Context: Recently, Arunachal Pradesh has approved the large, brightly coloured Kaiser-i-Hind as the State butterfly. Whereas Kaiser-i-Hind literally means Emperor of India.

• Scientific Name: Teinopalpus imperialis

Habitat

• It is one of the very rare and elusive swallowtail butterflies which are found at medium and higher elevations.
• Swallowtail butterfly is any of a group of butterflies in the family Papilionidae (order Lepidoptera).
• It flies high in the canopy of broad leaved temperate evergreen forests.
• The temperate evergreen forests are found in the Eastern and Western Himalayas.
• This butterfly with a 90-120 mm wingspan is found in (West Bengal, Meghalaya, Assam, Sikkim and Manipur) along the Eastern Himalayas.
• Its presence indicates the existence of a good forest ecosystem and protection.
• The butterfly also flutters in Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar, Laos, Vietnam and southern China.

Protection Status

• IUCN: Near Threatened
• CITES: Appendix II
• Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972: Schedule II