London May 27 (IANS) A butterfly that went extinct in Britain more than 40 years ago has been reintroduced in the country as part of an 8-million-pound initiative to save the most endangered species.

The mottled golden wings of the chequered skipper butterflies were once a common sight along the edge of forest tracks in Britain until they nearly disappeared in 1976 after decades of habitat loss.

Lepidopterists trapped swarms of adult butterflies in Belgium this week and transported them to the UK ahead of their release in the Rockingham Forest Northamptonshire.

Butterfly Conservation which runs the project said it was an "important milestone for conservation" and is a "first in a series of planned releases".

--IANS mag/tsb/bg