New butterfly species discovered in Kerala

Subject: Environment

Section: Species in news

Context: Caltoris bromus sadasiva is the first Bromus swift butterfly to be documented in the Western Ghats.

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A group of lepidopterists has discovered a butterfly subspecies from the fringes of Akkulam and Vembanad lakes in Kerala.
The newly-described taxon Caltoris bromus sadasiva has been discovered by Travancore Nature History Society research associate KaleshSadasivan.
It is also the first record of the species Bromus swift( Caltorisbromus).
The butterfly was first spotted at Akkulam lake in 2005 and later in Vembanad in 2009 by Dr. Sadasivan, who subsequently reared the species from larvae on the host plant Phragmites karka (tall reed) to confirm the identity of the taxon.

Caltoris bromus sadasiva

Caltoris bromus sadasiva is the first Bromus swift butterfly to be documented in the Western Ghats.
The species Bromus swift (Caltoris Bromus), is a skipper butterfly belonging to the Hesperiidae family of Lepidoptera (moths and butterflies), from the Western Ghats and Peninsular India.
Caltoris is an Indo-Australian genus has over 15 species distributed across southeast Asia.
Caltoris Bromus is one of them and has two other subspecies Caltorisbromusbromus and Caltorisbromusyanuca.
The butterfly has a wingspan of around 3-4 cm and has a dark brown colour with a purple gloss. It has a distinctive thin, curved, purple line on the upper surface of its wings.
The Indian Purple Line is usually found in moist deciduous forests and in degraded forests with a dense undergrowth of shrubs and herbs. It is also found in tea plantations and along streams in hilly areas. The butterfly feeds on the nectar of various plants including the Flame-of-the-forest, wild flowers, and lantana.