Monsoon Beauty highlights from the 15th of July to the 4th of August 2023 showcase stunning photographs of various creatures in India. @jashsadiwala captured the graceful flight of a vulnerable Indian River Tern in Gujarat. In celebration of National Moth Week, there were two new records for Inaturalist Global, first @nomadash shared a captivating image of the Prominent Moth from Himachal Pradesh, then @rajkoranga contributed the Meanwhile from a rocky beach, Arijit Patra provided a glimpse of the mysterious ocean world with the Carbonnier's murex snail photograph from the South Indian coast. These sightings demonstrate the beauty and diversity of nature in India's monsoon season.

Birds : Indian River Tern

Animals- Chordates - Vertebrates -Birds - Shorebirds and Allies - Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers - Terns and Noddies -Typical Terns

A Vulnerable fresh water breeding Indian River Tern (Sterna aurantia) VU https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/174532722 is beautifully captured in flight by @jashsadiwala in Gujarat, India

Observed by @jashsadiwala

Location : Gujarat, India

Observed on: July 2023

#### Notes :

• Threatened Species Status : "Vulnerable" Globally (Source: IUCN Red List)
• As with other Sterna terns, the river tern feeds by plunge-diving for fish, crustaceans, tadpoles and aquatic insects in rivers, lakes, and tanks. Its numbers are decreasing due to the pollution of their habitat.

Insects : Moths

Animals - Arthropods - Hexapods - Insects - Winged & Once-winged Insects -Lepidoptera - Owlet Moths & Allies -Prominent Moths - Subfamily Cerurinae

Bonus Moth : National Moth Week

A new record of Inaturalist Global from Himachal Pradesh

On the very first day of Monsoon Beauty 23 , and in the build up to National Moth Week 23 @nomadash shared a beautiful Prominent Moth Cerura roesleri from Manali, Himachal Pradesh , India. So far this is the only record

Observed by @nomadash

Location : Manali, Himachal Pradesh, India

Lead identifier : @rstlaurent @ajaylives

Observed on: 15th July 2023

Notes :

• Many species have a tuft of hair on the trailing edge of the forewing which protrudes upwards at rest. This gives them their scientific name "back tooth" and the common name of prominents. (Source Wikipedia)

Insects : Moths

Animals - Arthropods - Hexapods - Insects - Winged & Once-winged Insects -Lepidoptera - Owlet Moths & Allies -Cutworm Moths & Allies

National Moth Week Day 1 - 22nd July 2023

A new record of Inaturalist Global

At the start of National Moth Week 23 is a yet another new record for Inaturalist Global - a subtly coloured and aptly named "Most Beautiful" or Micardia pulcherrima moth observed by @rajkoranga in Uttarakhand, India

Observed by @rajkoranga

Location : Munsiari, Uttarakhand, India

Lead identifier : @pierotoni10

Observed on: 22nd July 2023

Notes

• Detailed notes on the identification of this moth are in the observation link here

Molluscs : Murex Snails

Animals - Molluscs - Gastropods - Caenogastropods - Order Neogastropoda - Murex Snails & Allies - Murex Snails

The seas and oceans are a vast and complex environment, and still an unchartered territory for science, especially citizen science.

From the South Indian coast Arijit Patra shares a Carbonnier's murex snail (Murex carbonnieri) a species of large predatory sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusc from Muricidae a family of rock snails or murex snails.

Observed by @arijit_p

Location : Rock Beach, Puducherry, India

Lead identifier : @yaozheng16

Observed on: 18th July 2023

Arijit posted via instagram here

Notes

• Information quoted from Wikipedia
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Posted on August 4, 2023 03:01 PM by ram_k