First national record of Yellow Owl Butterfly Neorina hilda Westwood, 1851 (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae: Satyrinae) for Nepal
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.10345.18.4.28724-28728Keywords:
Butterfly diversity, community forest, eastern Himalaya, ecological connectivity, forest habitat, Habre center, habitat protection, Kangchenjunga landscape, range extension, threatsAbstract
The present finding reports the first national record of Neorina hilda Westwood, 1851 (Nymphalidae: Satyrinae), commonly known as the Yellow Owl Butterfly from Nepal. A single adult individual was observed and photographed at Taplejung District (27.363° N, 87.724° E), eastern Nepal, on 29 July 2025. This species was recorded in an upper temperate mixed broad-leaved evergreen forest at an elevation of 2,625 m. Previously known from northeastern India and extending through Myanmar to southeastern Asia, this finding expands the current known geographical range of the species to the west. This record has important implications for butterfly conservation planning and habitat connectivity assessments in the eastern Himalaya where a detailed assessment is recommended.
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