New butterfly species discovered in Kerala

Tags: Science and Technology State News

Recently, a group of researchers discovered a butterfly subspecies from the fringes of Akkulam and Vembanad lakes in Kerala.

An overview of the news

• The name of this subspecies of discovered butterfly is Caltoris bromus Sadashiv.

• It belongs to the skipper butterfly family of Lepidoptera (moths and butterflies).

• It is the first Bromus swift butterfly to be documented in the Western Ghats.

• Caltoris is an Indo-Australian genus with more than 15 species found in Southeast Asia.

• Caltoris bromus is one of them and its two other subspecies are Caltoris bromus bromus and Caltoris bromus yanuka.

About Vembanad Lake

• It is the largest lake in Kerala and the longest lake in India.

• The source of the lake is related to four rivers – Meenachil, Achankovil, Pampa and Manimala.

• The Vallam Kali (Nehru Trophy Boat Race) is a snake boat race held every year in August in Vembanad Lake.

• In the year 2002, it was included in the list of wetlands of international importance as defined by the Ramsar Convention.

• The Government of India has identified the Vembanad wetlands under the National Wetlands Conservation Programme.