246 SPECIES, INCLUDING RARE BABY FIRE RING, SPOTTED The recent butterfly survey carried out by volunteers in Periyar Tiger Reserve (PTR) in Kerala has thrown up several surprises. Of 32 species endemic only to Western Ghats, 95% were recorded, including Baby Five Ring, a rare species. Baby Five Ring has been spotted only three times in the last 100 years. This species was spoted in the Eravangalar section of the tiger reserve. The last survey was held 22 years ago in 1992 when volunteers recorded 167 species. “The butterfly survey will help in assessing the eco-system and charting out conservation measures,“ said Sanjayan Kumar, deputy director of PTR. The sighting of Baby Five Ring, Pale Green Awlet Burara, Palm King, Travancore Evening Brown and Broadtail Royal Creon was significant, said Kalesh S from Travancore Nature History Society that supported the survey . “The Baby Five Ring was recorded only three times in the last 100 years. This species was recorded from the Eravangalar section. The Pale Green Awlet, a rare nocturnal butterfly , was recorded from the Vellimala section. Broadtail Royal was reported for the first time in the state from the Eravangalar region making the Kerala checklist to 320 species,“ Kalesh said. All the major nature conservation NGOs in Kerala such as Travancore Natural History Society, Malabar Nature History Society , Cochin Nature History Society and Kottayam Nature History Society partici pated in the survey , in addition to various research institutions like Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Trivan drum, College of Veterinary and Ani-m a l Sciences,Mannuthy. The survey was organised with support from Harikumar, chief wildlife warden, Amith Mallik, field director of Project Tiger, and Sanjayan Kumar.The survey started on October 23 with an informal meeting with volunteers.The formal survey took place for four days during which the volunteers me ticulously filled the checklist and the datasheet. On Sunday , data sheets were analysed at Ranjiv Gandhi complex at Kumily .The camp leaders discussed their data and their field experiences and compiled the data.