Sat Apr 26 09:23:38 UTC 2025: ## Rare Malabar Flash Butterfly Rediscovered in Nilgiris After Decades
**COIMBATORE, INDIA (April 26, 2025)** – A rare butterfly, the Malabar Flash ( *Rapala lankana*), has been sighted in the Nilgiri hills of Tamil Nadu, India, for the first time in decades. The sighting, captured photographically in February 2025 by Vinod Sriramulu, a founding member of the Wynter Blyth Association (WBA), marks only the second photographic record of this species in Tamil Nadu and the first ever in the Nilgiris.
The Malabar Flash, a member of the Blues family, was previously documented only in the writings of butterfly experts Wynter Blyth (1957) and Torben Larsen (1987), who noted its presence in the Mettupalayam Ghats and Sri Lanka, and the Nadugani area of Gudalur respectively. Sriramulu’s chance encounter along the Kundah slopes at an elevation of 1500 ft. has re-established the butterfly’s presence in the region, highlighting the rich biodiversity of the Nilgiris.
Sriramulu emphasized the importance of continued observation and a scientific approach to uncovering undocumented species in the Western Ghats. He cited habitat fragmentation due to intensive agriculture and the indiscriminate removal of hedge plants as significant threats to butterfly populations. He also highlighted the crucial role of citizen science initiatives, such as the Butterflies of India website and social media groups, in documenting biodiversity and raising awareness. The WBA, he noted, actively bridges the gap between the scientific community and the public to promote butterfly conservation. Their recent work includes documenting the life cycle of the Nilgiri Tit butterfly and the rare orchid tit butterfly.
First Piper 