Butterfly survey spots 10 new species in Salim Ali sanctuary

Spot Duke butterfly, which has curved short black lines with a crimson or red spot between them.

Presence of 10 new butterfly species has been reported from Salim Ali Bird Sanctuary in Thattekad.

The new species were recorded during a survey held last week. With this, the number of butterfly species recorded from the sanctuary has reached 140, according to Dr. Unnikrishnan Puilikal who led the assessment.

Species like Malabar Flash, Travancore Evening Brown, Blue Oak leaf and Red Spot Duke were spotted during the survey supported by the Kerala Forest Department.

The forest department has also introduced a batch of 20 students of nearby schools to butterfly-watching during the survey. They were imparted training on the basics of butterfly-watching.

Handbooks on birdwatching were also distributed to 350 school students in the region. Students who have picked up interest in the birds and butterflies will be given training. Experts in birdwatching would lead the programme, forest officials said.

Wildlife warden K. Saji, Assistant Wildlife warden M.P. Sanjayan, and butterfly watchers T.P. Arun and Sreeni Palakkal were among those who took part in the survey.