India is home to 13,703 species of lepidoptera, about 8.25% of all known species of butterflies and moths
Scientists from the Zoological Survey of India have published a comprehensive 12-year study cataloging 13,703 species of butterflies and moths. This inventory establishes India as a megadiverse nation with a centralized, authoritative baseline for its lepidoptera population.
Why it matters
This authoritative catalog provides a critical foundation for global biodiversity research, ecological monitoring, and the development of effective conservation strategies.
India is home to 13,703 species of lepidoptera — butterflies and moths — which is about 8.25% of the total lepidoptera found across the globe.
Scientists of the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) have come out with a detailed Catalogue of Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths) of India which has been published in peer reviewed journal Zootaxa .
ZSI scientists Navneet Singh and Rahul Joshi took almost 12 years to complete the monumental work of cataloguing, field exploration, museum curation, and rigorous literature verification.
“There have been attempts to classify and catalogue lepidoptera for over 100 years. There are 13,703 species of butterflies and moths across 3,705 genera, 240 subfamilies, 102 families, and 31 superfamilies,” Mr. Singh said.
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