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Context

• The Saurauia Punduana plant has been recorded for the first time in Manipur’s Tamenglong district in the Rapid Biodiversity Assessment (RBA) field survey.

About

• Saurauia punduana is a species of plant in the Actinidiaceae family.
• It is found in the Tamenglong district of Manipur.
• Flowers of Saurauia Punduana turn white to pink on maturity.
• Petals are pink, ovate to obovate curled at the tip. Its fruits are spherical shining white, and are used in veterinary medicine.
• The native range of this species is from Bhutan to Southeastern Tibet.
• A Critically Endangered Species as per the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List.

Other Findings of the Rapid Biodiversity Assessment (RBA) field survey

• In the RBA field survey, at least 82 species of butterfly (Lepidoptera) have been recorded and identified up to species level from five families, which includes two very rare species. White Dragon tail Lamproptera curious and Green Dragon tail Lamproptera
• The vulnerable species are the Rufous-necked hornbill (Aceros nipalensis), Slender-billed babbler (Turdoides longirostris), and Grey-sided thrush (Turdus feae), while two endemic bird species are Grey sibia (Heterophasia gracilis) and Darjeeling Woodpecker (Dendrocopos darjellensis).
• The presence of highly endemic reptile species such as Cherrapunji Keelback hebius xenura, which itself is another record documentation for the first time in the state and flying lizard Draco species and Lepidoptera species, the survey report added.

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