Thiruvananthapuram, July 2025 — In an exciting addition to India’s butterfly fauna, researchers have discovered and described a new species of skipper butterfly, Zographetus mathewi, from the Western Ghats of Kerala. This small, elusive butterfly belongs to a rare genus, and was previously misidentified as Zographetus ogygia in southern India. The new species was uncovered through careful field surveys and larval rearing by scientists from the Travancore Nature History Society (TNHS), INTREC Trivandrum, and the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI). The larvae of this butterfly were found feeding on Aganope thyrsiflora (Fabaceae), a forest liana, and the adults were reared under laboratory conditions.

Initially, we believed that we had encountered Zographetus ogygia, a said to be known from Western Ghats. However, upon detailed morphological and genitalia studies, we realized that this was an entirely new species,” said Kalesh Sadasivan, lead author and butterfly researcher from TNHS. With this discovery, the total number of butterflies in the Western Ghats stands at 337 species, including 42 endemics, and that of Kerala at 328 species with 41 WG endemics, he added.

The new butterfly has been named Zographetus mathewi in honor of Dr. George Mathew, a renowned Indian entomologist and lepidopterist, for his contributions to the study of forest insects. Its proposed common name is the Sahyadri Spotted Flitter, in reference to the Western Ghats (locally called Sahyadri).

This species is part of the Zographetus satwa species-group, identified by unique features in wing venation and secondary sexual traits, such as swollen forewing veins in males. It can be distinguished by a distinctive basal hair tuft on the underside of the forewing, yellow-ochre scaling on the hindwing underside, and unique genitalia structures in both sexes.

“The genitalia of Z. mathewi are markedly different from those of Z. ogygia, supporting its recognition as a new species,” said Dr. Muhamed Jafer Palot, co-author and senior scientist at the Zoological Survey of India.

The butterfly is extremely rare in the wild, with only one adult observed during years of fieldwork. However, larvae and pupae were recorded from multiple forested regions in Kerala, including Kallar, Shendurney, Edamalayar, and Nilambur, at elevations below 600 m. This suggests that while adults are elusive, the species may be more widespread than previously assumed but is still endemic to the Western Ghats.

“The discovery reminds us that even in well-studied insect groups, such as butterflies, many species remain undescribed. It underscores the need for continuous fieldwork and detailed taxonomic scrutiny,” said Vinayan P. Nair, co-author.

The research hence corrected a century-long taxonomic misidentification. The paper published on June 30th in the esteemed journal Entomon also includes descriptions of the butterfly’s life cycle stages — from egg to pupa — and provides a revised key to all known species of the genus Zographetus from the Oriental region.