Tambdi Surla records presence of endemic moth orchid flowers

Keri: In the jungle of Tambdi Surla, wildlife researchers have recorded the presence of an endemic species of moth orchid.
Ramesh Zarmekar, a wildlifer working in the region, sighted the flowering of Phalaenopsis – deliciosa, locally known as the moth orchid. During a survey of the Cotigao Wildlife Sanctuary in 2009, researchers collected this epiphytic species of the endemic orchid.
In 2015, three researchers, Chhaburao Jadhav, Jeewan Singh Jalal and J Jayanthi, published the paper in the International Richardiana journal of orchids, highlighting the fact that it is the first report of the species in Goa, which extends its distribution further north in the Western Ghats. The majority of species are characterised by rather short, drooping inflorescences which display star-shaped, waxy flowers fairly close to the plant foliage.
After researchers recorded its presence in Cotigao, Canacona, we found the presence of the moth orchid in Tambdi Surla. "This is the second record from Goa,” Ramesh Zarmekar told TOI.


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