New Species of flora and fauna discovered in India

Why in news?

Released by the Botanical Survey of India (BSI) and the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI), 349 new species of flora and fauna were discovered last year.

Some notable points

• The two biodiversity hotspots of India the Western Ghats and the northeast are places where most new species were found.

Map showing major hotspots in India (Source: Envis, GoI)

• More number of new discoveries was done in Western Ghats than Eastern Himalayas and north-eastern States put together.
• PLANTS: 173 species and genera of plants
• In Arunachal Pradesh alone, 25 species of seed plants were discovered.
• ANIMALS: 176 new species were added to the list of animals of India, mainly insects.  
• 2 species of reptiles have also been located for the first time in the country — one in Tamil Nadu and another in Madhya Pradesh
• While most of the new species of 
• amphibians were discovered from the Western Ghats, 
• majority of fish species were from north-east India.

What are NEW RECORDS?

• Animals and plants that are found elsewhere in the world but have been spotted in India for the first time are called ‘new records.’
• Apart from the new species, the BSI has also added 105 new records and ZSI 61 ‘new records.’ 

Biodiversity in India

In India, 96,891 species of animals and 47,791 species of plants have been recorded so far.


A RECAP OF THE NEWS (for Graphics lovers!)

Source: Economic Times