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Relevance: GS-III (Environment, Biodiversity); GS-I (Geography) Source: Zoological Survey of India (ZSI), 2026

1 · What is the news?

After 12 long years of hard work, scientists from the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) have created a massive, complete list (catalogue) of all the butterflies and moths found in India. This order of insects is scientifically called Lepidoptera.
Why is this a big deal? Because for over 100 years, scientists had missing pieces in their knowledge about Indian insects. This new book finally gives a proper name and identity to every single butterfly and moth in the country. By doing this, India now joins a very small, elite group of nations that have fully documented their insect wealth.

2 · The Astonishing Numbers

Step 1: The Total Count
India is home to a staggering 13,703 species of Lepidoptera. This makes up roughly 8.25% of all butterfly and moth species in the entire world!
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Step 2: Moths vs. Butterflies
While we love seeing butterflies, the real masters are moths. Out of the total, 12,286 are moths, while only 1,417 are butterflies.
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Step 3: The Night Shift
The catalogue highlighted a special group of moths (Geometroidea) with over 2,205 species in India. They are crucial because they pollinate flowers at night.
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Step 4: The Ultimate Goal
With this exact count, scientists can now track if a species is dying out and create proper plans to save them from extinction.

3 · Key Biological Concepts

Lepidoptera
The Scaly Wings
Lepidoptera is the scientific name for the insect order that includes both butterflies and moths. It literally translates to “scaly-winged” insects.
Trophic Levels
The Food Chain
Butterflies and moths are a super important food source. They sit near the bottom of the food chain, feeding hundreds of other animals like birds and bats.
Taxonomy
Organizing Nature
Taxonomy is how scientists group and name living things. This catalogue perfectly organized 13,703 species into different families so scientists worldwide can study them.
Baseline Inventory
The Starting Point
A baseline inventory is an official, complete list created at a specific point in time. If we don’t know exactly what we have today, we can’t protect it tomorrow.

UPSC Prelims Quick Facts: Important Institutions
ZSI (Kolkata) The Zoological Survey of India was established way back in 1916 and is headquartered in Kolkata. It is India’s top body for studying animal life.
Ministry in Charge The ZSI operates directly under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC).
Zootaxa The name of the famous international scientific journal where this historic catalogue of Indian butterflies and moths was finally published.
Megadiverse Status Having this catalogue officially cements India’s position as a “megadiverse” country—one of the few nations holding the majority of Earth’s species.

MCQ Practice Question
Q. With reference to the recently published ‘Catalogue of Lepidoptera of India’, consider the following statements:

  1. The insect order Lepidoptera exclusively comprises different species of butterflies found in a given region.
  2. According to the catalogue, the number of moth species in India is significantly higher than the number of butterfly species.
  3. The Zoological Survey of India (ZSI), which compiled the catalogue, is headquartered in Kolkata.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 and 2 only    (b) 2 and 3 only    (c) 1 and 3 only    (d) 1, 2 and 3

Answer: (b) 2 and 3 only

  • Statement 1 — Incorrect (the trap): The order Lepidoptera does not just mean butterflies. It comprises both butterflies AND moths.
  • Statement 2 — Correct: Moths heavily outnumber butterflies in India (12,286 moth species vs. only 1,417 butterfly species).
  • Statement 3 — Correct: The Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) was established in 1916 and is indeed headquartered in Kolkata.
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