Description

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Context:

Tripura recorded a milestone in biodiversity documentation with the first-ever recording of the Banded Royal butterfly, a rare species, in the state.

About Banded royal butterfly

Scientific Name	*Rachana jalindra*
Habitat	Found in forests near the Western Ghats, northeastern India, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Thailand, and Malaysia. Prefers dense vegetation and rests on leaves.
Subspecies in India	*R.j. macantia: Found from southwest India to Goa. R.j. tarpina: Widespread in the Andamans. R.j. indra*: Found from Odisha to West Bengal, Bangladesh, Assam, Meghalaya, and Jharkhand.
Appearance	Upperside: Males have a dark purple or bluish sheen with dark brown edges; females are more brownish with white markings. Underside: Light brown with prominent white stripes across the wings.
Legal Protection	Protected under Schedule II of the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.
Sepahijala Wildlife Sanctuary
Location	Tripura, 25 kilometers from the capital Agartala.
Divisions	Five sections: Beast section, Primate section, Ungulate section, Reptile section, and Aviary section.
Key Features	Established in 2007. Clouded Leopard National Park is part of the sanctuary. Two natural lakes: Abasarika and Amrit Sagar.
Vegetation	Moist deciduous forest.
Flora	Includes 456 species of plants, varieties of bamboo, grasses, and medicinal plants.
Fauna	Home to primates such as rhesus macaque, pigtail macaque, capped langur, and spectacled langur, as well as wild animals like leopards, clouded leopards, forest fowl, civets, barking deer, and wild boars.
Conservation Note	The crab-eating mongoose, last seen in the 1930s, was successfully revived here.

READ ABOUT

sepahijala wildlife sanctuary

Trishna & Tungareshwar Wildlife Sanctuaries

Source:

TOI

PRACTICE QUESTION

Q.Consider the following statements about Banded Royal Butterfly:

The Banded Royal Butterfly is found in forests near the Eastern Ghats.
The subspecies R.j. indra of the Banded Royal Butterfly is found in Tripura only.

Which of the statement(s) given above is/are incorrect?

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 only

(d) Neither 1 nor 2

Answer: c

Explanation:

Statement 1 is incorrect: The Banded Royal Butterfly is found in forests near the Western Ghats, northeastern India, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Thailand and Malaysia.

Statement 2 is incorrect: The subspecies R.j. indra of the Banded Royal Butterfly is found in Tripura, Odisha, West Bengal, Bangladesh, Assam, Meghalaya and Jharkhand.