Northeast India Natural History Series Part 2 BUTTERFLIES AND MOTHS of Pakke Tiger Reserve BUTTERFLIES AND MOTHS OF PAKKE TIGER RESERVE This book covers butterflies and moths of the Pakke Tiger Reserve in East Kameng District of Arunachal Pradesh, northeast India. It contains descriptions and photographs of 284 butterfly species, provides key features to identify them and notes on similar species to assist in identification. Photographs of 95 additional similar looking butterfly species are also included. Notes on the natural history of the butterfly species are also included. This book also covers 83 species of commonly seen moths w i t h co l o u r p h o to g ra p h s fo r identification and notes about the moth families. Sanjay Sondhi Krushnamegh Kunte ISBN 978-93-5126-899-4 Foreword PCCF (Wildlife & Biodiversity) & Chief Wildlife Warden Government of Arunachal Pradesh '0' Tinali, 'P'- Sector, Itanagar - 791111 lR;eso t;rs Telfax: 0360-2212501 Mob: 09436050863 e-mail: [email protected] N.N. Zhasa, IFS Website: www.arunachalforest.in It is indeed a pleasant surprise to see research and documentation on lesser-known fauna, especially invertebrates such as butterflies and moths. While a significant amount of time and resources are spent on large vertebrates, not enough work is being done on lesser-known faunal groups, even though they are a crucial part of our eco- © Titli Trust and Indian Foundation for Butterflies, 2014 systems, and play an extremely important role in the web of life. ISBN No. 978-93-5126-899-4 Hence, I would like to congratulate the authors, Sanjay Sondhi of Titli Trust and Krushnamegh Kunte of Indian Foundation for Butterflies for writing an excellent book on Authors: Sanjay Sondhi & Krushnamegh Kunte "Butterflies and Moths of Pakke Tiger Reserve". Covering 284 butterfly species and 83 Citation: Sondhi S. & K. Kunte (2014). Butterflies and Moths of Pakke Tiger Reserve. moth species, the book is well written and will be useful both for beginners and serious Titli Trust (Dehradun), and Indian Foundation for Butterflies (Bengaluru). vi +202 pp. enthusiasts. The book has excellent photographs and is easy to use, and I hope this will ignite further interest and research in butterflies and moths. Cover Photographs : (Clockwise from top) Common Maplet Chersonesia risa, Wizard Rhinopalpa polynice, I hope, too, that the various stakeholders at Pakke - the forest staff, local communities, Indian Awlking Choaspes benjaminii ©Sanjay Sondhi various NGOs and visitors find this book useful. I am sure that this book will also give a Common Gem Poritia hewitsoni ©Rohan Lovalekar boost to butterfly and moth tourism at Pakke, and I hope that this, in turn, incentivizes Published by Titli Trust and Indian Foundation for Butterflies the local communities to continue their efforts to help conserve Pakke's flora and fauna. I hope everyone who reads this book on "barbing-sala" and "pijing", as butterflies and Text Copyright: moths are respectively called by the Nyishis, takes up the cause for their protection and Butterflies - Sanjay Sondhi & Krushnamegh Kunte conservation. Moths - Sanjay Sondhi I would like to commend Tana Tapi for his continued efforts to make Pakke one of the Photograph Copyright: Respective photographers best-managed tiger reserves in the country. Map : S. Raghunath Finally, I hope his book is only the first in a series of books showcasing Arunachal Pradesh's terrific bio-diversity. Illustrations : Krushnamegh Kunte Funded : The Forests and Environment Department, Arunachal Pradesh Designed & Printed : Print Vision, Dehradun (N.N. Zhasa) ii iii Contents About Pakke Tiger Reserve Foreword iii Pakke Tiger Reserve, one of the two Tiger Reserves in the state of Arunachal Pradesh, is Acknowledgement v in the East Kameng District and covers an area of 861.95 sq. km. It is part of the Kameng About Pakke Tiger Reserve 1 Protected Area Complex, which covers an area of over 3,500 sq. km. of largely pristine forest covering altitudes from 100 m to 3,300 m asl. The Bhoreli River (also called Community-based conservation at Pakke 4 Kameng River) forms the western boundary of the Park, while the Pakke River (also Eco-tourism at Pakke-conserving the barbing-sala and pijing 5 called the Pakhui River) borders the eastern boundary. Numerous small rivers and BUTTERFLIES OF PAKKE: AN INTRODUCTION 7 perennial streams traverse through the Park, all of which drain into the Bhoreli or the Identifying butterflies 10 Pakke River. Butterfly species 13 To the south of Pakke is the Nameri National Park and Tiger Reserve in Assam; to its east Hesperiidae (Skippers) 13 are the Reserved Forests of Papum. On its western border are the Reserved Forests of Lycaenidae (Blues) 39 Doimara and Tenga. Beyond these Reserved Forests are the Sessa Orchid Wildlife Nymphalidae (Brush-footed butterflies) 71 Sanctuary and Eaglenest Wildlife Sanctuary in West Kameng District. Together, these protected areas form a landscape that is unrivaled in floral and faunal diversity. Papilionidae (Swallowtails) 131 Pieridae (Whites and Yellows) 147 Riodinidae (Judies and Punches) 161 MOTHS OF PAKKE: AN INTRODUCTION 163 Moth species 165 Butterfly hotspots-areas to visit 178 Suggested reading and websites 181 Glossary 183 Checklist of butterflies of Pakke Tiger Reserve 184 Index of common English names of butterflies 188 Index of scientific names of butterflies 194 Index of common English names of moths 200 Index of scientific names of moths 201 i h d n o S y a j n a S Bhoreli River at Pakke vi 1 Staff Sergeant Athyma selenophora selenophora Kollar, 1844 Color Sergeant Athyma inara inara Doubleday, 1850 Desc: 55-75 mm. UN/UPF: cell streak obscure and broken into three parts. Male - above Desc: 55-70 mm. Male - UPF: cell streak entire, white or pale orange. Large white cell- dark brown, abdomen not banded. UPF cell streak red, broken into three, with pale cell- end spot. UPH: Post-discal band orange. Female - above brown with orange markings. end spot beyond. Apical spots separated. Spot in 2 larger than others in discal band. Female Apical orange band broad and even. - above brown with white band on abdomen, with two bands UPH-basal and post-discal. Similar species: Male - resembles male Orange Staff Sergeant A. cama. Female - resembles Similar species: Male like Small Staff Sergeant A. zeroca. Female like Himalayan Sergeant female Orange Staff Sergeant A. cama, lascars (Pantoporia spp.), yellow sailers. A. opalina. Habits/Habitat: Common. Fast flier. Often basks on the upper surface of leaves in the tree canopy. Males visit moist patches. Females less common. Seen at streams in forest Habits/Habitat: Uncommon. Males more frequently encountered. Flies fast. Males visit from the foothills up to 1,900 m. moist patches. Seen at stream and forest edges. Prefers forest from the foothills up to 2,100 m in the Himalaya. ? Distr.: C. and E. Himalaya, NE ? Distr.: Himalaya, NE India. Ssp. kanara India, Odisha, Western Ghats Western Ghats ? Seen at: everywhere ? Seen at: Bhalukpong Ghat, Langka, Tipi ? Seen in: Apr, Jun, Sep, Oct ? Seen in: Mar, Sep, Oct e e t t n n u u K K i i h h h h g g d d e e n n o o m m S S a a n n y y h h a a j j s s n n u u r r a a S S Female K K Female Small Staff Sergeant Athyma zeroca zeroca Moore, 1872 Commodore Auzakia danava danava Moore, 1857 Desc: 50-65 mm. UN/UPF: cell streak entire, not broken. Apical white spots mostly Desc.: 80-85 mm. Brown above. Male - UPF: dark brown markings in cell, broad pale coalesced to form a band. UPF: white discal spot in 3 nearly as wide as spot in 2. Male - brown discal band, with a series of obscure brown spots closer to cell. UPH: pale brown above dark brown or black, abdomen not banded. Cell streak-reddish, obscure, with dark brown wing base. UPF costa and UPH veins and tornus with greenish tinge. undivided. Female - above light brown with white band on abdomen, UPH: basal and Female - like male, but discal and post-discal bands creamy white. post-discal white bands. Similar species: other commodores. Similar species: Staff Sergeant A. selenophora. Female - Himalayan Sergeant A. opalina. Habits/Habitats: Very rare (more common at higher altitudes). Fast flier. Both sexes visit Habits/Habitat: Uncommon. Males more frequently encountered. Flies fast. Males visit moist patches. Prefers stream edges in forest. Fond of basking at the tree canopy. Seen moist patches. Seen at stream and forest edges. Prefers forest from the foothills up to from the foothills up to 2,200 m. 1,000 m in the Himalaya. ? Distr.: Uttarakhand east to E. ? Distr.: Uttarakhand east to E. Himalaya, NE India Himalaya, NE India ? Seen at: Khari, Langka, Sukhanala ? Seen at: Langka ? Seen in: Mar, Oct ? Seen in: Apr H N M B © e t i i n i h h u h K d d d n n / n o o r o S S a S k y y y e a a a j j v j n n a n a a g a S S S A Female Female 92 93 Green Commodore Sumalia daraxa daraxa Doubleday, 1848 Blue Duke Bassarona durga durga Moore, 1857 SCH II Desc: 60-70 mm. Above, brown with pale green discal band broken into spots near FW Desc.: 95-105 mm. UPF: series of conjoined discal spots forming an irregular white band apex. Post-discal area paler with black spots and sub-marginal black line. Tornus red, with from costa to v.1. Discal band outwardly edged with black. Outer half of UPF glossy black.