Journal of Threatened Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | 26 August 2024 | 16(8): 25748–25757

 

ISSN 0974-7907 (Online) | ISSN 0974-7893 (Print) 

https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.8348.16.8.25748-25757

#8348 | Received 29 December 2022 | Final received 15 July 2024 | Finally accepted 12 August 2024

 

 

Diversity of butterfly habitats in and around Udanti-Sitanadi Tiger Reserve, Chhattisgarh, India

 

H.N. Tandan 1        , Gulshan Kumar Sahu 2        , Kavita Das 3        , Gulab Chand 4        , Ravi Naidu 5

& Ramanand Agrawal 6

 

1 ISBM University, Chhura, District Gariaband, Chhattisgarh 493996, India.

1,2 Department of Zoology, Sant Guru Ghasidas Govt. P. G. College Kurud, District - Dhamtari, Chaattisagrh. 493663. India.

3,4 Govt. N.P.G. College of Science, Raipur, Chhattisgarh 492001, India.

4 Govt. Girls College Jagdalpur, Chhattisgarh 494001, India.

5 C.R.O.W. Foundation, Jagdalpur, Chhattisgarh 494001, India.

6 Govt. Pt. S.S.M. College Deobhog, Chhattisgarh 493890, India. 

1 tandanhn79@gmail.com (corresponding author), 2 gulshankumarsahu30@gmail.com, 3 daskavita69@yahoo.com,

4 gulab.s.sahu@gmail.com, 5 ravinaidu@ncf-india.org, 6 ramanandagrl15@gmail.com

 

 

Editor: Monsoon Gogoi , Ashoka Trust For Research In Ecology and The Environment, Bengaluru, India.               Date of publication: 26 August 2024 (online & print)

 

Citation: Tandan, H.N., G.K. Sahu, K. Das, G. Chand, R. Naidu & R. Agrawal  (2024). Diversity of butterfly habitats in and around Udanti-Sitanadi Tiger Reserve, Chhattisgarh, India. Journal of Threatened Taxa 16(8): 25748–25757. https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.8348.16.8.25748-25757

 

Copyright: © Tandan et al. 2024. Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.  JoTT allows unrestricted use, reproduction, and distribution of this article in any medium by providing adequate credit to the author(s) and the source of publication.

 

Funding: This work was not funded by any agency.

 

Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests.

 

Author details: Hit Narayan Tandan is an assistant professor and head of the Department of Zoology at Sant Guru Ghasidas Govt. P.G. College Kurud, affiliated with Pt. Ravi Shankar Shukla University, Raipur, India. His research focuses on biodiversity, particularly birds and butterflies, in Chhattisgarh. He has held several academic and administrative positions and is actively involved in promoting scientific temper and career awareness among students. He is a member of the Zoological Society of Chhattisgarh, Bombay Natural History Society, and Chhattisgarh Vigyan Sabha, and serves as President of the Biodiversity Conservation Society. Gulashan Kumar Sahu is a nature enthusiast and working on Lepidoptera diversity in Chhattisgarh. Affiliated with the Department of Zoology at Sant Guru Ghasidas Govt. P.G. College Kurud, affiliated with Pt. Ravi Shankar Shukla University, Raipur, India. He is a member of the Chhattisgarh Vigyan Sabha, and the Biodiversity Conservation Society. Dr. (Smt.) Kavita Ravindra Das is an assistant professor of Zoology at Govt. Nagarjuna College of Science Raipur, Chhattisgarh. She holds an M.Sc., M.Phil, Ph.D., and a Diploma in Sericulture. With 34 years of teaching experience (26 years at the P.G. level), she has published 11 papers and two books. Her research interests include backyard faunal diversity and the behavioral study of birds and butterflies. Gulab Chand is an assistant professor and head of the Department of Botany at the Govt. Danteshwari P.G. Mahila College Jagdalpur, affiliated with Shaheed Mahendra Karma University, Bastar, India. His research focuses on plant diversity, ethno medical plants tribal research and butterflies diversities in Chhattisgarh. Recently, he submitted his PhD thesis under the faculty of life science in the Pt. Ravishankar Shukla University Raipur Chhattisgarh. He is a member of Chhattisgarh Vigyan Sabha and Biodiversity Conservation Society. Ravi Naidu, with over eight years of experience in documenting the flora and fauna of Chhattisgarh and other Indian states. Currently serving as a research assistant at the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS), Ravi has contributed significantly to the field of biodiversity research. Ramanand Agrawal is an M.Sc. Zoology graduate from Govt. Pt. Shyam Shankar Mishra College Deobhog, affiliated with Pt. Ravi Shankar University Raipur. His research focuses on biodiversity in Chhattisgarh, particularly butterflies, birds, and their habitats. He serves as joint secretary of the Biodiversity Conservation Society and is a member of the Chhattisgarh Vigyan Sabha. Ramanand has received the INSPIRE Scholarship and several appreciation certificates for his research..

 

Author contributions: HNT—Main contributor and corresponding author, led the team in field observations of butterflies. GKS—Conducted observations and photography of butterflies in Garhdongari village, Nagri block. He captured all the images of Erionota torus at Nagri. KD—Observed butterflies in urban habitats, recording Rathinda amor in her backyard in Raipur. GC—Focused on butterfly observations in Dhamtari district and recorded Rathinda amor at Chingrapagar Waterfall, Kodomali, Gariaband. RN—Documented biodiversity in Chhattisgarh since 2015, first recorded Rathinda amor in Kanger Valley National Park. RA—Documented butterflies in Gariaband district, recorded Erionota thrax in Deobhog.

 

Acknowledgements: The authors sincerely thank Dr. Krushnamegh Kunte, chief editor of the Butterflies of India Website, for his invaluable assistance in confirming the species identification. We also extend our gratitude to the Department of Forest, Government of Chhattisgarh, for granting permission to conduct this study in the core zones of the Udanti-Sitanadi Tiger Reserve.

 

 

Abstract: A survey of Lepidoptera was conducted in habitats including forest trails, nullah, forest gap, and small water bodies, in and around the Udanti-Sitanadi Tiger Reserve (USTR) and agroforest habitats at Nagri block in Dhamtari district of Chhattisgarh State between January 2020 and August 2022. The study recorded 95 species belonging to 69 genera. Erionota torus and Rathinda amor although common in the Indian mainland, were not documented by previous researchers. This indicates the necessity for a more thorough survey of Lepidoptera in the region.

 

Keywords: Agroforest, biodiversity, checklist, Erionota torus, Hesperiidae, host plant, Lepidoptera, Lycaenidae, new record, Rathinda amor.

 

 

Introduction

 

Udanti-Sitanadi Tiger Reserve (USTR) in Chhattisgarh has not been extensively characterized with regard to Lepidoptera and their habitats. The USTR is located in the Gariaband and Dhamtari districts of Chhattisgarh State and covers about 1,872 km2. The USTR has two core areas: Core-I, Udanti Wildlife Sanctuary (UWS) Gariaband, established with 247.59 km2 area in 1983 under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, lies between 20.000—20.250 °N & 82.500—80.000 °E on the south-east to the capital city Raipur on National Highway 130C; and Core–II, Sitanadi Wildlife Sanctuary (SWS) Dhamtari, was established with 553.36 km2 area in 1974 and it lies between 20.183°N & 81.933°E.

In earlier studies, 35 species belonging to five families and 13 subfamilies of butterflies were documented in USTR (Chandra & Boaz 2018). Around 95 species were observed during the present survey, with 60 observed for the first time in USTR. This survey also updated the list of butterflies in Chhattisgarh State, adding two additional species to the previous 170 species (Chandra et al. 2014; Dubey et al. 2015; Sisodia 2019; Sisodia & Kshirsagar 2020; Tandan et al. 2020, 2021a,b; Nihlani et al. 2021; Chand et al. 2022; Jangde et al. 2023).

 

 

Material and Methods

 

 Habitats such as forest trails, nullah, small water bodies, agricultural farms, and grasslands within the USTR and small villages around it including Tumdibahra (20.251°N, 82.101°E), Arsikanhar (20.249°N, 82.129°E), Behradih (20.190°N, 82.218°E), Kodomali (20.191°N, 82.247°E), Taurenga (20.144°N, 82.277°E), and Jugad (20.136°N, 82.285°E) were surveyed. An agroforest habitat adjacent to USTR at Garhdongari village (20.270°N, 81.900°E) of Nagri block from January 2020 to August 2022, for the preparation of a database of the butterflies in Chhattisgarh were also surveyed. Paddy is the major crop in Chhattisgarh and some small paddy fields still exist inside the USTR, while the present study may help in planning for the conservation programs of butterflies and other pollinating agents in the reserve area.

For the present survey, binoculars were used for field observation of butterflies, a Canon 1300D DSLR Camera, and occasionally by iPhone. The identification of species was based on Evans (1932), Wynter-Blyth (1957), Haribal (1992), Smetacek (2016), and Kehimkar (2018). Species were identified & verified with the expert’s help and following the website www.ifoundbutterflies.org.

 

 

OBSERVATIONS

 

Photographs were taken and a checklist of 95 butterfly species was prepared (Table 1). Among them, two widely spread species in mainland India were curiously absent from previous records:

 

Family Hesperiidae

Subfamily Hesperiinae

Erionota torus Evans, 1941 — Rounded Palm-redeye (Image 5 & 6)

Known distribution in India: Uttarakhand to northeastern India; Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu (Varshney & Smetacek 2015).

Host plant: Coconut – Cocos nucifera and Banana - Musa x paradisiaca is the best-known larval host plant of E. torus (Nitin et al. 2018).

Remarks: Erionota torus inhabits to hill forest, recorded up to 1,370 m elevation and flying from June to October (Kehimkar 2018). These species were observed first time in Chhattisgarh by GS in Garhdongari village of Nagri block in October 2020 at 456 m elevation. An adult butterfly was sighted in a Banana plant during an opportunistic visit (Image 5). It was further spotted in October and November 2021 at the same plant in later visits, counted in 14 individuals (Image 6), and found some eggs on Banana leaves (Image 1 to 4). Later regular observations were made in December 2021 and 11 individuals at the same plant were photographed.

 

Family Lycaenidae

Subfamily Theclinae

Rathinda amor (Fabricius, 1775) - Monkey Puzzle (Image 7 & 8)

Known distribution in India: Kerala to northeastern India. (Varshney & Smetacek 2015); India (Western Ghats, Andhra–Jharkhand, West Bengal, Sikkim–Arunachal, northeastern India), Bangladesh, Sri Lanka (Kehimkar 2016)

Host plant: Mangifera indica, Meiogyne pannosa, Calophyllum, Hopea, BlachiaCroton, Barringtonia acutangula, Careya arboreaLoranthusEugenia roxburghii, Ixora, Ixora brachiate, Schleichera, Quassia indica. (Nitin et al. 2018).

Remarks: Rathinda amor or Monkey Puzzle inhabits mainly forests, recorded in low elevations and flying from April to October (Kehimkar 2018). This butterfly was first time observed in Chhattisgarh on 12.x.2019 at KVNP, subsequently observed in various parts of Chhattisgarh on 10.x.2020 & 12.x.2021 in Tatamari Eco-center Keshkal, it was observed in agricultural land at Garhdongari Village of Nagri block on 15.x.2021, also recorded from Chingrapagar Waterfall on 23.x.2021 and 30.viii.2022 Kodomali in Gariaband. This butterfly is inhabited mainly in forest habitat (Kehimkar 2018), and also observed in very densely populated Raipur City, the capital of Chhattisgarh.

 

 

Result and Discussion

 

The unique ecosystem of small paddy fields, in the villages including Nullah (Rivulet), small water bodies, small ponds, and grasslands inside the tiger reserve area provides a good habitat for butterflies. Agroforests, with their diverse vegetation, tree canopies, and flowering plants, create a unique habitat for butterfly communities. It was found that most of the butterflies were partially dependent on these small habitats for nectaring, puddling, and host plants.

The paddy field and agroforest areas are very suitable habitat for the butterflies. The study by Johnson et al. (2021) highlights the positive correlation between agroforestry systems and butterfly diversity and abundance. These findings emphasize the importance of considering agroforestry as a viable strategy for creating butterfly-friendly habitats in agricultural ecosystems (Johnson et al. 2021).

The present study showed the rich diversity of butterflies in agroforest habitats and agriculture fields due to the presence of host and nectar plants that are there because of the availability of water supplies during irrigation. About 95 species of butterflies documented belonged to six families and 19 subfamilies, of which 92 species have been observed in the present survey, and 3 species, were reported in the list of 35 species from USTR by Chandra & Boaz (2018), but not observed in the present survey. The absence of records for several common butterfly species from the state fauna of Chhattisgarh and the present study area can be attributed to a lack of concessive surveys. The present report has updated the checklist of butterflies of USTR hereby as 95 species of 69 genera belonging to six families. The two species Rathinda amor and Erionota torus were first documented here in the Chhattisgarh State and added to the butterfly fauna of Chhattisgarh.

 

 

Table 1. Updated checklist of the butterflies recorded from habitats in and around Udanti-Sitanadi Tiger Reserve (USTR), Chhattisgarh, India.

 

 

Common name

Scientific name

Recorded in USTR

Present survey

(During 2020–2022)

 

UWLS

SWLS

NAGRI

Chandra & Boaz 2018

Order: Lepidoptera

Super Family: Papilionoidea

Family: Papilionoidae

Subfamily: Papilioninae 

1*

Lime Swallowtail

Papilio demoleus (Linnaeus, 1758)

+

+

+

 +

2*

Common Mormon

Papilio polytes (Linnaeus, 1758)

+

+

+

 +

3

Blue Mormon

Papilio polymnestor Cramer, 1775

+

+

+

 -

4

Common Banded Peacock

Papilio crino Fabricius, 1793

+

+

+

 -

5*

Common Mime

Papilio clytia Linnaeus, 1758

-

+

-

 +

6

Common Jay

Graphium doson (C.& R. Felder, 1864)

-

-

+

 -

7

Tailed Jay

Graphium agamemnon (Linnaeus, 1758)

+

-

+

 -

8**

Spot Swordtail

Graphium nomius (Esper, 1799)

-

-

-

+

Family: Riodinidae

Subfamily: Riodininae

9

Double-banded Judy

Abisara bifasciata (Moore, 1877)

+

+

+

 -

Family: Pieridae

Subfamily: Coliadinae 

10*

Common Emigrant

Catopsilia pomona (Fabricius, 1775)

+

+

+

 +

11*

Mottled Emigrant

Catopsilia pyranthe (Linnaeus, 1758)

+

+

+

 +

12*

Common Grass Yellow

Eurema hecabe (Linnaeus, 1758)

+

+

+

 +

13

Small Grass Yellow

Eurema brigitta (Stoll, [1780])

+

+

+

14

Spotless Grass Yellow

Eurema laeta (Boisduval, 1826)

+

+

+

 -

Subfamily: Pierinae

15*

Indian Jezebel

Delias eucharis (Drury, 1773)

+

+

+

 +

16*

Psyche

Leptosia nina (Fabricius, 1793)

-

+

+

 +

17

Indian Wanderer

Pareronia hippia (Fabricius, 1787)

+

+

+

18*

Common Gull

Cepora nerissa (Fabricius, 1775)

+

-

+

 +

Family: Lycaenidae

Subfamily: Miletinae

19

Apefly

Spalgis epius (Westwood, [1851])

+

-

+

Subfamily: Curetinae

20

Indian Sunbeam

Curetis thetis (Drury, [1773])

-

-

+

 -

Subfamily: Theclinae 

21

Common Shot Silverline

Spindasis ictis (Hewitson, 1865)

+

+

+

 -

22*

Common Silverline

Spindasis vulcanus (Fabricius, 1775)

+

+

+

 +

23

Redspot

Zesius chrysomallus (Hübner, 1819)

-

-

+

24

Purple Leaf Blue

Amblypodia anita (Hewitson, 1862)

+

+

+

 -

25

Indigo Flash

Rapala varuna (Horsfield, 1829)

+

-

+

 -

26

Common Red Flash

Rapala iarbus (Fabricius, 1787)

-

-

+

 -

27

Orchid Tit

Chliaria othona (Hewitson,1865)

+

-

+

 -

28

State Flash

Rapala manea (Hewitson, 1863)

-

-

+

 -

29

Common Guava Blue

Virachola Isocrates (Fabricius, 1793)

+

-

+

 -

30*

Large Oakblue

Arhopala amantes (Hewitson, 1862)

+

+

+

 +

31

Silver Royal

Ancema blanka (de Niceville, 1894)

+

-

-

32#

Monkey Puzzle

Rathinda amor (Fabricius, 1775)

+

+

+

 -

33**

Yamfly

 

Loxura atymnus (Stoll, 1780)

-

-

-

 +

Subfamily: Polyommatinae

34*

Common Pierrot

Castalius rosimon (Fabricius, 1775)

+

+

+

 +

35

Lesser Grass Blue

Zizina otis (Fabricius, 1787)

+

+

+

36

Forget-me-not

Catochrysops strabo (Fabricius, 1793)

+

-

+

 -

37

Angled Pierrot

Caleta decidia (Hewitson, 1876)

+

+

+

 -

38

Common Lineblue

Prosotas nora (C. Felder, 1860)

+

+

+

 -

39

Tailless Lineblue

Prosotas dubiosa (Semper, [1879])

+

-

+

 -

40

Pointed Ciliate Blue

Anthene lycaenina (R. Felder, 1868)

-

-

+

 -

41

Small Grass Jewel

Freyeria putli (Kollar, [1844])

-

+

+

 -

42

Lime Blue

Chilades lajus (Stoll, [1780])

+

+

+

 -

43

Indian Cupid

Everes lacturnus (Godart, [1824])

-

-

+

 -

44

Dingy Lineblue

Petrelaea dana (de Nicéville, 1884)

+

+

+

 -

45

Common Hedge Blue

Acytolepis puspa (Horsfield, 1828)

-

+

+

 -

46

Common Cerulean

Jamides celeno (Cramer, 1775)

-

-

+

 -

47

Dark Cerulean

Jamides bochus (Stoll, 1782)

+

-

+

 -

48*

Pea Blue

Lampides boeticus (Linnaeus, 1767)

+

-

+

 +

49

Zebra Blue

Leptotes plinius (Fabricius, 1793)

+

+

+

50

Dark Grass Blue

Zizeeria karsandra (Moore, 1865)

+

+

+

 -

51

Tiny Grass Blue

Zizula hylax (Fabricius, 1775)

+

+

+

 -

52

Gram Blue

Euchrysops cnejus (Fabricius, 1798)

+

+

+

 -

53

Black Spotted Pierrot

Tarucus balkanica (Freyer, 1844)

+

+

+

 -

Family: Hesperiidae

Subfamily: Coeliadnae

54

Common Banded Awl

Hasora chromus (Cramer, [1780])

+

+

+

 -

Subfamily: Hesperiinae

55

Dark Palm-Dart

Telicota bambusae (Moore, 1878)

+

+

+

 -

56

Paint-brush Swift

Baoris farri (Moore, 1878)

-

-

+

 -

57*

Rice Swift

Borbo cinnara (Wallace, 1866)

+

+

+

 +

58

Palm Redeye

Erionota thrax (Linnaeus, 1767)

+

+

+

59 #

Banana Skipper

Erionota torus Evans, 1942

-

-

+

 -

60

Chestnut Bob

Iambrix salsala (Moore, 1866)

-

-

+

 -

61*

Grass Demon

Udaspes folus (Cramer, 1775)

+

+

+

 +

Subfamily: Pyrginae 

62

Golden Angle

Caprona ransonnettii (R. Felder, 1868)

-

-

+

63*

Indian Skipper

Spialia galba (Fabriciu, 1793)

+

+

-

 +

Family: Nymphalidae

Subfamily: Biblidinae 

64

Angled Castor

 

Ariadne ariadne (Linnaeus, 1763)

_

_

+

65*

Common Caster

Ariadne merione (Cramer, 1777)

+

-

+

 +

Subfamily: Charaxinae 

66

Cryptic Nawab

Charaxes bharata C. & R. Felder, [1867]

_

_

+

Subfamily: Danainae

67*

Plain Tiger

Danaus chrysippus (Linnaeus, 1758)

+

+

+

 +

68*

Striped Tiger

Danaus genutia (Cramer, [1779])

+

+

+

 +

69*

Blue Tiger

Tirumala limniace (Cramer, [1775])

+

-

+

 +

70*

Common Crow

Euploea core (Cramer, [1780])

+

+

+

 +

Subfamily: Satyrinae 

71

Common Palmfly

Elymnias hypermnestra (Linnaeus, 1763)

+

+

+

 -

72*

Common Evening Brown

Melanites leda (Linnaeus, 1758)

+

+

+

 +

73

Bamboo Treebrown

Lethe europa (Fabricius, 1775)

-

-

+

74*

Common Bushbrown

Mycalesis perseus (Fabricius, 1775)

+

+

+

 +

75**

Common Four-ring

Ypthima huebneri Kirby, 1871

-

-

-

 +

Subfamily: Heliconiinae

76*

Common Leopard

Phalanta phalantha (Drury, [1773])

+

-

+

 +

Subfamily: Limenitidinae

77*

Common Sailer

Neptis hylas (Linnaeus, 1758)

+

+

+

 +

78

Chestnut-streaked Sailer

Neptis jumbah Moore, [1858]

+

-

-

79

Short-banded Sailer

Phaedyma columella (Cramer, [1780])

-

+

-

 -

80

Common Lascar

Pantoporia hordonia (Stoll, [1790])

-

+

-

 -

81

Grey Count

Tanaecia lepidea (Butler, 1868)

+

+

_

 -

82

Common Baron

Euthalia aconthea (Cramer, [1777])

+

+

+

 -

83

Gaudy Baron

Euthalia lubentina (Cramer, [1777])

-

-

+

-

84*

Commander

Moduza procris (Cramer, [1777])

+

+

+

 +

85*

Staff Sergeant

Athyma selenophora (Kollar, [1844])

+

+

-

 +

86*

Baronet

Euthalia nais (Forster, 1771)

+

+

+

 +

Subfamily: Nymphalinae

87

Peacock Pansy

Junonia almana (Linnaeus,1758)

+

+

+

88*

Gray Pansy

Junonia atlites (Linnaeus, 1763)

+

+

+

 +

89

Lemon Pansy

Junonia lemonias (Linnaeus, 1758))

+

+

+

90*

Chocolate Pansy

Junonia iphita (Cramer, [1779])

+

+

+

 +

91

Blue Pansy

Junonia orithya (Linnaeus, 1758)

+

+

+

92

Yellow Pansy

Junonia hierta (Fabricius, 1798)

-

-

+

 -

93*

Danaid Eggfly

Hypolimnas misippus (Linnaeus, 1764)

+

+

+

 +

94

Great Eggfly

Hypolimnas bolina (Linnaeus, 1758)

+

+

+

Subfamily: Acraeinae

95*

Tawny Coster

Acraea violae (Fabricius, 1793)

+

+

+

 +

#—New records added to the state fauna of butterflies, Chhattisgarh in the present study | *—Documented in Udanti Sitanadi Tiger Reserve by Chandra & Boaz (2018) | **—Documented only by Chandra & Boaz (2018) in Sitanadi-Udanti Tiger Reserve.

 

 

Table 2. New records were added to the list of butterflies (Lepidoptera: Rhopalocera) of Chhattisgarh (Chandra et al. 2014; Dubey et al. 2015; Sisodia 2019).

 

Scientific name

Common name

 Recorder/Author name

 

Order: Lepidoptera

 

Super Family: Papilionoidea

 

Family: Hesperiidae

 

Subfamily: Hesperiinae

1

Notocryptacurvifascia (C. & R. Felder, 1862)

Restricted Demon

Chandra et al. 2014

2

Borbo cinnara (Wallace, 1866)

Rice Swift

3

Telicota colon (Fabricius, 1775)

Pale Palm-Dart

 

Subfamily: Pyrginae

4

Celaenorrhinusambareesa (Moore, [1866])

Malabar Spotted Flat

5

Coladeniaindrani (Moore, [1866])

Tricolour Pied Flat

6

Tagiadesjapetus (Stoll, [1781])

Common Snow Flat

 

Family: Lycaenidae

 

Subfamily: Polyommatinae

7

Anthene emolus (Godart, [1824])

Common Ciliate Blue

8

Acytolepis puspa (Horsfield, [1828])

Common Hedge Blue

9

Everes lacturnus (Godart, [1824])

Indian Cupid

10

Freyeria trochylus (Freyer, 1845)

Grass Jewel

11

Petrelaea dana (de Nicéville, [1884])

Dingy Lineblue

12

Prosotus dubiosa (Semper, [1879])

Tailless Lineblue

13

Catochrysops panormus (C. Felder, 1860)

Silver Forget-me-not

 

Subfamily: Theclinae

14

Amblypodia anita Hewitson, 1862

Purple Leaf Blue

15

Rapala pheretima (Hewitson, [1863])

Copper Flash

16

Virachola isocrates (Fabricius, 1793)

Common Guava Blue

17

Zesius chrysomallusHübner, [1819]

Redspot

 

Subfamily: Biblidinae

18

Ariadne ariadne (Linnaeus, 1763)

Angled Castor

 

Subfamily: Cyrestinae

19

Cyrestis thyodamas Doyère, [1840]

Common Map

 

Subfamily: Danainae

20

Parantica aglea (Stoll, [1782])

Glassy Tiger

21

Tirumala septentrionis (Butler, 1874)

Dark Blue Tiger

 

Subfamily: Papilioninae

22

Graphium doson (C. & R. Felder, 1864)

Common Jay

 

Family:Hesperiidae

Dubey et al. 2015

 

Subfamily:Coeliadinae

23

Badamia exclamationis (Fabricius, 1775)

Brown Awl

24

Burara jaina (Moore, [1866])

Common Orange Awlet

25

Hasora vitta (Butler, 1870)

Plain Banded Awl

 

Subfamily: Pyrginae

 

26

Caprona ransonnettii (R. Felder, 1868)

Golden Angle

27

Odontoptilum angulata (C. Felder, 1862)

Chestnut Angle

 

Family: Lycaenidae

Sisodia 2019

 

Subfamily: Curetinae

28

Curetis acuta Moore, 1877

Acute Sunbeam

29

Curetis thetis (Drury, [1773])

Indian Sunbeam

 

Subfamily: Miletinae

30

Spalgis epius (Westwood, [1851])

Apefly

 

Subfamily: Polyommatinae

31

Chilades lajus (Stoll, [1780])

Lime Blue

32

Chilades parrhasius (Fabricius, 1793)

Small Cupid

33

Megisba malaya (Horsfield, [1828])

Malayan

34

Neopithecops zalmora (Butler, [1870])

Common Quaker

35

Prosotus nora (C. Felder, 1860)

Common Lineblue

36

Azanus ubaldus (Stoll, [1782]

Bright Babul Blue

37

Petrelaea dana (de Nicéville, [1884])

Dingy Lineblue

 

Subfamily: Poritiinae

38

Poritia hewitsoni Moore, [1866]

Common Gem

 

Subfamily: Theclinae

39

Horaga onyx (Moore, [1858])

Common Onyx

40

Rapala varuna (Horsfield, [1829])

Indigo Flash

41

Zeltus amasa (Hewitson, [1865])

Fluffy Tit

 

Family: Nymphalidae

 

Subfamily: Charaxinae

42

Charaxes agrariusSwinhoe, [1887]

Anomalous Nawab

43

Charaxes psaphon Westwood, 1847

Plain Tawny Rajah

 

Subfamily: Danainae

44

Euploea sylvester (Fabricius, 1793)

Double-branded Crow

 

Subfamily: Heliconiinae

45

Vagrans egista (Cramer, [1780])

Vagrant

 

Subfamily: Satyrinae

46

Ypthima asterope (Klug, 1832)

Common Threering

Added by Chandra et al., (2014) and repeated by Sisodia, (2019) as new record.

 

 

Table 3. Updates on the butterflies of Chhattisgarh: recent findings post 2019.

 

Family

Subfamily

Scientific name

Common name

Recorder/Author name

01.

Hesperiidae

Pyrginae

Tagiades litigiosa (Moeschler, 1878)

Water Snow Flat

 

Sisodia & Kshirsagar 2020

02.

 Hesperiidae

Hesperiinae

Gangara thyrsis (Fabricius, 1775)

Giant Redeye

03.

Lycaenidae

Theclinae

Horaga viola Moore, 1882

Brown Onyx

04.

Lycaenidae

Polyommatinae

Jamides bochus (Stoll, 1782)

Dark Cerulean

 

Tandan et al. 2020

05.

Lycaenidae

Polyommatinae

Anthene lycaenina (R. Felder, 1868)

Pointed Ciliate Blue

06.

Hesperiidae

Pyrginae

Caprona agama (Moore, 1858)

Spotted angle

Nihlani et al. 2021

07.

Lycaenidae

Polyommatinae

Freyeria putli (Kollar, 1844)

Lesser Grass Jewel

 

Tandan et al. 2021a

08.

Lycaenidae

Theclinae

Spindasis ictis (Hewitson, 1865)

Common Shot Silverline

09.

Nymphalidae

Danainae

Euploea klugii (Moore, 1858)

King Crow

10.

Lycaenidae

Theclinae

Ancema blanka (de Nicéville 1894)

Silver Royal

Tandan et al. 2021b

11.

Lycaenidae

Polyommatinae

Tarucus balkanicus Bethune-(Baker, 1918)

Black-spotted Pierrot

Chand et al. 2022

 

 

For images - - click here for full pdf

 

 

References

 

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Chandra, K., R.M. Sharma, A. Singh & R.K. Singh (2007). A checklist of butterflies of Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh states, India. Zoos’ Print Journal 22(8): 2790– 2798. https://doi.org/10.11609/JoTT.ZPJ.1708.2790-8

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