NEWS – India discovered 641 new fauna species and 339 taxa of plants in 2023

HIGHLIGHTS

Fauna Discoveries

• Total Fauna Species Added: 641
  • New to Science: 442
  • Newly Recorded in India: 199
• Significant Animal Discoveries:
  • Capra himalayensis: A distinct species of Himalayan Ibex found in Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, and Himachal Pradesh.
  • Miniopterus srinii: A new species of bent-winged bat discovered in Kodagu district, Karnataka.
• Geographical Distribution:
  • Southern India: Most new discoveries.
  • Kerala: 101 additions (74 new species, 27 new records).
  • West Bengal: 72 new species.
  • Tamil Nadu: 64 new species.
• Categories:
  • Invertebrates: 564 new species.
  • Vertebrates: 77 new species (majority were fish species).

Plant Discoveries

• Total Plant Taxa Added: 339
  • New to Science: 171
  • New to Distributional Records: 168
• Notable Plant Discoveries:
  • Curcuma kakchingense: A new species of turmeric discovered in Kakching, Manipur.
  • Asystasia venui: A flowering plant discovered in the Acharya Jagdish Chandra Bose Indian Botanic Garden, Howrah, West Bengal.
• Geographical Distribution:
  • West Bengal: Highest number of new plant discoveries with 52 new taxa.
  • Kerala and Uttarakhand: Followed in plant discoveries.

Additional Initiatives

• Fauna of India Checklist Portal:
  • First of its kind portal launched.
  • Contains 121 checklists of all known taxa, covering 36 phyla.
  • Information on 1,04,561 animal species distributed across India.
  • Includes endemic, threatened, and scheduled species.