In News
- The Crimson Rose butterflies have been flying from Dhanushkodi across the Indian Ocean. It is known for crossing the sea to migrate to Sri Lanka.
Crimson Rose Butterflies
- About:
- Crimson Rose, which belongs to the Swallowtails (Papilionidae) family.
- It is known to migrate along the coast, inland and crosses the sea often.
- Description:
- It is a large butterfly with a mix of black, white and crimson colours on its wings and body, and is known for crossing the sea to migrate to Sri Lanka.
- The most interesting and visually stunning aspect of the migration was that the butterflies made small pit stops on flowering plants on the beach to fuel their journey.
- Characteristics:
- Crimson Roses were spotted on Ipomea flowers and Half leaf flowers on the beach.
- The grandest gathering was on a Calotropis gigantea plant, which was the sole plant in the vicinity.
- Each butterfly spent about 30 seconds on nectaring and then continued its journey towards Sri Lanka.
- Distribution :
- The species occurs mostly in dry, deciduous forests, dense scrub, jungles, and open country, but can also be found in disturbed semi-evergreen, evergreen forests
- This species occurs across mainland Sri Lanka and Peninsular India to West Bengal, as well as possible distributions along with the Andaman Islands, Nicobar Islands, in Western Myanmar, and Bangladesh
- IUCN Status :
- The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species in 2019 listed it as Least Concern.
Source: TH
