India prepares fauna checklist covering 1,04,561 species

NEW DELHI: India has issued a comprehensive checklist of its fauna, becoming the first country in the world to do so. Bhupender Yadav, Environment Minister, Government of India, launched the Fauna of India Checklist Portal during the 109th Foundation Day of ZSI in Kolkata, which has covered 104,561 species.

Speaking at the event, Yadav said that with the checklist launch, India has positioned “itself as a global leader in biodiversity documentation”.

“The Fauna of India Checklist Portal is the first comprehensive document on the faunal species reported from India. India has become the first country in the world to prepare a checklist of its entire fauna, covering 104,561 species,” Yadav stated.

He added, “The faunal checklist will be an invaluable reference for taxonomists, researchers, academicians, conservation managers, and policymakers. It comprises 121 checklists of all known taxa covering 36 phyla. Endemic, threatened, and scheduled species have also been included in the list.” 

According to the checklist, about 455 mammalian species are recorded in India. Of these, the highest number of species are reported from Meghalaya (163 species), West Bengal (161), Arunachal Pradesh (142), Tamil Nadu (139), Assam (138), Sikkim (137) and Kerala (134).

Among Union territories, Andaman & Nicobar Islands (68 species), Ladakh (59), and Delhi (38) have the highest mammalian diversity.

Of the 52 mammal species endemic to India, Tamil Nadu (23 species), Karnataka (19), and Kerala (19) have a high presence.

High endemism is reported from the Western Ghats hill streams of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, and Andaman & Nicobar Islands. Three genera such as Anathana, Latidens, and Nilgiritragus are monotypic and found only in India.