New State Record and Range Extension of Three Butterfly Species from Gujarat, India

Authors

  • Urjit Bhatt Department of Animal Ecology & Conservation Biology, Wildlife Institute of India, Chandrabani, Dehradun 248001, Uttarakhand, INDIA
  • Ekta Shankla Department of Zoology, The Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda, Sayajigunj, Vadodara 390002, Gujarat, INDIA
  • Azaz Sidat Department of Environmental Studies, The Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda, Sayajigunj, Vadodara 390002, Gujarat, INDIA

Keywords:

conservation, distribution, geographical range, skipper, swallowtail

Abstract

The present study reports a new state record and range extension of three butterfly species: Indian Blue Mormon Papilio polymnestor (Cramer, 1775), Blank Swift Caltoris kumara (Moore, 1878), and Large Branded Swift Pelopidas subochracea (Moore, 1878) from the state of Gujarat, India. These butterflies are recorded during a three-year-long survey from January 2018 to December 2020 in Ankleshwar – an industrial town in Gujarat, India. The presence of three species provides an additional occurrence record from the known geographic distribution, i.e., 560 km to the North, from the previously known records. These sighting records signify previous sampling gaps and suggest further surveys to make a baseline database and implement effective conservation initiatives to protect the butterfly fauna in this area.

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Published

2022-11-23

How to Cite

[1]
Bhatt, U. , Shankla, E. and Sidat, A. 2022. New State Record and Range Extension of Three Butterfly Species from Gujarat, India. Tropical Natural History. 22, 1 (Nov. 2022), 67–71.

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Original Articles