03 Oca 2025 Cuma
Rediscovery of elusive butterfly Callerebia baileyi South, 1913 (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae: Satyrinae) after 108 years – India's first captured photographic record
Abstract : Callerebia baileyi (South, 1913) is a distinct species of the Callerebia genus, differs from the other members in wing markings, pattern and shape with traces of wavy, blackish, sub-marginal lines towards the costa, with subapical ocellus, enclosing two white dots circuitously in the forewings. The species was recorded from the Anjaw district of Arunachal Pradesh, in the border region with Tibet, in 1913, however, no photographic record, no proper ecology and habitat description of the species is available to date. The present study reports the first time photographic record and re-discovery of Callerebia baileyi (Erebia baileyi) in the Walong district of Arunachal Pradesh, after 108 years. Morphological identification was done for confirmation of the species. The re-occurrence of this species in Arunachal Pradesh is not surprising as the state is covered with forest and this species is generally confined to forests. The results of this study emphasize the need for more observation of this species to reveal the status of the butterfly, and future studies should be carried out to understand its ecology, food preferences and genetic studies which will contribute to initiating further steps towards its conservation needs.