New species of moths found

 Kakinada: Rajahmundry Divisional Forest Officer (wildlife) Anantha Shankar informed that they have discovered a new species of moths in the Papikondalu Reserve Forest. 

In a press release, he said that the Butterfly meet-2018 was held from 8th to 10th of March in the Papikondalu Reserve Forest and in the mangrove forests at Coringa National Park.  He informed that in our country there are 1,318 varieties of butterflies and there is need to study them. 

He said that the butterfly expert team from Mr Peter Smetacek from Butterfly Research Centre, Uttarakhand visited the PapikondaluReserve Forest. Ananth Shankar informed that the team studied 60 varieties of butterflies and 30 varieties of moths. The DFO announced that a new species ofHimalayan moth (Eucyclodesgavissima) was found during the two days of field studies in the PapikondaluReserve Forest. He also told that this Himalayan moth never been documented before in the Eastern Ghats.

Dr J R B Alfred from the Zoological Survey of India gave the lecture on butterflies in India. DFO Nandini Salaria, JSN Murthy EGREE Foundation and others participated in the valedictory ceremony of the Butterfly meet at Coringa National Park.