A new record of the lesser-known butterfly Small Woodbrown Lethe nicetella de Nicéville, 1887 (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae: Satyrinae) from Kangchendzonga National Park, Sikkim, India

Abstract

This study reports the recent sighting of Small Woodbrown Lethe nicetella from Khangchendzonga National Park in West Sikkim District, India. It was originally described by de Nicéville (1887) based on the collection of males and one female by Otto Möller from Sikkim but the exact type locality was unknown. We also reviewed various historical and contemporary reports on the description and distribution of this species. We did not find any report of collection or sighting of the species from India after Elwes & Möller (1888). The occurrence of this species in Sikkim is mentioned in Haribal (1992) but it is not clear whether the report is based on sightings or historical records because sighting location is not given, indicating its description based on museum specimens. Hence, we conclude that the Small Woodbrown L. nicetella was sighted after a gap of around 120 years. Further, we have provided the first photographic records of a live individual of this species from India. Our finding indicates a possibility of existence of many cryptic taxa that should be explored using morphological and molecular approaches.

Keywords

• butterflies
• lethe nicetella
• sikkim
• small woodbrown.