New records of white-line bushbrown Heteropsis malsara Moore (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae) and obscure branded swift Pelopidas agna Moore (Lepidoptera: Hesperiidae) from Uttarakhand
Shankar Kumar, Raj Shekhar Singh and Paramjit Singh
The present article confirms that two new butterflies: White-line bushbrown Heteropsis malsara (Moore, 1857) and Obscure branded swift Pelopidas agna (Moore, [1866]) reported for the first time for the state Uttarakhand of India. These butterflies are recorded during a two day survey, which was carried out from 14 to 15 October, 2018 in the Nandhaur Wildlife Sanctuary (NWLS) of Uttarakhand state. The study area was represented by tropical moist deciduous forest ecosystem and has numerous streams inside it and water fills them up during the summer. A single individual of white-line bushbrown Heteropsis malsara was observed near a water stream on October 14, 2018, at 11:00 hrs (IST) in Machli van, NWLS. The second species, obscure branded swift Pelopidas agna was photographed the same day near a forest track made of sand and gravel at 13:00 hrs (IST) approximately 200 meters apart from the site where white-line bushbrown has been recorded. Both the species were photographed from different angles to obtain enough photographs to confirm identification of the species. These two new sighting records signify previous sampling gaps and suggest further survey to make a baseline database and take effective initiatives for conservation to protect the butterfly fauna in this area.
Shankar Kumar, Raj Shekhar Singh, Paramjit Singh. New records of white-line bushbrown Heteropsis malsara Moore (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae) and obscure branded swift Pelopidas agna Moore (Lepidoptera: Hesperiidae) from Uttarakhand. J Entomol Zool Stud 2019;7(1):125-128.