Key Highlights
- On 5 May 2021, researchers documented the Banded Royal butterfly for the first time in Tripura, specifically within Sepahijala Wildlife Sanctuary.
- The species is now officially listed under Schedule II of the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, granting it statutory protection.
- Male specimens exhibit a deep violet‑blue gloss with dark margins, while females are brown with conspicuous white spots; both sexes bear pale‑brown ventral surfaces marked by a striking white band.
- Sepahijala Sanctuary spans 18.53 km² of dense, moist‑deciduous forest, hosting over 450 plant species and a diverse vertebrate assemblage.
- The finding expands the known Indian range of R. j. indra, which already includes Assam, Meghalaya, Jharkhand, the Western Ghats, the Andaman Islands, and several Southeast Asian nations.
Detailed Insights
The discovery emerged from an opportunistic lepidopteran survey conducted by a team of entomologists attached to a broader biodiversity assessment of Sepahijala Wildlife Sanctuary. The butterfly was observed perched on broad leaves within the sanctuary's understory, a habitat preference consistent with its known ecology across South and Southeast Asia.
Documentation of the specimen was peer‑reviewed and published in *Munis Entomology & Zoology*, thereby cementing its status in the scientific record. The inclusion of R. j. indra under Schedule II of the Wildlife (Protection) Act mandates the preservation of its habitats and restricts activities that might jeopardize its survival.
Sepahijala Sanctuary, located roughly 25 km from Agartala, the capital of Tripura, is partitioned into zones for carnivores, primates, ungulates, reptiles, and avifauna. The sanctuary supports a rich flora of 456 identified plant species, including several economically important bamboos and medicinal herbs. Faunal constituents feature Rhesus macaques, spectacled langurs, leopards, clouded leopards, and the recently re‑established crab‑eating mongoose.
This record underscores the critical role of sustained field research in unveiling concealed components of regional biodiversity, thereby informing conservation priorities and reinforcing the necessity of protected area management.
Key Concepts
- Schedule II (Wildlife Protection Act): A legal category in Indian law that affords species a higher degree of protection against hunting, trade, and habitat disturbance.
- Ventural white band: A diagnostic pale‑white transverse marking on the underside of the butterfly’s wings, instrumental for species identification.
- Moist deciduous forest: A forest type characterized by a seasonal shedding of leaves and a relatively high moisture regime, typical of many Indian protected areas.
- Lepidopteran survey: A systematic effort to catalog butterfly and moth species within a defined geographic locale.
- Biogeographic range: The spatial distribution of a species across different ecological zones and political boundaries.