Guwahati, July 28: After nearly a hundred years (99 to be precise), two butterflies - Tri-coloured Pied Flat ( Coladenia indrani uposathra) Fruhstorfer, 1911 and Crenulated Oakblue (Apporasa atkinsoni) Hewitson, 1869 - have been spotted in Manipur, proving the point that more survey is needed in the hills and valley regions of Manipur to know the butterfly fauna of the region.

The discovery has been reported by three scientists from Manipur - Baleshwor Singh Soibam, Hermenn Huidrom, and Jatishwor Singh Irungbam - in the latest issue of The Journal of Threatened Taxa. Both the species were first reported by H.C. Tytler in 1915.

Manipur has earned the state recognition as a part of the Indo-Burma biodiversity hotspot having one of the richest biodiversity in the world.

While the Coladenia indrani uposathra was spotted in 2014, the Apporasa atkinsoni was spotted in 2015.

Coladenia indrani uposathra Fruhstorfer is a medium-sized butterfly and was sighted by Baleshwor Singh Soibam from Imphal West and Bishnupur District.

Soibam spotted the butterfly, on May 4, 2014, feeding on bird droppings, at the side of a jeep track in Keibul Lamjao National Park at an altitude of 787m in Bishnupur district. Later, on May 16, 2014, the butterfly was photographed sitting under the leaves at Heibok Hills at an altitude of 785m in Imphal West District, Manipur.

Tytler, in 1915, had spotted the species near Irang river in Tamenglong district and at Sebong in Chandel district of Manipur.

The butterfly is very active and is a rapid flier when disturbed. It prefers shaded areas and is mostly found hiding on the underside of a leaf.

Harmenn Huidrom spotted the Crenulated Oakblue ( Apporasa atkinsoni) in Munnom village on December 8 last year from Yaingangpokpi Lokchao Wildlife Sanctuary at Chandel district of Manipur, which is close to the Indo-Myanmar border.

The butterfly was spotted sitting on the upper surface of a leaf with closed wings. The butterfly is usually sighted sunbathing on the leaf surface, and flies towards the canopy when disturbed.

The present sighting is significant because the site is very close to the Sebong area from where Tytler reported the specimen for the first time in Manipur.

"These records identify good butterfly localities, elevations and habitat types in Manipur where more thorough surveys and monitoring efforts are needed. Further, these sites will help in accumulating more sighting records in the future of the very rare and protected species in the state of Manipur," Jatishwor Singh Irungbam, who is doing his PhD at faculty of science, University of South Bohemia, Czech Republic, stated in the article.

"The studies on the butterfly fauna of Manipur has been neglected for a long time. Thus there is no exact records on the number of butterflies recorded from Manipur so far. Few records on the butterflies of Manipur are found in the publications of Zoological Survey of India but they are too less, thus not a reliable data. To fill this gap, we, a dedicated group researchers, have initiated a survey on the butterfly fauna of Manipur, which leads to the rediscovery of some important butterflies such a Tricolored Pied Flat and Crenulate Oakblue from different parts of Manipur," Irungbam said.