The maximum new discoveries of dipterans, a group of commonly found insects
including mosquitoes and flies, were reported from Bengal in 2023, a report released in the city on Sunday showed.

The report, published by the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI), which functions under the Union ministry of environment, forest and climate change, compiles the new animal species discovered in India in 2023.

The report shows that Bengal recorded 72 new discoveries following the chart topper Kerala with 101 new discoveries.

The discoveries include new species as well as the first documented occurrence of a species in a specific geographical area.

The report shows that Bengal accounted for 14 out of 24 dipteran discoveries in the country, with new discoveries having been reported from several parts of the state, ranging from Darjeeling to the Sunderbans.

The new mosquitoes were found in Krishnagar, Bankura, Alipurduar, Burdwan and Birbhum, among other places.

“Our scientists are doing wonderful work. We are specially emphasising on the ecologically important ecosystems in the country that includes the Sunderbans,” Bhupender Yadav, the Union minister of environment, forest and climate change, told The Telegraph.

He was the chief guest at the 109th foundation day of the Calcutta-headquartered ZSI, the country’s oldest taxonomic research organisation.

“The discovery of dipterans in Bengal in 2023 was one of the highest because the state has one of the maximum concentrations of dipteran species because it has highly varied ecosystems,” Dhriti Banerjee, the director of the ZSI, said on the sidelines of the programme at the Biswa Bangla Convention Centre.

To commemorate the foundation day, the ZSI is hosting the Animal Taxonomic Summit-2024 from July 1 to 3.

The minister launched the report, titled “Animal Discoveries – 2023”, at the venue. Since 2007, the ZSI has been collecting data on faunal discoveries in India and publishing them as a document every year. The report for the year 2023 deals with 641 discoveries published by scientists and faculty members from India. They include 442 new species and 199 species newly recorded in India.

The new discoveries include two mammals, 20 reptiles, 47 pisces (fish), 112 hymenopterans (small to medium-sized insects, including ants, bees and wasps) and 86 arachnids (a class of animals that includes spiders, scorpions, mites and ticks).

The two new mammals are the Capra himalayensis (an ibex found in the Himalayas), spotted in Himachal Pradesh and Ladakh, and Miniopterus srinii (a bat), found in Kodagu district in Karnataka.

Yadav also launched a portal that lists all the animal species found in India.

The Fauna of India Checklist Portal, which lists 1,04,561 species, has been prepared by the ZSI, the country’s oldest taxonomic research organisation.

From a tiny ant to the elephant, the portal compiles the details of all the animal species that have been recorded in India since the 1750s. Endemic, threatened and scheduled species have also been included in the list.

“The count is equivalent to 6.65 per cent of the global faunal diversity. India is the first country to list all the fauna recorded from the country,” the ZSI said.

Billed as “the first comprehensive document on the faunal species reported from India”, the portal is “an invaluable reference” for taxonomy, conservation and policy matters, said scientists in the organisation.

“We are fully committed to protecting the endangered and threatened species.... The Wildlife Protection Act (1972) was amended recently. Same with the Biological Diversity Act (2002). The findings from ZSI studies have been central to the changes, which were done for better protection of our flora and fauna. I want to congratulate the ZSI,” Yadav said in his address.

On Sunday, Yadav also launched the report “Plant Discoveries – 2023”, prepared by the Botanical Survey of India.

“The detailed classification and description of species form the basis for all biological sciences, offering essential data for conservation and management efforts. The integration of taxonomical research with conservation and management practices in India has yielded significant results. By identifying and documenting the unique species within our country, we can effectively prioritize conservation initiatives, protect endangered species, and restore degraded habitats,” Banerjee, the ZSI director, has written in the foreward of the “Animal Discoveries – 2023”.