Nilgiris Butterfly Record

Oct 2024 The Nilgiris, a lush mountainous region of southern India, set records for butterfly observers. The Nilgiri tit (Hypolycaena nilgirica) was recorded for the first time on a terrestrial orchid with this unique host record from India. This discovery could be crucial to the conservation of this rare and protected butterfly under Schedule II of Wildlife Protection Act. This research was done near a garden of Kallar Horticultural Garden and published in the Tropical Lepidoptera.

Nilgiri Tit: A Endemic Species of Butterfly

• Native: 1884 — Nilgiris & Sri Lanka.
• Sporadically reported from a few limited localities, primarily Nilgiris foot hills.
• In the late 1980s, observations grew—well distributed through the Western Ghats.

Finding of the Larval Host Plant

• First record of the Nilgiri tit on Eulophia epidendraea as a host
• Eulophia epidendraea is found on rocky slopes in moist localities, often with grasses such as Cymbopogon flexuosus, Chrysopogon nodulibarbis and Melinis repens.

Wynter-Blyth Association where it works in the Background

• Marked the larval host plant and habitat — considerable contribution to Nilgiri tit life-cycle and habitat knowledge

Importance of Discovery

• helps us learn more about its ecology, and where specific habitats should be targeted for protection.

Future Conservation Studies

• Protects Nilgiri tit and its flora and fauna.