Focus: GS-III Environment and Ecology, Prelims
Why in news?
A Himalayan butterfly named Golden Birdwing is India’s largest, a record an unknown specimen had held for 88 years.
Details
- With a wingspan of almost 20 centimeters, the female of the species is marginally larger than the Southern Birdwing (recorded in 1932).
- According to the authors, the only measurement used in the study of Lepidoptera is wingspan — a simple concept with various interpretations of the term.
Lepidopterology, is a branch of entomology concerning the scientific study of moths and the three superfamilies of butterflies. Someone who studies in this field is a lepidopterist.
Golden Birdwing
- Troides aeacus, the golden birdwing, is a large tropical butterfly belonging to the swallowtail family, Papilionidae.
- It is found in northern India, Nepal, Burma, China, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Taiwan, Cambodia, peninsular Malaysia and Indonesia.
- It is generally common and not threatened though it is classified as vulnerable.
-Source: The Hindu
