Pericrocotus speciosus (Scarlet minivet - male) - Sikkim Bird

Pericrocotus speciosus (Scarlet minivet - male)

Place : Shantinagar, Singtam, East Sikkim

Date: January 23, 2015

Pic: Shital Pradhan

Scientific classification

Kingdom:       Animalia

Phylum:          Chordata

Class:             Aves

Order:            Passeriformes

Family:           Campephagidae

Genus:            Pericrocotus

Species:           P. speciosus

Binomial name: Pericrocotus speciosus Latham, 1790

Other Names:  Scarlet Minivet

Special feature:  While the male of most subspecies are scarlet to orange with black upper parts, the females are usually yellow with greyish olive upper parts.

There are 13 species found in this genus:

    Rosy minivet,                                                          Pericrocotus roseus

    Swinhoe's minivet or brown-rumped minivet,        Pericrocotus cantonensis

    Ashy minivet,                                                          Pericrocotus divaricatus

    Ryukyu minivet,                                                     Pericrocotus tegimae

    Small minivet,                                                         Pericrocotus cinnamomeus

    Fiery minivet,                                                          Pericrocotus igneus

    Little minivet,                                                         Pericrocotus lansbergei

    White-bellied minivet,                                            Pericrocotus erythropygius

    Grey-chinned minivet,                                            Pericrocotus solaris

    Long-tailed minivet,                                               Pericrocotus ethologus

    Short-billed minivet,                                               Pericrocotus brevirostris

    Sunda minivet,                                                        Pericrocotus miniatus

    Scarlet minivet,                                                       Pericrocotus speciosus

    Orange minivet,                                                      Pericrocotus flammeus

Erebus macrops (Owl Moth) - Sikkim Moth

Erebus macrops  (Owl Moth)

Place : Shantinagar, Singtam, East Sikkim

Date: January 23, 2015

Pic: Shital Pradhan

Scientific classification

Kingdom:             Animalia

Phylum:               Arthropoda

Class:                    Insecta

Order:                  Lepidoptera

Family:                 Noctuidae

Genus:                  Erebus

Species:                 E. macrops

Binomial name:    Erebus macrops Linnaeus, 1768

Other Names: Owl Moth

Special feature:  It is one of a large moth of  Noctuidae species and its wingspan is 12 cm.

There  are 36 species of moth in the genus.

Tanaecia julii (Common Earl - Female) - Sikkim Butterfly

Tanaecia julii (Common Earl - Female)

Place : Shantinagar, Singtam, East Sikkim

Date: November 7, 2014

Pic: Shital Pradhan

 

Scientific classification

Kingdom:             Animalia

Phylum:               Arthropoda

Class:                    Insecta

Order:                  Lepidoptera

Family:                 Nymphalidae

Genus:                  Tanaecia

Species:                 T. julii

Binomial name:    Tanaecia julii

Other Names:  Common Earl

Special feature:  This butterfly is brown in colour with its peculiar blue-edged lower wings. The male is easily identified by having the blue band of the upper-side hind wing not extending onto the fore wing.

Enicurus scouleri (little forktail) - Sikkim Bird

Scientific classification

Kingdom:       Animalia

Phylum:          Chordata

Class:             Aves

Order:            Passeriformes

Family:           Muscicapidae

Genus:            Enicurus

Species:           E. scouleri

Binomial name: Enicurus scouleri Vigors, 1832

Other Names:  little forktail

Special feature:  

Fagopyrum tataricum (Tartary buckwheat) - Sikkim flora

Scientific classification

Kingdom:       Plantae

Phylum:          Angiosperms

Order:                        Caryophyllales

Family:           Polygonaceae

Subfamily:     Epidendroideae

Genus:            Fagopyrum

Species:           F. tataricum

Binomial name: Fagopyrum tataricum (L.) Gaertn

Other Names:  duckwheat, India buckwheat, India wheat, green buckwheat or bitter buckwheat

Special feature: Tartary buckwheat is bitterer, but contains more rutin than common buckwheat. It also contains quercitrin.

Tartar buckwheat was domesticated in east Asia, and is also cultivated in Europe and North America. While it is an unfamiliar food in the West, it is still eaten in the Himalayan region today. (Source: Wikipedia)