596 new plant and animal species discovered in India last year

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  • 224 new species of plants and 372 animal species discovered in India last year
  • Scientists and taxonomists have documented 596 new species of flora and fauna from India in the year 2018.
  • The details of the discoveries were made public on Thursday by the Botanical Survey of India (BSI) and the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) in the publications Plant Discoveries 2018 and Animal Discoveries 2018.
  • Of the 596 species, 372 come under fauna (311 invertebrates and 61 vertebrates). The newly identified 224 plant species include seed plants, pteridophytes, bryophytes, fungi and lichen.
  • About 31% of the plant species were discovered in the Himayalas. In the case of animals, the Western Ghats remained a biological hotspot from where about 50% of the species were found.
  • The BSI has placed emphasis on molecular DNA technology and phylogeny to confirm the discoveries.
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