Sikkim: New species of butterfly found in Dzongu

Guwahati: At 30, Sonam Wangchuk Lepcha never thought that he could spot a butterfly species new to science. Yet today, he stands corrected. 

Zographetus Dzonguensis, a butterfly species new to science, was found in the Namprickdang area of Noom Panang Village in upper Dzongu, North Sikkim, a stronghold of the indigenous Lepchas.

The team of researchers who discovered the species – including Krushnamegh Kunte, Sonam Wangchuk Lepcha, Tarun Karmakar, and Dipendra Nath Basu – have proposed the English name ‘Chocolate-bordered Flitter’ as it has a chocolate coloured border around both the wings. A study on the new species was published in the peer-reviewed scientific journal Zootaxa.