A tiny butterfly species has been discovered in the verdant forests of the Changlang district in Arunachal Pradesh. The butterfly has been named as the Banded Tit (Hypolycaena Narada). The Banded Tit is a denizen of low-lying evergreen forests of Changlang and has an interesting life cycle.
What is Special about Banded Tit?
- The adult butterflies live only for approximately two weeks in March every year.
- It is assumed that they spend large part of the remaining year in a dormant state in larval or pupal stages
- The butterflies feed primarily on bird-droppings along cool streams in the forests.
- Much of its biology is still a mystery. Its larval host plants, breeding behavior and precise habitat requirements are unknown.
A new butterfly species called the Bright-eyed Argus (Callerebia Dibangensis) was last discovered in Arunachal Pradesh a few years ago.
Interesting Facts About Butterflies
- Butterflies range in size from a tiny 1/8 inch to a huge almost 12 inches.
- The Monarch butterflies fly from the Great Lakes to the Gulf of Mexico, a distance of about 2,000 miles, and return to the north again in the spring.
- Scientists estimate that there are between 15000 and 20000 different species of butterfly.
- Butterflies and insects have their skeletons on the outside of their bodies, called the exoskeleton.
Scientific Classification of Butterfly
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Suborder: Rhopalocera
Test Your Knowledge
India’s first Butterfly Park is located in __________? Bannerghatta, Bangalore.
