It was a warm sunny day & I was busy working on my computer in research room when vinod came to me for help identifying a butterfly that he just spotted near car shed. He showed the photos that he took in his mobile, though it was not clear, it certainly looked different. So we took our cameras and went to the spot to take some clear photographs. On sighting it, at the first instance, I thought it was only a common four ring but I was still doubtful. So I went to the library & checked the field guide and found out that it is a rare butterfly endemic to Srilanka and South India, It is Sinhalese Five-ring (Ypthima singala) from the Nymphalidae Family. This is a new find for me and also in our campus.
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We managed to get very good images of it in closed wing position, nectaring on Heteropogon grass but none in open wing position. To be absolutely certain I thought of sending the images to experts to confirm it. My friend Hari from Coimbatore came to my mind. He is an expert in butterflies and even made an AI powered butterfly identification tool called “butterflyvision.in”. He immediately responded to my message & he confirmed that it is indeed a Sinhalese FIve-ring. He also shared with me many interesting details about it. It has been recorded in places like Megamalai, Trichy, Coimbatore, Erode and Theni and is restricted to certain habitats and found in pockets in the districts mentioned above. It is also seasonal & are not found during all seasons. I am hoping that I’ll see it again in the coming days, so that I could observe more about its behaviour, its host plant, if possible I could also do the life cycle of it.
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