Rare moth species spotted in city by wildlife biologist

Sun,07 Jan 2018

Summary: The sighting of Asian spotted swallow tail moth species after years will be helpful in research activities and to study moths," Q Ashoka Chakkaravarthy, wildlife biologist, who spotted the rare moth, told TOI.The peculiar moth spotted in Trichy at Salai road locality was said to be a fondly preferred feed for the birds. "We have been studying moths in Trichy since 2013 but the sighting of Asian spotted swallow tail moth was first since then. "It is quite surprising to spot such moth species in a noisy environment like Trichy city. Each fore wing has a hooked tip while each hind wing spot a short tail with a black spot thus bearing the 'spotted' tag in its name. Generally with majority of moths being nocturnal (night time flyer), Asian spotted swallow tail moth is said to be a diurnal moth (day flying moth). Trichy: In a rare find, Asian spotted swallow tail moth species was found by environmentalist in Trichy which was previously sighted at the foothills of Pachamalai forest habitat in the district in December 2015.The presence of such rare moth species in city limits for the first time in recent years was cited by the environmentalists as a good indicator of environmental health as the moth species play a crucial role in balancing food chain apart from serving as able pollinators for the flowering plants.

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