Documenting India’s civilisational and natural heritage.
The Indian Grey Hornbill (Ocyceros birostris) is a medium-sized hornbill species found across parts of the Indian subcontinent. Known for its distinctive curved bill and casque, the bird plays an important ecological role as a seed disperser, helping maintain forest regeneration and plant diversity.
The new species, named Ariosoma cmfriense, was identified by scientists from the ICAR-Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute in Kochi. The specimen was collected from waters off Kollam at a depth of approximately 300 metres in January 2026 as part of research associated with India’s Deep Ocean Mission.
The black-headed ibis (Threskiornis melanocephalus) is particularly conspicuous. Standing on long dark legs, the bird has predominantly white plumage contrasted by a bare black head and neck and a long, downward-curving black bill adapted for probing shallow water and soft mud for food.
The research was published in the journal Quaternary Research by Cambridge University Press in April 2026. The research team comprised Trina Bose, Mayank Shekhar, Akhilesh K. Yadava, Avanish Mishra, Arya Pandey and Anurag Kumar, all affiliated with the Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeosciences.
The two species, Ingerana aizawl and Duttaphrynus phawngpui, were described in separate scientific papers published in September 2026. Together, the discoveries underline how much of the amphibian diversity of Mizoram and the wider Indo-Burma biodiversity region remains incompletely documented.
Named Steneucyrtus wayanadensis, the beetle was discovered in the Chethalayam forest area of Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary during scientific surveys conducted by researchers associated with the Zoological Survey of India’s Western Ghat Regional Centre in Kozhikode, MES Mampad College and the University of Calicut.
Visakhapatnam is one of India’s largest coastal cities and combines dense urban settlements with industrial areas, hills, freshwater habitats and the Bay of Bengal coastline.
Schizopygopsis waddellii belongs to the family Cyprinidae, which includes carps and many other freshwater fishes. It is part of a group adapted to the cold, oxygen-poor and highly seasonal waters of the Tibetan Plateau and adjoining Himalayan region.
The calf was born on September 11, 2026, at the Academic Dairy Farm after a laboratory-produced Badri embryo was transferred into a Sahiwal recipient cow. The achievement was announced by the government on September 12.
Named Tetragonula nagalandensis, the species was described by researchers from the University of Agricultural Sciences, Bengaluru, Nagaland University and Central Agricultural University, Imphal. Their study was published online in the journal Oriental Insects on August 24, 2026.
