of the Garo Hills

BUTTERFLIES OF THE GARO HILLS

This book covers 320 species of butterflies from the Garo Hills in Meghalaya, northeastern . The book contains photographs of each of the species, provides key features for identifying them in the field and notes on similar species to assist in identification. It also contains notes on the butterflies' natural history. Butterfly hotspots in the Garo Hills along with maps of these areas are provided for reference.

Sanjay Sondhi | Krushnamegh Kunte | Gaurav Agavekar

The India Foundation Rohan Lovalekar | Kedar Tokekar About the Organisations

Samrakshan (www.samrakshan.org) is a registered non-profit organisation working in India for sustainable livelihoods for forest dependent communities and ensuring a kinder world for non- human .

Butterflies TITLI TRUST (www.titlitrust.com) is a nature conservation, non- profit organisation based in Dehradun, India. It is focused on of the conservation education, conservation research and action and Garo Hills community - based nature tourism. Indian Foundation for Butterflies (http://ifoundbutterflies.org) is a group of professional butterfly biologists and amateur naturalists © 2013 who are involved in research on the natural history, ecology, conservation needs and other aspects of the biology of Indian Authors: Sanjay Sondhi, Krushnamegh Kunte, Gaurav Agavekar, Rohan Lovalekar and butterflies. Kedar Tokekar The India Foundation is a non-profit organization primarily Citation: Sondhi, S., K. Kunte, G. Agavekar, R. Lovalekar & K. Tokekar. (2013). Butterflies supporting economically challenged musician and other artists in of the Garo Hills. Samrakshan Trust (New Delhi), Titli Trust (Dehradun), and Indian India. It also provides support for a variety of research projects in Foundation for Butterflies (Bengaluru). xvi +200 pp. The India Foundation India.

Cover Photographs (Clockwise from Top): Silver Royal Ancema blanka ©Sanjay Sondhi The Forests and Environment Department, Meghalaya is Four-bar Swordtail Graphium agetes ©Gaurav Agavekar responsible for protecting and safeguarding the forests and its Red-base Jezebel Delias pasithoe ©Sanjay Sondhi associated flora and fauna in Meghalaya. Green-striped Palmer Pirdana major ©Krushnamegh Kunte

Published by Samrakshan Trust, Titli Trust and Indian Foundation for Butterflies About the Authors Sanjay Sondhi is a Dehradun-based naturalist and founder trustee of Titli Trust Text Copyright: Sanjay Sondhi & Krushnamegh Kunte, 2013 (www.titlitrust.com). Krushnamegh Kunte is a lepidopterist and ecologist at the National Center for Biological Photograph Copyright: Respective photographers Sciences, Bengaluru, and the editor of Indian Foundation for Butterflies. (Butterflies of India website http://ifoundbutterflies.org/). Maps by Kamal Medhi Gaurav Agavekar is a Project Trainee at the National Centre for Biological Sciences, Bengaluru. His interests include genetics, butterflies, natural history and photography. Illustrations by Krushnamegh Kunte Rohan Lovalekar is a butterfly enthusiast and an active member of Indian Foundation for Butterflies. Funded by The Indian Foundation and the Forests and Environment Department, Kedar Tokekar is a Pune-based butterfly photographer and wildlife enthusiast. Meghalaya

Printed at Print Vision, Dehradun Feedback about this book is welcome at : [email protected] and [email protected] Acknowledgements Contents

To begin with, the authors would like to commend Samrakshan Trust for their About the Garo Hills viii conservation efforts in the Garo Hills. It is a tribute to the relentless vigour and Conserving 'Meplip' in the Garo Hills x passion that the Samrakshan team has displayed in their conservation efforts, that a book of this kind has seen the light of the day. How to use this book xi Identifying butterflies xiv Thanks to Arpan Sharma, whose foresight, many years ago, resulted in Samrakshan focussing its conservation efforts in the Garo Hills since 2004. Species accounts Without Team Samrakshan’s support, the numerous visits to the Garo hills by the Hesperiidae (Skippers) 1 authors to study the butterfly fauna of the area would not have been possible. Lycaenidae (Blues) 29 Kamal Medhi, Yaranajit Deka, Benson Sangma, Rollingstone Sangma, John Nymphalidae (Brush-footed butterflies) 68 Fernando Shira, Vikash Sangma and Golebar Sangma : every one of them has Papilionidae (Swallowtails) 135 assisted in making this book a reality. They have provided invaluable support to the authors, helping with identifying hotspots, managing the logistics, making Pieridae (Whites and Yellows) 150 field visits, obtaining permissions, arranging funding and numerous other Riodinidae (Judies and Punches) 165 thankless tasks. Butterfly hotspots in the Garo Hills (with Maps) 169 We would also like to thank the Meghalaya Forest Department, especially Pawan Suggested reading and websites 178 Kumar Agrahari (Divisional Forest Officer, Balpakram NP Division, Meghalaya Glossary 180 Forests and Environment Department) for their ongoing support and permissions Checklist of butterflies in the Garo Hills 181 for faunal surveys. Index of common English names 187 Thanks to Alka Vaidya, Anchal Sondhi, Animish Mandrekar, Balakrishnan Valappil, Index of scientific names 193 Benson Sangma, Parab Prasanna, Rohan Mukerjee, Rudraprasad Das, Vivek Sarkar and Yaranjit Deka who have contributed their photographs to the book. Kamal Medhi painstakingly put together the maps for the book. Anchal and Yash Sondhi helped to proof read and edit various drafts of the book. A big thanks to our families, who repeatedly allow us to drop out of sight for weeks during our field visits to northeast India. Finally, we would like to thank The India Foundation and the Meghalaya Forest Department for their financial support to publish this book. Without their support this book would not have seen the light of the day.

The Authors vi vii Family Hesperiidae -Skippers

Small to medium-sized, usually fast-flying butterflies. They are called skippers on account of their “skipping” manner of flight. Some species are crepuscular (i.e., they are active at dawn and dusk) and also active during overcast weather, while others are diurnal and readily bask in sunlight. The larval host plants are usually palms, bamboos and grasses; only a small proportion of skippers feed on dicotyledonous plants as caterpillars. Sanjay Sondhi Sanjay Zigzag Flat Odina decoratus White-banded Flat Fulvous Pied Flat Celaenorrhinus asmara consertus de Nicéville, 1890 Pseudocoladenia dan fabia Evans, 1949 Description: 35-45 mm. Antennae and cilia plain. UPF: brown with hyaline discal Description: 36-42 mm. Above rufous brown, but colour can be variable, either band. Discal spot in 3 reaches base 3. Spots in 2,3 and cell, conjoined. Discal band darker or brighter. UPF: large yellow discal spots (white in female) along with smaller does not extend to 1b. Sometimes a spot in 4, never in 5. UNF: as above. Diffused apical spots. Cell spot excavated outwardly. UN/UPH: dark discal spots, with spaces tornal patch. Additional yellowish-white spot near costa. UNH: plain brown, between light rufous brown. unmarked. Similar species: Tri-colored Pied Flat C. indrani. Similar species: Scarce Banded Flat C. badia UPF discal band extends into 1b. Habits and habitats: Common. Flies fast. Often basks on upper surface of leaves. Feeds on flower nectar. Mud-puddles at moist patches. Prefers forest from the Habits and habitats: Very rare. Behaviour typical of flats. Flies fast. Found near foothills up to 2,100 m. streams in forest. ! ! Distr.: E. Himalaya, NE India Distr.: Himachal Pradesh east to E. ! Best seen at: Karwani Himalaya, NE India. ! Best seen in: Apr, May Ssp. dan ! Best seen at: everywhere ! Best seen in: Mar-May, Oct-Dec Rohan Lovalekar Lovalekar Rohan SondhiSanjay Sondhi Sanjay

Brown Pied Flat Common Yellow-breasted Flat Coladenia agni de Nicéville, 1883 Gerosis bhagava bhagava Moore, 1865 Description: 35-40 mm. Antennae plain. Brown above. UPH: series of small, black Description: 35-45 mm. Head and first thoracic segment yellow. Abdomen, distal discal spots. UPH: cilia at apex yellowish. UNF: 2 white spots in 1b. half brown with white rings, proximal half white. UPF: hyaline spots in cell and 3- Similar species: Fulvous Pied Flat P. dan has diffuse yellow spots UPH, chequered equal. Spot in 1b white, with two black spots on either side. UPH: broad white cilia. Tri-coloured Pied Flat C. indrani has more fulvous wings and yellow-orange band with black spots on the edges. sub-marginal spot UP. Similar species: Dusky Yellow-breasted Flat G. phisara, White Yellow-breasted Flat Habits and habitats: Very rare. Behaviour typical of flats. Flies fast. Found near G. sinica. streams in forest from the foothills up to 1,500 m. Habits and habitats: Rare. Behaviour typical of flats. Often basks on upperside of a leaf. Males territorial. Prefers forest from the foothills up to 600 m. ! Distr.: C. and E. Himalaya, NE India ! Distr.: E. Himalaya, NE India, ! Best seen at: Western Ghats Gongrot ! Best seen at: Baghmara ! ! Best seen in: Best seen in: Nov Mar, Apr Sanjay SondhiSanjay Krushnamegh Kunte Kunte Krushnamegh Kunte Krushnamegh 22 23 Checklist of the Glossary and Abbreviations Butterflies of the Garo Hills

apex : the pointed tip of the wing This represents an up-to-date checklist of the butterflies of the Garo Hills, till the apiculus : the tapering point of the tip of the antennal club time of publication of this book. The checklist stands at 339 species of butterflies. It is hoped that further surveys will add to the species list of the Garo Hills. basal : the area near the wing base brand : a raised area (circular, oval or long) on the wing consisting of scent FAMILY: HESPERIIDAE 24. Matapa sasivarna scales of the male butterfly Subfamily: 25. Notocrypta curvifascia curvifascia cell : area on the forewing and hindwing enclosed with veins (ref Fig 1) 1. Badamia exclamationis 26. Notocrypta feisthamelii alysos costa : the leading edge of the wing (ref Fig 1) 2. sena sena 27. Notocrypta paralysos asawa dcv : the discocellular vein, closing the end of cell 3. Burara gomata gomata 28. Oriens gola pseudolus DSF : dry season form 4. Burara oedipodea belesis 29. Oriens goloides discal : wing area between end of cell and wing margin (ref Fig 1) 5. benjaminii japonica 30. Parnara sp. dorsum : the trailing edge of the wings (ref Fig 1) 6. badra badra 31. Pelopidas agna agna genitalia : reproductive organs of the butterflies at the end of the abdomen 7. Hasora taminatus bhavara 32. Pelopidas assamensis lobe : a round, flat part of the wing near the tail 8. Aeromachus jhora creta 33. Pirdana major marginal : at the wing margin (Ref Fig 1) 9. Ancistroides nigrita diocles 34. Pithauria marsena post-discal : area immediately after the discal area (Ref Fig 1) 10. Baoris chapmani 35. Pithauria stramineipennis proboscis : the tube-like mouthpart of a butterfly 11. Baoris farri stramineipennis sub-marginal: area between the marginal and post-discal areas (Ref Fig 1) 12. Baoris unicolor 36. Polytremis lubricans lubricans termen : the outer wing margin, between the apex and the base (Ref Fig 1) 13. Caltoris sp. 37. Potanthus spp. tornus : the lower angle of the wing (ref Fig 1) 14. Cupitha purreea 38. Psolos fuligo subfasciatus UPF : upperside of the forewing Subfamily: Hesperiinae 39. Scobura isota UPH : upperside of the hindwing 15. Gangara thyrsis thyrsis 40. Sebastonyma dolopia UNF : underside of the forewing 16. Halpe spp. 41. Spialia galba UNH : underside of the hindwing 17. Halpe zema zema 42. Suada swerga swerga v.1, v.2, etc : vein 1, vein 2 18. Hyarotis adrastus praba 43. Telicota bambusae bambusae WSF : wet season form 19. Iambrix salsala salsala 44. Zographetus ogygia ogygia 20. Iton semamora semamora 45. Zographetus satwa 21. Koruthaialos butleri Subfamily: Pyrginae 22. Matapa aria 46. Celaenorrhinus asmara consertus 23. Matapa cresta 47. Coladenia agni 180 181