New species of flora and fauna

• Maximum discoveries of both flora and fauna were made in Kerala.

FLORA

• “Animal Discoveries – New Species and New Records 2023” by the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) was released.
• In 2022, India added a total of 664 animal species to its faunal database. This includes 467 new species and 197 new records, which are species found in India for the first time.
• Major species discovered
  • Miniopterus phillipsi, a long-fingered bat, and Glischropus meghalayanus, a bamboo-dwelling bat from Meghalaya.
  • Sela macaque (Macaca selai), a new macaque species found in Arunachal Pradesh.
  • Macaca leucogenys, a white-cheeked macaque (found in Modog, Tibet) sighted in India for the first time in AP.
  • The yellow-rumped flycatcher (Ficedula zanthopygia) was also found in Narcondam Island of the Andaman archipelago after being known from various other regions.

ABOUT ZSI

• It is a subordinate organization of the MoEFCC and was established in 1916 as a national center for the faunistic survey and exploration of the resources leading to the advancement of knowledge on the exceptionally rich faunal diversity of the country.
• ZSI has its headquarters at Kolkata and 16 regional stations located in different geographic locations of the country.

FLORA

• “Plant Discoveries 2022” by the Botanical Survey of India (BSI) was released recently.
• India added 339 new plant taxa to its floral database in 2022, consisting of 186 taxa new to science and 153 taxa as new distributional records within the country.
• Major species discovered
  • Nandadevia Pusalkar, found in the Uttarakhand Himalayas.
  • Nilgiriella Pusalkar, endemic to the southern Western Ghats in Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu.
  • Calanthe lamellosa, an orchid species earlier recorded in China and Myanmar, found in India in Japfu mountain range in Kohima, Nagaland.

ABOUT BOTANICAL SURVEY OF INDIA

• It is the apex research organization under the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEFCC) for carrying out taxonomic and floristic studies on wild plant resources of the country.
• It was established in 1890.
• It has 9 regional circles with headquarters is in Kolkata.