THOOTHUKUDI: The waxen tiger beetle (lophyra cerina), a critically endangered species last recorded in 2000, has been sighted again in the red sand Theri forest of Thoothukudi after a gap of 25 years. The rare beetle was recorded at multiple locations in the Kuthiraimozhi Theri forest by scholars KP Aravindhan and J Samson Kirubakaran this year.
Lophyra cerina is a small tiger beetle belonging to the genus Lophyra, first discovered in 1986 and formally described in 1987 by researchers Naviaux and Acciavatti. Measuring between 9 and 10.5 mm, historical specimens collected between 1986 and 2000 are preserved at the Bavarian State Collection of Zoology (ZSM) in Munich, Germany.
No confirmed collections or sightings were reported after October 2000, sources said. KP Aravindhan, an MSc Wildlife and Conservation student at the National Centre for Biological Sciences, Bengaluru, photographed the species on November 19 at Solai Kudiyiruppu near Elluvilai village, on the edge of the Kuthiraimozhi Theri forest. A second sighting was recorded by J Samson Kirubakaran on December 14 near the Arunchunai Katha Ayyanar temple within the forest.
Describing the beetle’s behaviour, Aravindhan said it was fast-moving and appeared to be predatory, feeding on other beetles and insects. He said the insect blends with the red sand, with a copper-red body, yellowish-orange elytra with a waxy lustre, and five distinctive cobalt blue spots.
TigerBeetleWatch founder V Sharan termed the rediscovery a significant milestone. “The rediscovery provides crucial evidence to strengthen conservation plans for India’s rapidly disappearing coastal dune ecosystems,” Sharan said.