<p> Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) Director Kailash Chandra, on Friday, said, “The country has reported 63,760 species of insects in 658 families, representing three classes and 27 orders.”<br /><br /></p>.<p>He was delivering a lecture on ‘Status of Faunal Diversity in India and Role of Zoological Survey of India’, organised as a part of the 21st foundation day of Regional Museum of Natural History (RMNH), Mysuru, on its premises in Siddhartha Nagar.<br /><br />Describing the undiscovered insect diversity, he said that the number of species on earth is estimated to be 8.7 million, with 87% of them yet to be discovered and described. “The total of 8.7 million seems to be underestimated. Over 1.5 million species have been described during the past 250 years. Thus, for the discovery of the remaining species, the period of more than 100 decades is needed,” he added.<br /><br />Stressing on the challenges to discover them in India, he said that there were still many inaccessible areas in the country that had not been adequately explored.<br /><br />“In some cases, information related to a particular group of insects are available from only one or a few states. There is a need to understand not only the gap areas at the macro level for all the states and Union Territories, but also gaps related at the micro level,” he said.<br /><br />Kerala houses 2,000 to 4,000 of insects, Tamil Nadu - 3,609, Karnataka - 2,084, Maharashtra - 2,289, Himachal Pradesh - 2,356, Assam - 3,639 and, Andaman and Nicobar Islands - 2,439. <br /><br />The director said, “The most successful group, the insecta, accounts for almost two-thirds of all animals.”<br /><br />“Insets are also great food source provider to humans and animals. In India, some tribes in the North East collect and roast water beetles and crickets and some of them enjoy tender bee larvae along with honey,” he said.<br /><br /></p>
<p> Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) Director Kailash Chandra, on Friday, said, “The country has reported 63,760 species of insects in 658 families, representing three classes and 27 orders.”<br /><br /></p>.<p>He was delivering a lecture on ‘Status of Faunal Diversity in India and Role of Zoological Survey of India’, organised as a part of the 21st foundation day of Regional Museum of Natural History (RMNH), Mysuru, on its premises in Siddhartha Nagar.<br /><br />Describing the undiscovered insect diversity, he said that the number of species on earth is estimated to be 8.7 million, with 87% of them yet to be discovered and described. “The total of 8.7 million seems to be underestimated. Over 1.5 million species have been described during the past 250 years. Thus, for the discovery of the remaining species, the period of more than 100 decades is needed,” he added.<br /><br />Stressing on the challenges to discover them in India, he said that there were still many inaccessible areas in the country that had not been adequately explored.<br /><br />“In some cases, information related to a particular group of insects are available from only one or a few states. There is a need to understand not only the gap areas at the macro level for all the states and Union Territories, but also gaps related at the micro level,” he said.<br /><br />Kerala houses 2,000 to 4,000 of insects, Tamil Nadu - 3,609, Karnataka - 2,084, Maharashtra - 2,289, Himachal Pradesh - 2,356, Assam - 3,639 and, Andaman and Nicobar Islands - 2,439. <br /><br />The director said, “The most successful group, the insecta, accounts for almost two-thirds of all animals.”<br /><br />“Insets are also great food source provider to humans and animals. In India, some tribes in the North East collect and roast water beetles and crickets and some of them enjoy tender bee larvae along with honey,” he said.<br /><br /></p>
