Journal of
Threatened Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | 26 June 2018 | 10(7):
11984–11987
New Lycaenid butterfly records from Jammu
& Kashmir, India
Shakha Sharma 1 & Neeraj Sharma2
1 Department of Zoology, Government Gandhi
Memorial Science College, Jammu, Jammu & Kashmir 180006, India
2 Institute of Mountain Environment,
University of Jammu, Bhaderwah, Jammu & Kashmir
182222, India
1 shakhasharma24@gmail.com, 2nirazsharma@gmail.com (corresponding author)
doi: http://doi.org/10.11609/jott.4046.10.7.11984-11987 | ZooBank:urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:3B4BF797-968A-43A5-83D2-3EC6607B43A8
Editor: James Young, Hong Kong Lepidoptera
Society, Tuen Mun, Hong Kong. Date
of publication: 26 June 2018 (online & print)
Manuscript details: Ms# 4046 | Received 01 February 2018 | Final received 04 May 2018 | Finally
accepted 01 June 2018
Citation: Sharma, S. & N. Sharma (2018). New Lycaenidbutterfly records from Jammu & Kashmir, India. Journal
of Threatened Taxa 10(7): 11984–11987; http://doi.org/10.11609/jott.4046.10.7.11984-11987
Copyright: © Sharma & Sharma
2018. Creative Commons
Attribution 4.0 International License. JoTTallows unrestricted use of this article in any medium, reproduction and
distribution by providing adequate credit to the authors and the source of
publication.
Funding: Institute of Mountain Environment,
University of Jammu.
Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests.
Acknowledgements: The authors gratefully acknowledge the
Faculty of Life Sciences, Institute of Mountain Environment, Universityof Jammu for the field surveys and laboratory access. The authors are also thankful to the
Department of Forests and Wildlife Protection, Government of Jammu &
Kashmir for the help and support during the field surveys.
The Jammu region of the Himalayan state of Jammu &
Kashmir has been the least explored for butterflies and there is a substantial
lack of information on their habitat range and distribution except for few
scattered reports (Sharma & Sharma 2017). The Jammu region offers a wide range of
habitats contained in different geographical and climatic regimes ranging from
the southern alluvial plains of Ravi and Chenab to the moderately elevated Shivaliks, Pir-Panjal and Great
Himalaya further northwards bordering Kashmir in the north and Ladakh in the north-east. The recent reports on new records and
range extension suggests that the region is least explored and underrepresented
in terms of butterfly fauna in comparison to the neighbouring states of Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh and Punjab.
The butterfly surveys were conducted across different
regions of Jammu province from the southern alluvial plains of Chenab and Ravi
to the Himalaya through the Shivaliks and Pir-Panjal mountains during June 2016 to February
2018. The areas covered included Kalidhar and Dalhori forests in
district Rajouri (west), Mansar-Surinsar-Manwalrange, districts Jammu, Samba and Udhampur (south), Mansar-Manwal, Billawar-Basoholi-Bani,
district Kathua (east), Bhaderwah,
district Doda (north), and Paddarin district Kishtwar (northeast) within an elevation
range of 320–3,200 m (Fig. 1). During the explorations, we observed seven lycaenidbutterfly species previously not recorded from the state of Jammu &
Kashmir. All the species were
photographed in the field and geo-coordinates recorded. The species were identified by consulting
available literature, viz., keys (Evans 1927, 1932), catalogue (Varshney & Smetacek 2015),
field guides and books (Varshney 1983, 1993; Kunte 2006; Pajni et al. 2006;
Singh 2010; Kehimkar 2014, 2016; Smetacek2016; Sondhi & Kunte2018), annotated checklist (van Gasse 2013), besides
the online resources (Anonymous 2018 a,b,c,d;Chandrasekharan 2018). The distribution range of butterflies
was ascertained from the synoptic catalogue of butterflies of India (Varshney & Smetacek 2015).
Subfamily Lycaeninae
Eastern Blue
Sapphire Heliophorus oda (Hewitson, 1865)
Known distribution until this study: India (Himachal
Pradesh to Sikkim), Nepal, Bhutan (van Gasse 2013; Kehimkar 2014, 2016; Varshney & Smetacek 2015; Smetacek 2016; Sondhi & Kunte 2018; Anonymous 2018a).
Remarks: A female individual (Image 1) was
spotted sitting on a rock during an overcast afternoon on 13 June 2016 at Marwah (2,800m), Kishtwar. The species has not been recorded
anywhere from the region afterwards. Eastern Blue Sapphire shows an established distribution across the
Himalaya, particularly the neighbouring Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand states and thus could be a possible range
extension of the species.
Subfamily Curetinae
Bright Sunbeam Curetis bulis bulis (Westwood, 1852)
Known distribution until this study: India (Himachal
Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, Odisha, Chattisgarh, Andhra
Pradesh), Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Myanmar (van Gasse 2013; Kehimkar 2014, 2016; Varshney & Smetacek 2015; Smetacek 2016; Sondhi & Kunte 2018; Anonymous 2018b).
Remarks: An individual was spotted flying swiftly in
open scrub interspersed with Chir Pine trees near Chwkichoura (950m), district Jammu on 20 October 2017
(Image 2). The individual kept
flying around the Chir Pines intermittently and
sitting on the leaves of Carissa opaca L. shrub. It was photographed in the field and
identified as bright sunbeam butterfly. During our visit on 22 October 2017, we again encountered an individual,
this time a few kilometers away near Kalidhar (820m) sitting with closed wings over a
sedimentary rock, for salts probably. The species has so far been reported from the adjoining state of
Himachal Pradesh and thus could be a possible range extension and a new record
for Jammu & Kashmir State.
Subfamily Theclinae
Kinnaur Walnut Blue Chaetoprocta odata (Hewitson, 1865)
Known distribution until this study: India (Chitral, Himachal Pradesh) (van Gasse2013; Varshney & Smetacek2015; Smetacek 2016; Sondhi& Kunte 2018; Anonymous 2018c).
Remarks: One individual was spotted sitting on Pteris biaurita L.
in a patch of pure Pinus wallichiana A.B. Jacks. near Bhaderwah on 24 June 2016 at an elevation of 1,750m. Another individual (Image 3) was spotted
basking over a leaf of Rumex nepalensis Sprengel on a
sunny afternoon on 09 July 2017 near village Massu(2,750m) Paddar, KishtwarDistrict. Not common, it is the
first confirmed report of its distribution in Jammu & Kashmir State.
Common Onyx Horaga onyx onyx (Moore, 1857)
Known distribution until this study: India (Western
Ghats of Maharashtra southwards, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand,
Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh), Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh,
Myanmar, Sri Lanka (Kehimkar2014, 2016; Varshney & Smetacek2015; Smetacek 2016; Chandrasekharan2018; Sondhi & Kunte2018).
Remarks: One individual was spotted near a spring
beside a small market at Bhambla (680m), Rajouri District. The individual kept flying over the Ipomea pes-tigridis L., a climber
before settling down for nectar feeding over the flower heads of Tridax procumbens L.
(Image 4). The authors again
recorded this species from G.G.M. Science College (320m) and Environmental Park
(340m), Jammu as well. The species has its recorded distribution
till Himachal Pradesh and thus could be a range extension further northwards to
the state of Jammu & Kashmir
Brown Onyx Horaga albimacula viola(Moore, 1882)
Known distribution until this study: India (Western
Ghats of Kerala and Karnataka, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand,
Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh), Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Myanmar(Kehimkar 2014, 2016; Varshney& Smetacek 2015; Smetacek2016; Anonymous 2018d; Sondhi & Kunte 2018).
Remarks:
One individual was spotted in the botanical gardens (320m) of Government Gandhi
Memorial Science College, Jammu on a sunny morning on 13 November 2017. The individual, a fast flier, suddenly
dropped from the nearby plantation to settle over the leaf of Catharanthus roseus(L.) G.Don (Image 5) for a few seconds before
flying away to be never seen again. The species has so far been recorded until Himachal Pradesh and thus a
new record for the state of Jammu & Kashmir.
Acacia Blue Surendra quercetorum (Moore,
1858)
Known distribution until this study: India (Western
Ghats, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha,
Jharkhand, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Uttar
Pradesh, Bihar, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh ), Nepal,
Bhutan, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Sri Lanka (Kehimkar2014, 2016; Varshney & Smetacek2015; Smetacek 2016; Sondhi& Kunte 2018).
Remarks: A female individual was spotted basking on Mallotus philippensis (Lam.) Muell.Arg. near Kalidhar (750m), Rajouri on 22
October 2017. A male was again
spotted swiftly flying and finally settling on a Ficus benghalensis L. leaf on 28 December
2017. Another male (Image 6) was
spotted in the Environmental Park (340m), Jammu on 20 January 2018. The earlier reports on distribution of the
species restrict it to Himachal Pradesh and its sightings around Jammu thus
confirms the range extension and thereby an addition to the butterfly fauna of
Jammu & Kashmir.
Silver Streak Blue Iraota timoleon timoleon (Stoll, 1790)
Current known distribution: India (Tamil Nadu, Kerala,
Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand,
Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Uttarakhand, Uttar
Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal, Arunachal Pradesh, northeastern India), Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar,
Sri Lanka (Kehimkar 2014, 2016; Varshney& Smetacek 2015; Smetacek2016; Sondhi & Kunte2018).
Remarks: A pair was noted flying swiftly around a M.philippensis tree until one individual (Image 7)
settled on a dried leaf for a while near Bal Jarallan on 24 November 2017 at an elevation of
950m. The individual was
photographed and identified as Silver Streak Blue. Another individual (Image 8) was spotted
at a much lower elevation, this time at the Government Gandhi Memorial Science
College, Jammu (320m) on a sunny afternoon on 01 February 2018. The species has its established
distribution recorded in Himachal Pradesh thus suggesting a possible range
extension further northwards to the state of Jammu & Kashmir.
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