Tripura Records Rare Banded Royal Butterfly, Study Makes It To Munis Journal

The butterfly was first seen in the state on May 5, 2021 and is legally protected under Wildlife Act.

Agartala: The rare Banded Royal butterfly, scientifically known as Rachana Jalindra Indra, has been spotted at the Sepahijala Wildlife Sanctuary in Tripura's Sepahijala district.

Research makes it to Munis journal

The research on the species, conducted by Suman Bhowmik, along with Chiranjib Debnath, Rupali Biswas, and Animesh Das was published on January 1 in the Munis Entomology and Zoology, a peer reviewed, bi-annual international journal of Entomology and Zoology. The researchers said the butterfly was first first seen on May 5, 2021, during an opportunistic survey in the sanctuary and is legally protected under Schedule II of the Indian Wildlife (Protected) Act, 1972. Munis Entomology and Zoology journal publishes a wide variety of papers on all aspects of Entomology and Zoology from across the World, including studies on systematics, taxonomy, nomenclature, fauna, biogeography, biodiversity, ecology, morphology, behavior, conservation, paleobiology and others.
As per the study, none of the researchers and authors, who have conducted research in the butterflies of Tripura, have recorded presence of Rachana Jalindra in the state.

Three sub-species found in India

“There are three sub-species of Rachana Jalindra found in India including Macantia from south-west India to Goa, Rachana Jalindra Tarpina in the Andamans and Rachana Jalindra Indra from Orissa to lower West Bengal and Bangladesh. Presently Rachana Jalindra indra's presence has been recorded in Assam, Meghalaya and Jharkhand”, the study reads. It said during an opportunistic survey in Sepahijala Wildlife Sanctuary on May 20, 2021, one of the authors sighted a Lycaenid butterfly busking on bushes along a forest track. “He managed to take a single photograph of the butterfly before it finally escaped into the vegetations inside Sepahijala Botanical Garden. The identification of the species as Rachana Jalindra Indra was done by cross checking the documented photograph with the available taxonomic literature. This species is legally protected under Schedule II of the Indian Wildlife (Protected) Act, 1972 (Anonymous, 1997)”, said the study.

Characteristics of Rachana Jalindra

The study further informed that Rachana Jalindra can be identified by its white underside with a broad chocolate discal band on forewing. “The white diffused area beyond the discal band on the forewing is more extensive. The wavy line above tornus on the underside hindwing is quite separated from the tornal markings. Under hindwing tornal green scales are more prominent. This species is most similar to Charana Mandarinus but the latter can be differentiated by its yellowish underside and the discal band on forewing being ferruginous brown, confluent with paler ferruginous brown marginal area unlike Rachana Jalindra. In addition, the tails in Charana Mandarinus are doubled (12 mm) as compared to Rachana Jalindra (6 mm)”, the publication added.