Geography of Indian Butterflies: Patterns Revealed by Checklists of Federal States.

Butterflies are widely used to analyze biogeographical patterns, both at the global and regional scales. Thus far, most of the latter originated from well-surveyed northern regions, while the species-rich tropical areas lag due to a lack of appropriate data. We used checklists of 1379 butterfly species recorded in 36 federal states of the Republic of India (1) to explore the basic macroecological rules, and (2) to relate species richness and the distribution of endemics and geographic elements to geography, climate, land covers and socioeconomic conditions of the states. The area, land covers diversity and latitude did not affect species richness, whereas topographic diversity and the precipitation/temperature ratio (energy availability) were positive predictors. This is due the geographic and climatic idiosyncrasies of the Indian subcontinent, with its highest species richness in the small, densely forested mountainous northeast that receives summer monsoons. The peninsular effect that decreases the richness towards the tip of subcontinent is counterbalanced by the mountainous forested Western Ghats. Afrotropical elements are associated with savannahs, while Palearctic elements are associated with treeless habitats. The bulk of Indian butterfly richness, and the highest conservation priorities, overlap with global biodiversity hotspots, but the mountainous states of the Western Himalayas and the savannah states of peninsular India host distinctive faunas.

A new species of the genus Subniganda Kiriakoff, 1962 (Lepidoptera: Notodontidae) from India and Nepal.

The present paper describes a new species of Notodontidae Subniganda bambusoides Mazumder & Schintlmeister sp. nov. from the Himalayan and northeastern landscapes of India and Nepal. It also provides a comparative diagnosis with its congeners S. tristan (Schintlmeister, 1997) and S. isolde (Schintlmeister, 1997) along with detailed morphological and genitalic illustrations.

New and less known Notodontidae from Manipur, India (Lepidoptera: Noctuoidea).

The present study discusses the systematic accounts of 66 species of the family Notodontidae recorded from the Indian state of Manipur. There are some records of the moths from other places including Sikkim (India) and Nepal in addition to Shirui Hill, Manipur. Here, we report, (1) three new species to science viz. Cleapa ukhrulensis Irungbam & Schintlmeister sp. nov., Spatalina rimbiensis Irungbam & Schintlmeister sp. nov. and Hexafrenum tangkhula Irungbam & Schintlmeister sp. nov.; (2) seventeen species for the first time from India: Hupodonta corticalis Butler, 1877, Chalepa binotata Kiriakoff, 1959, Besaia isis Schintlmeister, 1997, Ogulina. argentilinea Cai, 1982, Bireta juncturina (Kiriakoff, 1959), Spatalina melanopa Schintlmeister, 2007, S. desiccata desiccata (Kiriakoff, 1963), S. umbrosa (Leech, 1898), Phalera albocalceolata (Bryk, 1950), Neodrymonia albinomarginata Schintlmeister, 2007, Syntypistis wunna (Schintlmeister, 1997), S. scensus (Schintlmeister, 1997), Harpyia nadiae Morozov, 2013, Hexafrenum viola (Schintlmeister, 1997), Rachiades lichenicolor siamensis Sugi, 1993, Pheosiopsis norina Schintlmeister, 1989, and Periphalera spadixa Wu & Fang, 2003; and (3) one genus for the first time from India: Rachiades Kiriakoff, 1967. Thus, the present study updates the Indian Notodontidae richness to a total of 281 species (including nominotypical subspecies) and 16 subspecies under 120 genera. Here, we provide species diagnoses along with habitus, and genitalia images for each of these newly recorded species.

AN INVENTORY OF THE BUTTERFLIES OF MANIPUR, INDIA (INSECTA: LEPIDOPTERA).

The butterfly fauna of Manipur is poorly known, and a few sporadic studies were carried out decades ago. In this study, butterflies were photographed and/or collected in 80 localities including revisiting of 12 historical localities in the hills and valleys from Manipur state, India. Butterflies were regularly sampled between 2010 and 2019. In the present checklist, we have included both previously published and recently recorded species: 798 species belong to six families; Papilionidae (52 sp.), Pieridae (39 sp.), Riodinidae (17 sp.), Lycaenidae (225 sp.), Nymphalidae (270 sp.), and Hesperiidae (195 sp.). Eight species were rediscovered during the study; Byasa latreillei kabrua, Papilio machaon suroia, Lamproptera meges indistincta, Bhutanitis lidderdalii lidderdalii, Lethe kangjupkula, Una usta usta, Arhopala hellenore hellenore and Celaenorrhinus munda maculicornis. Thirty-two species were new records to Manipur; Papilio agestor agestor, Lamproptera curius curius, Appias albina darada, Artogeia erutae montana, Miletus mallus, Flos fulgida fulgida, Cigaritis nipalicus, Rapala rectivitta, Heliophorus kohimensis, H. tamu, Jamides caeruleus, Tarucus venosus, Everes huegelii dipora, Talicada nyseus nyseus, Lestranicus transpectus, Euploea radamanthus radamanthus, Lethe distans, L. dura gammiei, L. latiaris latiaris, L. sura, Neope pulaha, N. yama yama, Zipaetis scylax, Algia fasciata fasciata, Athyma opaline, Pantoporia paraka paraka, Kallima knyvettii, Celaenorrhinus asmara, Hyarotis adrastus praba, Erionota torus, Baoris penicillata chapmani, and Potanthus mingo ajax of which, Miletus mallus was a new record for India. Ninety species are legally protected in schedules (I, II IV) of Indian (Wildlife) Protection Act, 1972.

Euhampsonia rubricata spec. nov., a new moth species from northeastern India and western Myanmar (Lepidoptera: Notodontidae).

A new notodontid species, Euhampsonia rubricata spec. nov., is described from NW India and W Myanmar and compared to its eastern sister species E. sinjaevi Schintlmeister, 1997. The female genitalia of the latter are illustrated for the first time. A full synonymic list of the genus Euhampsonia is provided.