(Clockwise from left) Sela macaque (Macaca selai); Calanthe lamellosa, an orchid species; Glischropus meghalayanus, a species of bamboo dwelling bat; Nandadevia pusalkar, a genus frequent all through the foothills and heat outer valleys of the Uttarakhand Himalayas; Ficedula zanthopygia, yellow-rumped flycatcher. Photo: Special Arrangement
India added 664 animal species to its faunal database in the 12 months 2022. These comprise 467 new species and 197 new information [species found in India for the first time].
The nation additionally added 339 new plant taxa – 186 taxa which can be new to science and 153 taxa as new distributional information from the nation in 2022. The particulars of recent discoveries and new information had been launched by Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Bhupender Yadav in Kolkata on July 1.
Sela macaque, a brand new species found in the western and central Arunachal Pradesh.
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement
The faunal discoveries have been compiled in a publication by Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) titled Animal Discoveries – New Species and New Records 2023, whereas floral discoveries are contained in Plant Discoveries 2022 printed by the Botanical Survey of India (BSI).
The faunal discoveries have been compiled in a publication by the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) titled ‘Animal Discoveries – New Species and New Records 2023’.
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement
Among the key fauna species found are three new species and one new document of mammals; two new information of birds; 30 new species and two new information of reptiles; six new species and one new document of amphibia; and 28 new species and eight new information of fish. The mammal species found embrace two species of bats – Miniopterus phillipsi, a long-fingered bat, and Glischropus meghalayanus, a bamboo-dwelling bat – each from Meghalaya. Sela macaque (Macaca selai), a brand new macaque species found in the western and central Arunachal Pradesh and named after the Sela Pass, can also be among the many highlights of Animal Discoveries 2022.
The new information embrace Macaca leucogenys, a white-cheeked macaque earlier discovered in Modog, southeastern Tibet, and sighted in India for the primary time in 2022 in West Siang, Arunachal Pradesh. The record additionally contains Ficedula zanthopygia, the yellow-rumped flycatcher, earlier identified from Mongolia, Transbaikal, southern China, Korea, western Japan, and located final 12 months in Narcondam Island of the Andaman archipelago.
The yellow-rumped flycatcher was recorded in Narcondam Island of the Andaman archipelago.
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Special Arranagement
The most variety of new faunal discoveries has been of invertebrates with 583 species, whereas vertebrates represent 81 species. Insects dominate amongst invertebrates with 384 species, whereas fish dominated amongst vertebrates, adopted by reptiles, amphibia, mammals and aves.
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Glischropus meghalayanus, a species of bamboo dwelling bat from Meghalaya.
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Special Arrangement
In 2022, the utmost new discoveries had been recorded from Kerala. As many as 82 animal species new to science and 15 new information had been from Kerala, which contributes to 14.6% of the brand new species and new information. Karnataka adopted with 64 new species and 24 new information accounting for 13.2%. Tamil Nadu noticed 71 new discoveries and 13 new information contributing to 12.6% of all the brand new discoveries and new information in the nation. The Andaman and Nicobar Islands contributed to about 8.4% of the discoveries, whereas 7.6 % discoveries had been from West Bengal and 5.7% from Arunachal Pradesh. With the brand new discoveries and new information, the fauna range of the nation elevated to 1,03,922.
Speaking on the launch of those publications, Mr. Yadav mentioned that work completed by the ZSI is crucial to the faunal range of the nation. “We must protect the diversity for our own sake,” he mentioned.
ZSI Director Dhriti Banerjee mentioned the 12 months 2022 witnessed the best variety of new discoveries in the final 10 years.
‘Plant Discoveries 2022’ comprises an enumeration of 339 taxa, which have been added to the Indian flora throughout 2022. These comprise 319 species, and 20 infraspecific taxa as new to the Indian flora. Of these, 186 taxa are new to science and 153 taxa are new distributional information from India.
Calanthe lamellosa, an orchid species that was noticed for the primary time in India in the Japfu mountain vary in Kohima, Nagaland.
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Special Arrangement
Among the brand new discoveries, 37% are of seed crops, 29% fungi, 16% lichen, 8% algae, 6% bryophytes, 3% microbes and remaining 1% pteridophytes. Seed crops contributed the utmost discoveries, of which dicotyledons contribute 73% and monocotyledons 27%. About 21% of the full discoveries had been constituted of the western Himalayas adopted by 16% from the Western Ghats. The Plant Discoveries 2022, embrace 125 angiosperms, one gymnosperm, 5 pteridophytes, 19 bryophytes, 55 lichens, 99 fungi, 27 algae and 9 microbes..
A State-wise evaluation of the plant taxa factors out that most discoveries of 57 had been made in Kerala, which alone accounts for 16.8% of all plant discoveries in the nation in 12 months 2022. The plant discoveries in 2022 embrace wild family members of many potential horticultural, agricultural, medicinal, and decorative crops similar to begonia, impatiens (balsams), legumes, zingibers, orchids and so forth.
Among the brand new genus of crops found are Nandadevia Pusalkar, a genus frequent all through the foothills and heat outer valleys of the Uttarakhand Himalayas, and Nilgiriella Pusalkar, endemic to the southern Western Ghats of India and distributed in Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu. Among the brand new information in orchid species, Calanthe lamellosa, earlier recorded in China and Myanmar, and located for the primary time in India in the Japfu mountain vary in Kohima, Nagaland.
Catch up on the newest endangered species information by The Hindu right here.
