Scientific name: Nymphalis antiopa yedanula
(Fruhstorfer, 1909)

Order: LEPIDOPTERA
Family: NYMPHALIDAE

Status:
Endangered (EN A1c, B1 2bc).
Common names:
English - THE CAMBERWELL BEAUTY

Diagnostic characters: MALE — Ground colour deep maroon. For wing with two pale yellow costal spots. Both wings with broad pale yellow black-dusted margins bearing internally a row of small violet-blue spots.
FEMALE — As for male. Wing expanse: ♂♀ 70 mm.

Intraspefic variation: This is the Indian subspecies showing little vaiation.

Range: India: Chumbi Valley (East of Sikkim); Manipur. Elsewhere: Bhutan; Siaolu (Fruhstorfer, 1912).

Habitat and ecology: This butterfly was collected during July-August at the Chumbi Pass in the East Himalaya (Fruhstorfer, 1912).

Threats to survival: The high elevated zone is considered highly fragile. Threats include shifting cultivation, grazing; mining; cutting/felling of trees for timber, wood for fuel and charcoal; clearing of forests for construction of roads, hydroelectric plants, setting up of industries, for human settlements and tourism; fragmentation of habits; selective use of medicinal and ornamental plants; illegal trade of forest commodities andanimals; land, water and atmospheric pollution by using insecticides and pesticides.

Conservation measures taken: The species finds protection under Schedule – I (Part – IV) of the Indian wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, and subsequent amendments. There is protected area of 2534.69 sq km covered by National Parks and Wildlife Sanctureis (Singh & Singh, 2002).

Conservation measures proposed: There should be restraint on human interference causing any thrat in its range of occurrence. More information is required on habits, ecology, life-history and distribution of this butterfly.

Rationale: Qualifies for its restricted distribution in Sikkim and Manipur. There has been significant decrease and degradation in its area of occurrence. There are eight examples (Sikkim, Chumbi, and Europe in the National Zoological Collection of Zoological Survey of India, Kolkata and one example in the collection of Forest Research Institute, Dehra Dun.

Taxonomic Reliability: The subspecies, Nymphalis antiopa yedanula (Fruhstorfer) has been followed after Evans (1932) with generic change as treated by Varshney (1994).

References:
ALFRED, J. R. B., CHAKRABORTY, S. & DAS, A. K. 2002. Mountains: Eastern Himalaya. In: Alfred et al. (Editors). Ecosystems of India. ENVIS – Zool. Surv. India. Kolkata: 1-33.
EVANS, W. H. 1932. The Identification of Indian Butterflies. (Second Edition Revised). x+454pp. 9 text figs., 32 pls. The Bombay Natural History Society. (180).
FRUHSTORFER, H. 1909. Int. Ent. Zeit. 3 : 94.
FRUHSTORFER, H. 1912.  Family: Nymphalidae. In Seitz, A.Ed. : The Macrolepidoptera of the World, The Indo-Australian Fauna. 9: 449-640. Stuttgart. (527).
SINGH, N. P. AND SINGH, D. K. 2002. Protected are network. In: Floristic Diversity and Conservation in India (Eds. N. P. Singh & K. P. Singh), 5: 2341-2412. Botanical Survey of India, Dehra Dun.
VARSHNEY, R. K. 1994. Index  Rhopalocera Indica. Part III. Genera of butterflies from India and neighboring countries (Lepidoptera: (B) Papilionidae, Pieridae and Danaidae). Oriental Insects, 31: 83-138. (174).
WYNTER-BLYTH, M. A. 1957. Butterflies of the Indian Region. First Edition. Xx+523pp. 4 text figs., 72 pls. The Bombay Natural History Society. (271).