Documenting India’s civilisational and natural heritage.
The Periyar survey was conducted over four days with teams examining birds, butterflies, odonates and several other groups across the reserve. The exercise involved 75 participants representing 21 NGOs, academic and research institutions, together with Forest Department officials and frontline personnel.
The annual exercise covered Yamuna Biodiversity Park, Aravalli Biodiversity Park, Neela Hauz Biodiversity Park, Tilpath Valley Biodiversity Park, Kamla Nehru Ridge, Tughlaqabad Biodiversity Park and Kalindi Biodiversity Park.
Gastrodia keyiensis belongs to a highly specialised group of orchids that do not produce normal green leaves and cannot manufacture their own food through photosynthesis.
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.
