New Lycaenid butterfly records from Jammu & Kashmir, India

Abstract

The butterfly surveys were conducted across different regions of Jammu province right from southern alluvial plains of Chenab and Ravi to Great Himalayas through Shiwaliks and Pir-Panjal mountains during June 2016 to February 2018. The areas covered included  Kalidhar and Dalhori  forests, district Rajouri (west), Mansar-Surinsar-Manwal range, districts Jammu, Samba and Udhampur (south), Mansar-Manwal, Billawar-Basoholi-Bani, district Kathua (east), Bhaderwah, district Doda (north), and Paddar in district Kishtwar (northeast) within an elevational range of 320 m to 3200 m (Fig. 1). During the explorations, we observed eight Lycaenid butterfly species previously not recorded from the state of Jammu and Kashmir.