India's Biodiversity Discoveries in 2024

Fauna Discoveries

In 2024, India added a total of 683 new species to its fauna, which included 459 new species and 224 new records.

• **Kerala** recorded the highest number of new faunal discoveries with 101 species (80 new species and 21 new records).
• **Karnataka** followed with 82 species (68 new species and 14 new records).
• **Tamil Nadu** had 63 discoveries with 50 new species and 13 new records.
• In the North-Eastern regions: 
  • **Arunachal Pradesh**: 72 animal discoveries (42 new species and 30 new records).
  • **Meghalaya**: 42 new discoveries (25 new species and 17 new records).
  • **West Bengal**: 56 new discoveries (25 new species and 31 new records).
• **Andaman and Nicobar Islands** had 43 new faunal discoveries (14 new species and 29 new records).

Flora Discoveries

India also added 433 taxa of flora, which included 410 species and 23 infra-specific taxa.

• **Kerala** recorded the highest number of flora discoveries with 58 species.
• **Maharashtra** followed with 45 species, and **Uttarakhand** had 40 species.
• New plant discoveries included: 
  • 154 angiosperms
  • 4 pteridophytes
  • 15 bryophytes
  • 63 lichens
  • 156 fungi
  • 32 algae
  • 9 microbes

Significant Contributions and Discoveries

The Western Ghats and North-Eastern regions contributed 35% of the total discoveries.

• **Zoological Survey of India (ZSI)** and **Botanical Survey of India (BSI)** annually publish reports on new species discoveries.
• India is one of 17 megadiverse countries, holding approximately 8% of the world's recorded biodiversity.

Noteworthy Discoveries

Significant faunal discoveries included two new genera and 37 species of reptiles, and five new species of amphibians.

• Notable reptiles include *Dravidoseps gouensis* and *Anguiculus dicaprioi*, the latter named after Leonardo DiCaprio.

Significant flora discoveries included important orchid species and new species from plant groups like legumes, zingibers, and grasses.

• Notable orchids include *Bulbophyllum gopalianum*, *Coelogyne tripurensis*, *Gastrodia indica*, and *Gastrodia sikkimensis*.