Indian fauna portal records several new entries

India’s faunal database has records several new entries

- Meena Janardhan

India’s faunal database has 683 new entries, including 459 newly-discovered species and 224 species. These findings were published in Animal Discoveries-2024, released recently to mark the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) Day by Indian Union Minister of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change (MoEFCC), Mr Bhupender Yadav.

With these additions, India’s total documented faunal diversity now stands at 105,244 species as of January |, 2025, accounting for 6.268 of the world’s known faunal species.

‘Among them, Kerala emerged as the top contributor with 01 discoveries (80 new species and 21 new records}, followed by Karnataka (82), Arunachal Pradesh (72), Tamil Nadu (63) and Bengal (54). In contrast, Chandigarh, Delhi, Haryana and Telangana reported the lowest number of species.

The updated checklist, compiled by a team of more than 185 experts spans 21 taxonomic groups, from protists to mammals. Insects, particularly beetles, moths, flies, and bees, dominate the diversity, while among vertebrates, fish is the most represented group. Minister Yadav had said that the faunal checklist will prove to be an invaluable reference for taxonomists, researchers, academicians, conservation managers, and policymakers. It comprises 121 checklists of all known taxa covering 36 phyla. Endemic, threatened, and scheduled species have also been included in the list.