White Tufted Royal Butterfly

Why in News?

• Researchers have recently found the White Tufted Royal Butterfly, a rare butterfly species in Kannur, Kerala which was earlier spotted in Agasthyakoodam in 2017 and Shendurney Wildlife Sanctuary in 2018.

Highlights

• Butterflies are insects from the order Lepidoptera of phylum Arthropoda which also includes moths.
• Adult butterflies have large, often brightly coloured wings, and conspicuous, fluttering flight.
• a Himalayan butterfly known as Golden Birdwing (Troides aeacus) has been discovered as India’s largest butterfly after 88 years.
• The abundance of butterflies in any area represents rich biodiversity.
• The butterfly acts as an indicator species.
• An indicator species provides information on the overall condition of the ecosystem and of other species in that ecosystem. They reflect the quality and changes in environmental conditions as well as aspects of community composition
• It acts as a pollinator by helping in pollination and conserving several species of plants.