Siruvani hills- a butterfly super-hotspot

Context: A six-year study conducted by The Nature and Butterfly Society (TNBS) has identified Siruvani hills in Coimbatore district as a butterfly super-hotspot.

• Members of TNBS documented 240 (74%) out of 325 butterfly species found in T.N. from Siruvani hills between March 2015 and December 2020.
• As per a methodology formulated by TNBS, a place can be defined as a hotspot if 25% (75 species and above) of the State checklist species (325) are found in a single area.
• Butterfly presence indicates a healthy ecosystem and can act as a measure of the overall eco-system.
• The 240 butterflies are from six families — Swallowtails (17), Whites and Yellows (28), Brush-footed Butterflies (72), Blues (69), Metalmarks (1) and Skippers (53).
• The Brush-footed butterflies families are the most dominant here and rare sightings include Nilgiri Tiger, Malabar Tree Nymph, Tawny Rajah and Tamil Catseye.

Siruvani hills

• Siruvani and Muthikulam Hills are part of a wider hill range known as Palghat (Palakkad) Hills, that are forming part of Western Ghats.
• Siruvani is also home to certain tribals like the Mudugars and Irulars.

https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/tamil-nadu/siruvani-hills-identified-as-butterfly-super-hotspot/article33541803.ece

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/coimbatore/siruvani-hills-identified-as-butterfly-super-hotspot/articleshow/80204046.cms