EARLY STAGES OF THE TRAVANCORE EVENING BROWN PARANTIRRHOEA MARSHALLI WOOD-MASON (SATYRINAE, NYMPHALIDAE, LEPIDOPTERA),

Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society, 106(2), May-Aug 2009 142-148

EARLY STAGES OF THE TRAVANCORE EVENING BROWN PARANTIRRHOEA MARSHALLI

WOOD-MASON (SATYRINAE, NYMPHALIDAE, LEPIDOPTERA), AN ENDEMIC BUTTERFLY FROM THE SOUTHERN WESTERN GHATS, INDIA

Authors : S. KALESH AND SATYA KRISHNA PRAKASH

Email: kaleshs2002in@yahoo.com

          satyaketavarapu@yahoo.co.in

Descriptions of hitherto unknown early stages of the Travancore Evening Brown Parantirrhoea marshalli Wood-Mason, a rare and endemic butterfly from the southern Western Ghats are presented. Ochlandra travancorica Benth.,Family Poaceae, a gregarious reed seen near water in deciduous and mixed forests, is reported as its larval host plantfor the first time. Even though the caterpillars of this species were found to be common in suitable habitats, the adultswere rarely sighted in its range.

Key words: early stages, endemic species, Travancore Evening Brown, Parantirrhoea marshalli, Satyrinae,Nymphalidae, Lepidoptera, Western Ghats

Travancore Evening Brown Parantirrhoea marshalli was first described in 1880 by J. Wood-Mason in The Journal of Asiatic Society, Bengal. Marshall and de Niceville (1883) stated, “P. marshalli has yet only been found in Travancore, where it was discovered by Mr. H.S. Ferguson on the Ashamboo hills in May.” More than 100 years have passed with only a handful of sightings of this elusive butterfly. Parantirrhoea marshalli is endemic to the southern Western Ghats of peninsular India and is known to occur from Coorg to the As