October 2012 - Journal of Threatened Taxa

October 2012 | Vol. 4 | No. 12 | Pages 3085–3160Date of Publication 10 October 2012ISSN 0974-7907 (online) | 0974-7893 (print)© Arun SinghVindula erotaLamproptera curius curius© Monsoon J GogoiCreative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License. JoTT allows unrestricted use of articles in any mediumfor non-profit purposes, reproduction and distribution by providing adequate credit to the authors and thesource of publication.

Jo u r n a l o f Th r e a t e n e d Ta x aPublished byWildlife Information Liaison Development SocietyTypeset and printed atZoo Outreach Organisation96, Kumudham Nagar, Vilankurichi Road, Coimbatore 641035, Tamil Nadu, IndiaPh: +91422 2665298, 2665101, 2665450; Fax: +91422 2665472Email: threatenedtaxa@gmail.com, articlesubmission@threatenedtaxa.orgWebsite: www.threatenedtaxa.orgEDITORSFo u n d e r & Ch i e f Ed i t o rDr. Sanjay Molur, Coimbatore, IndiaMa n a g in g Ed i t o rMr. B. Ravichandran, Coimbatore, IndiaAs s o c ia t e Ed i t o r sDr. B.A. Daniel, Coimbatore, IndiaDr. Manju Siliwal, Dehra Dun, IndiaDr. Meena Venkataraman, Mumbai, IndiaMs. Priyanka Iyer, Coimbatore, IndiaEd i t o r ia l Ad v i s o r sMs. Sally Walker, Coimbatore, IndiaDr. Robert C. Lacy, Minnesota, USADr. Russel Mittermeier, Virginia, USADr. Thomas Husband, Rhode Island, USADr. Jacob V. Cheeran, Thrissur, IndiaProf. Dr. Mewa Singh, Mysuru, IndiaDr. Ulrich Streicher, Oudomsouk, LaosMr. Stephen D. Nash, Stony Brook, USADr. Fred Pluthero, Toronto, CanadaDr. Martin Fisher, Cambridge, UKDr. Ulf Gärdenfors, Uppsala, SwedenDr. John Fellowes, Hong KongDr. Philip S. Miller, Minnesota, USAProf. Dr. Mirco Solé, BrazilEd i t o r ia l Bo a r d / Su b j e c t Ed i t o r sDr. M. Zornitza Aguilar, EcuadorProf. Wasim Ahmad, Aligarh, IndiaDr. Sanit Aksornkoae, Bangkok, Thailand.Dr. Giovanni Amori, Rome, ItalyDr. István Andrássy, Budapest, HungaryDr. Deepak Apte, Mumbai, IndiaDr. M. Arunachalam, Alwarkurichi, IndiaDr. Aziz Aslan, Antalya, TurkeyDr. A.K. Asthana, Lucknow, IndiaProf. R.K. Avasthi, Rohtak, IndiaDr. N.P. Balakrishnan, Coimbatore, IndiaDr. Hari Balasubramanian, Arlington, USADr. Maan Barua, Oxford OX , UKDr. Aaron M. Bauer, Villanova, USADr. Gopalakrishna K. Bhat, Udupi, IndiaDr. S. Bhupathy, Coimbatore, IndiaDr. Anwar L. Bilgrami, New Jersey, USADr. Renee M. Borges, Bengaluru, IndiaDr. Gill Braulik, Fife, UKDr. Prem B. Budha, Kathmandu, NepalMr. Ashok Captain, Pune, IndiaDr. Cleofas R. Cervancia, Laguna , PhilippinesDr. Apurba Chakraborty, Guwahati, IndiaDr. Kailash Chandra, Jabalpur, IndiaDr. Anwaruddin Choudhury, Guwahati, IndiaDr. Richard Thomas Corlett, SingaporeDr. Gabor Csorba, Budapest, HungaryDr. Paula E. Cushing, Denver, USADr. Neelesh Naresh Dahanukar, Pune, IndiaDr. R.J. Ranjit Daniels, Chennai, IndiaDr. A.K. Das, Kolkata, IndiaDr. Indraneil Das, Sarawak, MalaysiaDr. Rema Devi, Chennai, IndiaDr. Nishith Dharaiya, Patan, IndiaDr. Ansie Dippenaar-Schoeman, Queenswood, SouthAfricaDr. William Dundon, Legnaro, ItalyDr. Gregory D. Edgecombe, London, UKDr. J.L. Ellis, Bengaluru, IndiaDr. Susie Ellis, Florida, USADr. Zdenek Faltynek Fric, Czech RepublicDr. Carl Ferraris, NE Couch St., PortlandDr. R. Ganesan, Bengaluru, IndiaDr. Hemant Ghate, Pune, IndiaDr. Dipankar Ghose, New Delhi, IndiaDr. Gary A.P. Gibson, Ontario, USADr. M. Gobi, Madurai, IndiaDr. Stephan Gollasch, Hamburg, GermanyDr. Michael J.B. Green, Norwich, UKDr. K. Gunathilagaraj, Coimbatore, IndiaDr. K.V. Gururaja, Bengaluru, IndiaDr. Mark S. Harvey,Welshpool, AustraliaDr. Magdi S. A. El Hawagry, Giza, EgyptDr. Mohammad Hayat, Aligarh, IndiaProf. Harold F. Heatwole, Raleigh, USADr. V.B. Hosagoudar, Thiruvananthapuram, IndiaProf. Fritz Huchermeyer, Onderstepoort, South AfricaDr. V. Irudayaraj, Tirunelveli, IndiaDr. Rajah Jayapal, Bengaluru, IndiaDr. Weihong Ji, Auckland, New ZealandProf. R. Jindal, Chandigarh, IndiaDr. Pierre Jolivet, Bd Soult, FranceDr. Rajiv S. Kalsi, Haryana, IndiaDr. Rahul Kaul, Noida,IndiaDr. Werner Kaumanns, Eschenweg, GermanyDr. Paul Pearce-Kelly, Regent’s Park, UKDr. P.B. Khare, Lucknow, IndiaDr. Vinod Khanna, Dehra Dun, IndiaDr. Cecilia Kierulff, São Paulo, BrazilDr. Ignacy Kitowski, Lublin, Polandcontinued on the back inside cover

JoTT Co m m u n ic a t i o n 4(12): 3085–3102Lowland forest butterflies of the Sankosh Rivercatchment, BhutanArun P. SinghEcology and Biodiversity Conservation Division, Rain Forest Research Institute (ICFRE), P.O. Box no. 136, Deovan, Sotai, Jorhat,Assam 785001, IndiaEmail: ranoteaps@gmail.com, singhap@icfre.orgDate of publication (online): 10 October 2012Date of publication (print): 10 October 2012ISSN 0974-7907 (online) | 0974-7893 (print)Editor: Ullasa KodandaramaiahManuscript details:Ms # o2625Received 12 November 2010Final received 17 July 2012Finally accepted 20 August 2012Citation: Singh, A.P. (2012). Lowland forestbutterflies of the Sankosh River catchment,Bhutan. Journal of Threatened Taxa 4(12):3085–3102.Copyright: © Arun P. Singh 2012. CreativeCommons Attribution 3.0 Unported License.JoTT allows unrestricted use of this article in anymedium for non-profit purposes, reproduction anddistribution by providing adequate credit to theauthors and the source of publication.Author Details: Ar u n P. Si n g h works on theconservation of biodiversity of Himalaya withspecial reference to butterflies and birdssince 18 years. His research works includeecology, taxonomy, and environmental impactassessment (EIA) studies. Presently, he headsthe Ecology and Biodiversity ConservationDivision, Rain Forest Research Institute(ICFRE), Jorhat, Assam.Acknowledgements: This study was part ofthe EIA of the proposed Indo-Bhutan SankoshHydro Electric Power project at Kerabari, beingcarried out by the Indian Council of ForestryResearch and Education (ICFRE), Dehradun.The author is thankful to DG (ICFRE), DDG(Extension, ICFRE) & ADG and Sudhir Kumar,project manager (EIA Division, ICFRE),and Director, FRI, India, and Department ofEnergy and Range Officer, Kalikhola, ForestDepartment of the Royal Government of Bhutanfor providing the necessary facilities to carry outthis study.OPEN ACCESS | FREE DOWNLOADAbstract: This paper provides information on butterflies of the lowland forests of Bhutanfor the first time. As a part of the biodiversity impact assessment for the proposedSankosh hydroelectric power project, a survey was carried out along the SankoshRiver catchment to study the butterfly diversity. The aim of the study was to identifyspecies of conservation priority, their seasonality and to know the butterfly diversitypotential of the area. Surveys were carried out during five different seasons (winter,spring, pre-monsoon, monsoon, post-monsoon) lasting 18 days from January 2009to March 2010. Pollard walk method was used to assess the diversity on four-linetransects within 10–12 km radius of the proposed dam site. Two hundred and thirteenspecies, including 22 papilionids, were thus sampled. Eleven species amongst theseare listed in Schedules I and II of the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, of which10 taxa (Pareronia avatar avatar, Nacaduba pactolus continentalis, Porostas alutacoelestis, Elymnias vasudeva vasudeva, Mycalesis mestra retus, Melanitis ziteniuszitenius, Charaxes marmax, Athyma ranga ranga, Neptis manasa manasa and Neptissoma soma) are of conservation priority as they are ‘rare’ in occurrence across theirdistribution range in the region. The maximum number of species (128) were recordedduring the spring season (March) and lowest (66) during July (monsoon). The seasonalpattern of variation in diversity was very typical of the pattern found in other areas of thelower foothills and adjoining plains of the Himalaya. Relative abundances of butterfliesduring spring varied significantly (p

Butterflies of Sankosh River(McAllister et al. 2001). The environmental impactof large dams on lower groups of organisms, such asinsects, is hardly ever studied for loss of wildlife inIndia (Mishra 2009).According to Conservation International, Bhutanforms a part of the ‘Eastern Himalaya BiodiversityHotspot’ which is one of the 34 biodiversity hotspotsof the world today (www.biodiversityhotspots.org/).A home for over 50 species of rhododendrons, largenumbers of orchids (http://www.bhutan2008.bt/en/node/276), Bhutan is also one of the 221 global endemicbird areas with over 770 avian species (Inskipp et al.1999). Bhutan along with northeastern India are themeeting place of the central Asian and Chinese subdivisionsof the Palaeartic region with the peninsularIndian and Malayan subdivisions of the orientalregion and are therefore considered very rich areas interms of butterflies. With incredible variations, fromsubtropical to alpine along the altitudinal gradient(100–4,200 m), Bhutan presents a large variety ofhabitats for butterflies. The adjoining state of Sikkimwhich lies west of Bhutan in India has over 689 species(Haribal 1992). Besides, 962 taxa of butterflies havebeen identified from northeastern India from Sikkim,Assam, Manipur; Meghalaya, Nagaland Mizoram andnorthern Myanmar (Evans 1932). On the other handWynter-Byth (1957) gives a figure of 835 species ofbutterflies from northeastern India including Sikkim,Bhutan and Assam up to Chittagong. However,information on butterflies of Bhutan as such is scanty.A booklet published by van der Poel & Wangchuk(2007) on butterflies of the Bhutan mountains, hillsand valleys between 800–3,000 m lists only 136species from the country. van der Poel & Wangchuk(2007) does not include butterflies from subtropicallow land forests of Bhutan lying below 300m, whichare contiguous with forests in India and are consideredrich in terms of biodiversity. One estimate for Bhutanputs the figure between 800–900 species with thelargest number being found in the ‘subtropical’ zone(van der Poel & Wangchuk 2007).The present work on butterflies is part of theenvironment impact assessment studies undertakenon biodiversity of the influence (downstream) andimpact zone (upstream) for a proposed dam to be builtby India, near Kerabari (26 0 44’93N & 89 0 55’55E),in Bhutan, under the Sankosh Hydro-electric PowerProject (Images 1 & 2).MATERIAL AND METHODSA.P. SinghStudy AreaThe study area falls in the subtropical forests inthe southwesternmost part of Bhutan in the southcentralDzongkhag (Sarpang District). These forestsare broadly classified as semievergreen but varyfrom almost totally deciduous on exposed dry slopesto almost totally evergreen in the forest valleys.Adjacent to and east of the study area lies the PhibsooWildlife Sanctuary. The sanctuary covers an area of265km 2 of unique dry shorea forest ecosystem andconserves tropical fauna such as the Tiger Pantheratigris, Elephant Elephas maximus, Gaur Bos gaurus,Golden Langur Trachypithecus geei, Indian WildDog or Dhole Cuon alpinus, Grey Peacock PheasantPolyplectron bicalcaratum, Rufous-necked HornbillAceros nipalensis, Wreathed Hornbill A. undulatus,Great Hornbill Buceros bicornis and is the onlyprotected area in Bhutan having Chital Deer Axis axisand natural sal forests. Phibsoo Wildlife Sanctuarytouches its border with India and is linked on itssouthwestern end to the Buxa Tiger Reserve in WestBengal, India ca. 100km to the south-east of the studysite, in India, lies the Ripu-Chirang Wildlife Sanctuary(RCWF; 89 0 55’–90 0 30’E & 27 0 15’–26 0 35’N) inwestern Assam which is a transitional zone betweenManas Tiger Reserve in the east and Buxa TigerReserve in the west. About 300 species of butterflieshave been recorded from RCWF including the rareYellow-crested Spangle Papilio elephenor Doubleday,1886 and Moore’s Cupid Shijimia moorei Leech, 1889(Choudhury 2010), although the list has not beengiven.SamplingFive sampling surveys were carried out during7–9 January 2009 (winter), 13–14; 17–19 May 2009(pre-monsoon), 11–13 July 2009 (monsoon), 26–28November 2009 (post-monsoon) and 19–22 March2010 (spring) in the study area (Images 3–8). InJanuary the day temperature and relative humidity(11:30–15:30 hr) varied between 23.6–27.8 0 C and57.4–58.4 %, respectively, with days being short.During March relative humidity varied between 57.1–60.1 % and day temperature between 33.4–34.2 0 C. InMay the weather was hot and dry while during July(monsoon) the whole area remained under cloud cover3086Journal of Threatened Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | October 2012 | 4(12): 3085–3102

Butterflies of Sankosh Riverthis index also ranges between 0 and 1, the greater thevalue, the greater the sample diversity. In this case, theindex represents the probability that two individualsrandomly selected from a sample will belong todifferent species.Sørensen’s Similarity IndexThis index or ß was calculated to see the speciessimilarity of butterflies between different seasons inlowland forests.ß = 2c / (S1 + S2)Here, S1= the total number of species recorded inone season, S2= the total number of species recordedin a different season, and c=the number of speciescommon to both the seasons.The Sørensen’s similarity index (Sørensen 1948) isa very simple measure of beta diversity, ranging froma value of 0 where there is no species overlap betweenthe communities, to a value of 1 when exactly the samespecies are found in both communities.RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONA total of 213 species of butterflies were recordedduring the five sampling surveys carried out in 18 daysin the study area. A complete checklist of butterfliessampled in the study area is given in the Table 1).Amongst these, only 87 species are common with vander Poel & Wangchuk (2007) list for areas between800–3,000 m in Bhutan.Species accumulation curveThe increasing trend in the species accumulationcurve shows that new species were added duringevery season up to the last sampling at about the samerate (Fig. 1). This suggests that there is a potentialof adding more species to the current list of the areaand there is a need to undertake more surveys for apreparing an exhaustive list.How many species could be there in the studyarea?A total of 22 species of the family Papilionidaewere recorded in this which suggests that the speciesrichness of the area could be as high as 297 speciesbased on family proportion model (Singh & Pandey2004) by taking Paplionidae species proportion asCumulative number of speciesPolled data for each seasonA.P. SinghFigure 1. Species accumulation curve in samplingbutterflies through different seasons in tropical lowlandforests of Bhutan (January 2009–March 2010).7.4% of the total for northeastern India (Wynter-Blyth1957). The present findings thus represent only 70.6%of the species found in the study area. The familyPieridae represents only 10.8% of the total; Lycaenidae24.0%; Nymphalidae 42.4% and Hesperidae 13.3%,respectively, of the total species sampled. As perSingh & Pandey (2004) model, families Lycaenidaeand Hesperiidae should represent 29.5% and 21.9%,respectively, of the total number of species sampled innortheastern India. These two families are thus underrepresented in the present sampling and there is a needto look for more species.Seasonality of butterflies in subtropical lowlandforestsSpecies richness and diversity: The seasonalvariation in Simpson’s Index of Diversity (Fig. 2) andthe number of species sampled during each season(pooled data; Fig. 3), suggests that species diversityand richness both peak during March (spring) andare lowest in January (winter). A second peak wasobserved during November which was smaller thanthe first peak. This seasonal pattern of diversity inbutterflies is very typical of the lower foothills andvalleys of the Himalaya, i.e. Dehradun Valley (400–700 m) (Singh & Bhandari 2003) or even Calcutta(Wynter-Blyth 1957). However, the timing of the twoseasonal peaks, as observed in this study, is slightlydifferent in pattern as compared to the butterfliesfound in the higher reaches of the Himalaya wherethe first peak is slightly late in April–May while thesecond peak is slightly earlier in September–Octoberi.e. Bhutan between 1,200–3,000 m (van der Poel &Wangchuk 2007) or Shimla at around 2000m (Wynter-3090Journal of Threatened Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | October 2012 | 4(12): 3085–3102

Butterflies of Sankosh RiverA.P. SinghSimpson’s Index of diversityASorensen’s similarity indexSimpson’s Index of diversityFigure 2. Seasonal variation in (A) species diversity ofbutterflies, and (B) its standard error in subtropical lowlandforests of Bhutan (January 2009–March 2010).Number of species sampledSeasonalityFigure 3. Seasonal variation in number of butterfly species(pooled) in subtropical lowland forests of Bhutan (January2009–March 2010).Blyth 1957). This is because spring arrives late inthe higher reaches so butterflies emerge later and aswinter sets in early in the hills, so butterflies go intohibernation early as compared to the low land forests.Species similarity between seasons: Sørensen’ssimilarity index between seasons varied between0.3076 to 0.5656. This suggests that the speciescomposition also changed with the seasons in theseforests. Greatest species similarity was observedduring January and November followed by March andNovember, respectively (Fig. 4). However, the leastBFigure 4. Butterfly species similarity between differentseasons in sub-tropical lowland forests of Bhutan (January2009–March 2010).species similarity in species composition was observedbetween January and July followed by January andMay, respectively (Fig. 4).Relative abundance: The five most abundant speciesin the study area were Euploea mulciber mulciber, Ixaispyrene pirenassa, Appias lyncida hippoides, Tirumalaseptentrionis and Eurema blanda silhetana. Theseasonal variations in relative abundance of butterfliesfor ‘very common’ species (n=48; Q4) were found tobe significant (p< 0.05; Student’s t-test) between onlyJanuary–March; March–May and March–November.Thus, the abundance of common butterflies during‘spring’ varied significantly as compared to ‘winter’,‘dry summer/pre-monsoon’ and ‘post-monsoon’seasons.Species of conservation priority: At least 11species (Pareronia avatar avatar, Nacaduba pactoluscontinentalis, Porostas aluta coelestis, Lampidesboeticus, Melanitis zitenius zitenius, Elymniasvasudeva vasudeva, Mycalesis mestra retus, Charaxesmarmax, Athyma ranga ranga, Neptis manasa manasaand Neptis soma) recorded in the study area have beenlisted in Schedules I and II of the Indian Wildlife(Protection) Act, 1972 (IWPA), but none in the ‘ForestNature and Conservation Act of Bhutan 1995’or IUCNRed list of Threatened species (IUCN 2010). Amongstthese 11 species, except for Lampides boeticus , allother taxa are ‘rare’ throughout their distribution range(Evans 1932; Wynter-Blyth 1957) and are thus speciesof conservation priority over rest of the other taxa in thestudy area. Besides, one more species, Burala amaraMoore, which has been omitted from the IWPA, is alsoJournal of Threatened Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | October 2012 | 4(12): 3085–31023091

Butterflies of Sankosh RiverA.P. SinghTable 1. Checklist of butterflies recorded in subtropical lowland forests of Bhutan along the Sankosh River (118–220 m;January 2009–March 2010).Family/Scientific name Common Name Jan Mar May Jul NovA. PapiliondaeRelativeAbundance1 Graphium sarpedon sarpedon Linnaeus Common Blue Bottle (Image 9) * * * * 142 Graphium doson axion Felder Common Jay (Image 10) * 33 Graphium chironides Honrath Veined Jay * 94 Graphium agamemnon agamemnon Linnaeus Tailed Jay * * * 35 Graphium nomius Swinhoe Spot Swordtail (Image 11) * 146 Graphium agetes agetes Westwood Four-bar Swordtail (Image 12) * * 37 Graphium macareus indicus Rothschild Lesser Zebra (Image 13) * * * 58 Graphium xenocles phrontis DeNiceville Great Zebra * 39 Graphium antiphates pompilius Fabricius Fivebar Swordtail (Image 14) * * 710 Papilio clytia clytia Linnaeus Common Mime * * 311 Papilio polytes stichioides Evans Common Mormon * * * * * 4612 Papilio castor castor Westwood Common Raven * 213 Papilio helenus helenus Linnaeus Red Helen (Image 15) * * * * 1814 Papilio nephelus chaon Westwood Yellow Helen (Image 16) * * * * 1715 Papilio memnon agenor Linnaeus Great Mormon (Image 17) * * 316 Papilio protenor euprotenor Fruhstorfer Spangle * * 217 Papilio alcmeno Felder Redbreast * * * 418 Papilio demoleus demoleus Linnaeus Lime Butterfly * 119 Papilio bianor polyctor Boisduval Common Peacock * * * 320 Atrophaneura varuna astorion Westwood Common Batwing * * * 321 Pachliopta aristolochiae aristolochiae Fabricius Common Rose * 122 Troides aeacus Felder Golden Birdwing * * * 4B. Pieridae23 Eurema blanda silhetana Wallace Three Spot Grass Yellow * * * * * 5324 Eurema hecabe hecabe Linnaeus Common Grass Yellow * * * * 1725 Gandaca harina assamica Moore Tree Yellow * * * * 2326 Catopsilia pomona Linnaeus. Common Emigrant * * * 2327 Catopsilia pyranthe minna Herbst Mottled Emigrant * * * 3228 Ixias Marianne Cramer White Orange Tip * 229 Ixais pyrene pirenassa Wallace Yellow Orange Tip (Image 18) * * * * 12330 Hebomoia glaucippe glaucippe Linnaeus Great Orange Tip (Image 19) * * * * * 3231 Pareronia valeria hippa Fabricius Common Wanderer * 132 Pareronia avatar avatar Moore [IWPA Sch. II] Pale Wanderer * 133 Appias lyncida hippoides Moore Chocolate Albatross (Image 20) * * * * 9934 Appias albino darada Felder Common Albatross * * 1135 Appias lalage lalage Doubleday Spot Puffin * * 736 Pieris canidia indica Evans Indian Cabbage White * 137 Cepora nerissa phryne Fabricius Common Gull * * * * 3938 Cepora nadina nadina Lucas Lesser Gull * * * * 2339 Prioneris thestylis Doubleday Spotted Sawtooth (Image 21) * * * 640 Delias pasithoe Linnaeus Red Base Jezebel (Image 22) * * * 441 Delias descombesi leucaeantha Fruhstorfer Red Spot Jezebel (Image 23) * * * 742 Delias thysbe pyramus Wallace Red-breasted Jezebel (Image 24) * * 53092Journal of Threatened Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | October 2012 | 4(12): 3085–3102

Butterflies of Sankosh RiverA.P. SinghFamily/Scientific name Common Name Jan Mar May Jul NovRelativeAbundance43 Delias agostina Hewitson Yellow Jezebel * 144 Delias hyparete hierte Drury Painted Jezebel (Image 25) * 145 Leptosia nina nina Fabricius Psyche * * 2C. Lycaenidae46 Poritia hewitsoni hewitsoni Moore Common Gem * 247 Spalgis epius epius Westwood Apefly (Image 26) * 148 Curetis bulis Doubleday & Hewitson Bright Sunbeam * * 449 Curetis dentata dentata Moore Angled Sunbeam (Image 27) * 250 Chrysozephyrus assamica Tytler* Silver Hairstreak * 151 Arhopala pseudocentaurus Doubleday Western Centaur Oakblue * * * 352 Arhopala abseus Hewitson Aberrant Oak Blue * * * 353 Arhopala atrax Hewitson Indian Oak Blue * 154 Surendra quercetorum quercetorum Moore Common Acacia Blue * * 255 Loxura atymnus continentalis Fruhstorfer Yamfly * * 456 Cheritra freja freja Fabricius Common Imperial (Image 28) * * * * 957 Remelana jangala ravata Moore Chocolate Royal (Image 29) * 358 Tajuria cippus cippus Fabricius Peacock Royal * 159 Pratapa deva lila Moore Tufted White Royal * 160 Hypolycaena erylus himarantus Moore Common Tit * * 1261 Zeltus amasa Hewitson Fluffy Tit (Image 30) * 162 Deudorix epijarbas Moore Cornelian * 163 Rapala varuna orseis Hewitson Indigo Flash * 164 Rapala pheretima petosiris Hewitson Copper Flash * * 2865 Rapala jarbus Fabricius Indian Red Flash * * 266 Catapaecilma elegans major Fruhstorfer Common Tensil * 267 Spindasis vulcanus vulcanus Fabricius Common Silverline * 168 Spindasis lohita himalayanus Moore Long-banded Silverline * * 869 Heliophorus epicles indicus Fruhstorfer Purple Sapphire * * * * 570 Anthene emolus emolus Godart Common Ciliate Blue * * * 371 Anthene lycaenina lycambes Hewitson Pointed Ciliate Blue * * 272 Castalius rosimon rosimon Fabricius Common Pierrot * * 273 Leptotes plinius Fabricius Zebra Blue * 174Nacaduba pactolus continentalis Fruhstorfer[IWPA Sch. II]Large 4-Lineblue * 175 Nacaduba kurava euplea Transparent 6- Lineblue * 276 Nacaduba beroe Felder Opaque 6 - Lineblue * 377Porostas aluta coelestis de Niceville[IWPA Sch. II]Banded Lineblue * * 278 Prosotas dubiosa indica Evans Tailless Line Blue * 179 Jamides bochus Cramer Dark Cerulean * * * 680 Jamides celeno celeno Cramer Common Cerulean * * * * 4981 Jamides alecto eurysaces Fruhstorfer Metallic Cerulean * 182 Catochrysops panormus Felder Silver Forget-me-not * * 283 Catochrysops Strabo Fabricius Forget- me- not * 184 Pseudozizeeria maha maha Kollar Pale Grass Blue * * 285 Lampides boeticus Linnaeus [IWPA Sch. II] Pea Blue * 1Journal of Threatened Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | October 2012 | 4(12): 3085–31023093

Butterflies of Sankosh RiverA.P. SinghFamily/Scientific name Common Name Jan Mar May Jul NovRelativeAbundance86 Zizeeria karsandra Moore Dark Grass Blue * * 287 Everes lacturnus assamica Tytler Indian Cupid * 188 Neopithecops zalmora Butler Quaker * * * 489 Megisba malaya sikkima Moore Malayan * * 390 Acytolepis puspa gisca Fruhstorfer Common Hedge Blue * 191 Celastrina lavendularis placida de Niceville Plain Hedge Blue * 192 Chilades lajus lajus Evans Lime Blue * * * 693 Abisara fylla Doubleday Dark Judy * * * 394 Abisara echerius suffuse Moore Plum Judy * 195 Abisara neophron neophron Hewitson Tailed Judy * 296 Zemeros flegyas indicus Fruhstorfer Punchinello * * * * * 10D. Nymphalidae97 Libythea lepita lepita Moore Common Beak * 198 Tirumala limniace mertina Fruhstorfer Blue Tiger * * * * * 1599 Tirumala septentrionis Butler Dark Blue Tiger * * * 66100 Danaus genutia Cramer Striped Tiger * * * * * 11101 Danaus chrysippus Linnaeus Plain Tiger * * * * 12102 Parantica aglea melanoides Moore Glassy Tiger * * * * 12103 Parantica sita tylia Gray Chestnut Tiger * * 2104 Parantica melaneus plantenston Fruhstorfer Chocolate Tiger (Image 31) * * 5105Euploea mulciber mulciber Cramer[IWPA Sch. IV]Striped-blue Crow * * * * * 217106 Euploea radamanthus Fabricius Magpie Crow (Image 32) * * 4107 Euploea midamus splendens Butler Blue Spotted Crow * 13108 Euploea algae deione Westwood Long-branded Crow (Image 33) * * 16109 Euploea core core Cramer Common Crow * * * * * 13110 Polyura athamas athamas Drury Common Nawab * * * * * 9111 Polyura eudamippus Doubleday Great Nawab (Image 34) * 2112 Polyura arja Felder Pallid Nawab (Image 35) * 2113 Charaxes bernardus Fabricius Tawny Rajah * * * * 9114 Charaxes marmax Westwood [IWPA Sch. II] Yellow Rajah * * * 3115 Charaxes solon fabius Fabricius Black Rajah * * 2116 Faunis canens Hubner Common Faun * 1117 Discophora sondaica zal Westwood Common Duffer * 2118 Melanitis leda ismene Cramer Common Evening Brown * * * * 5119 Melanitis phedima bela Moore Dark Evening Brown * * * 3120 Melanitis zitenius zitenius Herbst [IWPA Sch. II] Great Evening Brown * * * 5121 Lethe europa niladana Fruhstorfer Bamboo Treebrown * 1122 Lethe rohria rohira Fabricius Common Treebrown * * 3123 Lethe confuse confuse Aurivillius Banded Treebrown * * 3124 Lethe mekara mekara Moore Common Red Forester (Image 36) * * 2125 Lethe verma sintica Fruhstorfer Straight-banded Treebrown * 2126 Elymnias hypermnestra undularis Drury Common Palmfly * * * * * 11127Elymnias vasudeva vasudeva Moore[IWPA Sch. II]Jezebel Palmfly (Image 37) * 1128 Mycalesis anaxias aemate Fruhstorfer White Bar Bushbrown * 13094Journal of Threatened Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | October 2012 | 4(12): 3085–3102

Butterflies of Sankosh RiverA.P. Singh129Family/Scientific name Common Name Jan Mar May Jul NovMycalesis mestra retus Fruhstorfer[IWPA Sch. II]RelativeAbundanceWhite-edged Bushbrown * 1130 Mycalesis perseus blasieus Fabricius Common Bushbrown * * * * * 33131 Mycalesis malsara Moore White line Bushbrown * 3132 Mycalesis lepcha lepcha Moore Lepcha Bushbrown * 1133 Orsotrioena medus meudus Fabricius Medus Brown/Jungle Brown * * 8134 Ypthima baldus baldus Fabricius Common Five Ring * * * * * 47135 Cethosia biblis tisamena Fruhstorfer Red Lacewing * * 4136 Vindula erota erota Fabricius Cruiser (Image 38) * * 4137 Cirrochroa aoris aoris Doubleday Large Yeoman * * * * * 15138 Cirrochroa tyche mithila Moore Common Yeoman * * * * * 11139 Vagrans egista sinha Kollar Vagrant * * 2140 Phalanta phalantha Drury Common Leopard * * * 23141 Moduza procris procris Cramer Commander (Image 39) * * 3142 Athyma perius Linnaeus Common Sergeant * 1143 Athyma asura asura Moore Studded Sergeant * 1144 Athyma ranga ranga Moore [IWPA Sch. II] Black Vein Sergeant (Image 40) * * * * 7145 Athyma selenophora selenophora Kollar Staff Sergeant * * 2146 Athyma cama Moore Orange Staff Sergeant * 1147 Athyma nefte inara Doubleday Colour Sergeant (Image 41) * * 2148 Pantoporia hordonia hordonia Stoll Common Lascar * * * * 9149 Neptis miah miah Moore Small Yellow Sailer * 1150 Neptis hylas varmona Moore Common Sailer * * * * 26151 Neptis soma soma Moore [IWPA Sch. II] Sullied Sailer * * * 5152 Neptis pseudovikasi Moore Dingy Sailor (Image 42) * 1153 Neptis ananta ochracea Evans Yellow Sailer (Image 43) * * * 4154 Neptis manasa Moore [IWPA Sch. I] Pale Hockey Stick Sailer (Image 44) * 1155 Neptis cartica cartica Moore Plain Sailer * 1156 Phaedyma columella ophiana Moore Short-banded Sailer * 1157 Lebadea martha martha Fabricius Knight (Image 45) * * * 6158 Euthalia monina kesava Moore Powdered Baron * 2159 Euthalia phemius Doubleday White-edged Blue Baron * * 4160 Euthalia aconthea suddhodana Fruhstorfer Common Baron * * 5161Euthalia lubentina indica Fruhstorfer[IWPA Sch. IV]Gaudy Baron * * 2162 Tanaecia lepidea lepidea Butler Grey Count (Image 46) * * * 3163 Tanaecia julii appiades Menetries Common Earl * * 4164 Lexias dirtea khasiana Swinhoe Dark Archduke (Images 47a,b) * * * 4165 Cyrestis thyodamas thyodamas Boisduval Common Map * * * * 5166 Chersonesia risa Doubleday Common Maplet (Image 48) * 2167 Stibochiona nicea nicea Gray Popinjay * * 2168 Ariadne ariadne pallidor Fruhstorfer Angled Castor * 1169 Ariadne merione assama Evans Common Castor * 1170 Apatura ambica ambica Kollar Indian Purple Emperor * 1171 Rohana parisatis parosatis Westwood Black Prince (Image 49) * * * 11172 Hestina nama Doubleday Circe * * 2Journal of Threatened Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | October 2012 | 4(12): 3085–31023095

Butterflies of Sankosh RiverA.P. SinghFamily/Scientific name Common Name Jan Mar May Jul NovRelativeAbundance173 Symbrenthia lilaea khasiana Moore Common Jester * * * 8174 Symbrenthia hypselis cotanda Moore Himalayan Jester * * 2175 Vanessa indica indica Herbst Indian Red Admiral * * 2176 Kaniska canace canace Linnaeus Blue Admiral * 1177 Vanessa cardui Linnaeus Painted Lady * 1178 Junonia orithya ocyale Hubner Blue Pansy * * 2179 Junonia hierta magna Evans Yellow Pansy * 1180 Junonia iphita iphita Cramer Chocolate Pansy * * 2181 Junonia atlites Linnaeus Grey Pansy * * * 3182 Junonia almana almana Linnaeus Peacock Pansy * * 2183 Junonia lemonias lemonias Linnaeus Lemon Pansy * * * * * 21184 Hypolimnas bolina Linnaeus Great Eggfly * * * * * 5185 Kallima inachus inachus Boisduval Orange Oakleaf * * * 3186 Doleschallia bisaltide indica Moore Autumn Leaf * * 2E. Hesperiidae187 Burala oedipodea aegina Plotz Branded Orange Awlet * * 2188 Burala amara Moore Small Green Awlet (Image 50) * 1189 Burala jaina jaina Moore Orange Awlet (Image 51) * * 2190 Hasora badra badra Moore Common Awl * 2191 Hasora vitta indica Evans [IWPA Sch. IV] Plain Banded Awl * 2192 Sarangesa dasahara dasahara Moore Common Small Flat * * 2193 Tagiades japetus khasiana Moore Common Snow Flat * * * 3194 Pseudocoladenia dan faith Kollar Fulvous Pied Flat * * * 3195 Gerosis bhagava bhagava Moore Common Yellow-breasted Flat * * 2196 Seseria dohertyi dohertyi Watson Himalayan White Flat (Image 52) * 1197 Tagiades gana athos Plotz Suffused Snow Flat * 5198 Tagiades parra gala Evans Large Snow Flat (Image 53) * 1199 Odotoptilum angulata Felder Chestnut Angle * 1200 Oriens goloides gola Moore Common Dartlet * * * 4201 Telicota colon Fabricius Pale Palm Dart * * * 3202 Parnara guttatus guttatus Berm Straight Swift * * * 3203Pelopidas assamensis Wood Mason & deNiceville [IWPA Sch. IV]Great Swift * 1204 Pithauria straminiepennis Wood Mason Light Straw Ace (Image 54) * 2205 Arnetta atkinsoni Moore Atkinson’s Bob (Image 55) * * 4206 Iambrix salsala salsala Moore Chestnut Bob * * 3207 Koruthaialos butleri butleri Wood Mason Dark Velvet Bob * 1208 Matapa aria Moore Common Redeye * 1209 Matapa sasiarna Moore Black-veined Redeye (Image 56) * 1210 Udaspes folus Cramer Grass Demon * 1211 Notocrypta curvifascia Felder Restricted Demon (Image 57) * * * 3212 Ancistroides nigrita Latreille Chocolate Demon (Image 58) * 1213 Ochus subvittatus Moore Tiger Hopper * 2Relative Abundance: VC - very common (7–217); C - common (4–6); FC - fairly common (2–3); UC - Uncommon (1); * Identity of taxa doubtful.3096Journal of Threatened Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | October 2012 | 4(12): 3085–3102

Butterflies of Sankosh RiverA.P. Singh© Arun Singh© Arun SinghImages 9 & 10. Common Blue Bottle,Graphium sarpedon and Common Jay,Graphium doson© Arun Singh© Arun SinghImage 11. Spot SwordtailGraphium nomius© Arun SinghImage 12. Fourbar SwordtailGraphium agetes agetes© Arun SinghImage 13. Lesser ZebraGraphium macareuImage 14. Five bar SwordtailGraphium antiphates pompiliusImage 15. Red Helen Papilio helenus© Arun Singh© Arun SinghImage 16. Yellow HelenPapilio nephelus© Arun SinghImage 18–20. Great Orange Tip,Hebomoia glaucippe, Yellow OrangeTip, Ixais pyrene and ChocolateAlbatross, Appias lyncida© Arun SinghImage 17. Great Mormon© Arun SinghPapilio memnonImage 21. Spotted SawtoothPrioneris thestylisImage 22. Red-Base JezebelDelias pasithoeJournal of Threatened Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | October 2012 | 4(12): 3085–31023097

Butterflies of Sankosh RiverA.P. Singh© Arun Singh© Arun SinghImage 23. Red Spot JezebelDelias descombesi© Arun SinghImage 24. Red-breast JezebelDelias thysbe© Arun SinghImage 25. Painted JezebelDelias hyparete© Arun Singh© Arun SinghImage 26. Apefly Spalgis epius© Arun SinghImage 27. Angled SumbeamCuretis acuta© Arun SinghImage 28. Common ImperialCheritra freja© Arun SinghImage 29. Chocolate RoyalEliotia jangalaImage 30. Fluffy Tit Zeltus amasa© Arun SinghImage 31. Chocolate TigerParantica melaneus© Arun Singh© Arun SinghImage 32. Magpie CrowEuploea radamanthusImage 33. Long-branded CrowEuploea algae deioneImage 34. Great NawabPolyura eudamippus3098Journal of Threatened Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | October 2012 | 4(12): 3085–3102

Butterflies of Sankosh RiverA.P. Singh© Arun Singh © Arun SinghImage 36. Common Red ForesterLethe mekaraImage 37. Jezebel PalmflyElymnias vasudeva vasudeva© Arun SinghImage 35. Pallid Nawab Polyura arja© Arun SinghImage 38. Cruiser Vindula erota© Arun SinghImage 39. CommanderModuza procris© Arun SinghImage 40. Black Vein SergeantAthyma ranga (male)© Arun Singh© Arun Singh© Arun SinghImage 41. Colour Sergeant Athymanefte (male)Image 42. Dingy SailerNeptis pseudovikasi© Arun Singh © Arun SinghImage 43. Yellow Sailer Neptis ananta© Arun SinghImage 44. Pale Hockey Stick SailerNeptis manasaImage 45. Knight Lebadea marthaImage 46. Grey CountTanaecia lepidea maleJournal of Threatened Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | October 2012 | 4(12): 3085–31023099

Butterflies of Sankosh RiverA.P. Singh© Arun Singh © Arun Singh © Arun SinghImage 47b. Dark ArchdukeLexias dirtea khasiana (male)Image 48. Common MapletChersonesia risaImage 47a. Dark ArchdukeLexias dirtea khasiana (female)© Arun Singh © Arun Singh© Arun SinghImage 49. Black PrinceRohana parisatis (male)Image 51. Orange Awlet Burala jaina© Arun SinghImage 50. Small Green AwletBurala amara© Arun SinghImage 52. Himalayan White FlatSeseria dohertyiImage 54. Light Straw AcePithauria straminiepennisImage 53. Large Snow FlatTaigiades parra gala© Arun SinghImage 55. Atkinson’s BobArnetta atkinsoni© Arun SinghImage 56. Black-veined RedeyeMatapa sasiarna© Arun Singh3100Journal of Threatened Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | October 2012 | 4(12): 3085–3102

Butterflies of Sankosh RiverA.P. Singh© Arun Singh © Arun SinghImage 58. Chocolate DemonAncistroides nigritaImage 57. Restricted DemonNotocrypta curvifasciaa ‘rare’ species in India (Evans 1932).CONCLUSIONHigh value of ‘Simpson’s index ’ (0.8929–0.9687)points to the area having high variation. A stretchof ca. 12km monitored during the 18-day samplingrevealed as many as 213 species and had the potentialof adding many more species. The list provided hereis in no way complete but represents ca. 2/3 speciesfound in these tracts in the study area and ca. ¼ of thespecies estimated from Bhutan. Besides, 12 taxa thatare ‘rare’ in occurrence throughout their distributionrange and worthy of conservation were also recordedin this subtropical lowland forest tract. Also, a goodnumber of butterfly species were present during allthe five seasons (93±12 species per season; range= 66–129 species) which is a good indicator of thepotential of this area for butterfly ecotourism, thatneeds to be explored. ‘Biodiversity offsets’ such asbutterfly conservatories or even a butterfly park canbe established here for conserving the ‘rare’ speciesand promoting ecotourism. Thus, the present studyis a way forward to bridge the remaining gaps todayin documenting the complete butterfly fauna of thearea, identifying sites and species of conservationconcerns in the subtropical lowland forests of EasternHimalaya.REFERENCESChoudhury, K. (2010). Rediscovery of two rare butterfliesPapilio elephenor Doubleday, 1845 and Shijimia mooreiLeech, 1889 from proposed Ripu-Chirang WildlifeSanctuary, Assam, India. Journal of Threatened Taxa 2(4):831–834.D’Abrera, B. (1982). Butterflies of the Oriental Region - PartI. Papilionidae, Pieridae & Danaidae. Hill House, Victoria,Australia, 244pp.D’Abrera, B. (1985). Butterflies of the Oriental Region—PartII. Nymphalidae, Satyridae & Amathusiidae. Hill House,Victoria, Australia, 534pp.D’Abrera, B. (1986). Butterflies of the Oriental Region—Part III. Lycaenidae & Riodinidae. Hill House, Victoria,Australia, 672pp.Simpson, E.H. (1949). Measurement of diversity. Nature 163:688 (http://www.wku.edu/~smithch/biogeog/SIMP1949.htm).Evans, W.H. (1932). The Identification of Indian Butterflies—2nd edition. Bombay Natural History Society, Bombay464pp.Haribal, M. (1992). The Butterflies of Sikkim Himalayaand their Natural History. Sikkim Nature ConservationFoundation, Sikkim, 217pp.Inskipp, C., T. Inskipp & R.Grimmette (1999). Birds ofBhutan. Timeless Books, New Delhi, 192pp.IUCN (2010). IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.Version 2010.4. . Downloaded on08 February 2011.Kehimkar, I. (2008). The Book of Indian Butterflies. BNHS,Oxford University. Delhi Press, 497pp.McAllister, D.E., J.F. Craig, N. Davidson, S. Delany &M. Seddon (2001). Biodiversity Impacts of Large Dams.Background Paper Nr. 1. Prepared for IUCN/UNEP/WCD, 1–68pp. (http://intranet.iucn.org/webfiles/doc/archive/2001/IUCN850.PDF).Mishra, G. (2009). Environmental Impact of large dams. InDams, Structures and Water Resources LINK.Singh, A.P. & R.S. Bhandari (2003). Butterfly diversity inJournal of Threatened Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | October 2012 | 4(12): 3085–31023101

Butterflies of Sankosh Rivertropical moist deciduous sal (Shorea robusta) forests ofDehradun valley: the lower western Himalayas. IndianForester 129(10): 1257–1269.Singh, A.P. & R. Pandey (2004). A model for estimatingbutterfly species richness of areas across the Indian subcontinent:species proportion of family papilionidae as anindicator. Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society101: 79–89.Smith, C. (1989). Butterflies of Nepal (Central Himalayas).Craftman Press Bangkok, 352pp.Smith, C. (2006). Illustrated Checklist of Nepal’s Butterflies.A.P. SinghCraftman Press, Bangkok, 129pp.Sørensen, T.A. (1948). A method of establishing groups of equalamplitude in plant sociology based on similarity of speciescontent, and its application to analyses of the vegetationon Danish commons. Kongelige Danske VidenskabernesSelskabs Biologiske Skrifter 5: 1–34.van der Poel, P. & T. Wangchuk (2007). Butterflies of Bhutan.Mountains, hills and valleys between 800-3000m. RoyalSociety for Protection of Nature (RSPN ) Thimpu, Bhutan.Wynter-Blyth, M.A. (1957). Butterflies of the Indian Region.Bombay Natural History Society, Bombay, 523pp.3102Journal of Threatened Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | October 2012 | 4(12): 3085–3102

JoTT Re v i e w 4(12): 3103–3136Mammals of Kalimpong Hills, Darjeeling District,West Bengal, IndiaJayanta Kumar MallickWildlife Wing (Headquarters), Directorate of Forests, Government of West Bengal, Bikash Bhawan, North Block, Third Floor,Salt Lake City, West Bengal 700091, IndiaEmail: jayantamallick2007@rediffmail.comDate of publication (online): 10 October 2012Date of publication (print): 10 October 2012ISSN 0974-7907 (online) | 0974-7893 (print)Editor: L.A.K. SinghManuscript details:Ms # o2418Received 04 March 2010Final received 29 August 2012Finally accepted 05 September 2012Citation: Mallick, J.K. (2012). Mammals ofKalimpong Hills, Darjeeling District, WestBengal, India. Journal of Threatened Taxa 4(12):3103–3136.Copyright: © Jayanta Kumar Mallick 2012.Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 UnportedLicense. JoTT allows unrestricted use of thisarticle in any medium for non-profit purposes,reproduction and distribution by providingadequate credit to the authors and the sourceof publication.Author Details: Jay a n t a Ku m a r Ma l l i c kpostgraduated in 1974, joined the Wildlife Wing(Headquarters) in 1976 and has been working asPA to PCCF, Wildlife, West Bengal, for the last 37years. Worked in the Project of the North-EastIndia Task Force, IUCN/SSC/Elephant SpecialistGroup and also as project consultant of the IndianSociety for Wildlife Research, Kolkata. He hasbeen involved in all departmental publications,has participated in departmental workshops,undertaken a number of studies, is lookingafter departmental data bank and has morethan hundred published articles, study reports,book and book-chapter on wildlife conservation,particularly of mammals.Acknowledgements: The author expressesheartiest thanks to all those departmental fieldstaff, officers and other respondents who sharedtheir experiences for preparation of this studyreport. I am also grateful to Dr. Dipankar Ghose(WWF-I, New Delhi) for communicating his fieldobservations. I am especially indebted to IndranilMitra, GIS specialist, for providing digitized mapsof the study area and Somnath Chakraborty forretrieving relevant data.OPEN ACCESS | FREE DOWNLOADAbstract: Neora Valley National Park (NVNP) in the Kalimpong Hills, Darjeeling District,having a wide range of altitudinal variations (183–3,200 m) and climatic conditions andforming an ecological trijunction with Sikkim and Bhutan, is the last virgin wildernessin West Bengal. It is a global hotspot for the unique ecosystem, where tropical, subtropical,temperate and sub-temperate forests represent a wealth of biodiversity includingmany threatened and rare mammals. It is the prime habitat of Ailurus fulgens (estimatedpopulation 28–32), Neofelis nebulosa (population unassessed), Ursus thibetanus (18),Bos gaurus (81), Hemitragus jemlahicus (32), Naemorhedus goral (73), Capricornissumatraensis (89), Rusa unicolor (286), Muntiacus vaginalis (590) and Sus scrofa (615).Discovery of Panthera tigris (20) in 1998 prompted the forest department to includeNVNP as a sensitive wildlife zone. Many authors recorded the mammalian diversityin Darjeeling District since the mid-nineteenth century, but most of them referred to theDarjeeling Hills. The documentations on Kalimpong Hills are scarce because of thedense canopy, thick undergrowth and inaccessible terrain, particularly in the pristineforests of Neora Valley. Consequently, a comprehensive compendium of the mammalsin this region was not prepared. A study was undertaken in 2008–2009 with a viewto bridging this knowledge-gap and presenting an updated account of the mammalianspecies in this new short-listed World Heritage Site and surrounding forests of theKalimpong Hills based on literature review, questionnaire survey, direct sighting andindirect evidences. During June–October 1916, N.A. Baptista recorded 29 mammalianspecies (22 genera) out of 563 specimens collected, from the region. The present studyregistered 99 species (68 genera) after 94 years.Keywords: Indirect evidences, Kalimpong, literature review, mammals, Neora Valley,sighting, status.INTRODUCTIONThe Indian mammals comprise of 401 species (180 genera, 45 familiesand 13 orders), constituting about 8.6% of the global mammalian species(Alfred et al. 2006). About 47% of the Indian mammals are recordedin West Bengal (Chakraborty & Agrawal 1993). Whereas Ghosh (1992)recorded 217 species and subspecies of mammals (including the extinctspecies of the 20 th century) in the state, Agrawal et al. (1992) described188 species and subspecies (103 genera, 33 families and 12 orders). Onlytwo of them (Bengal Marsh Mongoose Herpestes palustris Ghose, 1965Abbreviations: ATREE - Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and Environment;BNHM - Bengal Natural History Museum, Darjeeling; BSI - Botanical Survey of India;FD - Forest Division; IUCN - International Union for Conservation of Nature and NaturalResources; KFD - Kalimpong Forest Division; NP - National Park; NTFP - Non-TimberForest Produce; NVNP - Neora Valley National Park; NESPON - North Eastern Societyfor the Preservation of Nature and Wildlife; SNR - Strict Nature Reserve; TE - Tea Estate;UNESCO - United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization; WBFDCL- West Bengal Forest Development Corporation Limited; WLS - Wildlife Sanctuary;WWF-I/US - World-wide Fund for Nature-India/United States; ZSI - Zoological Surveyof India.Journal of Threatened Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | October 2012 | 4(12): 3103–3136 3103

Mammals of Kalimpong Hillsand Sombre Bat Eptesicus tatei Ellerman & Morrison-Scott 1951) are endemics (Mallick 2007, 2009).The Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 (asamended up to 2002) includes about 80 mammalianspecies in Schedule I, which are considered nationally‘threatened’ (Anonymous 2003; Saha & Mazumdar2008). The Red Data List of Threatened Species (2008)of the International Union for Conservation of Natureand Natural Resources (IUCN) records 96 threatenedspecies of mammals in India (Vié et al. 2009).According to Nandy (2006a), West Bengal harboursat least 24 globally threatened (eight ‘Endangered’and 16 ‘Vulnerable’) mammalian species. However,70 species of mammals in the state require specialattention for conservation (Saha et al. 1992).Out of 11,879km 2 of recorded forests in WestBengal, Darjeeling district (26 0 31’–27 0 13’N & 87 0 59’–88 0 53’E) occupies 1,204km 2 including Kalimpongsub-division (556km 2 or 46.17%). But, in terms of theactual proportion of foliage cover, one-fourth of thegeographical area (3,148.74km 2 ) of this district is forest(Mukherjee 1995), which is below the prescriptionof 60% coverage in the hills and mountains. But,owing to the great difference between the climaticconditions of the northern hills (Eastern Himalaya)and southern parts (foothills stretching down to theplains), Darjeeling District harbours a rich varietyof flora (2,439 species) and fauna (4,166 species)(Alfred et al. 2004). Approximately, 72% of WestBengal’s mammal diversity is exhibited in DarjeelingHimalayan region, of which 53 species are not met withwithin other ecosystems of West Bengal (Chakraborty& Agrawal 1993). Pradhan & Bhujel (unpub.) listed124 mammalian species in the Darjeeling Himalayas.While Agrawal et al. (1992) recorded 128 species,Mitra (2004) 180 species, and Sanyal et al. (2007)mentioned 126 species in Darjeeling.NVNP combined with its adjoining forests inthe Kalimpong Hills is the largest part in DarjeelingDistrict with its wide range of environment gradients,supporting a unique, ecologically important and themost undisturbed patch of intact and well-preservedlate succession forest ( downloaded on 15 January 2009). NeoraValley is designated as one of the key biodiversityareas in the Eastern Himalaya for mammals and birds(WWF-US, Asia Program 2005). This area falls inone of the global hotspots (Myers et al. 2000), GlobalJ.K. Mallick200 forest eco-regions (Olson & Dinnerstein 1998),two endemic bird areas (Stattersfield et al. 1998) andseveral centres for plant diversity (Davis et al. 1995). Itis also an integral part of the Kanchenjunga Landscape(Sharma & Chettri 2005; Chettri et al. 2007a).Historically, knowledge about the mammalianfauna of the Kalimpong Hills is rather patchy. Theamateur naturalists, political and military officersand scientists like B.H. Hodgson (1845–1858), J.T.Pearson (1850), W. Theobald (1851, 1854), MajorW.S. Sherwill (1852, 1853), W.T. Blanford (1857),T.C. Jerdon (1865), J. Anderson (1866–1869), CaptainH.J. Elwes (1870–1871), Dr. F. Stoliczka (1871), W.S.Atkinson (1872), J. Gammie (1872), L. Mandelli(1872), Dr. G. King (1877), R.C. Wroughton (1891),collected many specimens from Darjeeling duringthe 19 th century. During the 20 th century, C.A. Crump(1914), H. Steven (1921, 1930), A. Linogreen (1938),R.L. Fernandez (1958), H.R. Bhat (1969), R.K. Ghose(1974–1985), P.K. Das (1979–1980), R.L. Choudhury(1980–1985) and others also collected specimens fromDarjeeling District. But the present study area was notproportionately emphasized.Recently, the fauna and flora have been studiedin few parts of Neora Valley National Park (NVNP),but a large tract remains unexplored. Hence, an indepthstudy in the Kalimpong Hills (NVNP andKFD) is considered to be of prime importance fromconservation point of view.LITERATURE REVIEWThe literature review reveals that most of the recordsof the mammals in Darjeeling District (Gray 1842;Tickell l843; Horsfield 1851; Blyth 1863; Dobson1876; Hunter 1876; Anderson 1881, 1912; Blanford1891; Sclater 1891; Dalgliesh 1906; Pocock 1908;Shebbeare 1915, 1933; Thomas 1915, 1916a, b; Hinton1922; Fry 1923; Matthews 1934; Dutt-Mazumdar1955; Sur 1957; Khajuria 1959, 1966; Southwick etal. 1964; Ghose 1964, 1976, 1985; Ghose & Ghosal1969; Khajuria & Ghose 1970; Topal 1970; Ghose &Roy 1972; Sinha 1973, 1990; Mukherjee et al. 1980,1982; Ghose & Saha 1981; Tiwari 1982; Ghose &Chakraborty 1983; Hill 1983; Chakraborty & Ghose1984; Biswas et al. 1985; Koopman 1989; Dasgupta1991; Ghose & Bhattacharya 1995; Mukherjee et al.3104Journal of Threatened Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | October 2012 | 4(12): 3103–3136

Mammals of Kalimpong Hills1995; Bahuguna et al. 1998; Pradhan 1998, 1999,2006; Mitra 2000a,b,c, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2003–2004;Pradhan et al. 2001a,b; Das 2003; Murmu et al. 2004;Mitra & Alfred 2002, 2007; Bhattacharyya et al. 2008)refer to the mammals occurring in the Darjeeling Hills.In contrast, only a very few scientific studies on themammals have been conducted in Kalimpong Hills.The baseline for the present study is the firstscientific research conducted in June–October 1916by N.A. Baptista, who collected as many as 560specimens of mammals belonging to 29 species under22 genera from the dense mixed and bamboo forestsof the Kalimpong Hills, east of the Teesta River, westof Ni-chu (Jaldhaka River) and Di-chu (tributary ofthe Jaldhaka) and bounded by Bhutan on the north(Wroughton 1917b). It appears that these fairly largecollections did not attribute a corresponding widerange of the mammalian species, as found in theSikkim-Bengal ‘terai’, Darjeeling Hills and Bhutan‘duars’ (Wroughton 1916a,b, 1917a).During the post-independence era, a range of80 to 90 species of mammals in Kalimpong ForestDivision (KFD) including Neora Valley have beenrecorded (Anonymous 1964), but, ironically, nosupporting checklist was appended. West BengalForest Development Corporation Limited (WBFDCL)surveyed the eastern ridges of Neora Valley in 1979and 1981 in a joint effort with Zoological Survey ofIndia (ZSI) and Botanical Survey of India (BSI). In1982, the Himalayan Club, Indian Army, ZSI andDepartment of Botany, University of Calcutta, incollaboration with KFD, organised an expedition fromLava to the uncharted western ridges. But no newrecords of mammalian species during these expeditionswere reported.During 11–18 April 1982, Dr. B. Biswas, R.K.Ghose and D.K. Ghosal of ZSI and K. Mukherjee ofWorld Wide Fund for Nature-India (WWF-I) surveyedSamsing (Neora and Murti river valleys), Mouchowki,Rangpo and Tarkhola as part of their project on thelesser cats. But due to heavy rains, they could recordonly 17 mammalian species (Biswas & Ghose 1982;Biswas et al. 1985). No lesser cat was, however,sighted by them, but the scat of an unidentified smallercat was found on the bank of Neora River.Sharma (1990) recorded 45 species of mammals inNVNP. In an account of the mammalian fauna of WestBengal, based mainly on the collections of ZSI as wellJ.K. Mallickas those recorded in the literature, Saha et al. (1992)listed 36 species (three Primates, 22 Carnivora, oneProboscidae, three Artiodactyla, and seven Rodentia)in NVNP.The Department of Zoology, University of NorthBengal in collaboration with the Department of Forests,Government of West Bengal and North Eastern Societyfor the Preservation of Nature and Wildlife (NESPON),an NGO based at Siliguri, Darjeeling, again surveyedthe upper reaches and interior forests of NVNP duringsummer (April, May and June) and early winter(October) in 1994–1996 and prepared a checklist of32 mammalian species (9 Schedule I) belonging to16 families, representing more than 17 per cent of thetotal mammalian diversity in West Bengal (Biswaset al. 1999). Singhal & Mukhopadhyay (1998) alsoreprinted the same checklist. Singhal (1999) addedtwo new records of the mammals in NVNP.WWF-India, Eastern Region (1997) recorded 17mammalian species in the Upper Neora and LowerNeora Forest Ranges of NVNP as well as Chel,Lulagaon and Lava Forest Ranges of KFD. A studyon the birds in the Lava (altitude 2,100m)-Lulagaon(altitude 1,575m) region of upper Neora during 2000–2001 reported direct and indirect evidences of themammalian species like the Tiger, Leopard, HimalayanBlack Bear, Red Panda, Himalayan Yellow-throatedMarten, Wild Dog, Barking Deer, Assamese Macaque,Wild Boar, Moupin Pika (Dipankar Ghose & SujanChatterjee pers. comm. 19 October 2009).Chakraborty et al. (2008a) enlisted 25 species ofmammals in NVNP on the basis of both sighting andindirect evidences. But Chakraborty et al. (2008b)recorded 16 mammalian species in NVNP, includingsighting of seven species, collection of the scats of fivespecies, observation of other signs of two species plusother two prey species. Ghosh et al. (2008) referred toeight key species of mammals in this area. UNESCOWorld Heritage Centre (2009) cited 19 mammalianspecies in NVNP. Bahuguna & Mallick (2010) alsomentioned 50 species of mammals in NVNP andsurrounding areas.Journal of Threatened Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | October 2012 | 4(12): 3103–31363105

Mammals of Kalimpong HillsMATERIALS AND METHODSStudy areaThis study was carried out during 2008–2009 intwo administrative units in the Kalimpong subdivision(geographical area 1,056.5km 2 ) of Darjeeling District(see Images 1 and 2):(1) KFD (26 0 51’–27 0 12’N & 88 0 28’–88 0 56’E) underWBFDCL is bounded on the north by Sikkim (India)and Bhutan, on the east by Jaldhaka River(borderingBhutan), on the south by the Jalpaiguri District(western duars) and on the west by Teesta River(bordering Sikkim). The land consists of numerousvalleys with moderate to precipitous slopes. Here theforest was commercially exploited at random, causingloss of density and fragmentation.(2) The only wildlife protected area in this regionis NVNP (88km 2 ) having different altitudes (183min the plains to 3,200m in the hills). It is one of theoldest reserve forests (1881) in India, located nearthe ecological trijunction of West Bengal, SikkimJ.K. Mallick(India) and Bhutan on the north and northeast, whichis about 25km east of Kalimpong Town (26 0 52’03”–27 0 7’35”N & 88 0 45’–88 0 50’E). The highest point isRechila Danda (peak) (3,170m). A tabletop with twovery shallow ponds (Jorepokhri) in the middle is alsolocated in Thosum block of East Nar.Originally, the study area was under the Sikkimkingdom, and conquered by the king of Bhutan in1706. Practically, the whole area was then under forest,but was subsequently degraded due to jhooming. In1864, the British captured this region and a large tractof the forest was clearfelled for rapid development ofthe agriculture and introduction of the tea, cinchonaand orange plantations. However, Neora Valley wasput under protection and unworkable working circle.Hence, this park is still virgin in nature providing anundisturbed habitat for the wildlife. Small patches ofmeadow and intervening patches of grassy or nakedplains or rocky slopes are found here.The zoogeographical significance of the studyarea is noteworthy. In spite of being located in theImage 1. Kalimpong Forest Division and important sites within Kalimpong Hills”3106Journal of Threatened Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | October 2012 | 4(12): 3103–3136

Mammals of Kalimpong HillsJ.K. MallickImage 2. Neora Valley National ParkOriental Region, NVNP has some floral and faunalsimilarities with the Palaearctic Region of the adjacentzoogeographic zone. Moreover, it has characteristicsof all the three subregions, namely Himalayan MontaneSystem, Indian Peninsular subregion and the Malayansubregion (Singhal & Mukhopadhyay 1998).Cowan (1929) and Anonymous (1968) describedthe forest resources of the KFD. The forest type in thisstudy area corresponds to 3C/C3b- “East Himalayanmoist mixed deciduous forest” (Champion & Seth1968). It covers two biomes, namely Sino-HimalayanTemperate Forest (Biome-7) from 1,800–3,600 m andJournal of Threatened Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | October 2012 | 4(12): 3103–31363107

Mammals of Kalimpong HillsSino-Himalayan Subtropical Forest (Biome-8) from1,000–2,000 m (Islam & Rahmani 2004).NVNP exhibits a rich variety of habitats, as the areacomprises the catchment and watershed of Neora Riverwith its tributaries. Four habitat types are recognized,namely (i) subtropical mixed broadleaf forest, (ii)lower temperate evergreen forest, (iii) upper temperatemixed broadleaf forest, and (iv) Rhododendron forest.The density of vegetation is generally >0.4 except atRechila Chawk, which was deforested in 1879.Majumdar et al. (1984) enumerated 45 fern, 154angiosperm and one gymnosperm species in thevirgin Neora Valley. Rai & Das (2004) recognize 83medicinal, 59 edible, 18 ornamental, 21 poisonous(irritants and lethal), and 11 plants having fascinatingassorted ethnic uses. NVNP is the home to severalendemic orchids (UNESCO World Heritage Centre2009). It is also famous for medicinal plants (PRAGYA2007), particularly the Jaributi area. Ninety fourspecies of birds, 276 species of insects and 38 speciesof other invertebrates have been identified in NVNP(Mukhopadhyay 1996; Singhal & Mukhopadhyay1998).In terms of the biodiversity value, Neora Valley wasurgently in need of conservation (Gadgil & Meher-Homji 1987). Hence, it was notified as a national parkin April 1986 and finally gazetted in December 1992.It is now under the administrative control of WildlifeDivision-II. In May 2009, NVNP was included in theshortlist of the World Heritage sites (UNESCO WorldHeritage Centre 2009; Mallick 2010a).Ecological CorridorsNVNP along with its adjoining forests is consideredas an important ecological corridor for movement ofdifferent species, such as the carnivores like the Tiger,Himalayan Black Bear, Clouded Leopard, Wild Dog,etc. and herbivores like the Asian Elephant and IndianGaur, ungulates as well as several large-bodied birdspecies.The salt lick at Rongpo on the left bank of NuxalKhola was a rendezvous for the herbivorous animalscoming from adjoining Bhutan, the foothill forests ofKalimpong and the farthest end of the Tondu forestsof Jalpaiguri District till extensive clear-felling alongthe game-paths (corridors) and establishment of aforest village close to this salt lick during World War-II (Gupta 1958).J.K. MallickFor re-establishing natural connectivity of theprotected areas in the Eastern Himalaya, Chettri et al.(2007b) identified two conservation corridors linkingNVNP:1. Mahananda WS (26 0 55’33”–26 0 47’54”N &88 0 33’31”– 88 0 23’36”E) and2. Toorsa Strict Nature Reserve (SNR) of Bhutan(27 0 21’N & 89 0 4’E) linked to Jigme Dorji NP (27 0 55’N& 89 0 42’E).Besides, Pangolakha WS (128km 2 ) (27 0 16’40.11”N& 88 0 46’48.18”E) of Sikkim is also located closeto NVNP. There is also connectivity from the riverJaldhaka (northeastern part of the study area) toArunachal Pradesh in the east of Bhutan throughToorsa SNR (650.74km 2 ), Jigme Dorji NP (4,349km 2 ),Thrumshingla NP (768km 2 ) to Bomdeling NP(1,486.75km 2 ) (Wangchuk 2007).The southern boundary of NVNP, adjoining theforests of Jalpaiguri District, has connectivity withChapramari WS (9.60km 2 ) (26 0 53’52”N & 88 0 51’1”E)and Gorumara NP (79.45km 2 ) (26 0 49’N & 88 0 52’E).The forests of Baikunthapur FD (26 0 46’48”N& 88 0 30’54”E), partly in Darjeeling and partly inJalpaiguri districts, which has gradually developed amicro habitat for the herbivores and carnivores, is alsolinked with the forests of KFD as well as MahanandaWS and also serves as a corridor for the migrating wildElephants and Gaurs in particular.Data Collection SitesThe following 30 sites were surveyed April 2008to March 2009 for sighting of the mammals andobtaining their indirect evidences (footmarks, scats,scrapes, calls, kills, droppings and remnants of floralfood items and other field signs) as well as verifyingthe known facts or secondary data:(1) Algara (6km from Lava) (27 0 5–27 0 7’N &88 0 33–88 0 38’E; 1,780m); (2) Alubari (27 0 07’N &88 0 43’E; 2,538m); (3) Choudapheri (27 0 05’N &88 0 42’E; 2,372m); (4) Chunabhati (26 0 52–26 0 55’N& 88 0 31–88 0 36’E); (5) Dalingkot (26 0 58–27 0 1’N& 88 0 42–88 0 44’E); (6) East Nar (27 0 01–27 0 03’N &88 0 45–88 0 46’E); (7) Ghish (26 0 53–26°58’N & 88 0 34–88 0 39’E); (8) Gorubathan (26 0 55–26 0 57’N & 88 0 39–88 0 42’E; 417m); (9) Jorepokhri (27 0 8’N & 88 0 44’E;3,170m); (10) Kalimpong (26 0 59–27 0 2’N & 88 0 26–88 0 29’E; 1,249m); (11) Khumani (27 0 0–27 0 57’N& 88 0 49–88 0 52’E); (12) Lava (western gateway to3108Journal of Threatened Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | October 2012 | 4(12): 3103–3136

Mammals of Kalimpong HillsNVNP) (27 0 02–27 0 07’N & 88 0 36–88 0 41’E; 2,200m);(13) Lulagaon (26 0 59–27 0 2’N & 88 0 31–88 0 34’E;1,575m); (14) Mo (27 0 02–27 0 05’N & 88 0 45–88 0 49’E);(15) Mongpong (26 0 51–26 0 55’N & 88 0 28–88 0 34’E);(16) Mouchowki (1,311m), 12km north of Samsing;(17) Nimbong (26 0 59’N & 88 0 33’E; 1,372m); (18)Pankhasari (27 0 02–27 0 05’N & 88 0 40–88°43’E); (19)Pedong (27 0 2’N & 88 0 20’E; 1,432m); (20) Rashet(27 0 05–27 0 07’ N & 88 0 42–88 0 44’E); (21) Rechila(Chawk) including Jaributi (27 0 05–27 0 07’N &88 0 43–88 0 45’E; 3,170m); (22) Rhenock (27 0 07’N &88 0 43’E); (23) Rishyap (10km from Lava) (2,850m);(24) Samsing (eastern gateway to NVNP), situatedon the north-south ridge between the Neora Riveron the west and the Murti River on the east (26 0 58–27 0 2’N & 88 0 45–88 0 48’E); (25) Sangser (27 0 06’N &88 0 31’E; 1,097m); (26) Suntalekhola (southeasternedge of NVNP, 3km from Samsing; 750m); (27)Tarkhola (27 0 05–27 0 10’N & 88 0 27–88 0 33’E; 325m);(28) Thosum (27 0 04–27 0 05’N & 88 0 45–88 0 46’E);(29) West Nar (27 0 01–27 0 2’N & 88 0 43–88 0 45’E) and(30) Zero Point on NVNP road (27 0 5’ N & 88 0 43’E;2,500m). The Tea Estates (TEs) and revenue villagesin the fringe or impact area were also traversed foreliciting relevant data.In addition, eight forest trails were trekked. Thesewere: (1) Choudapheri [the first forest check post,14km from Lava] trail along the mountain ridges ofRashet and Rechila blocks (18km); (2) Choudapheri-Alubari trail via Zero Point and PHE source [16km(13km through the dense forest and 3km throughthe valley)]; (3) Alubari-Jorepokhri trail (5km); (4)Mouchowki-Bhote Kharka trail (7km); (5) roadfrom Lava Village towards Algarah (highest point2,370m)/Kalimpong; (6) trail along the ridge towardsTiffindara; (7) road from Lulagaon along the HeritageSite to Jhandidara (1,824m) under East Nar-21; and (8)Suntalekhola-Lava trail, leading steeply through thethick broadleaved tropical and semi-tropical forestsvia Mouchowki, Rechila top, Alubari and PankhasariRidges.Besides, the field stations (camps) like Red Panda(Choudapheri); Mulkharga (on the way to Rhenock);Rechila and Alubari (at Rechila Chawk); Tiger;Orchid; Maple; Betula; Doley; Somani; PHE; Sakam;Mouchowki and Bhote Kharga (Thosum-1) were alsovisited for collection of data.Moreover, the wetlands used by the wildlife inJ.K. MallickNVNP, namely Jorepokhri at the trijunction of WestBengal, Sikkim and Bhutan (27 0 8’N & 88 0 44’E),Panchpokhri, Tempola, etc. were also visited for datacollection.MethodsThere were no watchtowers in NVNP when thestudy was undertaken. It was also very difficult topenetrate through the dense forest in any particularstraight line or direction. Moreover, it was notpossible to carry out surveys along fixed transects inthe inaccessible terrain. Hence, transects of varyinglengths were laid along the small kholas (streams)and existing forest trails (bridle paths and trekkingroutes), covering different habitats as far as possible.The entire length of each trail was trekked during thedaytime (in between early morning and late afternoon).A few mammals were seen crossing these trails. Whileinspecting the trails thoroughly at an interval of about500m, patches of size about 10x10 m were randomlychecked for finding the indirect evidences of themammals. In addition, suitable area of approximately2km, lying on either side of the camp locations, wasalso searched for in the evening with battery-operatedspotlights.The forest floor in the remote areas being mostlyrocky and covered with thick leaf litter, the pug marks,scats and animal signs were also searched for on thesandy or clayey beds of streams and rivers, openspaces and tree trunks. Caves, rock-crevices, burrowsand other natural holes were also examined for thispurpose.There is no doubt that differentiating scats ofcarnivores based on their measurements, especiallywhere many species co-exist, can be difficult (Johnsonet al. 1984). To overcome the difficulties, presentlyThin Layer Chromatography (TLC) has been adoptedfor scat identification of different carnivore species(Major et al. 1980; Johnson et al. 1984; Athreya &Johnsingh 1995). Owing to lack of infrastructuralfacilities, identification of scats collected duringthe present study was carried out on the basis ofdiagnostic characters, such as the size, shape andodour, field experience of the forest staff and thetraditional knowledge of the local people as was doneby Chakraborty et al. (2008a,b). Hair samples ofthe scats were identified by comparing the materialspresent in ZSI.Journal of Threatened Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | October 2012 | 4(12): 3103–31363109

Mammals of Kalimpong HillsAs most of the mammals of NVNP and surroundingforests are shy, nocturnal and live in the dense canopyand thick undergrowth (visibility not more than5–10 m and often less than 2m on either side), directsighting of the mammalian species during daytime wasvery limited. So, the people living inside and fringeof the forests and departmental staff attached to thecamps and engaged in regular monitoring in the studyarea (n=100) were also interviewed (semi-structuredquestionnaire survey) with colour photographs of themammalian species for identification.RESULTSThe mammalian species registered in the studyarea are described below.Order: Eulipotyphla Waddell, Okada & Hasegawa,1999: Insect-eaters or Insectivores (Shrews, Molesand Hedgehogs)Family: Soricidae Fischer von Waldheim, 1817:ShrewsSubfamily: Soricinae Fischer von Waldheim, 1817:Red-toothed ShrewGenus: Episoriculus Ellerman & Morrison-Scott,1966: Brown-toothed Shrew1. Episoriculus caudatus caudatus Horsfield,1851: Hodgson’s Brown-toothed Shrew (Wroughton1917b; Agrawal et al. 1992).This shrew is common in the montane coniferousand alpine forests as well as rhododendron forests andalpine meadows along the riverside at altitudes from1,800–3,200 m. N.A. Baptista collected two females atSangser. The fur in specimens from Darjeeling Districtwas reported to be shorter and less dense than those inspecimens from Sikkim. Since it is a nocturnal animal,its sighting is rare in the study area. It was not sightedduring the recent surveys.Genus: Soriculus Blyth, 1854: Southern LongtailedShrew2. Soriculus nigrescens nigrescens Gray, 1842:Himalayan Black Ground or Burrowing Longclawedor Mouse-tailed Forest Shrew (Sharma 1990;Agrawal et al. 1992; Mukhopadhyay 1996, Singhal &Mukhopadhyay 1998; Biswas et al. 1999; Chaudhuri& Sarkar 2003).This nocturnal shrew of the temperate forestsinhabits the damp areas in shrub lands in the outskirtsJ.K. Mallickof evergreen broad-leaved and coniferous forests atelevations from 1,219–1,800 m of the upper forestzone and naked rocky areas. Once upon a time it wasa common species in the study area. This shrew wassighted at Jaributi and specimens were also trappedwith baits in deep forest, near old fallen trees in thesame area during the recent surveys.Subfamily: Crocidurinae Milne-Edwards, 1872:White-toothed ShrewGenus: Suncus Ehrenberg, 1833: House Shrews,Musk Shrews3. Suncus murinus soccatus Hodgson, 1845: GreyMusk Shrew or House Shrew (Wroughton 1917b;Sharma 1990; Agrawal et al. 1992; Downloaded on 20October 2009).This nocturnal shrew is commonly found in theforests as well as near the human settlements. Someof the species live in leaf litter or grass. Some havebeen recorded up to 2,825m. N.A. Baptista collected15 males and 26 females from Kalimpong, two malesfrom Nimbong, five males and five females fromPedong and one male from Sangser. H. Khajuria alsocollected two males and two females from Tarkhola in1958. Though recorded earlier in NVNP, it was notsighted during the recent surveys.Family: Talpidae Fischer von Waldheim, 1817:MolesSubfamily: Talpinae Fischer von Waldheim, 1817:Old World Moles and relativesGenus: Euroscaptor Miller, 1940: Eurasian Moles4. Euroscaptor micrura micrura Hodgson, 1841:Eastern Short-tailed Mole (Sharma1990).This species is usually found in tropical andsubtropical montane forest between 1,000–2,000 mand lives in leaf litter and rocky, gravelly areas. It isrecorded as common in NVNP, but was not sightedduring the recent survey, though some tunnels wereobserved in the forest edges and bamboo brakes.Order: Scandentia Wagner, 1855: Tree-shrewsFamily: Tupaiidae Gray, 1825: Tree-shrewsSubfamily: Tupaiinae Gray, 1825: True treeshrewsGenus: Tupaia Raffles, 1821: True tree-shrews5. Tupaia belangeri lepcha Thomas, 1922:Common Northern or Assam Tree-shrew (Wroughton,1917b; Sharma 1990; Agrawal et al. 1992; Chaudhuri& Sarkar 2003; downloaded on 203110Journal of Threatened Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | October 2012 | 4(12): 3103–3136

Mammals of Kalimpong HillsOctober 2009).This species was formerly included as a subspeciesof Tupaia glis, until recent chromosomal studies. Itrepresents a species complex with a distinct northernform in China (Han et al. 2008).Presence of this diurnal tree-shrew was reportedlyobserved on the ground level, though individualswere occasionally sighted on tree branches of theunderstorey of the forest. N.A. Baptista collected twomales from Nimbong. It is a rare tree-shrew and wasfound in Kalimpong during the recent surveys. Thoughearlier recorded in NVNP, it was not found there.Order: Chiroptera Blumenbach, 1779: BatsSuborder: Megachiroptera Dobson, 1875: LargeOld World Fruit Bats and Flying FoxesFamily: Pteropodidae Gray, 1821: Fruit Bats andFlying FoxesSubfamily: Pteropodinae Gray, 1821: True FruitBats and Flying FoxesThe fruit bats are common in the valleys and metwith at lower elevation up to 1,698m.Genus: Cynopterus Cuvier, 1824: Short-nosed orDog-faced Fruit Bats6. Cynopterus sphinx sphinx Vahl, 1797: GreaterShort-nosed Fruit Bat or Short-nosed Indian FruitBat (Sharma 1990; Agrawal et al. 1992; Das 2003; downloaded on 20 October 2009).In the past, these bats were very common in thestudy area. R.L. Choudhury and R.K. Ghose collected11 males and eight females from Chunabhati (nearKalimpong) (in 1978 and 1980 respectively). R.K.Ghose also collected one male and one female fromGorubathan in 1981 and four males and seven femalesfrom Khumani in 1985. Though earlier recorded, thisnocturnal bat was not seen during the recent surveys inNVNP or surrounding forests.Genus: Rousettus Gray, 1821: Rousettes or RussetFlying Foxes7. Rousettus leschenaulti leschenaulti Desmarest,1820: Leschenault’s Rousette or Indian Fulvous FruitBat (Wroughton 1917b; Sharma 1990; Agrawal et al.1992; Das 2003; downloaded on 20October 2009).This fruit bat is found up to 2,100m altitude. Itwas reported to be very common in the past. R.K.Ghose collected two females from Gorubathan inJ.K. Mallick1981 and H. Khajuria collected one juvenile male andone female from Tarkhola in 1958. N.A. Baptista alsocollected one male and five juvenile females fromPedong. Though earlier recorded, this nocturnal batwas not sighted during the recent surveys in NVNPand surrounding forests.Suborder: Microchiroptera Dobson, 1875: InsecteatingBatsFamily: Rhinolophidae J.E. Gray, 1825: HorseshoeBatsSubfamily: Rhinolophinae J.E. Gray, 1825: TypicalHorseshoe BatsGenus: Rhinolophus Lacépède, 1799: Rhinolophs8. Rhinolophus lepidus monticola K. Anderson,1905: Least or Mussoorie Horseshoe Bat (Wroughton1917b).Sinha (1973) considered monticola a distinctspecies. N.A. Baptista collected two males and 12females from Nimbong, one female from Pedong andthree males from Sangser. This nocturnal bat was notfound during the recent surveys.9. Rhinolophus luctus perniger Hodgson, 1843:Great Eastern Woolly Horseshoe Bat (Wroughton1917b; Agrawal et al. 1992; Mukhopadhyay 1996,Singhal & Mukhopadhyay 1998; Biswas et al. 1999;Das 2003; Chaudhuri & Sarkar 2003; downloaded on 20 October 2009).N.A. Baptista collected one male from Nimbong.It is now a rare species in the study area. It was seenduring the current survey at Rechila chawk in theevening. It was also found at Kalimpong.10. Rhinolophus pusillus blythi K. Anderson, 1918:Least Horseshoe Bat (Wroughton 1917b; Agrawal etal. 1992; Bates & Harrison 1997; Molur et al. 2002; downloaded on 20 October 2009).N.A. Baptista collected two males and five femalesfrom Nimbong and two males from Sangser. It isalso recorded from Kalimpong forests. However,this nocturnal bat was not sighted during the presentsurvey.11. Rhinolophus rouxii rouxii Temminck, 1835:Peninsular or Rufous Horseshoe Bat (Wroughton1917b; Agrawal et al. 1992; Bates & Harrison 1997;Molur et al. 2002; Das 2003; http://zsienvis.nic.in/biodiversity_wb/Fauna/43.%20Mammal.doc>downloaded on 20 October 2009).Journal of Threatened Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | October 2012 | 4(12): 3103–31363111

Mammals of Kalimpong HillsN.A. Baptista collected six males from Nimbongand R.K. Ghose collected one male from Khumaniin 1985. This nocturnal bat was not found during thepresent survey.12. Rhinolophus sinicus K. Andersen, 1905:Andersen’s Rufous Horseshoe Bat (Bates & Harrison1997; Molur et al. 2002).In the past, this species was found at Nimbong.This nocturnal bat was not seen during the recentsurvey.Subfamily: Hipposiderinae Lydekker, 1891:Round-leaf Horseshoe BatGenus: Hipposideros Gray, 1831: Round-leafHorseshoe Bat13. Hipposideros armiger armiger Hodgson,1835: Hodgson or Great Himalayan Leaf-nosed Bat(Wroughton 1917b; Bates & Harrison 1997; Molur et al.2002; Das 2003; downloaded on 20October 2009).N.A. Baptista collected two females from Nimbong.This bat was not seen during the recent survey.14. Hipposideros cineraceus micropus Peters,1872: Least Ashy Leaf-nosed Bat (Bates & Harrison1997; Molur et al. 2002; Das 2003)N.A. Baptista collected one male and one femalefrom Nimbong and one male and one female fromSangser. But during the recent survey this speciescould not be traced.15. Hipposideros fulvus fulvus Gray, 1838:Bicoloured or Gray Fulvous Leaf-nosed Bat(Wroughton 1917b)N.A. Baptista collected five males and 12 femalesfrom Nimbong and six males and nine females fromSangser. This species was not seen during the recentsurveys.16. Hipposideros pomona gentilis K. Andersen,1918: Andersen’s Leaf-nosed Bat (Bates & Harrison1997; Molur et al. 2002)This Leaf-nosed Bat was recorded earlier atNimbong and Sangser, but was not observed duringthe recent survey.Family: Vespertilionidae Gray, 1821: True Insecteatingor Evening BatsSubfamily: Vespertilioninae Gray, 1821:Vespertilionid BatsGenus: Barbastella Gray, 1821: Barbastelle Bats17. Barbastella leucomelas darjelingensisJ.K. MallickHodgson, 1855: Eastern Barbastella (Wroughton,1917b; Agrawal et al. 1992; Bates & Harrison 1997;Molur et al. 2002; Das 2003).N.A. Baptista collected six males and 12 femalesfrom Nimbong. It was not sighted during the recentsurvey.Genus: Eptesicus Rafinesque, 1820: Serotine orBig Brown Bats18. Eptesicus serotinus pachyomus Tomes, 1857:Common Serotine Bat (Mukhopadhyay 1996, Singhal& Mukhopadhyay 1998; Biswas et al. 1999).It is common in NVNP. This bat was sighted in theevening at Rechila chawk during the current survey.Genus: Nyctalus Bowdich, 1825: Noctules19. Nyctalus noctula labiatus Hodgson, 1835:Common Indian Noctule (Wroughton 1917b; Agrawalet al. 1992; Bates & Harrison 1997; Molur et al. 2002;Das 2003; Downloaded on 20October 2009).N.A. Baptista collected two males from Sangsar.This species was not seen during the recent surveys.Genus: Pipistrellus Kaup, 1829: Pipistrelles20. Pipistrellus babu Thomas, 1915: Babu orHimalayan Pipistrelle (Agrawal et al. 1992; Das2003).This taxon is recognized as a subspecies or synonymof P. javanicus (Wilson & Reeder 2005).R.L. Chowdhury collected one female fromPaperkheti (ca. 15km north of Gorubathan) in 1980.This bat was not seen during the recent survey.21. Pipistrellus coromandra coromandra Gray,1838: Indian or Coromondel Pipistrelle (Wroughton1917b; Agrawal et al. 1992; Das 2003; downloaded on 20 October 2009).N.A. Baptista collected two males and one femalefrom Nimbong, 12 males and 26 females from Pedong,two males and one female from Kalimpong and twomales from Sangser. R.L. Chowdhury also collectedone male from Ranichera (c 9km south of Gorubathan)in 1980. It was not seen during the recent surveys.22. Pipistrellus javanicus Gray, 1838: Javan’sPipistrelle (Bates & Harrison 1997; Molur et al.2002)This species was recorded from Nimbong. Thisbat was not sighted during the recent surveys.23. Pipistrellus mimus mimus Wroughton, 18993112Journal of Threatened Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | October 2012 | 4(12): 3103–3136

Mammals of Kalimpong Hills[synonym of P. tenuis in Wilson & Reeder (2005)]:Indian Pygmy Pipistrelle (Sharma 1990)It is reportedly common in NVNP, but was notsighted during the recent survey.Genus: Tylonycteris Peters, 1872: Flat-headedBats24. Tylonycteris pachypus fulvida Blyth, 1859:Club-footed or Bamboo or Flat-headed Bat (Wroughton1917b; Agrawal et al. 1992; Bates & Harrison 1997;Molur et al. 2002; Das 2003; download on 20 October 2009).N.A. Baptista collected six males and 15 femalesfrom Kalimpong, one male from Nimbong and onemale from Sangser. It was not sighted during therecent surveys.Subfamily: Murininae Miller, 1907: Murine orTube-nosed Insectivorous BatGenus: Murina Gray, 1842: Tube-nosedInsectivorous Bats25. Murina cyclotis cyclotis Dobson, 1872: RoundearedTube-nosed Bat (Wroughton, 1917b)John Thomas Pearson first sent the type specimenfrom Darjeeling. N.A. Baptista collected one malefrom Sangser. It was not seen during the recentsurvey.26. Murina huttoni huttoni (Peters, 1872):Hutton’s Tube-nosed Bat (Bates & Harrison 1997;Molur et al. 2002)A specimen from Sangser is kept in the museumof Bombay Natural History Society. This bat was notsighted during the recent survey.27. Murina leucogaster rubex Thomas, 1916:White-bellied or Greater Tube-nosed Bat (Wroughton,1917b; Agrawal et al. 1992; Bates & Harrison 1997;Molur et al. 2002; Das 2003)N.A. Baptista collected one male (skull missing)from Sangser. This bat was not sighted during therecent surveys.28. Murina tubinaris Scully, 1881 (no sub-speciesdetermined): Scully’s Tube-nosed Bat (Wroughton,1917b).S.A. Baptista collected three males from Sangser.It was not found during the recent survey.Order: Primates: Lemurs, Monkeys and ApesFamily: Cercopithecidae Gray, 1821: Old WorldmonkeysSubfamily: Cercopithecinae Gray, 1821: Baboons,J.K. MallickMacaques, Mangabeys and relativesGenus: Macaca Lacépède, 1799: Asiatic Macaques(Khajuria 1966; Fooden 1982)Rhesus Macaques and Assameese Macaques aresympatric in the study area and were often seen introops side by side at Tarkhola, but not seen to mixtogether.29. Macaca assamensis pelops Hodgson, 1841:Western Assamese Macaque (Khajuria 1966; Khajuria& Ghose 1970; Fooden 1982; Biswas & Ghose 1982;Sharma 1990; Agrawal et al. 1992; Saha et al. 1992;WWF-India Eastern Region 1997; Mitra 2000a, b, c;2001; Chaudhuri & Sarkar 2003; Prince 2003; Moluret al. 2003; Dey 2009; downloaded on 12 October 2009; downloaded on 20 October 2009; downloaded on 6 September 2009)These are dominant diurnal animals and fairlycommon in the study area. But it is practically absentabove 2,500m altitude. During winters, they descendto the lower elevations.R.L. Fernandez collected one juvenile male andtwo females from Tarkhola in 1958. In both the femalespecimens collected from Tarkhola, a well-definedwhorl on the vertex was present, which normally isnot found in the Assamese Macaque (Agrawal et al.1992). It was earlier recorded at Samsing, Mouchowki,Dalingkot and Sangser. In NVNP, a fairly goodnumber was found at lower elevation during the recentsurveys. These monkeys were also seen on the way toSuntalekhola and quite frequently in small numbers bythe roadside at Lava and Zero Point. At Tarkhola, thismacaque reportedly frequented villages surrounded bymainly Sal Shorea robusta and Teak Tectona grandisforest and fearlessly raided the maize fields.30. Macaca mulatta mulatta Zimmermann, 1780[In the most authoritative review till date, Fooden(2000) concluded that no subspecies of Macacamulatta is recognizable]: Rhesus Macaque (Saha etal. 1992; WWF-I Eastern Region 1997; Chaudhuri& Sarkar 2003; Molur et al. 2003; Chakraborty etal. 2008b; Dey 2009; downloaded on6 September 2009; downloaded on 12 October 2009)The Rhesus Macaque is well spread and commonJournal of Threatened Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | October 2012 | 4(12): 3103–31363113

Mammals of Kalimpong Hillsin the Kalimpong Hills. Sightings of this diurnalanimal were recorded in the lower elevation of NVNPlike Samsing. During the current survey, tracks anddroppings of this monkey were also noticed in plentyon the wet sandy patches around the Neora River,Ashalary khola, Sakam khola, Dhoula khola, etc. Thedroppings are green-brown in colour containing moreleaf stems. It is practically absent above 2,500m. Atroop of 20–30 was recorded at the Mahakal temple,Lava and adjacent areas during the recent survey.Subfamily: Colobinae Jerdon, 1867: ColobusMonkeys, Leaf-monkeys and relativesGenus: Semnopithecus Desmarest, 1822: IndianPurple-faced Langurs31. Semnopithecus hector Pocock, 1928: TeraiGray Langur (Saha et al. 1992; Mukherjee et al. 1995;WWF-India, Eastern Region 1997; Chaudhuri &Sarkar 2003; Brandon-Jones 2004).S. hector was formerly recognized as a subspeciesof S. entellus, but it is now considered a distinctspecies (Molur & Chhangani 2008). This langur wasfound scattered at lower elevations in the study area,as it is exceptionally susceptible to cold. In 1980,two troops consisting of three and 16 individuals ofthis diurnal langur were observed near the CoronationBridge on the River Teesta at Sevok, which is thesouthern borderline of the study area. WWF-India,Eastern Region (1997) recorded this species as veryrare at Lava. No other records of this species in thestudy area are available. It is also not sighted duringthe present survey.Order: Carnivora Bowdich, 1821: Flesh-eaters orCarnivoresFamily: Canidae Fischer, 1817: Canines/Dogs,Wolves, FoxesGenus: Canis Linnaeus, 1758: Wolves and Jackals32. Canis aureus indicus Hodgson, 1833: GoldenJackal (Wroughton 1917b; Sharma 1990; Agrawalet al. 1992; Saha et al. 1992; Mukhopadhyay 1996,Singhal & Mukhopadhyay 1998; Chaudhuri & Sarkar2003; downloaded on 28 October 2009; downloaded on 20 October 2009).The Golden Jackal is found both in the lower andhigher elevations in the study area. N.A. Baptistacollected one male and one female from Pedong.Specimens from the hilly areas are much darker thanJ.K. Mallickthose of the plains. It is mainly a nocturnal animal. Itwas not sighted during the recent survey. Reportedlythe jackals, at times, attack the rural dogs and thelivestock. Its population has reportedly declined inthis region, particularly due to retaliatory killings andannual tribal hunting.33. Canis indica R.K. Aggarwal et al. 2007(Research of the mtDNA)Mitochondrial DNA is the DNA located inorganelles called mitochondria, structures within cellsthat convert the energy from food into a form that cellscan use of this species, formerly Canis lupus pallipes(it is now treated as a new species): Small Indian Wolf(Saha et al. 1992; Chaudhuri & Sarkar 2003)The Small Indian Wolf inhabits a wide variety ofhabitats including coniferous and deciduous forests,but has been extirpated from much of its former rangein the study area and it is very rare now. This specieswas reportedly sighted at Thosum- 4 compartment ofNVNP (Management Plan). But this mainly nocturnalanimal was not sighted during the recent survey.Genus: Cuon Hodgson, 1838: Asiatic Wild or RedDogs34. Cuon alpinus primaevus Hodgson, 1833:Indian Wild Dog (Mukhopadhyay 1996, Singhal &Mukhopadhyay 1998; Biswas et al. 1999; Chaudhuri& Sarkar 2003; Chakraborty et al. 2008b; Dey 2009;UNESCO World Heritage Centre 2009).O’Malley (1907) reported a good deal of damageto cattle by a pack of Wild Dogs in Lava. Till the endof the 20 th century, the Wild Dog was fairly common inNVNP. Almost the entire NVNP, from high altitudesof Rechila on the north to the low altitudes of Sakamon the south, is the recorded movement-zone of thisspecies. Gradual slope and relatively less undergrowthand patches of open areas are their preferred habitats.The Wild Dogs do not occupy any particular area fora long time, but exhibit a great territorial movementcovering different altitudes of NVNP and outside.During the winter, most of them are usually confinedto the central or southern part, while in the pre- andpost-monsoon period they mainly occupy the northernpart. Periodical migration of the population of WildDogs from NVNP to contiguous parts of Bhutan andSikkim and vice versa is also reported.During 1980–2006, 48 sightings and 19 kills of theWild Dog are recorded in this Park. Considering thefrequency of sighting and kill records, Rechila-7, 14,3114Journal of Threatened Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | October 2012 | 4(12): 3103–3136

Mammals of Kalimpong Hills15, East Nar-22 and West Nar-3, 10 compartments ofNVNP may be regarded as the hot spots for them. Thepack size varied from 2–9 individuals. Sighting of theloner is frequent in recent times. The population has,reportedly, declined during the 21 st century.It is mostly a nocturnal hunter. No Wild Dogwas seen during the recent survey. But its occurrencewas confirmed from the indirect evidences. Trackswere seen and scats were collected at Rechila- 8(27°03’38.2’’N & 88°45’36.8’’E), East Nar- 22(27°02’29.1’’N & 88°45’55.3’’E), Dhoula Kholain Rechila- 6 (27°04’20.1’’N & 88°43’31.5’’E) andPanch Pokhri Khola in West Nar-5 (27°01’31.4’’N& 88°42’51.6’’E) compartments. The scats were alsocollected at West Nar- 21 and 23a compartments nearRuka Reserve Forest of KFD. The pugmark of onewas plastercast at Rhenock 4b.Genus: Vulpes Frisch, 1775: Foxes35. Vulpes vulpes montana Pearson, 1836: RedFox (Saha et al. 1992; Mukhopadhyay 1996, Singhal& Mukhopadhyay 1998).The habitat of the Red Fox includes forest edges,meadows, slopes and the bank of the rivers. Althoughthis nocturnal species was recorded during the 20 thcentury, no evidences of its presence were foundduring the recent surveys.Family Felidae Fischer, 1817: Felines/CatsSubfamily: Felinae Fischer, 1817: Small CatsGenus: Catopuma Severtzov, 1858: Asiatic GoldenCat and Bay Cat36. Catopuma temminckii temminckii Vigors andHorsfield, 1827 [on the basis of recent genetic analysisgrouped with the Marbled Cat in Pardofelis]: AsianGolden Cat (Anonymous 1964; Biswas & Ghose1982; Sharma 1990; Yadav 2004; downloaded on 20 October 2009).The Golden Cat’s favourite haunt is the dense forestsin the ‘terai’ and the hills up to an elevation of 1500m.It takes shelter in the rocks, crevices of boulders andon trees. This nocturnal animal is very rare in the studyarea. In the past, it was recorded from the KalimpongHills, Lish and Ghish areas. Sometimes Golden Catswere reported to stray around Mongpong on the loftybank of the River Teesta (an ideal breeding place forthe migratory birds). Description of a cat, sighted onthe eastern bank of River Neora (altitude ca. 305m),about 7km south of Samsing, by the villagers in 1982,J.K. Mallickappeared to be a Golden Cat, which was corroboratedby the ‘poster-survey’. None was seen or reportedduring the recent survey.Genus: Felis Linnaeus, 1758: Pointed-eared Cats37. Felis chaus affinis Gray, 1830: Jungle Cat orSwamp Lynx (Wroughton 1917b; Anonymous 1964;Sharma 1990; Agrawal et al. 1992; Saha et al. 1992;Mukhopadhyay 1996, Singhal & Mukhopadhyay1998; Singhal 1999; Biswas et al. 1999; Prince 2003;Chaudhuri & Sarkar 2003; Dey 2009).The Jungle Cat is a common carnivore in the studyarea and found in the drier and open parts of the forestnearer to grassland and scrubland as well as near thehuman habitations. N.A. Baptista collected one femaleat Nimbong and A. Linogreen collected one unsexedindividual from Kalimpong in 1938. It is bothnocturnal and diurnal in its activities. Sightings tookplace at upper Rechila Chawk and Jaributi during therecent survey. Footprints were also found there. OneJungle Cat was seen sitting in the middle of the roadnear the Mahakal trail (Lava) in the early morning.Genus: Prionailurus Severtzov, 1858: RoundearedCats.38. Prionailurus bengalensis horsfieldi Gray,1842: Leopard Cat (Anonymous 1964; Biswas & Ghose1982; Sharma 1990; Saha et al. 1992; Mukhopadhyay1996, Singhal & Mukhopadhyay 1998; Biswas et al.1999; Chaudhuri & Sarkar 2003; UNESCO WorldHeritage Centre 2009; downloadedon 10 November 2009).This nocturnal animal is uncommon in the studyarea and seldom seen. It makes nest in the hollows oflarge trees. In 1982, it was recorded at Samsing andRangpo. It was also recorded from Jaributi of NVNPduring the recent surveys. Its spoors were also foundat East Nar- 19 and Thosum- 1 and 4 compartments.39. Prionailurus viverrinus viverrinus Bennett,1833: Fishing Cat (Anonymous 1964; Sharma 1990;Mukhopadhyay 1996, Singhal & Mukhopadhyay1998; Biswas et al. 1999; Chaudhuri & Sarkar 2003;UNESCO World Heritage Centre 2009).It is a rare nocturnal animal in the study area.During the recent surveys, it was recorded on anumber of occasions at Alubari and Jaributi of NVNP,particularly in or near the dense forest, scrub and grassswamps, close to the streams and other water bodiesup to the elevations of 1,800m. Its footprints were alsoJournal of Threatened Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | October 2012 | 4(12): 3103–31363115

Mammals of Kalimpong Hillsfound there.Subfamily: Pantherinae Pocock, 1917Genus: Neofelis Gray, 1867: Clouded Leopard40. Neofelis nebulosa macrosceloides Hodgson,1853: Clouded Leopard (Anonymous 1964; Biswas& Ghose 1982; Sharma 1990; Saha et al. 1992;Mukhopadhyay 1996, Singhal & Mukhopadhyay1998; Singhal 1999; Biswas et al. 1999; Chaudhuri &Sarkar 2003; Yadav 2004; Chakraborty et al. 2008a;Dey 2009; Rishi 2009; UNESCO World HeritageCentre 2009).The Clouded Leopard is mainly a nocturnalanimal. In 1982, a Clouded Leopard was recordedfrom Mouchowki (East Nar). But now it is very rareand restricted to a few areas. It was seen at Jaributiand upper NVNP during the current survey. Theanimal was mainly found in the lower Neora Valleyand often outside the Park in the degraded zone nearvillages. Clouded Leopard was also reported by thevillagers of Bhujelgaon at the cardamom plantationnear Khasmahal at Mouchowki. Its den was locatedon the side of a cliff at the junction of Bhujelgaon andKhasmahal. The pugmarks were found near Tempolaat East Nar- 22 compartment. A female with cub(s)was earlier sighted in April–May in the evening andat night, but rarely in the morning and afternoon.The animal was also sighted at about 20.00hrs nearTukre Jhora (stream) of East Nar- 17 compartment.It was recorded at East Nar-19, West Nar-3, 4 and 5compartments and often in the degraded Khasmahalarea beyond the boundary of the Park. It was reportedto attack the poultry in the human settlements.A Clouded Leopard (named Badal) was first rearedin captivity at Padmaja Naidu Himalayan ZoologicalPark (PNHZP), Darjeeling. This male cub was rescuedin May 1991 from a dense thicket at the edge of theforest of KFD close to NVNP. Its mother carried awayone of the twins in her mouth, leaving the other onebehind. But this captive animal ultimately died on 29March 1993.Genus: Panthera Oken, 1816: Roaring Cats41. Panthera pardus fusca Meyer, 1794: Leopardor Panther (Anonymous 1964; Biswas & Ghose 1982;Sharma 1990; Saha et al. 1992; Mukhopadhyay 1996,Singhal & Mukhopadhyay 1998; Singhal 1999; Biswaset al. 1999; Chaudhuri & Sarkar 2003; Wright 2004;Yadav 2004; Chakraborty et al. 2008a; Chakrabortyet al. 2008b; Ranganathan et al. 2008; UNESCOJ.K. MallickWorld Heritage Centre 2009; Dey 2009; downloaded on 10 November 2009).The Leopard is a nocturnal big cat and reported tobe common in KFD than NVNP. WWF-India, EasternRegion (1997) reported a few incidents of depredationand lifting of goats by leopards in Paparkheti, Algaraand Pedong under Lava Range as well as Chotaphagu,Meenglass and Sylee TEs under Chel Range. However,high incidences of depredation were reported in thefoothills under Chel Range and at fringe areas ofKhumani, Mal basti (village) and Mongpong forest inKFD. The Leopard uses the TEs as nursery on severaloccasions and cases of killing of cubs by the gardenlabourers were reported. Cubs were rescued fromPhagu, Sylee, Chilauni, Good Hope and SonagachiTEs and released in the wild. Leopards also died dueto poisoning in Targhera and Washabari TEs.It was earlier recorded from Samsing and Mal areas.There is a sighting record at Chunabhati in KFD duringthe recent survey. In NVNP, the Leopard was reportedfrom Rechila Chawk. Indirect evidences of its presencelike the pugmarks were sighted in Rechila chawk,Alubari, Jaributi, Jorepokhri and Mauchowki areas ofNVNP. The scats were also observed along the routefrom Mauchowki to 7 th mile (bordering area of NVNP)and near Thotne point in East Nar-17 compartment at580m and were also collected from Rechila- 13, 14and Renock- 5 compartments (27.7 0 0.15.7’.22.1”N &88 0 44’36.1”E). Its population in KFD was assessedto be only 7 ( downloaded on 10November 2009). No population was recorded inNVNP. Scats and pugmarks were, however, found atWest Nar 9, 10, 11, 12; Rachila 1, Thosum 1 and EastNar 22 during December 2008.42. Panthera tigris tigris Linnaeus, 1758: Tiger(Anonymous 1964; Sharma 1990; Saha et al. 1992;Anonymous 1998; Singhal & Mukhopadhyay 1998;Singhal 1999; Biswas et al. 1999; Yadav 2001, 2004,2005; Chaudhuri & Sarkar 2003; Harding 2006;Nandy 2006b; Sanyal 2006; Ranganathan et al. 2008;Anonymous 2009; UNESCO World Heritage Centre2009; Jha & Avasthe Undated; downloaded on 5August 2009; downloadedon 10 November 2009;

Mammals of Kalimpong Hillscom/1081203/jsp/siliguri/story_10199071.jsp>downloaded on 15 October 2009; Mallick 2010c).The Tiger was earlier recorded from both the plainsand higher altitudes of Kalimpong Hills. Roy Harding,in an account of his early school days during 1940sat St. Andrews Colonial Homes (Kalimpong), nowknown as Dr. Grahams School, wrote:“Kalimpong is a plateau and reasonably coolthe year round. As such, during the hot season inthe plains, tigers, usually female, would come up toKalimpong. I would imagine that they went into theforest north of Laidlaw or beyond for obvious cover.During this time and until the tigers returned to theplains, we were never required to go out to collectfirewood. On occasion, usually on a moonlit night, wewould be woken from sleep to see a tigress and hercubs leisurely walking past our cottage.”The studies conducted during the 1980s did notmention any resident tiger in NVNP. In fact, beforethe 1990s, the tiger was an occasional visitor to thisPark. Shri P.K. Das, a forest officer, first recorded thetiger pugmarks during a trekking trip in late 1980s.Simultaneously, the entire tiger population (eightnumbers recorded last in 1989) was found vanishedfrom Gorumara NP.Therefore, since the late 20 th century, NVNP isrecognized as the new retreat of the tiger in northernBengal. In May 1998, the field staff again traced a fewpugmarks. The first tiger census was conducted duringNovember–December and a population of 18 tigers(eight adult females, six adult males, one sub-adultmale and three cubs) was recorded in East Nar- 20, 21,22, 23; Thosum- 1, 2, 3, 4; Rachila- 5, 6, 9, 12, 13, 14,15, 16, 17 and Rhenok- 2, 4, 5 compartments. KisorChaudhuri, while surveying the area under WWF-I,Eastern Region-funded Gaur project in 1997, alsoconfirmed presence of the tiger in NVNP. Movementof the tigers along the river Neora up to an altitude of2,300m in Rechila Block during February–March wasreported. These tigers were also reported to migrateto Sikkim through the forest of Lava during October–November and follow the same route back to Lavaafter about three months.The census figures were recorded as 16 in 2001 and11 in 2004. During 20–24 November 2008, anotherTiger census was conducted and the populationwas estimated to be 20 in NVNP and 1 in adjoiningKFD ( downloaded on 10 November2009). During the present survey, only eight pugmarkscould be collected because of difficult terrain andhuge accumulation of leaf-litter and six tigers could beidentified- one at Rhenock, two at Rechila and three atEast Nar. Besides, scats and scratches on tree trunkswere also found in these three forest blocks.A tiger was recently seen in the riverine grasslandof Nathua forest under Jalpaiguri FD, which is closeto Gorumara NP after almost 20 years and the forestofficials reported that the animal might have comefrom the Neora Valley NP through Chapramari WLSand Bamondanga-Tondu TE. The first hints of thistiger’s presence were visible in the last week ofMarch 2008, following reports of cattle lifting fromMouchowki (1,170m) in the Bhujelgaon area of theNeora Valley lower range. This area is merely 12kmfrom the boundary of Gorumara.Genus: Pardofelis Severtzov, 1858: Marbled Cat43. Pardofelis marmorata charltoni Gray, 1846:Marbled Cat (Anonymous 1964; Biswas & Ghose1982; Sharma 1990; Saha et al. 1992; Mukhopadhyay1996, Singhal & Mukhopadhyay 1998; Chaudhuri &Sarkar 2003; UNESCO World Heritage Centre 2009)This nocturnal and arboreal smaller cat is a veryrare animal in the study area. In 1982, its occurrence atMouchowki in NVNP and at higher elevations aboveRangpo in KFD was confirmed after questionnaireand poster surveys. It was earlier reported from thedense forests of Jaributi and above. This wild cat wasnot sighted and the indirect evidences were not foundduring the recent survey.Family: Herpestidae Bonaparte, 1845: MongoosesSubfamily: Herpestinae Bonaparte, 1845:MongoosesGenus: Herpestes Illiger, 1811: Asiatic mongooses44. Herpestes edwardsii edwardsii E. GeoffroySaint-Hilaire, 1818: Indian Grey Mongoose ( downloaded on12 October 2009).This diurnal species is found in the foothills. Itlives in the open areas, scrublands, in and aroundthe cultivated areas. One voucher specimen fromthe Teesta riverbed is kept at Bengal Natural HistoryMuseum (BNHM), Darjeeling. Two individuals werereportedly seen at Suntalekhola. It was not sightedduring the recent survey.45. Herpestes (javanicus) auropunctatusJournal of Threatened Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | October 2012 | 4(12): 3103–31363117

Mammals of Kalimpong HillsHodgson, 1836: Small Indian Mongoose [WWF-I(Eastern Region) 1997]It is a common species in the study area. This isboth diurnal and noctural animal. It was not sightedduring the recent surveys.46. Herpestes urva Hodgson, 1836: Crab-eatingMongoose (Anonymous 1964; Sharma 1990; WWF-IEastern Region 1997)The Crab-eating Mongoose is diurnal and nocturalanimal. It is rarely seen. This species was earlierrecorded from the hills as well as plains of KFD,particularly near the streams. During the presentsurvey it was not found.Family: Mustelidae: Mustelids [Weasels, Martens,Badgers, Otters]Subfamily: Lutrinae Bonaparte, 1838: OttersGenus: Amblonyx Rafinesque, 1832: Small-clawedotters47. Amblonyx cinereus (also referred to as Aonyxcinerea) concolor Rafinesque, 1832: Oriental SmallclawedOtter (Saha et al. 1992)This species prefers wetlands and riverine areaswith low vegetation and digs burrows into the muddybanks. It is diurnal and noctural species. But it was nottraced during the recent survey.Genus: Lutra Brünnich, 1771: Common Otters48. Lutra lutra monticola Hodgson, 1839:Common Indian Hill Otter (Wroughton 1917b; Sahaet al. 1992; Chaudhuri & Sarkar 2003)During summer, this otter migrates up the streamsand torrents ascending to higher altitudes. Duringwinter, it inhabits the lower elevations. It is bothdiurnal and noctural species. It was once common inthe study area and N.A. Baptista collected one femalefrom Pedong, but it was not observed during the recentsurvey.Genus: Lutrogale Gray, 1865: Smooth Otters49. Lutrogale perspicillata perspicillata I. GeoffroySaint-Hilaire, 1826: Smooth Indian Otter (Saha et al.1992; Chaudhuri & Sarkar 2003)It is both diurnal and noctural species. No director indirect evidences of this species were observedduring the recent survey.Subfamily: Melinae Bonaparte, 1838: Old WorldBadgers (Eurasia)Genus: Arctonyx Cuvier, 1825: Hog or Sandbadgers50. Arctonyx collaris collaris F. Cuvier, 1825: HogJ.K. MallickBadger (Saha et al. 1992; Chaudhuri & Sarkar 2003)During the recent survey, this nocturnal animal wasnot sighted, but signs of its presence were observed onthe Neora riverbed.Subfamily: Mustelinae Fischer, 1817: Martens,Weasels, Wolverines and relativesGenus: Martes Pinel, 1792: True Martens51. Martes flavigula flavigula Boddaert, 1785:Himalayan Yellow-throated Marten or Indian Marten(Wroughton 1917b; Sharma 1990; Saha et al. 1992;Mukhopadhyay 1996, Singhal & Mukhopadhyay1998; Biswas et al. 1999; Prince 2003; Chaudhuri &Sarkar 2003; Chakraborty et al. 2008a)It keeps to the forest limits and is found at 1219–2743 m. This marten is both diurnal and nocturnal inactivities. It is common in the higher elevations of thestudy area. N.A. Baptista collected one female fromPedong. This marten was reported earlier from Jaributi,upper Rechila chawk and surrounding areas. Twomartens were seen at Lulegaon and Rishyap duringthe recent survey. One was also reported at WestNar 11, 12 during December 2008. Scats were alsocollected at Rechila-12 compartment (27 0 07’0.6”N &88 0 43’12.6”E).52. Martes foina intermedia Severtzov, 1873:Beech Marten or Stone Marten (Sharma 1990;Agrawal et al. 1992; Mukhopadhyay 1996, Singhal &Mukhopadhyay 1998; Biswas et al. 1999; Chaudhuri& Sarkar 2003).This marten is found in the rocky parts of the hillforest and on the barren heights above the treeline. Ittakes shelter in the hollows of trees, underlogs, amongthe rocks and in ground burrows. Though recorded tobe common, this marten was only once observed below1,214m in NVNP, while feeding on a young BarkingDeer (Ghose 1985). It was also sighted at Jaributi andupper Rechila chawk during the recent survey.Genus: Mustela Linnaeus, 1758: True Weasels53. Mustela altaica temon Hodgson, 1857: AlpinePale Weasel (Saha et al. 1992)This weasel is active during both the day and night.In Bhutan, it is confined to 1,500–5,200 m altitude(Abramov et al. 2008). Though it was recorded atNVNP in the past, no evidences of this species werefound during the recent survey.54. Mustela kathiah kathiah Hodgson, 1835:Yellow-bellied Weasel (Chakraborty et al. 2008b)It is found in the dense forests, dry sandy valleys3118Journal of Threatened Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | October 2012 | 4(12): 3103–3136

Mammals of Kalimpong Hillsand even low-lying swamps. It prefers the alpineforests. It is a common weasel in the hills and wassighted in NVNP during the recent survey.55. Mustela strigidorsa Gray, 1855 (subspeciesnone): Siberian Stripe-backed Weasel (Mukhopadhyay1996, Singhal & Mukhopadhyay 1998; Biswas et al.1999).It is found in the temperate forest, open grasslandand scrub jungles of upper Rechila chawk area. It isvery rare in the study area and no evidences of thisspecies were found during the current survey.Family: Ailuropodidae: PandasSubfamily: Ailurinae: Panda bearsGenus: Ailurus F. Cuvier, 1825: Lesser panda56. Ailurus fulgens fulgens F. Cuvier, 1825: RedPanda or Cat Bear (Biswas & Ghose 1982; Tikader1983; Sharma 1990; Agrawal et al. 1992; Saha et al.1992; Mukhopadhyay 1996, Singhal & Mukhopadhyay1998; Singhal 1999; Choudhury 2001; Prince 2003;Chaudhuri & Sarkar 2003; Wright 2004; Ghose et al.2007; Anonymous 2008; UNESCO World HeritageCentre 2009; downloaded on 10November 2009; Mallick 2010b).The Red Panda is a focal species for conservationin the Himalayan temperate forests and an umbrellaspecies for the sub-alpine forests. The undisturbedforest of NVNP is the last remaining good habitatfor the Red Panda. It occurs sporadically in NVNP(Tikader 1983; Saha & Singhal 1996). It is foundin the high forests, particularly the deciduous andconiferous types, usually with an under-storey ofbamboo above 1,524m. During the recent surveys, thehigher elevation of temperate zone, namely Raschet,Rechila and Thosum, is found to be the abode of thisspecies. Earlier, it was recorded from Mouchowki.It was also reported from Pankasari in KFD. But itssighting is very rare in the study area.In March 2000, a sick Red Panda was rescued fromNVNP. But it died on the way to PNHZP. An adultmale was found dead at Pankhasari-1 compartment(Lava Range, KFD) on 11 May 2008. Presence ofthe Red Pandas in NVNP was confirmed in WWF-I,Eastern Region-funded survey report. From theevidences gathered during the first systematicsurvey of the Red Panda in NVNP [Ashoka Trustfor Research in Ecology and Environment (ATREE)team in 2006 (Anon 2008)], 28–32 Red Pandas wereJ.K. Mallickestimated for the upper NVNP. Photograph of onewas taken at Rhenock 4b and another was sighted atRechila-2 in December 2008. It was also reported thatin 2009 eleven sightings were recorded in five out of25 compartments of NVNP (particularly Rashet- 3,4;Rechila- 11, 12 and Rhenock- 4b) within 2,350-3,170m.Family: Ursidae Fischer, 1817: BearsSubfamily: Ursinae Fischer, 1817: BearsGenus: Melursus Meyer, 1793: Sloth bears57. Melursus ursinus ursinus Shaw, 1791: SlothBear (Sharma 1990; Saha et al. 1992; Chaudhuri &Sarkar 2003; Yadav 2004).In the late 19 th and early 20 th century, the Sloth Bearwas common in the foothills. Now, it is a rare speciesdue to destruction of the habitat and poaching. Earlier,it was reported from Samsing and Mouchowki. Itspugmarks were also seen there. No evidences of thisnocturnal species were found during the recent fieldsurvey.Genus: Ursus Linnaeus, 1758: Asiatic BlackBears.58. Ursus (Selenarctos) thibetanus lanigerPocock, 1932: Asiatic or Himalayan Black Bear(Biswas & Ghose 1982; Ghose 1985; Sharma 1990;Agrawal et al. 1992; Saha et al. 1992; Mukhopadhyay1996, Raha 1996; Singhal & Mukhopadhyay 1998;Biswas et al. 1999; Servheen et al. 1999; Singhal1999; Sathyakumar 2001; Chaudhuri & Sarkar 2003;Wright 2004; Yadav 2004; Chakraborty et al. 2008a;Chakraborty et al. 2008b; UNESCO World HeritageCentre 2009; downloaded on 10November 2009).It is a nocturnal species. The survey conducted byKisor Chaudhuri (WWF-I, Eastern Region) confirmedpresence of this species in NVNP. This bear was earlierseen at Mouchowki. It is recorded as common in NVNP.It was sighted and feeding evidences were found at EastNar- 18, 21, 23a; Thosum- 1, 4; and Rechila- 7, 11, 12compartments during the recent survey. Its obliteratedtracks were also observed at Jorepokhari. Scats werecollected at Rechila- 13 compartments (27 0 07’37.5”N& 88 0 43’37.5”E). The population in NVNP wasestimated to be 18 ( downloaded on10 November 2009).In the summer, it inhabits in deciduous and mixedJournal of Threatened Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | October 2012 | 4(12): 3103–31363119

Mammals of Kalimpong Hillsforests at the higher altitudes and in the winter itdecends to the lower hills and valleys even down toabout 1,524m. During the summer, they are commonlysighted at Lava areas. Mostly the solitaries weresighted. It was encountered at Mouchowki. Quiteoften the villagers are mauled on sudden encounterswhen they enter the forest to collect fodders andfuelwood. The villagers are, therefore, scared of theHimalayan Black Bear. These bears are reported tocause damage to the maize crop and livestock in thefringe villages like Mulkharg, Kolbong and Lingasay.In 1995, two cubs were rescued from the medicinalflora farm at Khumani Village. The Himalayan BlackBear is often poached for its bile. In Darjeeling andKalimpong areas 30 to 40 percent bears are killedwhile hibernating inside the hollow of the trees, forillegal trade (Subba 2000).Family: Viverridae Gray, 1821: CivetsSubfamily: Paradoxurinae Gray, 1821: Binturongand Palm CivetsGenus: Paguma Gray, 1831: Masked Palm Civet59. Paguma larvata neglecta Pocock, 1934:Himalayan or Masked Palm Civet (Saha et al. 1992;Mukhopadhyay 1996, Singhal & Mukhopadhyay1998; WWF-I Eastern Region 1997; Biswas et al.1999; Chaudhuri & Sarkar 2003).Masked Palm Civets are confined to the fragmentedareas in both evergreen and deciduous forests in themountains and hills. It takes shelter in the holes oftrees. This nocturnal animal is reported to be rare inNVNP. Earlier, it was reported from Rechila chawkand surrounding forests. It was not sighted or reportedduring the recent survey.Genus: Paradoxurus F. Cuvier, 1821: Palm Civets60. Paradoxurus hermaphroditus bondarDesmarest, 1820: Toddy Cat or Common PalmCivet (Biswas & Ghose 1982; Saha et al. 1992;Mukhopadhyay 1996, WWF-I Eastern Region 1997;Singhal & Mukhopadhyay 1998; Biswas et al. 1999;Chaudhuri & Sarkar 2003).It is a nocturnal animal and commonly found nearthe human habitations. Earlier, it was recorded fromSamsing, Rechila Chawk and surrounding forests. Butit was not sighted during the recent survey.Genus: Prionodon Horsfield, 1822: Banded orSpotted Linsang or Tiger Civet61. Prionodon pardicolor pardicolor Hodgson,1842: Tiger Civet or Spotted Linsang (Sharma 1990)J.K. MallickIt is found in the tropical and subtropical forestsup to the elevations of 2,100m, but very rare. Thisnocturnal species was recorded earlier in the study areabut not sighted or reported during the recent survey.Subfamily: Viverrinae Gray, 1821: Civets, Genetsand LinsangsGenus: Viverra Linnaeus, 1758: Civets62. Viverra zibetha zibetha Linnaeus, 1758: LargeIndian Civet (Wroughton 1917b; Sharma 1990; Sahaet al. 1992; WWF-I Eastern Region 1997; Singhal1999; Chaudhuri & Sarkar 2003).It is a solitary animal living in the woods underbushes or in the heavy scrub jungle. This nocturnalspecies was common in the study area in the past.N.A. Baptista collected one female and one malefrom Nimbong. Its population is reportedly declined.Though not sighted, its scats were found at Rechila-13 compartment during the recent survey.Genus: Viverricula Hodgson, 1838: Small Indiancivets63. Viverricula indica baptistae Pocock, 1933:Small Indian Civet (Saha et al. 1992; WWF-I EasternRegion 1997; Chaudhuri & Sarkar 2003)The Small Indian Civet is found at the edges ofthe lower-lying forest in long grass or scrub jungle ataltitudes up to 1,200m. Though this nocturnal specieswas recorded earlier in the study area, it was not seenduring the current survey.Order Proboscidae Illiger, 1811: ElephantsFamily: Elephantidae Gray, 1821: ElephantsGenus: Elephas Linnaeus, 1758: Asian elephant64. Elephas maximus indicus F. Cuvier, 1798:Indian Elephant (Anonymous 1964; Sharma 1990;Dey 1991a, 1991b; Saha et al. 1992; Raha 1996;Chaudhuri & Sarkar 2003; Yadav 2004; Nanjappa2008; UNESCO World Heritage Centre 2009; downloaded on 10 July2009; downloaded on 10 July 2009).Prior to 1950’s, the elephant population existedin small herds in scattered manner, particularly in thewet-mixed forests of KFD. Two herds were confinedto the Kalimpong hills (O’Malley 1907):“One herd of wild elephants from the Tondu forestin Jalpaiguri usually goes as far as the Naksal Khar,a large salt lick on a tributary of the River Jaldhakato the east of the Kalimpong hills, but they also gofurther into the hills reaching Rishi-la (3,200m),3120Journal of Threatened Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | October 2012 | 4(12): 3103–3136

Mammals of Kalimpong Hillsthe highest peak of the Chola range, situated on theSikkim and Bhutan border, and even roam about in thesnow at that height. Another herd, about 20 in number,works fairly constantly between the Rivers Teesta andJaldhaka, their headquarters being the Mal and EastNar forest blocks, though they also ascend the hillsand graze in the higher tracts adjoining Bhutan.” Butsince the Second World War, they suspended theirvisits to these areas.In NVNP, Hathi Danda (peak) at about 3,000m wasan elephant route till 1940 (Anonymous 2010). Priorto 1977, the elephants moved from the Titi reserveforest of Jaldapara WLS in the east (west of the RiverTorsa) to KFD in the west in June–July and returnedin November–December. Now, these animals areoccasionally seen in the ‘terai’. The solitaries arereported to stray and invade the valley up to an altitudeof about 914m, mostly during the crop-harvestingseason on the hill slopes of Sakkam, Gorubathan,Targhera and adjoining areas. They also visit the lowerreaches of the valley in lure of the wild banana.Elephant depredation in the fringe areas, includingTEs, of Gorubathan, Tashiding, Mongpong, Targhera,etc. is often reported. On 24 November 2008, oneforest guard was injured by a member of a herd of 50elephants in the Targhera forests. A few elephants alsodied due to road and train accidents, electrocution andpoaching.Order: Artiodactyla Owen, 1848: Even-toedungulates or hoofed mammalsFamily: Suidae Gray, 1821: PigsSubfamily: Suinae Gray, 1821: Hogs and PigsGenus: Sus Linnaeus, 1758: Pigs65. Sus scrofa cristatus Wagner, 1839: IndianWild Boar (Biswas & Ghose 1982; Sharma 1990;Mukhopadhyay 1996, WWF-I Eastern Region 1997;Singhal & Mukhopadhyay 1998; Biswas et al. 1999;Singhal 1999; Chaudhuri & Sarkar 2003; Bahuguna &Mallick 2004; Chakraborty et al. 2008b; Dey 2009).The Wild Boar is found in plenty in the study area.It is both nocturnal and diurnal in their activities.Earlier, it was recorded from Samsing, Rangpo andTarkhola under KFD and Rechila Chawk and Jaributiunder NVNP. Soil-excavations by this animal werealso seen. In NVNP, the Wild Boars were sighted, theircalls heard and tracks (about 5cm) found at East Nar-22, 23a, 21; Thosum- 1, 2, 3, 4 and Rachila- 5, 10,11, 12 compartments during the recent survey. TracksJ.K. Mallickwith distinctive imprint of 2 “dew” claws were alsonoticed in plenty on the wet sandy patches in andaround the River Neora, Ashalary khola, Sakam khola,Dhoula khola, etc. The fresh, dark brown scats, muchlarger and bulkier than the deer pellets, containingremains of the larger plant stems and roots, werealso seen. Reportedly, the Wild Boars often raid thevillage crops and cause depredation. The estimatedpopulations of 615 and 110 were recorded in NVNPand KFD respectively ( downloadedon 10 November 2009).Family: Cervidae Goldfuss, 1820: DeerSubfamily: Cervinae Goldfuss, 1820: Old World(Plesiometacarpal) DeerGenus: Axis H. Smith, 1827: Axis deer66. Axis axis axis Erxleben, 1777: Spotted Deer orCheetal (Ghosh 1997; WWF-I Eastern Region 1997;Singhal 1999; Bahuguna & Mallick 2004)The terai forest was the habitat of the Spotted Deerin the study area. There are no current sighting recordsof this species. It seems to be locally extinct. Smallpopulation is, however, found in the pockets of theadjoining Baikunthapur forests resuscitated recently.Genus: Rucervus Hodgson, 1838: Deer67. Rucervus duvauceli duvaucelii Cuvier, 1823:Swamp Deer or Barasinga (Anonymous 1964)It was once common in the ‘terai’ forests ofKalimpong, but disappeared from the study areasometimes during early 20 th century.Genus: Rusa C.H. Smith, 1827: Sambar and RusaDeer68. Rusa unicolor niger Blainville, 1816: Sambar(Anonymous 1964; Biswas & Ghose 1982; Sharma1990; Ghosh 1997; Singhal 1999; Chaudhuri & Sarkar2003; Bahuguna & Mallick 2004; UNESCO WorldHeritage Centre 2009).The Sambar is common in NVNP and found up tothe elevations of 914–1,372 m. It is mainly a nightforager. Earlier, it was recorded from Samsing. InKFD, this species was seen in the Lish, Churanthiand Ramthi blocks of Chel Range and from the TeestaBridge to the Coronation Bridge of Kalimpong Range.Hoof-marks of the Sambar were found at East Nar-22, 23a; Thosum- 1 and Rachila- 7 compartmentsduring the recent surveys. Its population in NVNP wasestimated to be 286 ( downloaded onJournal of Threatened Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | October 2012 | 4(12): 3103–31363121

Mammals of Kalimpong Hills10 November 2009).Subfamily: Muntiacinae Pocock, 1923: MuntjacsGenus: Muntiacus Rafinesque, 1815: Southern RedMuntjac or Indian Muntjac69. Muntiacus vaginalis Boddaert, 1785 [Groves(2003) elected to raise non-Sundaic forms of M.muntjak from subspecific taxa to the species M.vaginalis]: Barking Deer (Anonymous 1964; Biswas& Ghose 1982; Sharma 1990; Mukhopadhyay 1996,Ghosh 1997; WWF-I Eastern Region 1997; Singhal &Mukhopadhyay 1998; Biswas et al. 1999; Singhal 1999;Chaudhuri & Sarkar 2003; Chakraborty et al. 2008a;Chakraborty et al. 2008b; Dey 2009; UNESCO WorldHeritage Centre 2009; downloaded on 12 October 2009)The Barking Deer is abundant in the study area.Earlier, it was recorded from Samsing, Mouchowki,Rangpo and Tarkhola. In KFD, this deer is seen fromthe foothills to an altitude of 2,340m in the upper hills.Solitary Barking Deer was frequently met with and thealarm calls were often heard in the evening in NVNP.The animal was sighted and its pellets and hoofmarks were found at East Nar- 22, 23a, West Nar- 9,Thosum- 1 and Rachila- 7 compartments as well as theGorubathan forests during the recent survey. The footmarkings were also observed near Tempola (an openwaterbody) at an altitude of 2,058m (27 0 02’58.9”N &88 0 46’33.4”E), Mithun Khar (a natural saltlick) in EastNar-19 compartment (27 0 01’45.5”N & 88 0 45’46.9”Elong, altitude 790m) and PHE camp (altitude 1,900m).A pair was also sighted at Choudapheri. A sub-adultmale was found dead on 28 November 2006 at LowerNeora range. Its population was estimated to be 590 inNVNP and 57 in KFD ( downloadedon 10 November 2009).Family: Bovidae Gray, 1821: Bovids (Antelopes,Cattle, Gazelles, Goats, Sheep and relatives)Subfamily: Bovinae Gray, 1821: Bison, Buffalos,Cattle and relativesGenus: Bos Linnaeus, 1758: Oxen and True Cattle70. Bos gaurus gaurus C.H. Smith, 1827: Gaur(Anonymous 1964; Sharma 1990; Saha et al. 1992;Mukhopadhyay 1996; Bhattacharya et al. 1997; Ghosh1997; Singhal & Mukhopadhyay 1998; Biswas et al.1999; Singhal 1999; Choudhury 2002; Chaudhuri &Sarkar 2003; Yadav 2004; Bahuguna & Mallick 2004;Chakraborty et al. 2008b; UNESCO World HeritageJ.K. MallickCentre 2009; Dey 2009; downloaded on 10 November 2009).The Gaurs are not permanent residents in the studyarea but usually found visiting the plains and ‘terai’. InKFD, it is found in the middle and upper hills forests,particularly in the eastern portion. The migratoryherds of Gaur were occasionally seen in NVNP.Earlier three herds were located in Mo, Thosum andRechila blocks and seen to climb up very fast onthe steep terrains up to 2,590m or above. Its indirectevidences [foot prints, feeding signs and dung] werefound at East Nar- 19, 21, 22, 23a; Thosum- 1, 2, 3, 4and Rechila- 5, 7, 16 compartments during the recentsurvey. As per the monitoring reports, the herds ofGaur often visit the muddy areas adjacent to Tempolaand Jorepokhari wetlands in NVNP. The census figurefor NVNP was 81 ( downloaded on10 November 2009).The main range of Gaur is in the Gorumara–Chapramari–Diana forests in Jalpaiguri district. But,in the summer, when the temperature soars in theplains, the small splinter groups of Gaur (mostly bulls)often move further north up to the temperate NVNPthrough the riverbeds, then descend to Gorubathanand thereafter march towards the Apalchand forestsof Baikunthapur FD in the west and go back to theiroriginal habitat. It was reported from Thosum areaof NVNP during the present survey. The maraudingadult bulls, which stray from the reserve forests tothe adjacent TEs and human settlements, are oftendriven back by the wildlife squads, but sometimes thestraying Gaurs died due to the capture myopathy andpoaching.Subfamily: Caprinae Gray, 1821: Chamois, Goats,Serows, Sheep and relativesGenus: Hemitragus Hodgson, 1841: Tahrs71. Hemitragus jemlahicus schaeferi Pohle,1944: Himalayan Tahr (Tikader 1983; Ghose 1985;Sharma 1990; Agrawal et al. 1992; Mukhopadhyay1996, Singhal & Mukhopadhyay 1998; Singhal 1999;Biswas et al. 1999; Chaudhuri & Sarkar 2003; Yadav2004; Chakraborty et al. 2008b; UNESCO WorldHeritage Centre 2009).This diurnal species is found in the inaccessibleterrain, towering the cliffs, rocks, dense forest andscrub jungle at elevations from 914–2,743 m. The3122Journal of Threatened Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | October 2012 | 4(12): 3103–3136

Mammals of Kalimpong Hillssurvey party of ZSI encountered small flocks inNVNP during early 1980s. It was reported fromRechila, Jorepokhri and Triangular point during therecent survey. Footprints and faecal pellets were alsofound at Thosum-1 and Rechila-7 compartments. Thepopulation in NVNP was estimated to be 32 ( downloaded on 10 November 2009).Genus: Naemorhedus Smith, 1827: Gorals72. Naemorhedus goral hodgsoni Pocock, 1908:Brown Goral (Anonymous 1964; Sharma 1990;Saha et al. 1992; Mukhopadhyay 1996, Singhal &Mukhopadhyay 1998; Singhal 1999; Chaudhuri &Sarkar 2003; Yadav 2004; Chakraborty et al. 2008;UNESCO World Heritage Centre 2009; Dey 2009).Gorals live on the rugged hillsides and on rockygrounds near the coniferous forest zone. Theyusually prefer the grassy patches of the middle slopes,migrating from the higher altitudes to the loweraltitudes in winter and vice versa in summer. Theyare both diurnal and nocturnal in their activities. Thisspecies was reported from the north-eastern part ofRechila chawk. During the recent survey, this specieswas sighted at East Nar-19 compartment in NVNP.Pellets and hoof marks were also found there. Theestimated population was 73 in NVNP and only threein KFD ( downloaded on 10 November2009).Genus: Capricornis Ogilby, 1836: Serows73. Capricornis (Naemorhedus) sumatraensisjamrachi Pocock, 1908: Mainland Serow (Ellerman& Morrison-Scott 1951; Anonymous 1964; Sharma1990; Agrawal et al. 1992; Singhal & Mukhopadhyay1998; Singhal 1999; Chaudhuri & Sarkar 2003; Yadav2004; Anonymous 2008; Dey 2009; UNESCO WorldHeritage Centre 2009; downloadedon 10 November 2009).The Serow inhabits the steep ridges and precipiceat elevations ranging from 1,828–3,048 m. Its typelocality is Kalimpong (Pocock 1908). But sighting ofthis nocturnal mammal is very rare. An ATREE teamrecorded and photographed this species recently inNVNP. One Serow was sighted at Rachila-2a duringDecember 2008 and hoof marks of this animal werefound at Rechila-16 compartment during the recentsurvey. Carcass of a Serow, the internal parts of whichJ.K. Mallickwere removed, was seized from a poacher at Rachilaon 16 October 2008. Its population in NVNP wasestimated to be 89 ( downloaded on10 November 2009).Order: Pholidota Weber, 1904: PangolinsFamily: Manidae Gray, 1821: PangolinsGenus: Manis Linnaeus, 1758: Pangolins or ScalyAnt-eaters74. Manis crassicaudata Gray, 1827: Scaly Anteateror Indian Pangolin (Anonymous 1964; Sharma1990; Saha et al. 1992; Singhal & Mukhopadhyay1998; Chaudhuri & Sarkar 2003; UNESCO WorldHeritage Centre 2009).The Indian Pangolin is found in the plains andlower slopes, living inside hollowed trees or burrows.Records of the sighting and indirect evidences of thisnocturnal animal were not available during the recentsurvey. Its population has greatly reduced due tokilling for the flesh and scales.75. Manis pentadactyla aurita Hodgson, 1836:Chinese Pangolin (UNESCO World Heritage Centre2009)The Chinese Pangolin is found in the undisturbedhill forests and grasslands. On 3 April 2008, a carcasswas seized from the Piok basti (village) of Kalimpong.The sighting and indirect evidences of this nocturnalspecies were not recorded during the recent survey.Order: Rodentia Bowdich, 1821: RodentsSuborder: Sciurognathi Brandt, 1855: Gophers,Mice, Rats, Squirrels and relativesFamily: Sciuridae Hemprich, 1820: SquirrelsGenus: Callosciurus Gray, 1867: BeautifulSquirrels76. Callosciurus pygerythrus lokroids Hodgson,1836: Hoary-bellied Himalayan (Irrawady) Squirrel(Wroughton 1917b; Biswas & Ghose 1982; Sharma1990; Agrawal et al. 1992; Mukhopadhyay 1996,Singhal & Mukhopadhyay 1998; Biswas et al. 1999;Chaudhuri & Sarkar 2003; Chakraborty et al. 2008b;Dey 2009; downloaded on 12 October 2009; downloaded on 20 October 2009)This diurnal forest squirrel is found in the temperateand subtropical evergreen and dry deciduous montaneforests, particularly the mid-canopy with thick tomoderate evergreen forest patches. It is common atJournal of Threatened Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | October 2012 | 4(12): 3103–31363123

Mammals of Kalimpong Hillsthe lower elevations ranging from 500–1,560 m inthe study area. It was earlier reported from Samsing,Rangpo and Tarkhola. N.A. Baptista collected twofemales from Sangser and one male from Nimbong.R.L. Fernandez collected one male and three femalesfrom Tarkhola in 1958. R.L. Chowdhury collectedone male, one female and one unsexed squirrel fromSamsing in 1980. It was sighted from Rashet and Lavaduring the recent survey.Genus: Dremomys Heude, 1898: Asian MontaneGround Squirrels77. Dremomys lokriah lokriah Hodgson, 1836:Orange-bellied Himalayan Squirrel (Sharma 1990;Mukhopadhyay 1996, Singhal & Mukhopadhyay1998; Biswas et al. 1999; Chaudhuri & Sarkar 2003;Chakraborty et al. 2008b; Dey 2009; downloaded on 6 September 2009)This diurnal squirrel usually lives in the subtropicalmontane evergreen and broad-leaved forests,particularly the tree hollows in mid-high canopyof dense oak, bamboo, fir and pine forest patches ataltitudes ranging from 900–2,743 m. It is commonin NVNP. It seldom gives vent to a loud cracklingcall. During the recent survey, this arboreal squirrelwas sighted at Lava, Damdama danda, Thosum andRechila.Genus: Ratufa Gray, 1867: Asian Giant Squirrels78. Ratufa bicolor gigantea Sparrman, 1778:Large Indian (Malayan/Assam) Black Giant Squirrel(Wroughton 1917b; Anonymous 1964; Biswas &Ghose 1982; Sharma 1990; Agrawal et al. 1992;Saha et al. 1992; Mukhopadhyay 1996, WWF-IEastern Region 1997; Singhal & Mukhopadhyay1998; Biswas et al. 1999; Chaudhuri & Sarkar 2003;Dey 2009; UNESCO World Heritage Centre 2009; ; downloaded on 20 October 2009).This diurnal giant squirrel is found in the tropicaland subtropical montane evergreen and dry deciduousforests, particularly the tree hollows in mid-highcanopy. It does not usually come to the ground. N.A.Baptista collected two males and one female fromSangser. One male and two females were also collectedfrom Tarkhola by H. Khajuria in 1958. Once it wascommon in the study area, but due to anthropogenicpressure and consequent decline in the population, ithas now become rare. A few squirrels were earlierJ.K. Mallickrecorded from Samsing, Rangpo and Mouchowki. Thisspecies was seen in small numbers at Lava, Samsingand Jaributi valley during the recent survey.Genus: Tamiops J.A. Allen, 1906: Asian StripedSquirrels79. Tamiops macclellandi macclellandi Horsfield,1840: Himalayan Striped Squirrel (.Downloaded on 6 September 2009; http://www.kolkatabirds.com/netrip1.htm> downloaded on 12October 2009).This diurnal striped squirrel lives inside the treehollowsin montane region up to 1,500m. Duringthe recent survey, a few squirrels were seen in Lava,particularly along the Tiffindara trail.Family: Pteromyidae Brandt, 1855: FlyingSquirrelsSubfamily: Petauristinae Miller, 1912: FlyingSquirrelsGenus: Belomys Thomas, 1908: Hairy-footedFlying Squirrels80. Belomys pearsonii pearsonii Gray, 1842:Hairy-footed Flying Squirrel (Ghose, 1985; Sharma1990; Agrawal et al. 1992; Saha et al. 1992; Chaudhuri& Sarkar 2003).This small flying squirrel lives in the tree-hollowsof dense broad-leaved forest patches and also in rockcrevices at 1,500–2,400 m altitude. It is reportedlycommon in the study area. A ZSI team observed thissquirrel earlier at NVNP. But this nocturnal squirrelwas not sighted during the recent survey.Genus: Hylopetes Thomas, 1908: Pygmy FlyingSquirrels81. Hylopetes alboniger alboniger Hodgson,1836: Particolored Flying Squirrel (Sharma 1990;Saha et al. 1992; Mukhopadhyay 1996, Singhal &Mukhopadhyay 1998; Biswas et al. 1999; Chaudhuri &Sarkar 2003; downloaded on 12 October 2009).This nocturnal species lives in the tree-hollows ofthe montane forests up to about 1,524m. Its sightingwas reported in Rhenok earlier. It is rare in the studyarea. However, one was seen at Rashet during therecent survey.Genus: Petaurista Link, 1795: Large Asiatic FlyingSquirrels82. Petaurista elegans caniceps Gray, 1842 [P.caniceps is also treated as a distinct species in Corbet3124Journal of Threatened Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | October 2012 | 4(12): 3103–3136

Mammals of Kalimpong Hills& Hill (1992)]: Lesser or Spotted Giant Grey-headedFlying Squirrel (Sharma 1990; Saha et al. 1992;Chaudhuri & Sarkar 2003).This large flying squirrel is generally found on thetall trees, nesting in the tree-hollows, but also oftenseen in the rhododendron scrub and on the rock cliffsat high altitude. It is a nocturnal flying squirrel andwas not sighted during the recent survey. The indirectevidences of its presence were also not found.83. Petaurista magnificus hodgsoni Ghose andSaha, 1981: Hodgson’s Common Giant Flying Squirrel(Biswas & Ghose 1982; Saha et al. 1992; Singhal1999; Chaudhuri & Sarkar 2003; Alfred et al. 2006;Chakraborty et al. 2008a; Dey 2009).This nocturnal species prefers the dry deciduousto evergreen forests at higher altitudes (1,828–2,743m). It usually roosts in a tree-hole, emerges from thisshelter at dusk and retires before dawn. It was earlierrecorded from Tarkhola of KFD. This large flyingsquirrel was often seen in NVNP, leaping up to 6–7m from one tree to another, during the recent survey.Two dead juveniles were also found at East Nar- 23acompartment and near Suntalekhola.84. Petaurista nobilis singhei Saha, 1977:Himalayan Flying Squirrel (Anonymous 1964; Sharma1990)The Himalayan Flying Squirrel is found in thepine and rhododendron forests, flying from one treeto another. It is common in NVNP and also recordedin KFD. But this nocturnal squirrel was not sightedduring the recent surveys.85. Petaurista petaurista Pallas, 1766: Elliot’sCommon Red Giant Flying Squirrel (Sharma 1990;Saha et al. 1992; Chaudhuri & Sarkar 2003)This species is found in the moist evergreen forestsfrom 500–3,100 m. It lives in the hollows of old trees,often within the villages. Though earlier recorded inNVNP, this nocturnal large flying squirrel was notfound during the recent surveys.Family: Cricetidae J. Fischer, 1817Subfamily: Arvicolinae Gray, 1821: ArvicolineRodentsGenus: Neodon Lataste, 1887: Meadow Mice,Meadow Voles86. Neodon (Microtus) sikimensis sikimensisHodgson, 1849: Sikkim Vole (Sharma 1990;Mukhopadhyay 1996, Singhal & Mukhopadhyay1998; Biswas et al. 1999; Chaudhuri & Sarkar 2003)J.K. MallickSikkim Vole is found above 2,100m altitude in theforest floor, under the rocks, bushes, leaf litter andoutskirts of the rhododendron and coniferous forests,alpine meadow, shrub-lands and grasslands. It lives inthe hollows of trees. It is mainly diurnal. At the dusk,it was sighted at Rechila chawk during the recentsurvey. However, it is rare in NVNP.Family: Muridae Illiger, 1815: Old World Rats andMiceSubfamily: Murinae Illiger, 1811: Old World Ratsand MiceGenus: Bandicota Gray, 1873: Bandicoot Rats87. Bandicota bengalensis bengalensis Gray andHardwicke, 1833: Lesser Bandicoot Rat (Wroughton,1917b; Agrawal et al. 1992; downloaded on 20 October 2009).It is the dominant rodent species in the study area,mostly found in the vicinity of the human settlements.N.A. Baptista collected one male and six females fromKalimpong and five males and nine females fromNimbong. This nocturnal rat was sighted during therecent surveys.Genus: Mus Linnaeus, 1758: Mouses88a. Mus musculus homourus Hodgson, 1845:House Mouse (Wroughton, 1917b; Agrawal et al.1992; downloaded on 20 October2009).It is very common in the study area and wascollected mostly from the houses and occasionallyfrom the fields in the foothills. N.A. Baptista collectedsix males and two females from Kalimpong, twomales and one female from Nimbong, 12 malesand 14 females from Pedong and one male and onefemale from Sangser. H. Khajuria also collected onemale and four females from Tarkhola in 1958. Thisnocturnal mouse was sighted during the current surveyin NVNP.88b. Mus musculus urbanus Hodgson, 1845:House Mouse (Wroughton, 1917b; Agrawal et al.1992; downloaded on 20 October2009).It is most common in and around the humanhabitations in the foothills. N.A. Baptista collectedthree males and three females from Kalimpong. It wassighted during the current surveys in NVNP.Journal of Threatened Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | October 2012 | 4(12): 3103–31363125

Mammals of Kalimpong Hills89. Mus pahari pahari Thomas, 1916: Bush Rat orGairdner’s Shrewmouse (Wroughton 1917b; Sharma1990; Mukhopadhyay 1996, Singhal & Mukhopadhyay1998; Biswas et al. 1999; Chaudhuri & Sarkar 2003)This rat lives in the montane shrubs. N.A. Baptistacollected one female (juvenile) from Pedong and onefemale from Sangser. It is a resident of NVNP. Duringthe recent survey, this mouse was occasionally sightedat Thosum and Rechila at dusk.Genus: Niviventer J.T. Marshall, 1976: WhitebelliedRats90. Niviventer eha eha Wroughton, 1916: SmokebelliedRat (Sharma 1990).This species lives in the coniferous andrhododendron forests and bamboo shrubs at highaltitude. This nocturnal rat was not sighted during thecurrent survey.91. Niviventer fulvescens fulvescens Gray, 1847:Himalayan Chestnut White-bellied Rat (Wroughton,1917b; Sharma 1990; Agrawal et al. 1992; downloaded on 20 October 2009).This nocturnal rat is found in the evergreenbroadleaved forests, shrubs and rocks. N.A. Baptistacollected two males and one female from Nimbongand one male and two females from Pedong. It is saidto be common in the study area, but it was not sightedduring the recent survey.Genus: Rattus Fischer de Waldheim, 1803: OldWorld Rats92. Rattus nitidus nitidus Hodgson, 1845:Hodgson’s Grey-bellied or Himalayan Rat (Blyth,1863; Wroughton 1917b; Agrawal et al. 1992; downloaded on 20 October 2009)It is common in the foothills, particularly in thevicinity of houses and fields. N.A. Baptista collectedone female from Kalimpong, six males and one femalefrom Nimbong, one male and one female from Pedongand three males and three females from Sangser. Thisnocturnal rat was not found during the recent survey.93a. Rattus rattus rufescens Gray, 1837: GrayCommon Indian House Rat (Wroughton, 1917b)It is a common rat in the study area. N.A. Baptistacollected 17 males, 14 females from Kalimpong,28 males, 31 females from Nimbong, 30 males, 21females from Pedong and 18 males, 14 females fromSangser. H. Khajuria also collected four sub-adultJ.K. Mallickmales from Tarkhola (1958). This nocturnal rat wasnot found during the recent surveys.93b. Rattus rattus brunneusculus Hodgson,1845: House Rat (Hinton, 1919; Agrawal et al. 1992; downloaded on 20 October 2009).The house rat is quite common in the forests, fields,and residential complexes. N.A. Baptista collectedtwo males and one female from Kalimpong, twomales and two females from Nimbong, one male fromPedong, three males and one female from Sangserand H. Khajuria collected four sub-adult males fromTarkhola in 1958. This nocturnal rat was not foundduring the recent survey.93c. Rattus rattus (tanezumi) tistae Hinton, 1918:House rat (Agrawal et al. 1992; downloaded on 20 October 2009).This species is very common in the forests as wellas houses. N.A. Baptista collected three males and twofemales from Kalimpong, five males and one femalefrom Nimbong, two males and four females fromPedong and one male from Sangser. This nocturnalrat was not found during the recent survey.94. Rattus sikkimensis Hinton, 1919 [R.andamanensis in Wilson & Reeder (2005): Sikkim Rat(Ellerman 1961; Molur et al. 2005).The Sikkim Rat is a terrestral and arboreal animaland widespread across the Eastern Himalayas region.It is found in cultivated fields and adjacent forestsup to an altitude of 2,000m. There were no previousrecords of this species in the study area. Only Moluret al. (2005) recorded this species in Kalimpong. Itwas not found during the current survey.Genus: Vandeleuria Gray, 1842: Long-tailedClimbing Mouse95. Vandeleuria oleracea dumeticola Hodgson,1845: Indian Long-tailed or Hodgson’s Tree-mouse(Wroughton 1917b; Ellerman 1947)This long-tailed tree mouse is found in the foothills.N.A. Baptista collected one male from Kalimpong.This nocturnal mouse was not found during the currentsurvey.Suborder: Hystricognathi Tullberg, 1899:Hystricognath RodentsFamily: Hystricidae Fischer, 1817: Old WorldPorcupinesGenus: Hystrix Linnaeus, 1758: Old World3126Journal of Threatened Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | October 2012 | 4(12): 3103–3136

Mammals of Kalimpong HillsPorcupines96. Hystrix brachyura hodgsoni Gray, 1847:Himalayan Crestless Porcupine (Saha et al. 1992;Mukhopadhyay 1996, WWF-I Eastern Region 1997;Singhal & Mukhopadhyay 1998; Singhal 1999;Chaudhuri & Sarkar 2003; Chakraborty et al. 2008a;Chakraborty et al. 2008b).The Himalayan Crestless Porcupine lives invarious forest habitats and in the scrubby, open areasclose to forest. It forages at night. Though earlier itwas found in large numbers in the study area, it is nowrare. During recent survey, this species was seen atAlubari area and its den or hole was observed near themoist hill forest and its quills were also collected. Thepopulation was decimated due to annual tribal huntingexpeditions.97. Hystrix indica indica Kerr, 1792: IndianCrested Porcupine (WWF-I Eastern Region 1997;Chaudhuri & Sarkar 2003).The crested porcupine lives in the forests andopen areas from the foothills to an elevation of about2,400m. It prefers the rocky hillsides. This nocturnalanimal was not sighted and the indirect evidences werealso not observed during the recent survey.Order: Lagomorpha Brandt, 1855: Hares, Rabbits,PikasFamily: Ochotonidae Thomas, 1897: PikasGenus: Ochotona Link, 1795: Pikas98. Ochotona thibetana sikimaria Thomas, 1922:Moupin Pika (Khajuria & Ghose 1970; Agrawal et al.1992; Chaudhuri & Sarkar 2003).The crepuscular Moupin Pika occurs in the bambooand rhododendron forests at higher altitudes. It isreported from Lachung (2,622m) and Lachne (2,865m)in North Sikkim (Ghose 1990) as well as Sandakphu,Darjeeling hills (Khajuria & Ghose 1970). But therewere no previous records of this species in the studyarea. Sighting of this species on the northern slopeof the Neora top was reported by a birding team. TheMoupin Pika was observed near its burrow during themorning hours. It has become endangered due to thedestruction of the habitat, particularly rhododendronvegetation (Smith & Boyer 2008).Family: Leporidae Fischer, 1817: Hares andRabbitsGenus: Lepus Linnaeus, 1758: Common Hares orJackrabbits99. Lepus nigricollis ruficaudatus I. Geoffroy,J.K. Mallick1826: Indian Rufous-tailed or Black-naped Hare(Biswas & Ghose 1982; WWF-I Eastern Region 1997;Chaudhuri & Sarkar 2003; Chakraborty et al. 2008b).This species is found at elevations up to 2,400m.Its preferred habitat is the depressions at the base ofhills. It is a fairly common species in the study area.It was earlier recorded from Samsing and Tarkhola.Sighting of this diurnal hare was recorded during thecurrent survey in NVNP. Its population is decimateddue to annual tribal hunting expeditions.DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONSIn comparison to N.A. Baptista’s records of 29mammalian species (22 genera) in Kalimpong hills, 99mammalian species (see Table 1) with 93 subspeciesunder 10 orders, 26 families and 68 genera have beenregistered in the study area during the recent surveyon the basis of direct sighting (31 species or 31.31%),specimen collected earlier (25 species or 25.25%),indirect evidences observed (7 species or 7.08%) andsecondary literature (36 species or 36.36%). Twocervids (spotted and swamp deer) are already locallyexterminated. So, out of 97 extant species, 71 speciesare recorded in KFD and 65 species are reported fromNVNP. Carnivora is the most diverse order (32.32%),followed by Rodentia (24.24%), Chiroptera (23.23%),Artiodactyla (9.10%), Eulpotyphla (4.04%), Primates(3.03%), Pholidota (2.02%), Scandentia (1.01%)and Proboscidea (1.01%). In fact, the rodents andchiropterans are mostly registered in KFD becausethese smaller mammals are very difficult to find outor trap in the inhospitable terrain and dense vegetationof NVNP.The global conservation status of the registeredspecies, as per IUCN Red List of Threatened Species2008, is—Endangered: 5 (5.05%); Vulnerable: 11(11.11%); Lower Risk-Near Threatened: 13 (13.13%);Lower Risk-Least Concern: 63 (63.64%); DataDeficient: 2 (2.02%) and Not Evaluated: 5 (5.05%).The national status of these species according to theWildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 is- Schedule I: 21(21.21%); Schedule II: 29 (29.30%); Schedule III:6 (6.06%); Schedule IV: 2 (2.02%); Schedule V:14 (14.14%) and not scheduled: 27 (27.27%). Thenationally threatened species recorded in the studyarea are Ailurus fulgens, Amblonyx cinereus, BosJournal of Threatened Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | October 2012 | 4(12): 3103–31363127

Mammals of Kalimpong HillsJ.K. MallickTable 1. Mammalian species registered in the study areaSno Genus SpeciesStatus as perIUCN Red ListStatus as perIndian Wildlife(Protection) Act,1972 amended upto 2002Diurnal /Nocturnal /seen at alltimesInformation source(Sighting / Evidence/ Citation from otherworks)1 Episoriculus caudatus Least Concern - Nocturnal Cited from literature2 Soriculus nigrescens Least Concern - Nocturnal Sighted3 Suncus murinus Least Concern - Nocturnal Cited from literature4 Euroscaptor micrura Least Concern - Nocturnal5 Tupaia belangeri Least Concern - Diurnal SightedConcluded from indirectevidence6 Cynopterus sphinx Least Concern Schedule V Nocturnal Cited from literature7 Rousettus leschenaulti Least Concern Schedule V Nocturnal Cited from literature8 Rhinolophus lepidus Least Concern - Nocturnal Cited from literature9 Rhinolophus luctus Least Concern - Nocturnal Sighted10 Rhinolophus pusillus Least Concern - Nocturnal Cited from literature11 Rhinolophus rouxii Least Concern - Nocturnal Cited from literature12 Rhinolophus sinicus Least Concern - Nocturnal Cited from literature13 Hipposideros armiger Least Concern - Nocturnal Cited from literature14 Hipposideros cineraceus Least Concern - Nocturnal Cited from literature15 Hipposideros fulvus Least Concern - Nocturnal Cited from literature16 Hipposideros pomona Least Concern - Nocturnal Cited from literature17 Barbastella leucomelas Least Concern - Nocturnal Cited from literature18 Eptesicus serotinus Least Concern - Nocturnal Sighted19 Nyctalus noctula Least Concern - Nocturnal Cited from literature20 Pipistrellus babu Not Evaluated - Nocturnal Cited from literature21 Pipistrellus coromandra Least Concern - Nocturnal Cited from literature22 Pipistrellus javanicus Least Concern - Nocturnal Cited from literature23 Pipistrellus mimus Not Evaluated - Nocturnal Cited from literature24 Tylonycteris pachypus Least Concern - Nocturnal Cited from literature25 Murina cyclotis Least Concern - Nocturnal Cited from literature26 Murina huttoni Least Concern - Nocturnal Cited from literature27 Murina leucogaster Data Deficient - Nocturnal Cited from literature28 Murina tubinaris Least Concern - Nocturnal Cited from literature29 Macaca assamensis Near Threatened Schedule II, Part I Diurnal Sighted30 Macaca mulatta Least Concern Schedule II, Part I Diurnal Sighted31 Semnopithecus hector Near Threatened Schedule II, Part I Diurnal Cited from literature32 Canis aureus Least Concern Schedule II, Part II Nocturnal Cited from literature33 Canis indica Not Evaluated Schedule I, Part I Nocturnal Cited from literature34 Cuon alpinus Endangered Schedule II, Part I NocturnalConcluded from indirectevidence35 Vulpes vulpes Least Concern Schedule II, Part II Nocturnal Cited from literature36 Catopuma temminckii Near Threatened Schedule I, Part I Nocturnal Cited from literature37 Felis chaus Least Concern Schedule II, Part II Seen at all times Sighted38 Prionailurus bengalensis Least Concern Schedule I, Part I Nocturnal Sighted39 Prionailurus viverrinus Endangered Schedule I, Part I Nocturnal Sighted40 Neofelis nebulosa Vulnerable Schedule I, Part I Nocturnal Sighted41 Panthera pardus Near Threatened Schedule I, Part I Nocturnal Sighted3128Journal of Threatened Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | October 2012 | 4(12): 3103–3136

Mammals of Kalimpong HillsJ.K. MallickSno Genus SpeciesStatus as perIUCN Red ListStatus as perIndian Wildlife(Protection) Act,1972 amended upto 2002Diurnal /Nocturnal /seen at alltimesInformation source(Sighting / Evidence/ Citation from otherworks)42 Panthera tigris Endangered Schedule I, Part I NocturnalConcluded from indirectevidence43 Pardofelis marmorata Vulnerable Schedule I, Part I Nocturnal Cited from literature44 Herpestes edwardsii Least Concern Schedule II, Part II Diurnal Cited from literature45 Herpestes auropunctatus Not Evaluated Schedule II, Part II Seen at all times Cited from literature46 Herpestes urva Least Concern Schedule II, Part II Seen at all times Cited from literature47 Amblonyx cinereus Vulnerable Schedule I, Part I Seen at all times Cited from literature48 Lutra lutra Near Threatened Schedule II, Part II Seen at all times Cited from literature49 Lutrogale perspicillata Vulnerable Schedule II, Part II Seen at all times Cited from literature50 Arctonyx collaris Near Threatened Schedule I, Part I Nocturnal Cited from literature51 Martes flavigula Least Concern Schedule II, Part II Seen at all times Sighted52 Martes foina Least Concern Schedule II, Part II Seen at all times Sighted53 Mustela altaica Near Threatened Schedule II, Part II Seen at all times Cited from literature54 Mustela kathiah Least Concern Schedule II, Part II Seen at all times Sighted55 Mustela strigidorsa Least Concern Schedule II, Part II Seen at all times Cited from literature56 Ailurus fulgens Vulnerable Schedule I, Part I Seen at all times Sighted57 Melursus ursinus Vulnerable Schedule I, Part I Seen at all times Cited from literature58 Ursus thibetanus Vulnerable Schedule II, Part II Nocturnal Sighted59 Paguma larvata Least Concern Schedule II, Part II Nocturnal Cited from literature60 Paradoxurus hermaphroditus Least Concern Schedule II, Part II Nocturnal Cited from literature61 Prionodon pardicolor Least Concern Schedule I, Part I Nocturnal Cited from literature62 Viverra zibetha Near Threatened Schedule II, Part II NocturnalConcluded from indirectevidence63 Viverricula indica Least Concern Schedule II, Part II Nocturnal Cited from literature64 Elephas maximus Endangered Schedule I, Part I Seen at all times Sighted65 Sus scrofa Least Concern Schedule III Seen at all times Sighted66 Axis axis Least Concern Schedule III Diurnal Cited from literature67 Rucervus duvaucelii Vulnerable Schedule I, Part I Diurnal Cited from literature68 Rusa unicolor Vulnerable Schedule III Seen at all times Sighted69 Muntiacus vaginalis Least Concern Schedule III Seen at all times Sighted70 Bos gaurus Vulnerable Schedule I, Part I Diurnal Sighted71 Hemitragus jemlahicus Near Threatened Schedule I, Part I Diurnal Sighted72 Naemorhedus goral Near Threatened Schedule III Seen at all times Sighted73 Capricornis sumatraensis Vulnerable Schedule I, Part I Seen at all timesConcluded from indirectevidence74 Manis crassicaudata Near Threatened Schedule I, Part I Nocturnal Cited from literature75 Manis pentadactyla Endangered Schedule I, Part I Nocturnal Cited from literature76 Callosciurus pygerythrus Least Concern - Diurnal Sighted77 Dremomys lokriah Least Concern - Diurnal Sighted78 Ratufa bicolor Near Threatened Schedule II, Part II Diurnal Sighted79 Tamiops macclellandi Least Concern - Diurnal Sighted80 Belomys pearsonii Data Deficient Schedule II, Part II Nocturnal Cited from literature81 Hylopetes alboniger Least Concern Schedule II, Part II Nocturnal Cited from literature82 Petaurista elegans Least Concern Schedule II, Part II Nocturnal Cited from literature83 Petaurista magnificus Least Concern Schedule II, Part II Nocturnal Cited from literatureJournal of Threatened Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | October 2012 | 4(12): 3103–31363129

Mammals of Kalimpong HillsJ.K. MallickSno Genus SpeciesStatus as perIUCN Red ListStatus as perIndian Wildlife(Protection) Act,1972 amended upto 2002Diurnal /Nocturnal /seen at alltimesInformation source(Sighting / Evidence/ Citation from otherworks)84 Petaurista nobilis Near Threatened Schedule II, Part II Nocturnal Cited from literature85 Petaurista petaurista Least Concern Schedule II, Part II Nocturnal Cited from literature86 Neodon sikimensis Least Concern Schedule V Diurnal Sighted87 Bandicota bengalensis Least Concern Schedule V Nocturnal Sighted87 Mus musculus Least Concern Schedule V Nocturnal Sighted88 Mus pahari Least Concern Schedule V Nocturnal Sighted90 Niviventer eha Least Concern Schedule V Nocturnal Cited from literature91 Niviventer fulvescens Least Concern Schedule V Nocturnal Cited from literature92 Rattus nitidus Least Concern Schedule V Nocturnal Cited from literature93 Rattus rattus Least Concern Schedule V Nocturnal Cited from literature94 Rattus sikkimensis Not Evaluated Schedule V Nocturnal Cited from literature95 Vandeleuria oleracea Least Concern Schedule V Nocturnal Cited from literature96 Hystrix brachyura Least Concern Schedule II, Part I Nocturnal Sighted97 Hystrix indica Least Concern Schedule IV Nocturnal Cited from literature98 Ochotona thibetana Least Concern - Diurnal Sighted99 Lepus nigricollis Least Concern Schedule IV Nocturnal Sightedgaurus, Canis aureus, Canis indica, Capricornissumatraensis, Catopuma temminckii, Cuon alpinus,Elephas maximus, Lutra lutra monticola, Lutrogaleperspicillata, Martes flavigula, Melursus ursinus,Naemorhedus goral, Neofelis nebulosa, Pantherapardus, Panthera tigris, Pardofelis marmorata,Soriculus nigrescens, Ursus thebetanus and Vulpesvulpes montana. All these twentyone threatenedspecies are recorded in NVNP, whereas 15 of them areregistered in KFD.Of all the sites covered in the study area, JaributiValley (the richest natural repository of medicinalplants) and Alubari (earlier potatoes were cultivatedhere but after declaration of NP this forest village wasshifted to the fringe area and the area was resuscitatedthrough habitat improvement works) appeared to bemost ideal places for viewing the wildlife movementsin NVNP.Some anthropogenic threats also pervade thestudy area. For example, the population of DarjeelingDistrict was only 1,900 in the year 1850 and 2,200 in1869, which scaled up to 16,05,900 in 2001, the shareof hill population being over 8.5 lakhs. The largescaleemigration for the mushrooming tea industry,terrace cultivation and political reasons contributedto this rapid growth. Much of the natural forests,except those on the difficult terrains, were convertedfor settlement and commercial use, leading to soilerosion, landslides and loss of wildlife habitat andhabitants. Decline in forest cover was observed in theChel and Jaldhaka catchments of KFD. Infrastructuraldevelopment works have recently been started in thepristine NVNP for expansion of eco-tourism. Threatsare often caused by illegal cattle grazing, felling oftimber, collection of fuelwood, fodder and Non-TimberForest Produce (NTFP), retaliatory killings, the annualtribal hunting and poaching in the fragmented forestsof KFD. As human habitations in and around NVNPare comparatively less in number combined with thephysical constraints like inaccessibility and difficultterrain, biotic pressures are, however, not very acutein this area. This anthropogenic syndrome in KFDmust be curbed for sustenance of the variegated wilddenizens and restoration of the biodiversity values.There is further scope for research on the sitespecificoccurrence of the mammalian species in thestudy area with special emphasis on the smaller specieslike the chiropterans and rodents, preferably in thecontext of the known diversity in contiguous forests ofthe Eastern Himalaya in West Bengal, Sikkim, northeasternstates in India, Bhutan and Nepal.3130Journal of Threatened Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | October 2012 | 4(12): 3103–3136

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JoTT No t e 4(12): 3137–3160Butterflies (Lepidoptera) of DibangValley, Mishmi Hills, ArunachalPradesh, IndiaMonsoon Jyoti GogoiCentre for Biodiversity and Natural Resource Conservation,Department of Ecology and Environmental Science, AssamUniversity, Silchar, Assam 788011, IndiaEmail: monsoonjyoti@gmail.comThe Mishmi Hills (95 0 49’–95 0 59’ N & 28 0 06’–28 0 23’E) are located in the eastern region of ArunachalPradesh. The altitude varies from 400–3568 m. Thehill range lies to the north of the Assam Valley.The major part of the Mishmi Hills is in the DibangValley districts of Arunachal Pradesh. The DibangValley districts have two divisions - Lower and UpperDibang Valley. The headquarters of the two districtsare Roing and Anini, respectively. Roing lies onthe plains near the Lohit River while Anini is at anelevation in the mountains and near the internationalborder with China. The valley is bounded on the northby China, on the east by Lohit District of ArunachalPradesh, on the west by Siang District of ArunachalPradesh and on the south by Tinsukia District ofAssam. Part of the Lower Dibang Valley (281.5km 2 )Date of publication (online): 10 October 2012Date of publication (print): 10 October 2012ISSN 0974-7907 (online) | 0974-7893 (print)Editor: Peter SmetacekManuscript details:Ms # o2975Received 25 October 2011Final received 14 September 2012Finally accepted 16 September 2012Citation: Gogoi, M.J. (2012). Butterflies (Lepidoptera) of Dibang Valley,Mishmi Hills, Arunachal Pradesh, India. Journal of Threatened Taxa 4(12):3137–3160.Copyright: © Monsoon Jyoti Gogoi 2012. Creative Commons Attribution3.0 Unported License. JoTT allows unrestricted use of this article in anymedium for non-profit purposes, reproduction and distribution by providingadequate credit to the authors and the source of publication.Acknowledgements: The work was undertaken by the author under NorthOrissa University, to complete fourth semester M.Sc. dissertation in Wildlifeand Conservation Biology. I am thankful to Ipra Mekola, an active wildlifeconservationist and respected person of Idu-mishmi community. Along withhim, I thank Kavi Angama, Chipra Mekola and Abidur Rahman. I also thankRakesh Saur who helped in preparing the map.OPEN ACCESS | FREE DOWNLOADis protected under Mehao WildlifeSanctuary (93 0 30’–95 0 45’N &28 0 05’–28 0 15’E) (MWS) (Image1).The Dibang River originates in the western partof China and flows through this valley in a northsouthdirection. It is one of the main tributaries of theBrahmaputra.The vegetation is characterized by tropicalevergreen forests (up to 900m), subtropical andtemperate forests (900–1800 m), temperate broad leafforest (1800–2800 m) and temperate conifer forest(2800–3500 m) (Champion & Seth 1968).MethodsStudy Area: 1. Sally Lake (Image 2): The Lake isabout 5km from Roing Town and lies at an altitude ofabout 400m. The lake is very close to the DeopaniRiver and is surrounded by hills. Small streams flowthrough the bamboo forest into the open areas. Thelake is protected under MWS.2. Deopani River Bed: The river bed remains drythroughout the year. The river gets its water fromthe streams originating in the surrounding hills nearDeopani. High elevation forest exists in this area. Theplains have secondary forest growth.3. Dibang River-bed (Image 3): It lies west of theMishmi Hills and is not under the jurisdiction of MSW.There are several small villages like Chidu. The vastgrassland of Nizamghat (elevation of 266m) is in thisarea.4. Tiwarigaon (Image 4a): A small village onthe way to Mayodia, lying at an elevation of around1300m. The place is the perfect place for the studyof high montane butterflies and is 28km from RoingTown.5. Mayodia pass (Image 4b): The area lies on theway to Anini and is about 56km from Roing Town.This area is the highest elevated point on the way fromRoing-Hunli at 2,666m and is distinguished by a coldrocky mountain.Survey methodsThe methodology involved checklist surveys onsunny days from 07 March–22 June, 2011 to determinethe maximum number of species. Visual search andJournal of Threatened Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | October 2012 | 4(12): 3137–3160 3137

Butterflies of Dibang ValleyM.J.GogoiImage 1. Satellite imagery showing areas covered during field study (Map: Rakesh Saur)photography were conducted on a regular basis duringthe day. Occasional surveys were undertaken after16:00hr to locate shade loving butterflies. Searcheswere conducted near water sources, damp patchesin the forest, open sunny areas, blossoming flowersand bird droppings. Searches were also conductedon hill tops, especially in the catchment areas of hillstreams, as well as from top to bottom of hill streamsto record the maximum number of species. Butterflieswere photographed from different angles as often aspossible to obtain sufficient photographs to enablepositive identification of species. Butterfly specieswere identified using the identification keys of Watson(1897), Evans (1932), Talbot (1947), Smith (1994),Pinratana (1985), Haribal (1992), and photographicguides of Kehimkar (2008).Results and DiscussionThe field study resulted in the recording of 294butterfly species belonging to 156 genera, fromDibang Valley (Table 1). This includes 33 speciesof Papilionidae, 26 species of Pieridae, 59 speciesof Lycaenidae, 115 species of Nymphalidae and61 species belonging to Hesperiidae. Noteworthyrare and endangered species encountered were deNicéville’s Windmill Byasa polla which is includedon Schedule I of the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act(IWPA), (1972); Khaki Silverline Spindasis rukmini isanother interesting species which is also included onSchedule I of the IWPA, (1972).The matter of greatest concern is that Byasa polla,Spindasis rukmini were recorded outside the protectedarea of MWS. The species were recorded in a smallvillage called Chidu near Nizamghat. The area isundergoing deforestation due to increase of settlementsin the area and clearing of land for agriculture.Logging has also been observed on a small scale inthe area. The increasing use of pesticides in the citrusorchards is another concern in the area. Overall, thelast remaining lowland forest of Lower Dibang Valleyis facing a serious threat to its continued existence atpresent. All these raise serious concerns regarding thesurvival of butterflies in the area. The record of suchrare species in the area shows the potential biodiversityof the area and reflects the need for notification of moreprotected areas in Arunachal Pradesh.It is stressed that the present survey covered theperiod from March–June 2011. Doubtless, there will3138Journal of Threatened Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | October 2012 | 4(12): 3137–3160

Butterflies of Dibang ValleyM.J.GogoiTable 1. Annotated list of butterflies recorded in the Mishmi Hills, Arunachal Pradesh during the study period (March–June2011).Scientific nameCommon nameIndianWPA 1972Scientific nameCommon nameIndianWPA 1972Papilionidae1. Pachliopta aristolochiaearistolochiaeCommon Rose32. Meandrusa lachinuslachinusBrown Gorgon33. Meandrusa payeni evan Yellow GorgonScheduleII Part II2. Troides helena cerberus Common BirdwingPieridae3. Troides aeacus aeacus Golden Birdwing4. Atrophaneura varunaastorionCommon Batwing5. Atrophaneura aidoneus Lesser Batwing6. Byasa polla7. Byasa polyeuctespolyeuctesDe Nicéville'sWindmillCommon WindmillSchedule IPart IV34. Eurema andersoniandersoni35. Eurema blanda silhetanaOne-Spot GrassYellowThree-Spot GrassYellow36. Eurema brigitta rubella Small Grass Yellow37. Eurema hecabe hecabe38. Gandaca harinaassamicaCommon GrassYellowTree YellowSchedule IIPart II8. Byasa dasarada dasarada Great WindmillSchedule IIPart II39. Dercas verhuellidoubledayiTailed Sulphur9. Papilio agestor agestor Tawny Mime10. Papilio epycides epycides Lesser Mime11. Papilio clytia clytia Common Mime40. Catopsilia pomonapomona41. Catopsilia pyranthepyrantheCommon EmigrantMottled Emigrant12. Papilio polytes romulus Common Mormon42. Colias fieldii fieldii Dark Clouded Yellow13. Papilio demoleusdemoleusLime Butterfly14. Papilio castor castor Common Raven15. Papilio helenus helenus Red Helen16. Papilio nephelus chaon Yellow Helen17.Papilio memnon agenor18. Papilio protenoreuprotenor19. Papilio alcmenoralcmenorGreat MormonSpangleRedbreast20. Papilio polyctor ganesa Common PeacockSchedule IIPart IISchedule IPart IV43. Ixias pyrene familiaris Yellow Orange Tip44. Pareronia avatar avatar Pale Wanderer45. Appias lyncida hippoides Chocolate Albatross46. Appias nero galba Orange Albatross47. Appias albina darada Common Albatross48. Appias lalage lalage Spot Puffin49. Appias indra indra Plain Puffin50. Pieris brassicaeLarge CabbageWhite51. Pieris napi montana Green-veined WhiteScheduleIVSchedule IIPart IISchedule IIPart II21. Papilio paris paris Paris Peacock22. Graphium antiphatespompiliusFivebar Swordtail23. Graphium agetes agetes Fourbar Swordtail24. Graphium doson axion Common Jay52. Pieris canidia indicaIndian CabbageWhite53. Cepora nadina nadina Lesser Gull54. Prioneris thestylisthestylisSpotted SawtoothSchedule IIPart II25. Graphium evemonalbociliatis26. Graphium chironideschironidesLesser JayVeined JaySchedule IIPart II55. Prioneris clemanthe Redspot Sawtooth56. Delias belladonna lugens Hill Jezebel57. Delias berinda Dark Jezebel27. Graphium agamemnonagamemnon28. Graphium sarpedonsarpedon29. Graphium xenoclesxenoclesTailed JayCommon BluebottleGreat Zebra58. Delias acalis pyramus Red-breast Jezebel59. Delias agostina agostina Yellow JezebelLycaenidae60. Curetis dentata dentata Angled Sunbeam61. Taraka hamada mendesia Forest Pierrot30. Lamproptera curiuscurius31. Lamproptera megesindistinctaWhite DragontailGreen Dragontail62. Caleta roxus roxana Straight Pierrot63. Caleta elna noliteia Elbowed Pierrot64. Castalius rosimonrosimonCommon PierrotSchedule IPart IVJournal of Threatened Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | October 2012 | 4(12): 3137–31603139

Butterflies of Dibang ValleyM.J.GogoiScientific nameCommon nameIndianWPA 1972Scientific nameCommon nameIndianWPA 197265. Tarucus indica Pointed Pierrot66. Ancema ctesia ctesia Bi-Spot Royal67. Remelana jangala ravata Chocolate Royal101. Jamides alectoeurysaces102. Catochrysops strabosrraboMetallic CeruleanForget-me-notSchedule IIPart II68. Arhopala centauruspirithousCentaur Oakblue103. Lampides boeticus PeablueSchedule IIPart II69. Flos adrianaVariegatedPlushblue70. Flos asoka Spangled Plushblue104. Zizeeria karsandra Dark Grass Blue105. Pseudozizeeria mahamahaPale Grass Blue71. Surendra vivarna72. Zinaspa todara distorta73. Loxura atymnuscontinentalis74. Yasoda tripunctatatripunctataCommon AcaciaBlueSilver StreakedAcacia BlueYamflyBranded YamflySchedule IIPart IISchedule IIPart II106. Freyeria putli Eastern Grass Jewel107. Zizina otis otis Lesser Grass Blue108. Megisba malaya Malayan109. Acytolepis puspa giscaCommon HedgeBlue110. Udara cardia dilecta Pale Hedge BlueSchedule IIPart IISchedule IIPart II75. Cheritra freja freja Common Imperial111. Udara albocaerulea Albocerulean76. Ticherra acte Blue Imperial77. Hypolycaena erylushimavantusCommon Tit78. Chliaria kina cachara Blue Tit79. Zeltus amasa Fluffy Tit80. Rapala nissa ratna Common Flash81. Rapala manea schistacea Slate Flash82. Catapoecilma elegans Common Tinsel83. Spindasis nipalicusevansiiSilvergrey SilverlineSchedule IIPart IISchedule IIPart II112. Celastrina lavendularislimbata113. Celastrina argiolussikkima114. Celastrina huegeliioreanaPlain Hedge BlueHill Hedge BlueLarge Hedge Blue115. Chilades laius laius Lime Blue116. Abisara fylla Dark Judy117. Zemeros flegyas indicus Punchinello118. Dodonia adonira naga Striped PunchNymphalidae84. Spindasis rukmini Khaki SilverlineSchedule IPart IV119. Libythea myrrhasanguinalisClub Beak85. Spindasis lohitahimalayanusLong-bandedSilverlineSchedule IIPart II120. Libythea lepita lepita Common BeakSchedule IIPart II86. Heliophorus epicles Purple Sapphire121. Danaus genutia Striped Tiger87. Heliophorus brahmamajorGolden Sapphire122. Tirumala limniacemutinaBlue Tiger88. Anthene emolus emolus89. Anthene lycaeninalycaeninaCommon CiliateBluePointed Cilate Blue90. Leptotes plinius plinius Zebra Blue91. Nacaduba pactoluscontinentalisLarge-4-Lineblue92. Nacaduba hermus nabo Pale-4-Lineblue93. Nacaduba kurava eupleaTransparent6-LineblueSchedule IIPart IISchedule IIPart II123. Tirumala septentrionis Dark Blue Tiger124. Parantica agleamelanoidesGlassy Tiger125. Parantica sita Chestnut Tiger126. Parantica melaneusplateniston127. Euploea mulcibermulciber128. Euploea algea deioneChocolate TigerStriped Blue CrowLong-branded BlueCrowScheduleIV94. Prosotas aluta coelestis Banded Lineblue95. Prosotas nora nora Common Lineblue96. Lonolyce heliconmerguianaPointed Lineblue97. Petrelaea dana Dingy Lineblue98. Jamides celeno celeno Common Cerulean99. Jamides bochus bochus Dark Cerulean100.Jamides elpis pseudelpisGlistening CeruleanSchedule IIPart II129. Euploea midamussplendens130. Euploea radamanthusradamanthus131. Charaxes athamasathamas132. Charaxes eudamippuseudamippusBlue Spotted CrowMagpie CrowCommon NawabGreat Nawab133. Charaxes arja arja Pallid NawabSchedule IIPart II3140Journal of Threatened Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | October 2012 | 4(12): 3137–3160

Butterflies of Dibang ValleyM.J.GogoiScientific nameCommon nameIndianWPA 1972Scientific nameCommon nameIndianWPA 1972134. Charaxes bernardushieraxTawny Rajah135. Charaxes aristogiton Scarce Tawny RajahSchedule IIPart IISchedule IIPart II167. Acraea issoria issoria Yellow Coster168. Acraea violae Tawny Coster169. Cethosia biblis tisamena Red Lacewing136. Charaxes kahruba Variegated Rajah137. Charaxes marmaxmarmax138. Thaumantis dioresdioresYellow RajahJungle GlorySchedule IIPart IISchedule IIPart II170. Cethosia cyane cyane Leopard Lacewing171. Argynnis hyperbiushyperbius172. Vindula erota erota CruiserIndian Fritillary173. Cirrochroa tyche mithila Common Yeoman139. Faunis canens Common Faun174. Cirrochroa aoris aoris Large Yeoman140. Discophora sondaica Common Duffer141. Melanitis ledaCommon EveningBrown142. Lethe europa niladana Bamboo TreebrownSchedule IPart IVSchedule IPart IV175. Cupha erymanthis lotis Rustic176. Vagrans egista sinha Vagrant177. Phalanta phalanthaphalanthaCommon Leopard178. Sumalia daraxa daraxa Green Commodore143. Lethe mekara zucharaCommon RedForester144. Lethe chandica flanona Angled Red Forester145. Lethe sinorix Tailed Red Forester146. Lethe gulnihal Dull Forester147. Lethe sidonis sidonisCommonWoodbrown148. Lethe nicetella Small Woodbrown149. Ethope himachala Dusky Diadem150. Penthema lisardalisarda151. Elymnias hypermenestraundularis152. Elymnias malelasmalelas153. Mycalesis anaxiasaemateYellow KaiserCommon PalmflySpotted PalmflyWhitebar BushbrownSchedule IIPart IISchedule IIPart IISchedule IIPart IISchedule IIPart II179. Auzakia danava danava Commodore180. Parasarpa dudu dudu White Commodore181. Limenitis zulemaScarce WhiteCommodore182. Moduza procris procris Commander183. Athyma asura asura Studded Sergent184. Athyma opalinaorientalisHimalayan Sergent185. Athyma ranga ranga Blackvein Sergent186. Athyma selenophoraselenophoraStaff Sergent187. Athyma zeroca zeroca Small Staff Sergent188. Athyma cama189. Pantoporia hordoniahordoniaOrange StaffSergentCommon Lascar190. Pantoporia peraka Perak LascarSchedule IPart IVSchedule IIPart II154. Mycalesis adamsoni Watson’s Bushbrown155. Mycalesis malsarida Plain Busbrown156. Mycalesis perseusblasiusCommon BushbrownSchedule IIPart II191. Neptis radha radha Great Yellow Sailer192. Neptis ananta ochracea Yellow Sailer193. Neptis miah miah Small Yellow SailerSchedule IIPart IISchedule IIPart II157. Mycalesis mineusmineusDark-brandBushbrownSchedule IIPart II?194. Neptis manasa manasaPale HockeystickSailerSchedule IPart IV158. Mycalesis visala visala159. Mycalesis misenusmisenus160. Mycalesis nicotia161. Orsotrioena medusmedusLong-brandBushbrownSalmon-brandedBushbrownBright-eyeBushbrownNiggerSchedule IIPart II195. Neptis hylas astola Common Sailer196. Neptis soma soma Creamy Sailer197. Neptis clinia susruta Sullied Sailer198. Neptis sankara amba Broad-banded Sailer199. Neptis pseudovikasi Dingy SailerSchedule IIPart IISchedule IPart IV162. Ragadia crisilda crisilda Striped Ringlet163. Zipoetis scylax Dark CatseyeSchedule IIPart II200. Neptis cartica cartica Plain Sailer201. Phaedyma columellaophianaShort-banded Sailer164. Hemadara narasingha Mottled Argus202. Euthalia aconthea Common Baron165. Ypthima nareda newara Large Threering166. Ypthima baldus baldus Common Fiverring203. Euthalia lubentina Gaudy BaronScheduleIVJournal of Threatened Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | October 2012 | 4(12): 3137–31603141

Butterflies of Dibang ValleyM.J.GogoiScientific nameCommon nameIndianWPA 1972Scientific nameCommon nameIndianWPA 1972204. Euthalia franciae French Duke205. Lexias dirtea khasiana Dark Archduke206. Cyrestis thyodamasthyodamasCommon Map207. Chersonesia risa Common MapletSchedule IIPart II239. Hasora badra badra Common Awl240. Hasora vita indica Plain Banded Awl241. Hasora chromus242. Hasora taminatusbhavaraCommon BandedAwlWhite-banded Awl208. Pseudergolis wedah Tabby243. Badamia exclamationis Brown Awl209. DichorrhagianesimachusConstable210. Stibochiona nicea Popinjay211. Ariadne ariadne pallidior Angled Castor212.Ariadne merionetapestrinaCommon Castor213. Mimathyma chevana Sergeant Emperor214. Mimathyma ambicaIndian PurpleEmperor215. Euripus nyctelius Courtesan216. Hestinalis nama Circe217. Sephisa chandra Eastern Courtier218. Symbrenthia lilaeakhasiana219. Symbrenthia hypseliscotandaCommon JesterSpotted Jester220. Vanessa indica indica Indian Red Admiral221. Vanessa cardui Painted Lady222. Kaniska canace canace Blue Admiral223. Rohana parisatis Black Prince224. Rohana parvata Brown Prince225. Junonia iphita iphita Chocolate Pansy226. Junonia atlites Grey Pansy227. Junonia almana almana Peacock Pansy228. Junonia lemoniaslemoniasLemon PansySchedule IIPart IISchedule IPart IVSchedule IIPart II244. Bibasis sena sena Orange-tail Awl245. Choaspes benjaminii Indian Awlking246. Celaenorrhinusleucocera chinensis247. Celaenorrhinusaurivittata aurivittata248. Seseria dohertyiCommon SpottedFlatDark Yellow-bandedFlatHimalayan WhiteFlat249. Pseudocoladenia dan Fulvous Pied Flat250. Darpa hanria Hairy Angle251. Gerosis sinica indica252. Tagiades litigiosalitigiosa253. Mooreana trichoneurapralayaWhite Yellow-breastFlatWater Snow FlatYellow Flat254. Odontoptilum angulata Chestnut Angle255. Ctenoptilum vasavavasava256. Suastus minuta aditiaTawny AngleSmall Indian PalmBob257. Oriens gola gola Common Dartlet258. Potanthus zatilla Common Dart259. Potanthus trachalatytleriBroad Bident Dart260. Potanthus tropica Tropic Dart261. Potanthus mara Sikkim Dart262. Telicota augias Pale Palm Dart263. Telicota ancilla horisha Dark Palm DartSchedule IIPart II229. Hypolimnas bolina Great Eggfly230. Kallima inachus inachus Orange Oakleaf264. PithauriastramineipennisstramineipennisLight Straw Ace231. Doleschallia bisaltideindicaAutumn LeafSchedule IPart IV265. Pithauria murdava Dark Straw Ace266. Thoressa hyrie Chequered Ace232. Neurosigma doubledayi Panther267. Thoressa sp.Hesperiidae233. Burara oedipodeaaeginaBranded OrangeAwlet234. Burara jaina vasundhara Orange Awlet268. Thoressa cerataNorthern SpottedAce269. Halpe zema zema Banded Ace270. Halpe porus Moore’s Ace271. Halpe kumara Plain Ace235. Burara amara Small Green Awlet272. Halpe kusala Hill Ace236. Burara vasutana Green Awlet237. Burara gomata gomata Pale Green Awlet238. Hasora anura danda Slate Awl273. Sebastonyma dolopia Tufted Ace274. Caltoris pagana Figure of 8 Swift275. Caltoris cahira cara Colon Swift3142Journal of Threatened Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | October 2012 | 4(12): 3137–3160

Butterflies of Dibang ValleyM.J.GogoiScientific nameCommon nameIndianWPA 1972Scientific nameCommon nameIndianWPA 1972276. Baoris farri Paintbrush SwiftScheduleIV286. Koruthaialos butleributleriDark Velvet Bob277. Polytremis lubricans Contiguous Swift287. Ancistroides nigrita Chocolate Demon278. Polytremis eltola Yellow-Spot Swift279. Parnara sp.280. Pseudoborbo bevani Bevan’s Swift288. Notocrypta paralysosalysia289. Notocrypta feisthamelialysosCommon BandedDemonSpotted Demon281. Hyarotis adrastus praba Tree Flitter290. Udaspes folus Grass Demon282. Zographetus satwa283. Matapa sasivarna284. Baracus vittatusseptentrionum285. Scobura cephaloidescephaloidesPurple and GoldFlitterBlack-veinedRedeyeHedge HopperLarge Forest Bob291. Asticopterus jama kada Forest Hopper292. Aeromachus stigmatastigmataVeined ScrubHopper293. Aeromachus jhora creta Grey Scrub Hopper294. Baracus sp.be numerous additions to the following list whensurveys are conducted at other seasons. Also, muchof the study was concentrated in and around DibangRiver bed, the lowest altitude of Mishmi Hills. Verylittle survey was done between Tiwarigaon (1,300m)and Mayodia Pass (2,666m), proper survey in this areawill yield more species.REFERENCESChampion H.G. & S.K. Seth (1968). A Revised Survey ofthe Forest Types of India. The Manager of Publucations.Government of India, New Delhi, 404pp.Evans, W.H. (1932). The Identification of Indian Butterflies—2nd Edition. Bombay Natural History Society, Mumbai,India, 464pp+32pl.Haribal, M. (1992) The Butterflies of Sikkim Himalaya. SikkimNature Conservation Foundation, Sikkim, India. 217pp.Kehimkar, I. (2008). The Book of Indian Butterflies. BombayNatural History Society and Oxford University Press,Mumbai, India, 497pp.Smith, C. (1994). Butterflies of Nepal. Tecpress Services L.P.,Bangkok, Thailand, 368pp.Talbot, G. (1947). The Fauna of British India, including Ceylonand Burma: Butterflies, Vol. II. Taylor and Francis, London.506pp.Watson, E.Y. (1897). Hesperiidae Indicae : being a reprintof descriptions of the Hesperiidae of India, Burma, andCeylon. Madras Staff Corps, Vest and Company MountRoad, Madras, 161pp.© All photos by Monsoon J. Gogoi, except for Image 33,which is by Rajib R Tariang.Journal of Threatened Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | October 2012 | 4(12): 3137–31603143

Butterflies of Dibang ValleyM.J.GogoiImage 2. Sally Lake near Roing TownImage 3. Mishmi Hills from Dibang River BedImage 4a. Forest in TiwarigaonImage 4b. View of MayodiaImage 5. Graphium agetes agetesImage 7. Lamproptera megesindistinctaImage 6. Graphium antiphatespompiliusImage 8. Lamproptera curius curius3144Image 9. Lamproptera curius curiusJournal of Threatened Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | October 2012 | 4(12): 3137–3160

Butterflies of Dibang ValleyM.J.GogoiImage 11. Graphium sarpedonsarpedonImage 10. Meandrusa payeni evanImage 12. Graphium evemonalbociliatisImage 14. Graphium chironideschironidesImage 13. Graphium eurypylusacheronImage 15. Graphium xenoclesxenoclesImage 17. Papilio epycides epycidesImage 16. Papilio agestor agestorImage 18. Byasa pollaImage 20. Byasa philoxenuspolyeuctesImage 19. Byasa dasarada dasaradaJournal of Threatened Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | October 2012 | 4(12): 3137–31603145

Butterflies of Dibang ValleyM.J.GogoiImage 22. Papilio memnon agenorImage 23. Papilio alcmenor alcmenorImage 21. Papilio protenor euprotenorImage 24. Papilio paris parisImage 25. Papilio polyctor ganesaImage 26. Troides aeacus (male)Image 27. Troides aeacus (female)Image 29. Troides helena cerberus(female)Image 28. Troides helenacerberus(male)Image 30. Eurema andersoniandersoni3146Image 31. Eurema hecabe simulataJournal of Threatened Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | October 2012 | 4(12): 3137–3160

Butterflies of Dibang ValleyM.J.GogoiImage 32. Eurema brigitta rubellaImage 33. Gandaca harina assamicaImage 34. Dercas verhuelli doubledayiImage 35. Pareronia avatar avatarImage 36. Appias nero galbaImage 37. Delias belladonna lugensImage 38. Delias berinda berindaImage 39. Delias agostinaImage 40. Prioneris thestylis thestylisImage 41. Prioneris clemantheImage 42. Colias fieldii fieldiiImage 43. Delias thysbe pyramusJournal of Threatened Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | October 2012 | 4(12): 3137–31603147

Butterflies of Dibang ValleyM.J.GogoiImage 44. Taraka hamada mendesiaImage 45. Curetis dentata dentataImage 46. Ancema ctesia ctesiaImage 47. Remelana jangala ravataImage 48. Flos asokaImage 49. Zanaspa todara distortaImage 50. Chilaria kina cacharaImage 51. Yasoda tripunctatatripunctataImage 52. Spindasis nipalicus evansiiImage 53. Spindasis rukminiImage 54. Spindasis lohitahimalayanusImage 55. Freyeria putli3148Journal of Threatened Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | October 2012 | 4(12): 3137–3160

Butterflies of Dibang ValleyM.J.GogoiImage 56. Ticherra acteImage 57. Rapala nissa ratnaImage 58. Nacaduba hermus naboImage 59. Tarucus indicaImage 60. Caleta roxus roxonaImage 61. Prosotas aluta coelestisImage 63. Jamides elepis pseudelpisImage 62. Caleta elna noliteiaImage 64. Catapoecilma elegansImage 65. Udara albocaeruleaJournal of Threatened Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | October 2012 | 4(12): 3137–31603149

Butterflies of Dibang ValleyM.J.GogoiImage 68. Heliophorus brahma majorImage 66. Udara cardia dilectaImage 67. Celastrina argiolus sikkimaImage 71. Parantica melaneusplatenistonImage 69. Dodonia adonira nagaImage 70. Parantica tytia sitaImage 72. Danais melissaseptentrionisImage 74. Hemadara narasinghaImage 73. Parantica aglea melanoidesImage 75. Lethe gulnihalImage 76. Lethe sinorix3150Journal of Threatened Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | October 2012 | 4(12): 3137–3160

Butterflies of Dibang ValleyM.J.GogoiImage 78. Lethe chandica flanonaImage 79. Lethe sidonis sidonisImage 77. Lethe mekara zucharaImage 80. Mycalesis adamsoniImage 81. Mycalesis misenus misenusImage 82. Zipoetis scylaxImage 84. Vindula erota erotaImage 85. Argyreus hyperbiushyperbiusImage 83. Cethosia bibles tisamenaImage 86. Acraea issoria issoriaImage 87. Cirrochroa tyche mithilaImage 88. Cirrochroa aoris aorisJournal of Threatened Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | October 2012 | 4(12): 3137–31603151

Butterflies of Dibang ValleyM.J.GogoiImage 90. Cupha erymanthis lotisImage 91. Charaxes marmax marmaxImage 89. Vagrans gista sinhaImage 92. Charaxes aristogitonImage 93. Charaxes polyxena hieraxImage 94. Charaxes eudamippusImage 95. Phalanta phalanthaphalanthaImage 96. Chersonesia risaImage 97. Cyrestis thyodamasthyodamasImage 98. Apatura chevanaImage 99. Apatura chevanaImage 100. Apatura ambica ambica3152Journal of Threatened Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | October 2012 | 4(12): 3137–3160

Butterflies of Dibang ValleyM.J.GogoiImage 101. Penthema lisarda lisardaImage 102. Lexias dirtea khasianaImage 103. Neurosigma doubledayiImage 104. Euthalia franciaeImage 105. Symbrenthia hypseliscotandaImage 106. Parasarpa dudu duduImage 107. Sumalia zulemaImage 109. Sumalia daraxa daraxaImage 108. Auzakia danava danavaImage 110. Neptis radha radahImage 111. Neptis miah miahJournal of Threatened Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | October 2012 | 4(12): 3137–31603153

Butterflies of Dibang ValleyM.J.GogoiImage 112. Neptis sankara quiltaImage 113. Neptis cartica carticaImage 114. Phaedyma columellaophianaImage 115. Neptis mansaraImage 116. Athyma asura asuraImage 117. Athyma opalina orientalisImage 118. Athyma zerocaImage 119. Athyma camaImage 120. Euripus halithersesnycteliusImage 121. Sephisa chandraImage 122. Aparuta paristis parisits3154Journal of Threatened Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | October 2012 | 4(12): 3137–3160

Butterflies of Dibang ValleyM.J.GogoiImage 124. Euploea agleas deioneImage 123. Aparuta parvataImage 127. Libythea lepita lepitaImage 125. Euploea mulciber mulciberImage 126. Euploea midamussplendensImage 129. Burara vasutana ?Image 128. Kaniska canace canaceImage 130. Burara amaraImage 132. Burara jaina vasundharaImage 131. Burara gomata gomataJournal of Threatened Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | October 2012 | 4(12): 3137–31603155

Butterflies of Dibang ValleyM.J.GogoiImage 134. Choaspes benjaminiiImage 135. Hasora anura dandaImage 133. Burara oedipodea aeginaImage 138. Badamia exclamationisImage 136. Hasora taminatus bhavaraImage 137. Hasora alexis alexisImage 141. Odontoptilum angulatasuraImage 139. Celaenorrhinus aurivittataaurivittataImage 140. .Ctenoptilum vasavaImage 144. Gerosis phisara phisaraImage 142 . Darpa hanriaImage 143. Mooreana trichoneurapralaya3156Journal of Threatened Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | October 2012 | 4(12): 3137–3160

Butterflies of Dibang ValleyM.J.GogoiImage 146. Tagiades litigiosa litigiosaImage 147. Celaenorrhinus leucocerachinensisImage 145. Seseria dohertyiImage 149. Suastus minuta aditiaImage 150. Oriens gola golaImage 148. Zographetus satwaImage 151. Potanthus tropica (male)Image 153. Potanthus trachala tytleri(underside)Image 152. Potanthus tropica (female)Image 154. Potanthus trachala tytleri(upperside)Image 155. Potanthus mara(underside)Image 156. Potanthus mara(upperside)Journal of Threatened Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | October 2012 | 4(12): 3137–31603157

Butterflies of Dibang ValleyM.J.GogoiImage 157. Koruthaialos butleri butleriImage 158. Scobura cephaloidescephaloidesImage 159. Hyarotis adrastus prabaImage 161. Pithauria stramineipennisImage 162. Pithauria murdavaImage 160. Sebastonyma dolopiaImage 164. Thoressa hyrie (upperside)Image 165. Thoressa cerataImage 163. Thoressa hyrie (underside)Image 167. Halpe sp.Image 166. Halpe porus3158Journal of Threatened Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | October 2012 | 4(12): 3137–3160

Butterflies of Dibang ValleyM.J.GogoiImage 168. Halpe kusalaImage 169. Aeromachus stigmatastigmataImage 170. Aeromachus jhora cretaImage 171. Baracus vittatusseptentrionumImage 172. Baracus sp.Image 173. Notocrypta feisthamelialysosImage 174. Asticopterus jama kadaImage 175. Polytremis eltolaImage 176. Caltoris pagana(underside)Image 177. Caltoris pagana(upperside)Image 178. Caltoris cahira caraJournal of Threatened Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | October 2012 | 4(12): 3137–31603159

Butterflies of Dibang ValleyM.J.GogoiImage 180. Pseudoborbo bevaniImage 179. Baoris farriImage 181. Matapa sasivarna3160Journal of Threatened Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | October 2012 | 4(12): 3137–3160

Dr. Pankaj Kumar, Tai Po, Hong KongDr. Krushnamegh Kunte, Cambridge, USAProf. Dr. Adriano Brilhante Kury, Rio de Janeiro, BrazilDr. P. Lakshminarasimhan, Howrah, IndiaDr. Carlos Alberto S de Lucena, Porto Alegre, BrazilDr. Glauco Machado, São Paulo, BrazilDr. Gowri Mallapur, Mamallapuram, IndiaDr. George Mathew, Peechi, IndiaProf. Richard Kiprono Mibey, Eldoret, KenyaDr. Lionel Monod, Genève, SwitzerlandDr. Shomen Mukherjee, Jamshedpur, IndiaDr. P.O. Nameer, Thrissur, IndiaDr. D. Narasimhan, Chennai, IndiaDr. T.C. Narendran, Kozhikode, IndiaMr. Stephen D. Nash, Stony Brook, USADr. K.S. Negi, Nainital, IndiaDr. K.A.I. Nekaris, Oxford, UKDr. Heok Hee Ng, SingaporeDr. Boris P. Nikolov, Sofia, BulgariaProf. Annemarie Ohler, Paris, FranceDr. Shinsuki Okawara, Kanazawa, JapanDr. Albert Orr, Nathan, AustraliaDr. Geeta S. Padate, Vadodara, IndiaDr. Larry M. Page, Gainesville, USADr. Arun K. Pandey, Delhi, IndiaDr. Prakash Chand Pathania, Ludhiana, IndiaDr. Malcolm Pearch, Kent, UKDr. Richard S. Peigler, San Antonio, USADr. Rohan Pethiyagoda, Sydney, AustraliaMr. J. Praveen, Bengaluru, IndiaDr. Mark R Stanley Price, Tubney, UKDr. Robert Michael Pyle, Washington, USADr. Muhammad Ather Rafi, Islamabad, PakistanDr. H. Raghuram, Bengaluru, IndiaDr. Dwi Listyo Rahayu, Pemenang, IndonesiaDr. Sekar Raju, Suzhou, ChinaDr. Vatsavaya S. Raju, Warangal, IndiaDr. V.V. Ramamurthy, New Delhi, IndiaDr (Mrs). R. Ramanibai, Chennai, IndiaProf. S.N. Ramanujam, Shillong, IndiaDr. Alex Ramsay, LS2 7YU, UKDr. M.K. Vasudeva Rao, Pune, IndiaDr. Robert Raven, Queensland, AustraliaDr. K. Ravikumar, Bengaluru, IndiaDr. Luke Rendell, St. Andrews, UKDr. Anjum N. Rizvi, Dehra Dun, IndiaDr. Leif Ryvarden, Oslo, NorwayProf. Michael Samways, Matieland, South AfricaDr. Yves Samyn, Brussels, BelgiumDr. Asok K. Sanyal, Kolkata, IndiaDr. K.R. Sasidharan, Coimbatore, IndiaDr. Kumaran Sathasivam, IndiaDr. S. Sathyakumar, Dehradun, IndiaDr. M.M. Saxena, Bikaner, IndiaDr. Hendrik Segers, Vautierstraat, BelgiumDr. R. Siddappa Setty, Bengaluru, IndiaDr. Subodh Sharma, Towson, USAProf. B.K. Sharma, Shillong, IndiaProf. K.K. Sharma, Jammu, IndiaDr. R.M. Sharma, Jabalpur, IndiaDr. Tan Koh Siang, Kent Ridge Road, SingaporeDr. Arun P. Singh, Jorhat, IndiaDr. Lala A.K. Singh, Bhubaneswar, IndiaProf. Willem H. De Smet, Wilrijk, BelgiumMr. Peter Smetacek, Nainital, IndiaDr. Humphrey Smith, Coventry, UKDr. Hema Somanathan, Trivandrum, IndiaDr. C. Srinivasulu, Hyderabad, IndiaDr. Ulrike Streicher, Danang, VietnamDr. K.A. Subramanian, Pune, IndiaMr. K.S. Gopi Sundar, New Delhi, IndiaDr. P.M. Sureshan, Patna, IndiaProf. R. Varatharajan, Imphal, IndiaDr. Karthikeyan Vasudevan, Dehradun, IndiaDr. R.K. Verma, Jabalpur, IndiaDr. W. Vishwanath, Manipur, IndiaDr. E. Vivekanandan, Cochin, IndiaDr. Gernot Vogel, Heidelberg, GermanyDr. Ted J. Wassenberg, Cleveland, AustraliaDr. Stephen C. Weeks, Akron, USAProf. Yehudah L. Werner, Jerusalem, IsraelMr. Nikhil Whitaker, Mamallapuram, IndiaDr. Hui Xiao, Chaoyang, ChinaDr. April Yoder, Little Rock, USAEnglish EditorsMrs. Mira Bhojwani, Pune, IndiaDr. Fred Pluthero, Toronto, CanadaJournal of Threatened Taxa is indexed/abstractedin Biological Abstracts, Zoological Records, BIOSISPreviews, CAB Abstracts, Index Fungorum,Bibliography of Systematic Mycology, EBSCO andGoogle Scholar.NAAS rating (India) 4.5

Jo u r n a l o f Th r e a t e n e d Ta x aISSN 0974-7907 (online) | 0974-7893 (print)October 2012 | Vol. 4 | No. 12 | Pages 3085–3160Date of Publication 10 October 2012 (online & print)CommunicationLowland forest butterflies of the Sankosh River catchment, Bhutan-- Arun P. Singh, Pp. 3085–3102ReviewMammals of Kalimpong Hills, Darjeeling District, West Bengal, India-- Jayanta Kumar Mallick, Pp. 3103–3136NoteButterflies (Lepidoptera) of Dibang Valley, Mishmi Hills, Arunachal Pradesh, India-- Monsoon Jyoti Gogoi, Pp. 3137–3160Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License. JoTT allows unrestricted use of articles in any mediumfor non-profit purposes, reproduction and distribution by providing adequate credit to the authors and thesource of publication.

October 2012 - Journal of Threatened Taxa

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