Context: Recently, a Himalayan butterfly known as Golden Birdwing (Troides aeacus) has been discovered as India’s largest butterfly after 88 years.

Key Facts

• A new study published in Bionotes journal has updated the wingspans of butterflies found in India. According to it, the Golden Birdwing is India`s largest butterfly.
• Previously, the Southern Birdwing was considered the largest as recorded by Brigadier William Harry Evans, a British military officer and lepidopterist (a person who studies or collects butterflies and moths) in 1932.
• The Golden Butterfly is found in the Himalayas. The female (wingspan 194 mm) of the species is larger than the male (106 mm). The female Golden Birdwing was recorded from Didihat in Uttarakhand, the largest male was from the Wankhar Butterfly Museum in Meghalaya capital Shillong.

Other Species are [ all found in Uttarakhand]:

• Common Windmill (Byasa polyeuctes) at 98 mm
• Great Windmill (Byasa dasarada) at 96 mm
• Common Peacock (Papilio bianor) at 78 mm.
• The smallest is the Quaker (Neopithecops zalmora) with a wingspan of 18 mm, it is found in the Himalayan region and Western Ghats.
• The Malabar Banded Peacock or the Buddha Mayoori which was recently declared the ‘State Butterfly’ of Kerala will have a dedicated butterfly park in Kochi.
• Tamil Nadu has also recently declared Tamil Yeoman (Cirrochroa Thais)as its state butterfly to symbolise its rich natural and cultural heritage, in a move aimed at boosting the conservation efforts of the attractive insects.
• Other states to have state butterflies are Maharashtra (Blue Mormon), Uttarakhand (Common peacock), Karnataka (Southern birdwings).