596 New Species Discovered in India in 2018

From tiny mushrooms and clams to snakes, frogs and fish, the scientists and researchers of India who seldom stop looking for the next big find, discovered 596 news species of plants and animals in 2018, according to the latest report by Botanical Survey of India (BSI) and the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI). With these discoveries India is now home to 1,01,681 known animals which is about 6.49% of all the species in the world, and 49,441 which is 11.5% of all flora in the world.

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“The plants discovered this year includes close wild relatives of many potential horticulture, agriculture, medicinal and ornamental plants. The discoveries include plants belonging to groups Amomum (wild cardamom), Cycads, Rubus (raspberry), Syzygium (wild jamun), Terminalia, Balsams, Zingibers and also seven trees and 10 orchids,” said A.A. Mao, director of BSI.

Kailash Chandra, director of ZSI said how modern methods like DNA analysis, eased the taxonomic process of discovery and identification of species.

“Of the 61 species of vertebrates discovered this year, reptiles dominate (30 species),” Mr. Chandra said.

Here is a quick infographic showing the breakup of the discoveries done last year.

Some of the important species discovered are,

Sonerila Lateritica, a rock-loving wild discovered in the laterite hills of Ponkunnu in Kerala’s Kozhikkode district. Only two populations of the plant were found in the area.

Uropeltis Bhupathyi, a new species of snake from the Anaikatti hills, a part of the larger Western Ghats ecosystem. This non-venomous snake faces threat from habitat loss, roadkills, being killed by humans and a little-understood fungal disease of snakes.

Pellenes himalaya, a species of jumping spider discovered in Uttarakhand http://indiasendangered.com/two-species-of-jumping-spiders-discovered-in-uttarakhand/

Microhyla koddial, also known as the Mangaluru narrow-mouthed frog, found in a small industrial region in coastal Karnataka.

Ptilomera nagalanda, a new species of water strider from Nagaland. The species was fund in the river Intanki, Peren district.

Fejervarya goemchi, new terrestrial frog from Goa. Read More here- http://indiasendangered.com/new-frog-species-discovered-in-goa/

Brachystelma Ananthapuramense A new species from the Southern Deccan plateau of Gorantla hills, Andhra Pradesh

Himalayan Horned Frog – 4 different frog species grouped as one were finally given their individual species status. Read more here, http://indiasendangered.com/four-new-horned-frogs-discovered-in-india/

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3 thoughts on “596 New Species Discovered in India in 2018”

Just goes to show how inadequate humans are, when it comes to unearthing the countless life forms created by the Supreme Power! I bet we will still be at it, for centuries to come!