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Butterfly Checklist of Coimbatore District
Nymphalidae: This is easily the dominant family in terms of species count. 77 species are recorded from the District of Coim-
batore which includes rarities and species of importance like Southern Duffer, Brown King Crow, White-bar Bushbrown, Tamil
Catseye, Tamil Lacewing, Small Leopard and Short-banded Sailer. Some of the attractive species from this family which are
seen from the district include Clipper, Cruiser, Map Butterfly, Joker, Blue Admiral, Indian Red Admiral, Painted Lady, Painted
Courtesan and Baronet. The Milkweed butterflies (Tigers and Crows) along with Pansies and Eggflies are commonly seen.
The Blues, the Lycaenidae family species are generally called, equal in terms of species count with Nymphalidae and stand at
76 species. These species are relatively smaller to medium in size. In fact, the smallest butterfly found in India, the Oriental
Grass Jewel has a good presence in the city. Two recent finds to the state are from this city recently and they are White Tufted
Royal and Black-spotted Pierrot. Species of importance and rarity include Many-tailed Oakblue, Common Onyx, Common Tin-
sel, Plane, Silver Royal, Silver-streaked Acacia Blue, Large 4-lineblue and Abnormal Silverline. The attractive Many-tailed Oak-
blue, Red Pierrot, Shiva Sunbeam and Silverlines are seen in good numbers. Grass Blues and Lineblues are the commonest.
The Riodinidae family is represented by just one species- Double-banded Judy.
Skippers are smaller in size, comparatively duller and are active in mornings and evenings and can fly faster. The District has 64
species from this Hesperiidae family. Rarities and specialities include Madras Ace, Tree Flitter, Wax Dart, Bicolour Ace, Angled
Flat, Orange Awlet and Orange-tail Awl. Commoners include Indian Skipper, African Marbled Skipper, Palm-Darts, Branded
Swifts, Rice Swifts and Straight Swifts. Because of their smaller size, cryptic appearance, they tend to go unnoticed unlike the
other families. They are seen from low elevation to very high elevation.
Butterfly Hotspots
Hotspots are those places where the species richness is easily felt not only during their peak season, but throughout the year.
Many places in Coimbatore District easily falls into these categories and some of them like Kallar are known for naturalists
thronging for rarities throughout the year. In Coimbatore District, Siruvani tops the list (with more than 220 species sighting),
followed by Kallar (175 species), Valparai, Ettimadai, Anaikatti, Ponnuthu and Top Slip. There are many hotspots are yet to be
explored as not every place is accessible for the public and needs Forest Department permission.
The lists were compiled by TNBS members including Theivaprakasham H, Nishanth CV, Gopal Krishnan, Viswa Nathan and Bala-
krishnan apart from the author. Thanks are due to all those who have made the sightings and reported to us and in our online
forum. Thanks, are also due to the Forest Department who gave us permission to visit certain places.
Coimbatore District gets only an average of 59 cm rain in a year, both from South West Monsoon and North-East Monsoon
combined, and the butterfly season is from October to December, many a species are seen during these months than in any
other months and in good numbers.
Disclaimer: People who would like to use these checklist should acknowledge Tamil Nadu Butterfly Society.
PATTAMPOOCHI
A TNBS MAGAZINE
WINGS 2 VEINS 1
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