Important Facts For Prelims
Palmking
- 15 Apr 2022
- 2 min read
Why in News?
Recently, the rare butterfly Palmking (Amathusia phidippus) was sighted for the first time in Tamil Nadu.
- It is the 321st species of butterfly found in Tamil Nadu among the 1,500 species in India.
What is Palmking?
- About:
- Palmking was first recorded in South India by British scientist H.S.Ferguson in 1891. More than a Century later, it was rediscovered in 2007.
- Palmking belongs to the Nymphalidae subfamily and feeds on palm, coconut and calamus varieties of plants.
- The butterfly is characterised by its brown colour and dark bands and is described as reclusive, mostly resting in the shade.
- It is not easy to spot a Palmking because its wood colour makes for easy camouflage and it rarely spreads its wings.
- Distribution:
- This butterfly is widely distributed across parts of India, Myanmar, Indo China, Peninsular Malaysia and Thailand.
- It occurs in the Indonesian archipelago and the Philippines.
- In India, Palmking sightings were recorded in the forests of Arippa, Shendurney, Periyar Tiger Reserve in the south of Western Ghats.
UPSC Civil Services Examination, Previous Year Questions (PYQs)
Q. Recently, our scientists have discovered a new and distinct species of banana plant which attains a height of about 11 metres and has orange coloured fruit pulp. In which part of India has it been discovered? (2016)
(a) Andaman Islands
(b) Anaimalai Forests
(c) Maikal Hills
(d) Tropical rain forests of northeast
Ans: (a)
- A new species of banana, Musa indandamanensis was discovered by a team of scientists from the Botanical Survey of India (BSI) from a remote Krishna Nalah tropical rain forest on the Little Andaman Islands.
