Recently, a four-ringed butterfly was rediscovered in the Namdapha National Park after 61 years.
About Four-ringed butterfly:
- The great four-ring (Ypthima cantliei), a species of Satyrinae butterfly.
- It was photographed during a survey to document the butterfly diversity in the Miao range of the Namdapha National Park during 2018-19.
- It was identified based on general morphological patterns and habitat.
- It was last reported in 1957 from (eastern) Assam’s Margherita.
- It is considered a rich genus of the family Nymphalidae which has some 6,000 species of butterflies. Of the 35 Ypthima species recorded in India, 23 have been reported from the northeast.
- The highest Ypthima diversity is in China, particularly in the Yunnan and Sichuan provinces. The diversity is also vast in Nepal, Bhutan and Myanmar apart from the northeastern part of India.
Key facts about the Namdapha National Park
- It is located in the state of Arunachal Pradesh.
- It is flanked by the Patkai hills to the south and southeast and by the Himalayas to the north.
- It is located between the Dapha Bum range of the Mishmi Hills and the Patkai range. The region is a part of both the Palearctic and Indo-Malayan biogeographic areas.
- Namdapha is the name of a river which originates from Daphabum and meets the Noa-Dehing river.
- This river flows right across in a North-South direction of the National Park and hence the name Namdapha has been given.
- Fauna: It is the only park in the World to have the four Feline species of big cat namely the Tiger (Panthera Tigris), Leopard (Panthera Pardus), Snow Leopard (Panthera Uncia) and Clouded Leopard (Neofelis Nebulosa) and numbers of Lesser cats.
- Flora: Evergreen Forests, Moist deciduous forests, sub-tropical forests, Temperate Forests and Alpine.
UPSC Prelims PYQ : 2016
Ques : Recently, our scientists have discovered a new and distinct species of banana plant which attains a height of about 11 meters and has orange-coloured fruit pulp. In which part of India has it been discovered?
(a) Andaman Islands
(b) Anaimalai Forests
(c) Maikala Hills
(d) Tropical rain forests of Northeast
Ans: a)
