A new species of butterfly called the Banded Tit was spotted in the northeastern state of Arunachal Pradesh quite recently. Its discovery was revealed by the state Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife and Biodiversity). This tiny species goes by the scientific name Hypolycaena Narada and can be found in the low-lying evergreen forest lands of Changlang.
The lifespan of the adult Banded Tit is just two weeks, and it can be seen fluttering about Changlang in March each year. It has a very intriguing life cycle which sees it spend most of the year in a dormant stage. During this time, the butterfly is expected to lie in the larval or pupal state, a detail that has yet to be confirmed by scientists.
The diet of the Banded Tit mostly consists of bird-droppings dotting the streams of the forested area. Since it is a newly discovered species, not much is known about it. There’s no data on the plants that it lives off when it is in the larval stage. Even its breeding behavior and precise habitat needs are largely a mystery to researchers. In 2013, a previously unrecorded species of butterfly called the Bright-eyes Argus or Callerebia Dibangensis (pictured below), was observed in Arunachal Pradesh.
The state plays host to 20 percent of fauna species in India, 4500 species of flowering plants, 23 species of conifers, 35 bamboos species, 400 species of pteridophytes, 20 species of canes, 52 Rhododendron species and over 500 species of orchids. It is counted among the world’s 12 mega diversity ‘hot spots’. Sadly, forestry is the biggest source of employment here, and thus the gradual destruction of a variety of flora and fauna may be inevitable in spite of conservation efforts.
Dr Krushnamegh Kunte from the National Center for Biological Sciences in Bengaluru, has described the Banded Tit butterfly in one of his research papers. It’s clear from this new find that the forests of Arunachal Pradesh have many more secrets yet to be uncovered and much more should be done it preserve its ecological diversity.