India Completes Landmark National Catalogue of Butterflies and Moths, Strengthening Global Biodiversity Research
A 12-Year Scientific Mission Documents 13,703 Lepidoptera Species, Reinforcing India’s Position Among the World’s Megadiverse Nations
By Suman Munshi
Chief Editor, IBG NEWS
Kolkata, July 30, 2026: India has achieved a major milestone in biodiversity science with the completion of the country’s first comprehensive and authoritative National Catalogue of Lepidoptera (Butterflies and Moths). The landmark scientific accomplishment by the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) marks the culmination of more than 12 years of dedicated taxonomic research, extensive field surveys, museum studies, and validation of historical scientific records.
The ambitious project, led by ZSI scientists Dr. Navneet Singh and Dr. Rahul Joshi, has resulted in a standardized national inventory documenting India’s butterfly and moth diversity. The final volume of the catalogue has been published in the internationally renowned peer-reviewed journal Zootaxa, providing researchers worldwide with an updated taxonomic reference for one of the planet’s most ecologically significant insect groups.
Filling a Century-Old Scientific Gap
For more than a century, information on India’s Lepidoptera was scattered across scientific publications, museum collections, and regional studies, making comprehensive biodiversity assessment difficult. The newly completed catalogue consolidates this fragmented knowledge into a single authoritative reference, significantly strengthening India’s scientific infrastructure for biodiversity documentation and conservation.
According to the Zoological Survey of India, the project establishes India among a select group of countries possessing a modern, nationally verified inventory of butterflies and moths, providing an essential foundation for ecological research, conservation planning, climate studies, and environmental policy.
India’s Remarkable Lepidoptera Diversity
The completed catalogue documents an extraordinary level of insect diversity across the Indian subcontinent.
Researchers have identified 13,703 species of butterflies and moths distributed across 3,705 genera, 240 subfamilies, 102 families, and 31 superfamilies.
These figures indicate that India is home to approximately 8.25 percent of all known butterfly and moth species worldwide, highlighting the country’s global importance as a biodiversity hotspot.
The final publication completed the documentation of the remaining 1,689 species, resolving numerous long-standing taxonomic uncertainties and updating classifications using modern scientific standards.
India Emerges as a Global Centre for Geometroidea Moths
One of the most significant outcomes of the project is the comprehensive documentation of the Geometroidea superfamily, commonly known as geometer moths.
Scientists recorded 2,205 Geometroidea species belonging to 479 genera, 13 subfamilies, and four families, representing nearly 8.8 percent of the world’s known Geometroidea diversity.
Among these, the Geometridae family dominates India’s fauna with 2,100 species, followed by Uraniidae with 95 species, Epicopeiidae with nine species, and Pseudobistonidae, represented by a single known species.
Researchers also noted that the Sematuridae family, found primarily in the Americas, is absent from the Indian fauna.
Within the Geometridae family, the subfamilies Ennominae, Larentiinae, and Geometrinae account for the highest species diversity, reflecting the remarkable evolutionary adaptation of moths across India’s varied ecosystems.
More Than Beautiful Insects
Although butterflies are widely admired for their colours and moths are often overlooked, scientists emphasize that both groups play indispensable ecological roles.
They function as pollinators for numerous flowering plants, support nutrient recycling, act as herbivores, and form an essential component of food webs by sustaining birds, bats, reptiles, amphibians, and other insectivorous animals.
Many species also serve as sensitive indicators of environmental health, making them valuable for monitoring habitat degradation, climate change, and ecosystem resilience.
Certain moth species additionally influence agriculture and forestry, either as pollinators or as economically significant pests, underlining the importance of accurate taxonomic identification for sustainable resource management.
India’s Diverse Landscapes Fuel Extraordinary Evolution
India’s exceptional Lepidoptera diversity is closely linked to its remarkable geographical and climatic variation.
From the snow-covered Himalayan mountain ranges and temperate forests to the tropical rainforests of the Western Ghats, the arid deserts of Rajasthan, the mangrove ecosystems of the Sundarbans, and the biodiversity-rich landscapes of Northeast India, the country provides an extraordinary range of habitats that have driven insect evolution over millions of years.
This ecological diversity has enabled India to become one of the world’s richest centres of butterfly and moth diversity.
A Critical Resource for Future Research
The newly completed catalogue is expected to become a cornerstone reference for taxonomists, ecologists, conservation biologists, environmental planners, agricultural scientists, and policymakers.
The standardized database will support future research on species distribution, habitat conservation, invasive species monitoring, climate adaptation, ecological restoration, and biodiversity assessments across South Asia.
It also provides an important scientific baseline for evaluating how environmental change may affect insect populations in the coming decades.
Building the Foundation for Conservation
Speaking on the achievement, Dr. Dhriti Banerjee, Director of the Zoological Survey of India, described the catalogue as a valuable national scientific resource that will benefit biodiversity research and conservation for generations.
She emphasized that comprehensive taxonomic catalogues provide every documented species with a scientifically validated identity, strengthening ecological research while supporting legal protection and long-term conservation initiatives.
Scientific Significance Beyond India
The completion of the National Catalogue of Lepidoptera represents more than a taxonomic accomplishment.
In an era marked by accelerating biodiversity loss, habitat fragmentation, and climate change, accurate species inventories have become indispensable scientific tools. Without reliable taxonomic data, conservation planning, ecological monitoring, and international biodiversity commitments become significantly more challenging.
By creating a comprehensive and internationally recognized inventory of butterflies and moths, India has strengthened both its national biodiversity knowledge base and its contribution to global scientific research.
The project stands as a testament to the importance of long-term scientific investment and demonstrates how systematic taxonomy continues to serve as the foundation upon which modern biodiversity conservation, ecological science, and environmental policy are built.
— IBG NEWS Scientific Desk
