Maculate Lancer sighted for the first time in Kovai

Coimbatore: Forest department officials have recorded a Maculate Lancer, a small skipper butterfly, for the first time at the Boluvampatti forest range during a survey.
Coimbatore Forest Division, The Nature and Butterfly Society (TNBS), The Coimbatore Nature Society (CNS) and WWF-India jointly conducted the survey at the seven forest ranges in the Coimbatore division on November 12 and 13.
As many as 228 species of birds and 170 species of butterflies were recorded in the survey.
Of them, 118 species were Passerine group of birds. Great Hornbill, Malabar Pied Hornbill, Rain Quail, Grey-fronted Green Pigeon, Yellow-footed Green Pigeon, Sirkeer Malkoha, Indian Thick-knee, Gull-billed Tern, Lesser Fish Eagle, Greater Spotted Eagle, Brown Wood-Owl and European Roller were also sighted in the survey.
Of the 170 species of butterflies sighted, 15 belonged to Papilionidae family, 25 to Pieridae family and 50 to Nymphalidae family. Malabar Rose, Malabar Banded Swallowtail, Nilgiri Grass Yellow, Chocolate Albatross, Dark Evening Brown, Great Evening Brown and Medus Brownwere sighted during the survey.
A total of 16 teams comprising 82 naturalists and 68 forest department staff conducted the survey.