Long-lost moth species caught on camera in T.N. forest
Why in news :
- Two researchers from Tamil Nadu have spotted a rare moth species for the first time in India in the buffer zone of the Kalakkad–Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve (KMTR) after it was last sighted 127 years ago — at Trincomalee in Sri Lanka in 1893.
- Interestingly, this is the first time in the world to photograph the moth species Mimeusemia ceylonica, as only an illustration of the insect existed previously.
About Mimeusemia ceylonica :
- Mimeusemia ceylonica is a moth species belonging to the subfamily Agaristinae and family Noctuidae.
- It was first illustrated and described by English entomologist George Hampson in 1893.
- The species was rediscovered during a moth survey conducted on October 11, 2020 at the Agasthyamalai Community-based Conservation Centre (ACCC) situated in the buffer zone of KMTR, Tirunelveli district.
Syllabus : Prelims; Environment
