Sikkim Biodiversity: Where nature smiles

Wednesday 3 December 2014

Cirrochroa aoris (Large Yeoman) - Sikkim Butterfly

Cirrochroa aoris (Large Yeoman)

Venue: Sirwani, Singtam, South Sikkim

Date: November 29, 2014

Pic: Shital Pradhan

Scientific classification

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Arthropoda

Class: Insecta

Order: Lepidoptera

Family: Nymphalidae

Genus: Cirrochroa

Species: C. aoris

Binomial name: Cirrochroa aoris Doubleday, 1847

Other Names: Large Yeoman

Special feature: The genus Cirrochroa comprises of 18 species, of which 15 occur in the Oriental region, plus 2 on Papua New Guinea, and one on the island of Biak. Cirrochroa aoris is found in India, Bhutan and Myanmar.

Tuesday 2 December 2014

Plutodes flavescens (Suyoga Sikkimensis) - Sikkim Moth

Plutodes flavescens (Suyoga Sikkimensis)

Place : Shantinagar, Singtam, East Sikkim,

Date: October 25, 2014
Pic: Shital Pradhan

Scientific classification

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Arthropoda

Class: Insecta

Order: Lepidoptera

Family: Geometridae

Genus: Plutodes

Species: P. flavescens

Binomial name: Plutodes flavescens (Butler, 1880)

Other Names: Suyoga Sikkimensis

Special feature: It is found in the north-eastern Himalaya and on Borneo, Sumatra and Java

Saturday 29 November 2014

Actitis hypoleucos (Common Sandpiper) - Sikkim Bird

Actitis hypoleucos (Common Sandpiper)

Venue: Sirwani, Singtam, South Sikkim

Date: February 16 2014

Pic: Shital Pradhan

Scientific classification

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Aves

Subclass: Neornithes

Infraclass: Neognathae

Superorder: Neoaves

Order: Charadriiformes

Superorder: Neoaves

Family: Scolopacidae

Genus: Actitis

Species: A. hypoleucos

Binomial name: Actitis hypoleucos (Linnaeus, 1758)

Other Names: Common Sandpiper

Special feature: This bird and its American sister species, the Spotted Sandpiper, make up the genus Actitis.

In the Nukumanu language of the Nukumanu Islands (Papua New Guinea), this species is usually called tiritavoi. Another Nukumanu name for it, matakakoni, exists, but this is considered somewhat taboo and not used when children and women are around. The reason for this is that matakakoni means "bird that walks a little, then copulates", in reference to the pumping tail and thrusting head movements the Actitis species characteristically perform during foraging. (Source: Wikipedia)