Siruvani Hills of Tamil Nadu Declared Butterfly Super-hotspots (Biodiversity hotspots)
A study was conducted 6 years ago by Tamil Nadu Nature and Butterfly Society (TNBS). Subsequently, the Siruvani hills in Coimbatore district of Tamil Nadu were declared as butterfly super-hotspots. The region is designated as a super-hotspot of butterflies due to the large number of butterfly species found in the region.
Important point:
- TNBS members have recorded 325 butterfly species in Tamil Nadu between March 2015 to December, 2020. Of these species, 240 species are found only in the Siruvani Hills. This accounts for 74% of the total species found during the period.
- TNBS has a method of defining a location as a hotspot. According to this method, a location is then designated as a hotspot, if 25% of the state’s checklist species are found in the same area.
- TNBS submitted its report to District Forest Officer D. Venkatesh and recommended the Siruvani Hills to be declared as butterfly hotspots.
- The 240 butterfly species found in Siruvani are from six families of butterflies – brush-footed (72), whites and yellows (28), blues (69), swolottels (17), skippers (53) and metalmarks (1).
Biodiversity hotspots in India:
In an area where biodiversity is very high, there is also an abundance of rare species that are on the verge of extinction. These regions are called Biodiversity Hotspots. The concept was first introduced by Norman Myers in 1981.
Source: PIB
