Environment and Disaster Management › Species in news

Plants, insects and newly described species

Plants, fungi, insects and the species that have no page of their own, and those newly described or rediscovered in India. Prelims has asked what follows from a fall in butterfly populations and which organism performs the waggle dance.

Foundation note: Keystone, umbrella, flagship, indicator: the species concepts

UPSC has asked

Prelims 2017: consequences of a fall in butterfly populations

All 2 articles shown; the 0 that changed from 1 to 30 June 2026 are marked.Show only these

Pollinators and beekeeping

Prelims and Mains

Pollinators are infrastructure for farming: the Food and Agriculture Organisation credits bee pollination with almost a third of global crop output.

The National Beekeeping and Honey Mission carries the Centre's support for beekeeping and honey and proposes doubling bee colonies by 2030.
India is the second largest honey producer after China.

What changed

17 Aug 2026BriefOutput rose from about 76,000 tonnes in 2013 to 2014 to about 151,000 tonnes in 2025 to 2026. The Indian Express, 17 Aug 2026: India's sweet revolution depends on this: Safeguard the bee, and sustainability is key (opens in a new tab)

UPSC has asked

Prelims 2023: the organism that performs the waggle dance

Animal Discoveries and Plant Discoveries 2025

Prelims

The Zoological Survey of India and the Botanical Survey of India publish an annual account of species newly described from India and species recorded in the country for the first time; this subject holds the 2025 account.

What changed

1 Jul 2026BriefIndia added 709 animal species for 2025, taking recorded faunal diversity to 1,05,953 species; Kerala contributed the most. 353 plant taxa were added, led by Arunachal Pradesh. Named finds include Myotis himalaicus, a Himalayan bat, and Lycodon irwini, Irwin's wolf snake. The Hindu, 1 Jul 2026: India adds 709 new species to its fauna database (opens in a new tab)