A wild banana (Musa pradhanii) species from Darjeeling and a cane or rattan plant species (Calamus mahanandensis) from the hill slopes along the Mahananda river in north Bengal are among the species discovered by botanists last year, according to Botanical Survey of India (BSI).
Thirty animal species, mainly fish and insects from Bengal, were also discovered and enlisted by the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI).
While most of the new floral species were from north Bengal, the new animal species were found in Birbhum, Bankura, Jhargram, Naihati, Asansol, Bishnupur, Kalyani, Barrackpore, Digha and Shankarpur.
A lichen species (Amandinea efflorescens) that was earlier found in the tropics has been spotted for the first time in India, in Murshidabad’s Samshergani block.
Graphis discarpa, another lichen species, earlier known to be native to Papua New Guinea, has been sighted on the IISER Kolkata campus. “Fourteen animal species that were existing in other parts of the world have been sighted for the first time in Bengal,” said a scientist. The species were cited in the ZSI publication, New Animal Discoveries 2020.
BSI director A.A. Mao said: “The trends of taxonomic research since last decade shows significant increase in interesting findings, particularly pertaining to wild relatives of many economic plants, viz., Musa, Gingers, Balsams, Syzygium, Palms, Begonias, fodder grasses, legumes, and orchids…. Cutting-edge technologies have unveiled unique advantages on plant identification and utilisation…. ZSI that brought out the Animal Discoveries 2020 said 557 new discoveries were made, which include 407 new species and 150 newly recorded species in India.”