Tamil Nadu becomes 5th State to Declare a State Butterfly

August 14, 2019

Tamil Nadu has officially declared Tamil Yeoman (Cirrochroa thais) as the state butterfly to symbolise its rich natural and cultural heritage. This move aimed at boosting conservation efforts of attractive insects. It will also help channelising government funds towards a particular environmental cause.

With this, Tamil Nadu became fifth Indian state to declare its state butterfly. Maharashtra was 1st state to officially declare Blue Mormon (Papilio polymnestor) as its state butterfly, way back in 2015 followed by Uttarakhand (Common peacock), Karnataka (Southern bird wings) and Kerala (Malabar banded peacock).

About Tamil Yeoman

Its scientific name is Cirrochroa thais. It is locally known as Tamil Maravan, which means ‘Tamilian Warrior’. It belongs to the family of brush-footed butterflies or the Nymphalid.

Unique Features: It is usually sized between 60 and 75mm and has natural zigzag patterns near its bright orange-coloured wings with dark brown highlights at the border of its wings. It is fast and fly straight with few wing beats and long glide.

Habitat: It is endemic to Western Ghats. It is mostly found in moist deciduous, evergreen forests and along water streams.

Why State Butterfly of Tamil Nadu? This southern state has total of 32 species of butterflies endemic to the state. Tamil Yeoman was chosen as state butterfly for its cultural identity linking the state through its name and is abundance in hilly areas.

Environment Significance of Butterflies

They are great bio-indicators of ecosystem as they are highly sensitive to environmental conditions such as sunlight, temperature, humidity and rainfall patterns. Their presence, patterns and migration assist in mapping climatic health of region. They are most studied insect group across the world.