Kaiser-i-Hind: Arunachal’s State butterfly

WHY IN THE NEWS?

State Cabinet of Arunachal Pradesh, headed by Chief Minister Pema Khandu, approved “Kaiser-i-Hind” as the state butterfly.

About:

• Kaiser-i-Hind’ is a large and brightly coloured butterfly.
• It is an elusive swallowtail butterfly, which carries ‘India’ in its name.
• It is found in China and now it has been approved as the State butterfly of Arunachal Pradesh.

Cabinet Meeting

• The government held the Cabinet meeting outside Itanagar, for the first time. It was held in Pakke Tiger Reserve.
• During the meeting, the cabinet also adopted ‘Pakke Tiger Reserve 2047 declaration on climate change-resilient & responsive Arunachal Pradesh’ with the aim of lowering emissions and sustainable development.

About Kaiser-i-Hind

Kaiser-i-Hind is scientifically known as Teinopalpus imperialis. In literal terms, it means Emperor of India. The butterfly is having a wingspan of 90-120 mm.

Distribution of Kaiser-i-Hind

It is found across six States along Eastern Himalayas at the elevations from 6,000-10,000 feet in a well-wooded terrain. They also flutter in Bhutan, Nepal, Laos, Myanmar, southern China and Vietnam.

Background

In January 2020, State Wildlife Board accepted the proposal from Koj Rinya, which is the divisional forest officer of Hapoli Forest Division in Lower Subansiri district. The proposal was made in a bid to boost butterfly tourism and to save the species from extinction in the State.

Protection status of the butterfly

Protected areas under the Hapoli Forest Division are popular among butterfly enthusiasts. The Kaiser-i-Hind is protected under Schedule II of Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. Despite that, they are hunted for the supply to butterfly collectors.

IUCN Status

International Union for Conservation of Nature has red-listed the Kaiser-i-Hind.