Delias acalis pyramus (Wallace, 1867) (Redbreast Jezabel)

Bhowmik, Suman, 2021, Fifty-one new additions to the butterfly (Lepidoptera: Rhopalocera) fauna of Tripura, North-east India, Revista Chilena de Entomología (Rev. Chil. Entomol.) 47 (1), pp. 35-60 : 56

51. Delias acalis pyramus (Wallace, 1867) (Redbreast Jezabel)

Remarks. One individual was recorded in Jampui Hills (24°1’54” N & 92°15’37” E, ca. 212 m above msl.), nectaring on Mikania sp. flowers on 30.xi.2019. Very rare in Tripura.

Current known distribution. Nepal, Myanmar, India (Himachal Pradesh to Northeast India) ( Van Gasse 2013; Varshney & Smetacek 2015).

The persistence of minimal pollution and a balanced habitat made up of different species of plants are one of the most important requisite for survivability of butterflies. There are innumerable potential areas for butterfly conservation exists in Tripura that need to be explored. These potential areas consist of different species of host plants and valuable nectaring plants that support and holds a substantial number of butterflies and their life cycle. An effort has been made to identify some of these potential areas during the present work.

The total numbers of butterflies so far recorded in Tripura by various authors and researchers does not reflects the actual potential of the state to be a butterfly hotspot, being part of North-east India. The present study provides an excellent justification of the above statement by increasing 20.90% species to the existing butterfly fauna of Tripura .

There is a great need not only to preserve potential habitats but also to safeguard different types of butterfly host plants and nectaring plants including essential micro habitats for proper conservation of butterflies. The first step towards any conservation plan is to stop arbitrary deforestation followed by long term plantation. Most often uncontrolled deforestation results in local extinctions of many species of important herbs, shrubs, climbers, and trees that holds a substantial number of butterfly species and unfortunately there is a negligible chance of replantation of these local extincts. The best policy towards butterfly conservation is community based conservation made for ecological restoration of a landscape. This helps to create awareness among local people about the importance of butterflies and their ecological role. In India protection of butterflies is made available only in the protected areas. However, there are many potential areas outside these protected areas that are providing suitable habitat and breeding grounds to butterflies and many other insects. Legal protection and conservation of these butterfly hotspots will not only help to preserve butterflies but also maintain an ecological balance as a whole .