Kolkata: India added 664 species to its faunal database in the year 2022, which includes 467 new animal species and 197 new records. The new faunal discoveries have been compiled in a publication by Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) titled ‘Animal Discoveries- New Species and New Records 2023’. The details were published by the Botanical Survey of India and published by Union Minister of Environment Forest and Climate Change Bhupendra Yadav in Kolkata today.
India also added 339 new plant taxa which included 186 taxa that are new to science and 156 taxa as new distributional records from the nation in the year 2022. Among the major species discovered, there are three new species and one new record mammals, two new records of birds, 30 new species and two records of reptiles, six new species and one new record of amphibia and 28 new species with eight new records of fishes.
Out of all species, the maximum number of new faunal discoveries have been recorded from invertebrates with 583 species, while vertebrates constitutes 81 species. In 2022, the maximum new discoveries have been recorded from Kerela as it contributed 14.6% of new species and records. Karnataka was the second state t record 13.2% new species, followed by Tamil Nadu 12.6%, West Bengal 7.6%, and Arunachal Pradesh with 5.7% and Andaman and Nicobar Island contributed 8.4% new discoveries.