(clockwise from left) Selah macaque (Macaca sellai); Calanthe lamellosa, an orchid species; Glaiscropus meghalyanus, a species of bamboo-dwelling bat; Nandadevia Pusalkar, A Common species in Uttarakhand Himalayan foothills and warm outer valleys; Fiscedula xanthopiagia, the yellow-tailed flycatcher. Photo: Special Arrangement
India added 664 animal species to its animal database in the year 2022. These include 467 new species and 197 new records. [species found in India for the first time],
The country is set to add 339 new plant taxa in 2022 – 186 taxa that are new to science and 153 taxa as new distribution records. The details of the new discoveries and new records were released by the Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Bhupendra Singh. Yadav in Kolkata on 1 July.
Sela macaque, a new species discovered in western and central Arunachal Pradesh. , Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
The faunal discoveries are compiled in a publication titled Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) Animal Discoveries – New Species and New Records 2023While floral searches include Plant Discovery 2022 Published by Botanical Survey of India (BSI).
The faunal discoveries have been compiled by the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) in a publication titled ‘Animal Discoveries – New Species and New Records 2023’. , Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Among the major species discovered are three new species and a new record for mammals; two new bird records; 30 new species and two new reptile records; six new species and a new record for amphibians; and 28 new species and eight new fish records. The mammal species discovered include two species of bats – miniopterus philippsia long-fingered bat, and gliscropus meghalayanus, a bamboo-dwelling bat – both from Meghalaya. sela macaque (Macaca Jam), A new species of macaque discovered in western and central Arunachal Pradesh and named after Sela Pass is also one of the main attractions of Animal Discoveries 2022.
new record included maca leukogenesis, a white-cheeked macaque previously found in Modog in southeastern Tibet, and was first seen in India in 2022 in West Siang, Arunachal Pradesh. The list also includes fissidula xanthopygiaThe yellow flycatcher, previously known from Mongolia, Transbaikal, southern China, Korea, western Japan, and was found last year at Narcondam Island in the Andaman Islands.
The yellow flycatcher was recorded at Narcondam Island in the Andaman Islands. , Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Invertebrates account for the largest number of new species discoveries, with 583 species, while vertebrates account for 81 species. Invertebrate fauna is dominated by insects with 384 species, while vertebrate fauna is dominated by fishes, followed by reptiles, amphibians, mammals and Aves.
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gliscropus meghalayanus, a species of bat that lives in the bamboos of Meghalaya. , Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
In 2022, the maximum number of new searches were registered from Kerala. 82 animal species new to science and 15 new records were from Kerala, which contributes 14.6% of the new species and new records. Karnataka comes second with 13.2% with 64 new species and 24 new records. Tamil Nadu saw 71 new discoveries and 13 new records, contributing 12.6% of all new discoveries and new records in the country. The Andaman and Nicobar Islands contributed to around 8.4% of searches, while 7.6% were from West Bengal and 5.7% from Arunachal Pradesh. With new discoveries and new records, the country’s animal diversity increased to 1,03,922.
Speaking at the launch of these publications, Mr. Yadav said that the work done by ZSI is important for the animal diversity of the country. “We must protect diversity for its own sake,” he said.
ZSI Director Dhriti Banerjee said that the year 2022 saw the highest number of new discoveries in the last 10 years.
‘Plant Discoveries 2022’ includes enumeration of 339 taxa, which have been added to the Indian flora during 2022. These include 319 species, and 20 infraspecific taxa new to the Indian flora. Of these, 186 taxa are new to science and 153 taxa are new distributional records from India.
calanthe lamellosa, An orchid species that was observed for the first time in India in the Japphu mountain range in Kohima, Nagaland. , Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Of the new discoveries, 37% are seed plants, 29% are fungi, 16% are lichens, 8% are algae, 6% are bryophytes, 3% are microorganisms, and the remaining 1% are pteridophytes. Seed plants contributed the maximum number of discoveries, of which dicotyledons accounted for 73% and monocotyledons 27%. About 21% of the total discoveries were made from the Western Himalayas followed by 16% from the Western Ghats. Plant Discoveries 2022 includes 125 angiosperms, one gymnosperm, five pteridophytes, 19 bryophytes, 55 lichens, 99 fungi, 27 algae and nine microorganisms.
State-wise analysis of plant taxa shows that maximum 57 discoveries were made in Kerala, which accounts for 16.8% of all plant discoveries in the country in the year 2022 alone. Plant discoveries in 2022 include wild relatives of many potential horticultural, agricultural, medicinal and ornamental plants such as begonias, impatiens (balsam), legumes, zingibers, orchids, etc.
Among the new species of plants discovered are Nandadevia Pusalkar, A This species is common in the foothills and hot 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 new records in orchid species, calanthe lamellosa, Previously recorded in China and Myanmar, and first found in India in the Japphu mountain range in Kohima, Nagaland.
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