ZSI Completes Decade-Long Audit of India’s 13,703 Butterfly and Moth Species

Quantifying India's Lepidoptera Diversity

A twelve-year scientific undertaking by the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) has culminated in the publication of a definitive inventory of the nation's lepidoptera. Researchers Navneet Singh and Rahul Joshi spearheaded the project, which involved extensive field exploration, museum curation, and the verification of historical literature. The resulting data, published in the peer-reviewed journal Zootaxa, identifies 13,703 species within Indian territory. This figure represents approximately 8.25% of all known butterfly and moth species globally.

Taxonomic Breakthroughs and Ecological Significance

The catalogue resolves taxonomic uncertainties that have lingered for over a century. By providing a centralized baseline inventory, the ZSI has categorized these insects into 3,705 genera, 240 subfamilies, 102 families, and 31 superfamilies. The breakdown reveals a significant disparity between groups:

• Butterflies: 1,417 documented species.
• Moths: 12,286 documented species.
• Geometroidea: 2,205 species of these nocturnal pollinators, representing 8.80% of the world's total for this superfamily.

These organisms function as essential components of the ecosystem, acting as herbivores, pollinators, and primary food sources for bats and birds. The Geometroidea specifically handle the 'night shift' of pollination, maintaining ecological balance while diurnal species are inactive.