The rare woody butterfly Palmking has been sighted for the first time in Tamil Nadu. It was earlier seen only in Kerala.
Context
The rare woody butterfly Palmking has been sighted for the first time in Tamil Nadu. It was earlier seen only in Kerala.
About Palmking butterfly
- Palmking (Amathusia phidippus) belongs to the Nymphalidae subfamily. It is described as reclusive, mostly resting in the shade.
- The butterfly is characterised by its brown/woody colour and dark bands. Its wood colour is an easy camouflage making it difficult to spot.
- It feeds on palm, coconut and calamus varieties of plants.
- Palmking was first recorded in South India by British scientist H.S.Ferguson in 1891. It was rediscovered in 2007 in Thenmala by C. Susanth
Tamil Nadu State Butterfly
- Tamil Yeoman butterfly species (endemic to western ghats) is Tamil Nadu state’s butterfly.
- Tamil Yeoman (Cirrochroa thais) is also known as tamil maravan which means warrior.
- It is uniformly orange in colour with a dark brown outer ring.
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