Image Source: PIB

The Zoological Survey of India has released a new publication titled "An Illustrated Guide to the Lepidoptera of India: Taxonomic Procedures, Family Characters, Diversity, and Distribution." 

The book, authored by Dr. Dhriti Banerjee, Director of ZSI, along with Dr. Navneet Singh, Dr. Rahul Joshi, Dr. P. C. Pathania from ZSI, and Dr. R.C. Kendrick, an expert from Hong Kong, provides comprehensive insights into butterflies and moths (Lepidoptera) found in India.

This project emerged as a significant output from the 6th Asian Lepidoptera Conservation Symposium, hosted by ZSI in 2019, where there was a recognized need for a guide suitable for both amateur enthusiasts and professionals in the field of lepidopterology. Initiated during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns, the authors diligently updated and compiled information over four years to produce this comprehensive reference.

The guide summarizes key diagnostic characteristics for all families and superfamilies of butterflies and moths found in India, highlighting basal splitting attributes and superfamily compositions across various clades. It covers methods for collecting and curating voucher specimens in the field, taxonomic procedures used in laboratories, and identification at the superfamily and family levels. Additionally, it explores global lepidopteran diversity and distribution patterns.