India adds 664 animal species to its faunal database in 2022, 339 taxa to its flora- NSP NEWS

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Union Minister for Environment Forest and Climate Change Bhupendra Yadav released the details of new discoveries and new records in Kolkata on July 1, 2023. Photo: Special Arrangement

Union Minister for Environment Forest and Climate Change Bhupendra Yadav released the details of new discoveries and new records in Kolkata on July 1, 2023. Photo: Special Arrangement

India added 664 species to its faunal database in the year 2022, which include 467 new animal species and 197 new records. The country also added 339 new plant taxa which included 186 taxa that are new to science and 156 taxa as new distributional records from the country in the year 2022.

The details of new discoveries and new records were released by Union Minister for Environment Forest and Climate Change Bhupendra Yadav in Kolkata on Saturday (July 1).

The faunal discoveries have been compiled in a publication by Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) titled ‘Animal Discoveries - New Species and New Records 2023’. Photo: 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’. Photo: 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’ published by the Botanical Survey of India (BSI). 

Among the major species discovered are three new species and one new record of mammals, two new records of birds, 30 new species and two new records of reptiles, six new species and one new record of amphibia and 28 new species and eight new records of fishes.

The maximum number of new faunal discoveries have been recorded from invertebrates with 583 species, while vertebrates constitutes 81 species .

In 2022, maximum new discoveries have been recorded from Kerala. The southern State contributed 14.6% of new species and new records, followed by Karnataka with 13.2%, Tamil Nadu 12.6%, West Bengal 7.6% and Arunachal Pradesh with 5.7%. The Andaman and Nicobar Island contributed to about 8.4% the discoveries. 

With the new discoveries and new records, the fauna diversity of the country increased to 1,03,922. 

Speaking at the launch of the publications, Mr. Yadav said that work done by ZSI is critical to faunal diversity of the country and added that we must protect the diversity for own sake. 

ZSI Director Dhriti Banerjee said that the year 2022 witnessed highest number of new discoveries in the last 10 years. 

‘Plant Discoveries 2022’ contains an enumeration of 339 taxa that have been added to the Indian Flora during 2022. 

This includes 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 records from India. 

This volume records 125 angiosperms, one gymnosperm, five pteridophytes, 19 bryophytes, 55 lichens, 99 fungi, 27 algae and nine microbes. The biodiversity hotspots such as Western Ghats, and North Eastern regions have contributed 23% of total discoveries.

A State-wise analysis of discovery of new taxa of plants points out that maximum discoveries were made from Kerala with 57 taxa, followed by Jammu & Kashmir and Arunachal Pradesh. The plant discoveries in 2022 include wild relatives of many potential horticultural, agricultural, medicinal, and ornamental plants such as Begonia, Impatiens (Balsams), Legumes, Zingibers, Orchids etc.


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