Rich butterfly fauna treasured

Enhancing the bio diversity of Lassana Sri Lanka:

by Rosanne Koelmeyer Anderson

To most children they have been so special and some of them never seem to have grown out of it. As adults too continue to appreciate the species and observe its habitat very closely. Butterflies are special, beautiful and colourful and a very delicate group of insects that seem to attract every one.
 

The world's largest butterfly, the Alexander Queen Butterfly is in Papua New Guinea. Butterflies are so delicate that the slightest variation of its environment and the continuous loss of local vegetation could jeopardize their reproduction and badly affect its existence.

This has made it the most deeply studied insect group in Sri Lanka explained entomologist, V. A. P. Samarawickrama of the IUCN Sri Lanka in a recent presentation on the richness of butterfly fauna in Sri Lanka.

"The pioneering work on this delicate species was done way back in 1880 and many scientists like Ormiston in 1924, Woodhouse and Henry in 1942 and D'Abrera in 1998 followed the chain.
 

Butterflies contribute towards a major component of the island's bio diversity, comprising 243 species, 20 being endemic to Sri Lanka. Butterflies belong to the distinct order of insects, the largest family of the Sri Lankan butterflies being the Lycanidae family (Blues and Hairstreakers) comprising 85 species while the Hesperidae family (Skippers and Darts) comprises 48 species (D'Abrera, 1998). Danaidae (Tigers and Crows), Papilionidae (Birdwings and Swallow-tails) are also largely represented in Sri Lanka.

The Common Tinsel Catapaecilma major is now being considered as one of the rarest butterflies in the country and has been recorded in Haldummulla and Kandy (Woodhouse, 1952; D'Abrera, 1998). The Blue Oakleaf butterfly, Kallima philarchus , is also endemic to Sri Lanka. It can be sighted from lowlands to the higher hills, wherever there is a heavy forest. It belongs to the family Nymphalidae and is relatively large in size. It is easily distinguishable due to its size and colouration".

"If you see butterflies enjoying the nectar on Rat mal observe carefully. It is likely to be a Blue Mormon endemic and one of the biggest butterflies in Sri Lanka. Found throughout in the island, its flight is strong and fast and the female is larger.

The large Blue Mormon butterfly is associated with nectaring on Rat mal (Ixora coccinea ), a beautiful native plant while the Grey Pansy-the common butterfly could be commonly spotted in paddy fields and open areas where there are Lantana flowers.

The Common Jazebel on the other hand could be found throughout Sri Lanka while the Common Rose could be found through out the island and takes part in island migration and so is the Common Pierrot, a small common butterfly. The Common Birdwing is also considerably one of the biggest in Sri Lanka and found through out the island but rare in the hills.

The Common Banded Peacock too is a very beautiful and rare butterfly found in wooded areas of lowland to high hills while the Gladeye Bush Brown is a small and colourful butterfly found throughout the island. Moving to the southern part of the island is the Glassy Tiger, a very common butterfly which prefers to rest in the shade of forest during the heat of the day and so is the Plain Tiger, a common butterfly often seen in the open woodland and shrub jungles, for familiarizing oneself with the butterflies of Sri Lanka, the butterfly expert explained.
 

Considering the history of butterfly studies in Sri Lanka it is known that the earliest specimen from the island appearing in European scientific literature was the holotype of papilio hector.

After this, Europeans are said to have collected specimens from the island (D'Abrera, 1998) and The butterflies of Ceylon (1924) by W. Ormiston and The butterfly fauna of Ceylon (1942 to 1952) by L. G. O. Woodhouse are the only recordings of literature available on butterfly studies of Sri Lanka in the early era.

Their habitats range from the hottest areas in the arid zones to the coolest areas in the forested hills. Some butterflies can be seen all year round while others are seasonal. In size, they range from the large, aptly named Bird-wing butterfly to the tiny, just as aptly named, Grass Jewel while the highest number of butterflies species are in the foothills up to 3000 feet elevation and about half a dozen species are above 4000 feet. Twenty species are strictly confined to the dry zone below 500 feet. They are seasonal insects", he explained.

Species distribution of butterflies can be identified with several district zones; most species having being recorded in the wet zone where endemism is higher than that of the dry zone.

The Lycanidae family is more prevalent in the wet zone while Danaides and Pierids are relatively commoner in the dry zone while some are strictly restricted to the hill country.

One of the most important wet zone swamps, an area listed in the Directory of Asian Wetlands by the IUCN in 1989 and declared a sanctuary under the Fauna and Flora Protection Ordinance by Gazette Extraordinary No. 620/9 of July 25, 1990 is rich community of butterflies among is other habitat of animals, fresh and blackish water fish, a number of waterfowls, tetrapod and serpentoid reptiles and several mammals.

Interestingly, 69 species of Sri Lankan butterflies are said to take part in local migration making migration a very remarkable phenomenon. More interestingly it is said that butterflies migrate only once during their lifetime and do not return to their native habitat probably to avoid competition, protect from predators and to seek new habitats for their generations.

"However, the behaviour of butterflies have been rather poorly documented in Sri Lanka except for life cycle studies.

Generally the butterflies are more active in the morning and evening and get activated after the rains. The differences between butterflies and moths are that most butterflies fly during the day whilst most moths fly at night. Most butterflies have distinctly clubbed antennae whilst those of the moth are straight, plumed or filamentous.

Butterflies generally rest with their wings closed above their bodies whilst the moths rest with their wings spread out. Moreover, females of certain species lay their eggs on only certain types of plants like the Ceylon Tiger for instance which lays its eggs on a plant which is found 4,000 feet above sea level in the hill capital only which makes the distribution of butterflies in Sri Lanka is closely distributed with the distribution of plants".

"An interest in butterflies should be created among the younger generation so that they would get involved in conservation.

Despite the inevitable loss of habitats of butterflies, there are still many things we can do to conserve butterflies by providing habitats wherever possible by planting of a few larval host plants in home gardens, for instance, is a very effective way of conserving butterfly populations.

Most butterflies have been observed thriving on nectar of flowers and even prickly lantana. Lantana camara acts as a major source of food for most Danaids while some species feed on fruits. The Common Evening brown Melanitis leda and the Common Palmfly Elymnias hypermnestra are said to frequently feed on ripened Jak fruit for example," he said.

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