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UPSC PALMKING - English

PALMKING

Why in News?

Recently, the rare butterfly Palmking (Amathusia phidippus) was sighted for the first time in Tamil Nadu.

About

• It is the 321st species of butterfly found in Tamil Nadu among the 1,500 species in India.
• Palmking was first recorded in South India by British scientist H.S.Ferguson in 1891. More than a Century later, it was rediscovered in 2007.
• Palmking belongs to the Nymphalidae subfamily and feeds on palm, coconut and calamus varieties of plants.
• The butterfly is characterised by its brown colour and dark bands and is described as reclusive, mostly resting in the shade.
• It is not easy to spot a Palmking because its wood colour makes for easy camouflage and it rarely spreads its wings.
• his butterfly is widely distributed across parts of India, Myanmar, Indo China, Peninsular Malaysia and Thailand.
• It occurs in the Indonesian archipelago and the Philippines.
• In India, Palmking sightings were recorded in the forests of Arippa, Shendurney, Periyar Tiger Reserve in the south of Western Ghats.

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