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Butterflies and Moths
160 species of butterflies were identified from Periyar
Tiger Reserve. Of these, 19 are Western Ghat endemics.
The evergreen forests contain several endemic and rare
species. The butterfly diversity was found more in moist
deciduous forests including teak and also eucalyptus
plantations.
Southern bird wing, Common rose, Malabar rose, Common
mormon, Blue bottle, Common albatross, Great eggfly,
Evening brown, Jezebel, Clipper, Common palmfly, Grey
pancy, Common crow, Nilgiri tiger, Common tiger, Striped
tiger, Plain tiger, Red helen, Paris peacock, Lime butterfly,
Malabar tree nymph etc. are some of the common butterflies
distributed in different habitats.
The Travancore evening brown, one of the rarest butterflies
in the world, was rediscovered from Periyar Tiger Reserve
after a gap of several decades.
Periyar is an abode of a rich variety of moths. Though
not well documented, Lunar moth and Atlas moth are not
uncommon in the area.
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