ZSI Releases India's First Comprehensive Catalogue of Lepidoptera
#GS-3 #Environment #Biodiversity #Current Events #National #Zoological Survey of India
Overview of the Lepidoptera Catalogue
- The Zoological Survey of India completed India's first comprehensive catalogue of Lepidoptera, which includes butterflies and moths, after 12 years of continuous research.
- Researchers carried out field surveys, checked museum collections, and verified scientific papers to solve classification gaps that lasted over 100 years.
Publication Details and Global Share
- This inventory spans 22 volumes in total, and the research team published its final volume in the international scientific journal Zootaxa.
- The project records 13,703 species of butterflies and moths in India across 3,705 genera, 240 subfamilies, 102 families, and 31 superfamilies.
- India hosts about 8.25% of all known butterfly and moth species worldwide, with the final volume cataloguing the remaining 1,689 species.
Family Breakdown and Ecological Role
- India houses 2,205 species of Geometroidea moths, where Geometridae forms the largest family with 2,100 species, while Sematuridae is completely absent.
- These insects act as essential pollinators, plant eaters, and recyclers, while providing food for birds, bats, and other animals.
- This catalogue gives scientists a clear baseline to study climate change, track environmental health, and design effective conservation plans across India.