First Record of Cephrenes acalle - Plain Palm-Dart from Sindhudurg District, Maharashtra, India

First Record of Cephrenes acalle - Plain Palm-Dart from Sindhudurg District, Maharashtra, India

- Nitin Kawthankar (2024)

Plain Palm-Dart (male & female) ©️Nitin Kawthankar

Butterfly Biodata:
Butterfly: Plain Palm-Dart
Species: Cephrenes acalle (Höpffer, 1874)
Subspecies: C. acalle oceanica (Mabille, 1904)
Classification: Hesperiidae: Hesperiinae: Taractrocerini
Wingspan: 40-45 mm
Larval host plants: Coconut (Cocos nucifera) & other Palms (Areaceae)

The butterfly diversity of Sindhudurg district has been well-documented, thanks to the efforts of experts like Hemant Ogale, Dattaprasad Sawant, and other naturalists from the district, as well as numerous nature enthusiasts who have visited the Amboli-Dodamarg area. The district has yielded records of over 200 species (Butterflies of India, 2024).

Cephrenes acalle is a hesperiid butterfly found in the Oriental region. It was first recorded in the Western Ghats from Kerala in 2009 (Kalesh & Prakash, 2009). Subsequent records have been reported from Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and Goa (Butterflies of India, 2024). In Maharashtra, the species was first recorded from Mumbai City district by Shantanu Joshi in 2012, followed by records from Thane, Raigad, Pune, and Ratnagiri districts (Butterflies of India, 2024; iNaturalist, 2024).

Here's the first record of Cephrenes acalle from Pal village, Vengurla taluka, Sindhudurg district, Maharashtra (Lat: 15.841075° N, Long: 73.677931° E). The species was found in a village house and its adjacent home garden with coconut plantations. On 03 December 2022, at 22:40 hrs, a male individual was photographed resting on a Hibiscus plant at a height of 2 m. A second record was observed on 23 September 2024, at around 20:00 hrs, when a female individual entered the house and settled on wooden rafters of the roof at a height of approx. 5 m.

These sightings represent a new addition to the district's checklist and fill a gap in the distributional records of this species between Ratnagiri district and Goa state. The widespread presence of its host plant, Coconut, in the western coastal region suggests that this species is likely widespread within the district. Possibly overlooked until now due to its similarities with Telicota spp. Further observations are necessary to determine its exact extent and status in the district.

References:

Butterflies of India (2024): Cephrenes acalle - Plain Palm-Dart. Acc. 07/12/2024.

iNaturalist (2024): Cephrenes acalle (Plain Palm-Dart). Acc. on 07/12/2024.

Kalesh & Prakash (2009). A new report of Cephrenes acalle Hopffer (Lepidoptera: Hesperiidae) from southern Western Ghats, with notes on its natural history and early stages. JBNHS, 106(2): 149–155.

Butterflies of Singapore (2010): Life History of the Plain Palm Dart (Cephrenes acalle niasicus). Acc. 07/12/2024.