Ziro, Oct 5: The 7th edition of the 3-day Ziro Butterfly Meet which concluded at the Tale Wildlife Sanctuary in Pange on Monday has recorded more than 60 species of butterflies including some extremely rare ones.

Among the extremely rare species to be recorded are Tytlers’ Treebrown (Lethe gemina gafuri), Bhutan Treebrown (Lethe margaritae) and Scarce Evening Brown (Cyllogenes janetae fascialata) which are legally protected under Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act. Tytler’s Treebrown was seen only once in 2010 and its photograph taken then is the only live photographic record in India and it is after a gap of 10 years, the species has been spotted for the second time. Other important findings included Pale Hockeystick Sailer (Neptis manasa) which is also protected under Schedule I and Pale Green Sailer (Neptis zaida) and Yellow Owl (Neorina hilda) under Schedule II. Bhutan Glory (Bhutanitis lidderdalii) was another star attraction of the meet. Plantation of nectaring plants in Pange Camp and tagging of several host plants in the area by the participants were the other highlights.

Scientist from the Bombay Natural History Museum (BNHS) Monsoon Jyoti Gogoi as Resource Person made presentations on the significance of butterflies in ecosystem and methods of identification. Dr. Joram Khopey made a presentation on the life cycle of Bhutan Glory and Koj Mama deliberated on host and nectaring plants. During the inaugural session on October 3, Divisional Forest Officer Abhinav Kumar emphasized on the importance of community participation in conservation activities and commended NgunuZiro for leading the local communities in this direction.

Organized by NgunuZiro in coordination with the Tale Wildlife Division and Hapoli Forest Division and coinciding with the National Wildlife Week, this edition of ZBM saw a restricted participation of 20 local enthusiasts only due to COVID-19 pandemic unlike the earlier years which saw large number of international and national participants.

The meet will conclude with a webinar on October 6 over the Zoom platform titled “ZBM-Past, Present and Future.” NgunuZiro PR