Glimpses of biodiversity

India is one of the high biodiversity regions of the world with three biodiversity hotspots - the Western Ghats, the Eastern Himalayas and the Indo-Burma regions. These biodiversity hotspots have a number of endemic species. ^[1] A biodiversity hotspot is a biogeographic region that is both a significant reservoir of biodiversity and is threatened with destruction. ... The Agasthiyamalai range of the Western Ghats The Western Ghats are a mountain range in India. ... In biology and ecology endemic means exclusively native to a place or biota, in contrast to cosmopolitan or introduced. ...

The land area of more than 3 million square kilometres shows diversity in the habitats with variation in rainfall, altitude, topography and latitude. The region is also under the influence of the monsoons which cause major seasonal changes in the vegetation and habitat. To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... In meteorology, precipitation is any kind of water that falls from the sky as part of the weather. ... Altitude is the elevation of an object from a known level or datum. ... This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ... Latitude, usually denoted symbolically by the Greek letter φ, gives the location of a place on Earth north or south of the Equator. ... Monsoon in the Vindhya mountain range, central India A monsoon is a wind pattern that reverses direction with the seasons. ...

India forms a large part of the Indomalayan biogeographical zone and many of the floral and faunal forms show Malayan affinities with only a few taxa being unique to the Indian region. The unique forms includes the snake family uropeltidae found only in the Western Ghats and Sri Lanka. Fossil taxa from the Cretaceous show links to the Seychelles and Madagascar chain of islands ^[2]. The cretaceous fauna include reptiles, amphibians and fishes and an extant species demonstrating this phylogeographical link is the Purple Frog. The Indomalaya Ecozone was previously called the Oriental region. ... A taxon (plural taxa) is an element of a taxonomy, e. ... The Uropeltidae or shieldtail snakes are a family of small burrowing snakes containing 8 genera and 44 species found only in the southern part of India and Ceylon. ... The Agasthiyamalai range of the Western Ghats The Western Ghats are a mountain range in India. ... The Cretaceous Period is one of the major divisions of the geologic timescale, reaching from the end of the Jurassic Period (i. ... Phylogeography is the attempt to take into account the geographic distribution of species in establishing their phylogeny, and to understand the geographic patterns that may result from divergence, ultimately leading to speciation. ... Binomial name Nasikabatrachus sahyadrensis Bijui, Bossuyt, 2003 Nasikabatrachus sahyadrensis is a frog species from the Western Ghats, India. ...

The flora and fauna of India have been studied from very early times by locals following folk traditions and by later researchers following more rigorous scientific approaches (See Natural history in India). This article explores the history and people involved in the study of natural history in India. ...

Charismatic megafauna

India is home to several well known large mammals including the Asian Elephant, Bengal Tiger, Asiatic Lion, Leopard and Indian Rhinoceros. Some of these animals are engrained in culture, often being associated with deities. Binomial name Elephas maximus Linnaeus, 1758 Asian Elephant range The Asian Elephant (Elephas maximus), sometimes known by the name of its nominate subspecies (the Indian Elephant), is one of the three living species of elephant, and the only living species of the genus Elephas. ... Trinomial name Panthera tigris tigris (Linnaeus, 1758) The Bengal tiger or Royal Bengal tiger (Panthera tigris tigris) is a subspecies of tiger found in parts of India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, and Myanmar. ... Trinomial name Panthera leo persica Meyer, 1826 Synonyms Leo leo goojratensis (India) Leo leo persicus (Persia) The Asiatic Lion (Panthera leo persica) is a subspecies of lion. ... Binomial name Panthera pardus (Linnaeus, 1758) Synonyms Felis pardus Linnaeus, 1758 The leopard (Panthera pardus) is one of the four big cats of the genus Panthera. ... Binomial name Rhinoceros unicornis (Linnaeus, 1758) The Indian Rhinoceros or the Great One-horned Rhinoceros, Rhinoceros unicornis, is a large mammal found in Nepal and in Assam, India. ...

These large mammals are important for wildlife tourism in India and several national parks and wildlife sanctuaries cater to these needs. The popularity of these charismatic animals have helped greatly in conservation efforts in India. The tiger has been particularly important and Project Tiger was a major effort to conserve the tiger and its habitats. The Royal Bengal Tiger. ...

Asian Elephant

Tiger Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1122x750, 364 KB) Panthera tigris tigris, Bengaltiger, Indischer Tiger oder Königstiger Public Domain from http://images. ...

Asiatic Lion

Indian Rhinoceros Image File history File links A baby, male, and female (left to right) Indian Rhinoceros at the San Diego Zoos Wild Animal Park in Escondido, CA. This is an original work created by me and released under the following license: (Actually, only the baby rhino here is a male. ...

Diversity

There is insufficient information about the invertebrate and lower forms of India with significant work having been done only in a few groups of insects notably the butterflies, odonates, hymenoptera, the larger coleoptera and heteroptera. Few concerted attempts to document the biodiversity have been made since the publication of the Fauna of British India series. The following is a list of volumes produced in the Fauna of British India series. ...

There are about 2546 species of fishes(about 11% of the world species) found in Indian waters. About 197 species of amphibians (4.4% of the world total) and more than 408 reptile species (6% of the world total) are found in India. Among these groups the highest levels of endemism are found in the amphibians.

There are about 1250 species of birds from India with some variations depending on taxonomic treatments accounting for about 12% of the world species^[3].

There are about 410 species of mammals known from India which is about 8.86% of the world species.^[4]

The World Conservation Monitoring Centre gives an estimate of about 15,000 species of flowering plants in India. The United Nations Environment Programmes World Conservation Monitoring Centre or UNEP-WCMC is an executive agency of the United Nations Environment Programme, based in Cambridge in the United Kingdom. ...

Biodiversity hotspots

The Western Ghats

Main article: Western Ghats

Onthophagus imperator a rare dung beetle

The Western Ghats are a chain of hills that run along the western edge of peninsular India. Their proximity to the ocean and through orographic effect, they receive high rainfall. These regions have moist deciduous forest and rain forest. The region shows high species diversity as well as high levels of endemism. Nearly 77% of the amphibians and 62% of the reptile species found here are found nowhere else.^[5] The region shows biogeographical affinities to the Malayan region, and the Satpura hypothesis proposed by Sunder Lal Hora suggests that the hill chains of Central India may have once formed a connection with the forests of northeastern India and into the Indo-Malayan region. Hora used torrent stream fishes to support the theory, but it was also suggested to hold for birds. ^[6] Later studies have suggested that Hora's original model species were a demonstration of convergent evolution rather than speciation by isolation.^[5] The Agasthiyamalai range of the Western Ghats The Western Ghats are a mountain range in India. ... The South Western Ghats moist deciduous forests is a tropical moist broadleaf forest ecoregion of southern India. ... The South Western Ghats montane rain forests are an ecoregion of southern India, covering the southern portion of the Western Ghats range in Kerala and Tamil Nadu, at elevations over 1000 meters. ... Three-quarter scale bronze sculptures 19th C. Malay people, Indonesia, Borneo. ... It has been suggested that Morphological convergence be merged into this article or section. ...

More recent phylogeographic studies have attempted to study the problem using molecular approaches.^[7] There are also differences in taxa which are dependent on time of divergence and geological history.^[8]Along with Sri Lanka this region also shows some faunal similarities with the Madagascan region especially in the reptiles and amphibians. Examples include the Sibynophis snakes, the Purple frog and Sri Lankan lizard genus Nessia which appears similar to the Madagascan genus Acontias. ^[9] Numerous floral links to the Madagascan region also exist.^[10] An alternate hypothesis that these taxa may have originally evolved out-of-India has also been suggested.^[11] Phylogeography is the attempt to take into account the geographic distribution of species in establishing their phylogeny, and to understand the geographic patterns that may result from divergence, ultimately leading to speciation. ... Binomial name Nasikabatrachus sahyadrensis Bijui, Bossuyt, 2003 Nasikabatrachus sahyadrensis is a frog species from the Western Ghats, India. ... Classification Genus Nessia Nessia bipes Nessia burtonii Nessia deraniyagalai Nessia didactyla Nessia hickanala Nessia layardi Nessia monodactyla Nessia sarasinorum Categories: Skinks ... Classification Genus Acontias Acontias breviceps Acontias gracilicauda Acontias lineatus Acontias litoralis Acontias meleagris Acontias percivali Acontias plumbeus Acontias poecilus Categories: Skinks ...

Biogeographical quirks exist with some taxa of Malayan origin occurring in Sri Lanka but absent in the Western Ghats. These include insects groups such as the zoraptera and plants such as those of the genus Nepenthes. The Agasthiyamalai range of the Western Ghats The Western Ghats are a mountain range in India. ... Species Zorotypus barberi Zorotypus brasiliensis Zorotypus buxtoni Zorotypus caudelli Zorotypus ceylonicus Zorotypus congensis Zorotypus cramptoni Zorotypus delamarei Zorotypus guineensis Zorotypus gurneyi Zorotypus hamiltoni Zorotypus hubbardi Zorotypus huxleyi Zorotypus javanicus Zorotypus juninensis Zorotypus lawrencei Zorotypus leleupi Zorotypus longicercatus Zorotypus manni Zorotypus medoensis Zorotypus mexicanus Zorotypus neotropicus Zorotypus newi Zorotypus philippinensis Zorotypus... Species See text The genus Nepenthes (Tropical Pitcher Plants or Monkey Cups) in the monotypic family Nepenthaceae contains roughly 80-100 species, (depending on author), several natural and many cultivated hybrids. ...

The Eastern Himalayas

The Eastern Himalayas is the region encompassing Bhutan, northeastern India, and southern, central, and eastern Nepal. The region is geologically young and shows high altitudinal variation. It has nearly 163 globally threatened species including the One-horned Rhinoceros (Rhinoceros unicornis), the Water Buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) and in all 45 mammals, 50 birds, 17 reptiles, 12 amphibians, 3 invertebrate and 36 plant species. ^[12][13] The Relict Dragonfly (Epiophlebia laidlawi) is an endangered species found here with the only other species in the genus being found in Japan. The region is also home to the Himalayan Newt (Tylototriton verrucosus), the only salamander species found within Indian limits.^[14] Binomial name Rhinoceros unicornis Linnaeus, 1758 The Indian Rhinoceros or the great one-horned rhinoceros, Rhinoceros unicornis, is found in Nepal and in Assam, India. ... Suborders Cryptobranchoidea Salamandroidea Sirenoidea Salamander is the common name applied to approximately 500 amphibians with slender bodies, short legs, and long tails. ...

Indo-Burma

This region borders the Indian political boundary and extends into the northeastern states of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam and includes the Andaman Islands. It is contiguous with the entire Myanmar region. ^[15]

The Bugun Liocichla was a described in 2006

The region has provided new mammal species which are very surprising for recent times. Some of these recent discoveries include that of the Arunachal macaque (Macaca munzala), a species that was well known to the locals but introduced to science in 2004. Other recent discoveries from this region include the Laotian rock rat, the Leaf Muntjac and the Bugun Liocichla. The Khasi Hills toad (Bufoides meghalayanus) is known from just a few locations within India.^[16] Binomial name Liocichla bugunorum Athreya, 2006 The Bugun Liocichla, Liocichla bugunorum, is a passerine bird species from the Old World babbler family. ... Binomial name Macaca munzala Sinha et al. ... Binomial name Laonastes aenigmamus Jenkins, Kilpatrick, Robinson, Timmins, 2005 The Laotian rock rat or kha-nyou (Laonastes aenigmamus), sometimes called the rat-squirrel, is a rodent species of the Khammouan region of Laos. ... Binomial name Muntiacus putaoensis Amato, Egan & Rabinowitz, 1999 The leaf muntjac or leaf deer (Muntiacus putaoensis) is a small species of muntjac. ... Binomial name Liocichla bugunorum Athreya, 2006 The Bugun Liocichla, Liocichla bugunorum, is a passerine bird species from the Old World babbler family. ...

Extinct and fossil forms

During the early Tertiary period, the Indian tableland, what is today peninsular India, was a large island. Prior to becoming an island it was connected to the African region. During the tertiary period this island was separated from the Asian mainland by a shallow sea. The Himalayan region and the greater part of Tibet lay under this sea. The movement of the Indian subcontinent into the Asian landmass created the great Himalayan ranges and raised the sea bed into what is today the plains of northern India.

Once connected to the Asian mainland, many species moved into India. The Himalayas were created in several upheavals. The Siwaliks were formed in the last and the largest number of fossils of the Tertiary period are found in these ranges. ^[17]

The Siwalik fossils include Mastodons, hippopotamus, rhinoceroces, Sivatherium, a large four-horned ruminant, giraffe, horses, camels, bison, deer, antelope, pigs, chimpanzees, orangutans, baboons, langurs, macaques, cheetahs, Sabre-toothed tigers and a host of other mammals.^[17]

Many fossil tree species have been found in the intertrappean beds ^[18] including Grewioxylon from the Eocene and Heritieroxylon keralensis from the middle Miocene in Kerala and Heritieroxylon arunachalensis from the Mio-Pliocene of Arunachal Pradesh and at many other places. The discovery of Glossopteris fern fossils from India and Antarctica led to the discovery of Gondwanaland and led to the greater understanding of continental drift. Fossil Cycads^[19] are known from India while seven Cycad species continue to survive in India.^[20][21] The Miocene epoch is a period of time that extends from about 23 to 5. ... The Pliocene epoch (spelled Pleiocene in some older texts) is the period in the geologic timescale that extends from 5. ... Glossopteris (Greek glossa, meaning tongue, because the leaves were tongue-shaped) is the largest and best-known genus of the extinct order of seed ferns known as Glossopteridales. ... Continental drift, first proposed as a theory by Alfred Wegener in 1912, is the movement of the Earths continents relative to each other. ... Families Cycadaceae cycas family Stangeriaceae stangeria family Zamiaceae zamia family Cycads are an ancient group of seed plants which are characterized by a large crown of compound leaves and a stout trunk. ...

Titanosaurus indicus was perhaps the first dinosaur discovered in India by Richard Lydekker in 1877 in the Narmada valley. This area has been one of the most important areas for paleontology in India. Another dinosaur known from India is Rajasaurus narmadensis ^[22], a heavy-bodied and stout carnivorous abelisaurid (theropod) dinosaur that inhabited the area near present-day Narmada river. It was 9 m in length and 3 m in height and somewhat horizontal in posture with a double-crested crown on the skull. Richard Lydekker (1849 - April 16, 1915) was an English naturalist, geologist and writer of numerous books on natural history. ... Rajasaurus narmadensis is a bipedal theropod dinosaur identified by Chicago paleontologists Paul Sereno and Jeff Wilson. ...

Some fossil snakes from the Cenozoic era are also known. ^[23] The Cenozoic Era (sen-oh-ZOH-ik; sometimes Caenozoic Era in the United Kingdom) meaning new life (Greek kainos = new + zoe = life) is the most recent of the three classic geological eras. ...

Some scientists have suggested that the Deccan lava flows and the gases produced were responsible for the global extinction of dinosaurs however these have been disputed. ^{[24] [25]}

Himalayacetus subathuensis the oldest-known whale fossil of the family Protocetidae (Eocene), about 53.5 million years old was found in the Simla hills in the foothills of the Himalayas. This area was underwater (in the Tethys sea) during the Tertiary period (when India was an island off Asia). This whale may have been capable of living partly on land. ^{[26] [27]} Other fossil whales from India include Remingtonocetus approximately 43-46 million years old.

Several small mammal fossils have been recorded in the intertrappean beds, however larger mammals are mostly unknown. The only major primate fossils have been from the nearby region of Myanmar.

• See also Geology of India

This article is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ...

Recent extinctions

Illustration of a Himalayan Quail from A. O. Hume's work. Last seen in 1876

The exploitation of land and forest resources by humans along with hunting and trapping for food and sport has led to the extinction of many species in India in recent times. These species include mammals such as the Indian / Asiatic Cheetah, Javan Rhinoceros and Sumatran Rhinoceros.^[28] While some of these large mammal species are confirmed extinct, there have been many smaller animal and plant species whose status is harder to determine. Many species have not been seen since their description. Binomial name Ophrysia superciliosa (Gray,JE, 1846) The Himalayan Quail, Ophrysia superciliosa, is from the pheasant family Phasianidae of the order Galliformes, gallinaceous birds. ... Allan Octavian Hume (June 6, 1829 - July 31, 1912) son of Joseph Hume was a civil servant in British governed India, and a political reformer. ... Body - the cheetah has a slender, long-legged body with blunt, semi-retractable claws. ... Binomial name Rhinoceros sondaicus Desmarest, 1822 Javan Rhinoceros Range Subspecies Rhinoceros sondaicus annamiticus Rhinoceros sondaicus inermis (extinct) Rhinoceros sondaicus sondaicus The Javan Rhinoceros, Rhinoceros sondaicus is one of the rarest and most endangered large mammals anywhere in the world. ... Binomial name Dicerorhinus sumatrensis (Fischer, 1814) The Sumatran Rhinoceros is the smallest extant rhinoceros species, as well as the one with the most fur, which allows it to survive at very high altitudes in Borneo and Sumatra. ...

Hubbardia heptaneuron a species of grass that grew in the spray zone of the Jog Falls prior to the construction of the Linganamakki reservoir, was thought to be extinct but a few were rediscovered near Kolhapur. ^[29] Jog Falls The Jog waterfall is the tallest waterfall in India, located in Karnataka state, southern India. ...

Some species of birds have gone extinct in recent times, including the Pink-headed Duck (Rhodonessa caryophyllacea) and the Himalayan Quail (Ophrysia superciliosa). A species of warbler, Acrocephalus orinus, known from a single specimen collected by Allan Octavian Hume from near Rampur in Himachal Pradesh has never been seen again.^[30] Binomial name Netta caryophyllacea (Latham, 1790) Synonyms Anas caryophyllacea Rhodonessa caryophyllacea The Pink-headed Duck (Netta caryophyllacea) is (or was) a large diving duck. ... Binomial name Ophrysia superciliosa (Gray,JE, 1846) The Himalayan Quail, Ophrysia superciliosa, is from the pheasant family Phasianidae of the order Galliformes, gallinaceous birds. ... Allan Octavian Hume (June 6, 1829 - July 31, 1912) son of Joseph Hume was a civil servant in British governed India, and a political reformer. ...

Species estimates

An estimate of the numbers of species by group in India is given below. This is based on Alfred, 1998.^[31]

Taxonomic lists and indices

This section provides taxonomically classified links to the species found on the Indian Subcontinent.

Animals

Invertebrates

• Arachnids
  • Spiders of India
• Insects
  • Coccinellidae
    • Ladybird beetles of India
  • Odonata
    • Dragonflies and damselflies of India
  • Butterflies of India
    • Papilionid butterflies of India
    • Pierid butterflies of India
    • Nymphalid butterflies of India
    • Lycaenid butterflies of India
    • Hesperid butterflies of India
    • Riodinid butterflies of India
  • Hymenoptera
    • Ants of India

// Butterflies of India Approximately 1439 species of butterfly have been described from India. ... SWALLOWTAILS or Family PAPILIONIDAE The Papilionidae, or Swallowtail Family, is a family of large and beautiful butterflies which is well represented in India. ... The article is a list of the Pierid butterflies of India. ... Clipper Parthenos sylvia This is a list of the butterflies of India belonging to the family Nymphalidae and an index to the species articles. ... This is a list of the butterflies of India belonging to the family Lycaenidae and an index to the species articles. ...

Vertebrates

• Fishes of India
• Amphibians of India
• Reptiles of India
• Birds of the Indian subcontinent
• Mammals of India

The following is a list of reptiles of South Asia, primarily covering the region covered by mainland India, Pakistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Bhutan, parts of Myanmar and the Andaman and Nicobar Island chains. ... The birds of South Asia include the species found in India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Sri Lanka and the Maldives. ...

Plants

See Flora of India

Threatened species

Many plants and animals are threatened or endangered due largely to habitat loss and population pressure apart from hunting and extraction. India stands out as one of the few countries with high human populations as well as a high number of threatened species. ^[32]

Threatened plant species

Threatened Animal species

Number of species per group according to IUCN threat categories (1994)

Endangered Mammals of India

See also

• Fauna of British India
• Endemic birds of South Asia
• Ecoregions in India
• Indian natural history

The following is a list of volumes produced in the Fauna of British India series. ... This article is one of a series providing information about endemism among birds in the Worlds various zoogeographic zones. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... This article explores the history and people involved in the study of natural history in India. ...

References

General reading

• R. E. Hawkins (Ed.) 1986. Encyclopedia of Indian Natural History. Oxford University Press. India. ISBN 0-19-561623-5

External links

• World Conservation Monitoring Center
• Tata Energy Research Institute
• Alliance for Zero extinction
• The official Indian Environment information site