DUSTED
APOLLO - ENVIRONMENT
News:
Dusted Apollo, a rare high-altitude
butterfly, sighted for first time in Himachal’s Chamba
What's
in the news?
●
Recently, Dusted Apollo (Parnassius
stenosemus), a rare high-altitude butterfly, has been sighted and
photographed for the first time in Himachal
Pradesh.
Dusted Apollo:
●
It is an extremely rare butterfly and has
never been photographed before in Himachal Pradesh.
Habitat:
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It is found from Ladakh to West Nepal and it flies between 3,500 to 4,800 meters in
the inner Himalayas.
Features:
●
It closely
resembles Ladakh Banded Apollo (Parnassius
stoliczkanus) but the discal band on the upper fore wing in dusted
apollo is complete and extends from costa to vein one while this discal band is
incomplete and extends only up to vein four in Ladakh Banded Apollo.
●
The Dark
marginal band on the hind wings is much narrower in Dusted Apollo while it
is broad in Ladakh Banded Apollo.
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There are 11 Apollo species recorded from Himachal Pradesh and five of them are declared as Scheduled
species.
●
It is an encouraging indication of the
flourishing diversity of Apollo butterflies in the region.
Threats:
●
Apollos are considered commercially
important butterflies and they fetch high
prices in the poaching industry.
●
Most of the Apollo butterflies are now endangered and need immediate attention
for their conservation and protection.
Conservation
measures:
●
Community
awareness about poaching and the importance of these species
may play an important role in their conservation.
●
Establishing
butterfly parks and conservation reserves in the State
should be on the priority list of the government.