The small creatures - Insects, Invertebrates and bugs

[BorneanTiger]

A Himalayan species of the butterfly, the Indian fritillary (Argynnis hyperbius), was found in the wild in Wadi Wurayah National Park, WWNP, in the UAE section of the Hajar Mountains in the Emirate of Fujairah, in January. This latest discovery brings the UAE butterfly total to 58 species. The record may also be a first for Arabia. The Indian fritillary is common in the Himalayan regions of Northern India, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Nepal, and it has also been found in southern Iran. Now a small number have made their way to Wadi Wurayah, where Binish Roobas was able to photograph both a male and female of the species.

The butterfly was discovered during a visit to update earlier surveys of plant and insect diversity in Wadi Wurayah, following the exceptional fall and winter rains. Joining Roobas in the field were Gary Feulner, Chairman of the Dubai Natural History Group, Sami Ullah Majeed, WWNP Park Ranger, and Nuri Asmita, a WWNP biologist.

The new species is an opportunistic migrant that probably arrived to take advantage of the favourable conditions created by abundant rainfall from October until January. It is unlikely that they will remain for the UAE summer.

The newly found butterfly shows some similarity to the conspicuous but toxic resident butterfly known as the Plain tiger (Danaus chrysippus). That helps to protect it from predators, but also disguises it from scientific observers. In Wadi Wurayah, it was first seen flying among a group of Plain tigers, where it was difficult to distinguish.

Roobas told the Emirates News Agency, WAM, that, "It might easily have been overlooked in that group, but I noticed a slight difference in its size and colour and a greater difference in the way it flew." Based on his photographs, he could identify the species quickly from his experience with butterflies in South and Southeast Asia.

Roobas found two other new species of butterflies in the UAE in 2018, and he helped to investigate two other new species in 2014. He is a co-author, with Feulner, of an introductory catalogue of UAE spiders, and the two are principal co-authors of a forthcoming book on butterflies of the UAE, scheduled for publication this autumn.

Feulner commented, "A great deal of our current knowledge of the flora and fauna of the UAE comes from observations and investigations by independent amateur naturalists. Their efforts, including exploration, study and publication, should be encouraged, not restricted." https://www.wam.ae/en/details/1395302827557

Credit: WAM (Emirates News Agency)

*This image is copyright of its original author

*This image is copyright of its original author

Reply