Long-Streak Sailor Butterfly spotted in Arunachal's Tale Valley, marks India's first-ever sighting

A group of butterfly enthusiasts has made a groundbreaking discovery in the Tale Valley Wildlife Sanctuary, nestled in Arunachal Pradesh's Lower Subansiri district. Their find of the elusive Neptis philyra, commonly known as the long-streak sailor, marks the first recorded sighting of this butterfly species in India.

The team behind this remarkable discovery comprises Atanu Bose, Mahesh Baruah, and Abhishek Dutta Choudhury from Assam's Bongaigaon, along with Anitava Roy from West Bengal. Their expedition was bolstered by the support of the Wiki Loves Butterflies program and benefited from the invaluable field expertise of Kojmama Taman and Punyo Chada.

The Neptis philyra, initially described by M. Ménétriés in 1859, typically inhabits regions of East Asia, spanning from eastern Siberia to Vietnam, including Korea, Japan, Taiwan, China, Tibet, and Yunnan.

This significant discovery has been meticulously documented and published in the esteemed Journal of Tropical Lepidoptera Research, an international scientific journal headquartered in Florida, USA.

The discovery of Neptis philyra not only enriches our understanding of butterfly biodiversity in India but also underscores the importance of concerted efforts in wildlife exploration and conservation.