragonflies & Butterflies of the Western Ghats Tour Report

September Common Name Scientific Name 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 43 Clipper Parthenos sylvia (Cramer, ) ✓ 44 Gray Pansy Junonia atlites (Linnaeus) ✓ ✓ 45 Peacock Pansy Junonia (Precis) almana (Linnaeus) ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ 46 Chocolate Pansy Junonia (Precis) iphita (Cramer) ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ Family: Lycaenidae 47 Common Pierrot Castalius rosimon Fabricius ✓ 48 Banded Blue Pierrot Discolampa ethion Westwood ✓ 49 Quaker Neopithecops zalmora Butler ✓ ✓ 50 Plain Hedge Blue Celastrina lavendularis (Moore) ✓ 51 Dark Grass Blue Zizeeria lysimon (Hübner) ✓ 52 Lesser Grass Blue Zizeeria otis (Fabricius) ✓ 53 Peablue Lampides boeticus (Linnaeus) ✓ 54 Common Cerulean Jamides celeno (Cramer) ✓ ✓ 55 Common Lineblue Prosotas nora (Felder) ✓ 56 Indian Sunbeam Curetis thetis (Drury) ✓ 57 Common Acacia Blue Surendra quercetorum (Moore) ✓ 58 Common Imperial Cheritra freja (Fabricius) ✓ 59 Monkey Puzzle Rathinda amor (Fabricius) ✓ ✓ Family: Hesperiidae Hesperiinae 60 Pygmy Grass/Scrub-Hopper Aeromachus pygmaeus (Fabricius) ✓ ✓ 61 Bush Hopper Ampittia dioscorides (Fabricius) ✓ ✓ 62 Blank Swift Caltoris kumara (Moore) ✓ 63 Wax Dart Cupitha purreea (Moore) ✓ ✓ 64 Palm Redeye Erionota thrax (Linnaeus) ✓ 65 Chestnut Bob Iambrix salsala (Moore) ✓ ✓ ✓ 66 Common Redeye Matapa aria (Moore) ✓ 67 African Straight/Straight Swift Parnara naso (Fabricius) ✓ 68 Coon Psolos fuligo (Mabille) ✓ 69 Tamil Grass Dart Taractrocera ceramas (Hewitson) ✓ ✓ 70 Dark Palm Dart Telicota ancilla (Herrich-Schäffer) ✓ 71 Grass Demon Udaspes folus (Cramer) ✓ Pyrginae 72 Common Spotted Flat Celaenorrhinus leucocera (Kollar) ✓ 73 Fulvous Pied Flat Coladenia dan (Fabricius) ✓ 74 Spotted Small Flat Sarangesa purendra (Moore) ✓ 75 Immaculate/Suffused Snow Flat Tagiades gana (Moore) ✓ 76 Water Snow Flat Tagiades litigiosa (Möschler) ✓ ✓

Mammals

Smooth-coated Otter Bonnet Macaque Nilgiri Langur Malabar (Indian) Giant Squirrel Nilgiri (Dusky-striped) Palm Squirrel Jungle (Striped) Palm Squirrel Three-striped Palm Squirrel Sambar Wild Boar Indian Flying Fox Lesser Woolly Horseshoe Bat

Birds

Grey Junglefowl Srilankan Frogmouth Brown-backed Needletail Greater Coucal Whimbrel Green Sandpiper Whiskered Tern Grey Heron Western Reef Heron (Egret) Crested Serpent Eagle Crested Goshawk Brahminy Kite

Dragonflies & Butterflies of the Western Ghats Tour Report

Shikra Spotted Owlet Malabar Trogon Malabar Grey Hornbill Indian Roller Oriental Dollarbird Green Bee-eater Chestnut-headed Bee-eater Malabar Parakeet Ashy Woodswallow Black-hooded Oriole Greater Racket-tailed Drongo Jungle Crow Red-whiskered Bulbul Yellow-browed Bulbul Red-rumped Swallow Jungle babbler Velvet-fronted Nuthatch Common Myna Oriental Magpie-Robin Purple-rumped Sunbird Scaly-breasted Munia Black-throated Munia White-browed Wagtail

Reptiles & Amphibians

Bengal Monitor Red-tailed Skink Peninsular Rock Agama Keeled Indian Mabuya (Eutropis carinata) Garden Lizard Cnemaspis sp.gecko Brahmini Worm Snake Checkered Keelback Waynad Bushfrog Kaaravali Skittering Frog Indian Bullfrog Malabar Frog (Clinotarsus curtipes)