Kaziranga Named India’s Second Largest Butterfly Diversity Hub

Kaziranga National Park, renowned for its iconic one-horned rhinoceros, has now gained recognition as India’s second-largest butterfly diversity hub. Following Namdapha National Park in Arunachal Pradesh, Kaziranga is home to an impressive 446 butterfly species. This newfound distinction highlights the park’s rich biodiversity.

Research Findings

• Over 446 butterfly species have been identified in Kaziranga National Park.
• This discovery positions Kaziranga as India’s second butterfly diversity hub, just behind Namdapha National Park.
• The findings result from years of research by Dr. Monsoon Jyoti Gogoi, a young scientist who has been studying the park since 2007.

Butterfly Conservation Meet-2024

• The first-ever ‘Butterfly Conservation Meet-2024’ was held in September to focus on the detailed study of butterfly species in Kaziranga.
• The event attracted about 40 butterfly enthusiasts, including participants from North Eastern Hill University, Cotton University, Maharashtra Forest Department, Corbett Foundation, and the North East Butterflies group.

Significance of Kaziranga’s Location

• Kaziranga’s diverse butterfly population is particularly notable given its location outside the Himalayan and Patkai mountain ranges, where high species diversity is typically expected.

New Species Discovery

The study revealed 18 new species of butterflies recorded in Kaziranga that were previously unreported in India. Some notable species include,

• Burmese Threering
• Glassy Cerulean
• Dark-bordered Hedge Blue
• Andaman Yellow Banded Flat
• Ferrar’s Cerulean
• Great Red-vein Lancer
• Peacock Oakblue
• Singled-lined Flash
• Yellow-tailed Awlking
• White Palm Bob
• Dark-dusted Palm Dart
• Clavate Banded Demon
• Pale-marked Ace
• Yellow Onyx
• Long-winged Hedge Blue

Panbari Reserve Forest

• Apart from the national park, the Panbari Reserve Forest in Kaziranga is also home to a wide variety of butterfly species, further contributing to the region’s ecological richness.

New Guidebook on Butterflies

• Dr. Monsoon Jyoti Gogoi has authored a new pictorial guidebook that documents the 446 species of butterflies found in Kaziranga.

Importance of Butterfly Conservation

• Gaurab Nandi Das, a representative from the Czech Republic, presented insights on butterfly taxonomy at the meet, emphasizing the importance of butterfly conservation efforts in Kaziranga.

Kaziranga National Park

• Location : It is located in the Golaghat and Nagaon districts of Assam.
• It was declared a national park in 1974.
• It is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site and houses two-thirds of the total world population of greater one-horned rhinoceros.
• It is the largest undisturbed area in the Brahmaputra Valley floodplains.
• Vegetation : It is a mix of eastern wet alluvial grasslands, semi evergreen forests and tropical moist deciduous forests.