Bengal second in new species discovery in ’23, reveals ZSI data
Times of India | 1 July 2024
Kolkata: Bengal emerged as India’s second largest home of new faunal species, after Kerala. Home to 49 new species and 23 new records, of 641 faunal species found in 2023 as recorded in Animal Discoveries 2023, which was officially unveiled on Sunday by the Union minister of environment, forest and climate change Bhupender Yadav on the occasion of 109th birthday of Zoological Survey of India (ZSI), known as ZSI day.
He also inaugurated Animal Taxonomy Summit ’24 and launched the International Society of Zoology . Yadav inaugurated Barcode Atlas of Indian Fishes. Inaugurating ‘The Fauna of India Checklist’ portal, Yadav said, “This is the first of its kind in the world, documenting 1,04,561 animal species.” This accounts for 6.6% of global faunal diversity.
“We must adopt ‘mission life’ (a guide for sustainable living) and stick to sustainable consumption to preserve nature and its crucial biodiversity,” he said.
As far as Animal Discoveries 2023 is concerned, the maximum new discoveries are recorded from Kerala (101), followed by Bengal (72). Tamil Nadu emerged third with 64 new discoveries. The discoveries include absolutely new species worldwide and new records (the ones recorded for the first time in India).
Among the 641 new species added in the last one year, quite a few have been christened after Dhriti Banerjee, “who is the first woman director of the ZSI’s 108-year history,” says the Animal Discoveries 2023. Among the species named after Banerjee are Dolophilodes dhritiae (caddisfly discovered at Singalila National Park), Phintella dhritiae (a variant of spider found by ZSI scientists at Shimoga, Karnataka), Talanema dhritiae (trematode or a kind of round warm discovered in Bankura) and Taeniogonalos dhritiae (a kind of wasp found in Kerala’s Kasaragod).
ZSI scientists also discovered three genomes of a new species of mammal — Capra himalayensis — from the remotest areas of Ladakh. “Our team also found a new species in reptilia category — Hemidactylus paucifasciatus — in Odisha’s Mayurbhanj,” the ZSI director said. Among 641, 442 are new species and 199 have been recorded in India for the first time.