Rediscovery of the federally protected Scarce Jester Butterfly Symbrenthia silana de Nicéville, 1885 (Nymphalidae: Nymphalinae) from the Eastern Himalaya and Garo Hills, northeastern India

Symbrenthia silana, the Scarce Jester Butterfly (Nymphalidae: Nymphalinae), is legally protected under Schedule-I of India’s Wildlife (Protection) Act, and listed as Vulnerable to extinction following IUCN’s Red List Categories and Criteria in the Red Data Book of Indian butterflies. However, the sp...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: K. Kunte
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wildlife Information Liaison Development Society 2010-05-01
Series:Journal of Threatened Taxa
Online Access:http://www.threatenedtaxa.org/index.php/JoTT/article/view/494
Description
Summary:Symbrenthia silana, the Scarce Jester Butterfly (Nymphalidae: Nymphalinae), is legally protected under Schedule-I of India’s Wildlife (Protection) Act, and listed as Vulnerable to extinction following IUCN’s Red List Categories and Criteria in the Red Data Book of Indian butterflies. However, the species is so rare that it has not been seen for ca 90 years and nothing is known about its status, habitat and populations. Here I report rediscovery of the species from Sikkim, Namdapha Tiger Reserve and Nokrek National Park in the Eastern Himalaya and Garo Hills of northeastern India. The first pictures of live butterflies are presented along with information on the habits and habitat of the species, and a discussion of its status as a vulnerable species.
ISSN:0974-7893
0974-7907