‘Shining blue’ creature — with ‘false head’ — found basking in sun. It’s a new species
As light filtered through a forest in southern India, a “shining blue” creature perched on a leaf to enjoy the sunshine. The colorful animal caught the attention of nearby scientists and turned out to be a new species.
Researchers ventured into the Western Ghats mountain range on wildlife surveys in 2008 and 2021, according to a study published Jan. 10 in the journal Zootaxa. Knowing the area was a “biodiversity hotspot,” they set out to search for butterflies.
In the sunny forest, researchers found about 30 butterflies unlike any known species, the study said. They captured nine butterflies and, taking a closer look, realized they’d discovered a new species: Cigaritis conjuncta, or the conjoined silverline butterfly.
Conjoined silverline butterflies vary in color between males and females, researchers said.
From above, males have “dark shining blue” wings with some black edges. The lower tips of their wings have a pattern of orange dots that look like a “false head” and likely “deflects predatory attacks from the real head,” the study said. A photo shows this coloring.
From above, female conjoined silverline butterflies have “dark brown” wings with some “orange-red” patches, researchers said.
From below, the wings of male and females are the same, the study said. Both have a “pale yellow” coloring with “silver lines” and “conjoined” bands. Photos show the underside of the conjoined silverline butterfly.
Conjoined silverline butterflies live in “mid-elevation evergreen forests” and are most active “on sunny days,” the study said. The butterflies were seen perched on leaves and opening their wings to bask.
Researchers said they named the new species after its most “unique” feature: the “conjoined” bands on its wings.
Conjoined silverline butterflies have been found in two locations in Kodagu District, Karnataka, an area within the Western Ghats, the study said. Kodagu District is about 1,100 miles southwest of New Delhi.
”The butterfly fauna of the Western Ghats was believed to have been well-characterised,” the study’s lead co-author Krushnamegh Kunte told McClatchy News via email. “It was quite surprising to find an entirely new, distinctive species of a butterfly in an area (Coorg or Kodagu) that has historically been sampled intensively. The discovery of this species shows that it is still possible to find rare species in small pockets of the Western Ghats. This should make natural history expeditions and field work exciting.”
The new species was identified by its coloring, wing pattern and other subtle physical features, the study said. Researchers did not provide a DNA analysis of the new species.
The research team included Krushnamegh Kunte, Ashok Sengupta, Ujwala Pawar and Viraj Nawge.
UPDATE (1/11): The article was updated with comments from Krushnamegh Kunte.
This story was originally published January 10, 2024 at 2:48 PM with the headline "‘Shining blue’ creature — with ‘false head’ — found basking in sun. It’s a new species."
