The age of exploration, discovery and excitement continues ...
There is inexplicable charm in exploration, natural history and excitement of discovering new or rare species. We are professional biologists now, but our science has grown from and infinitely enriched by our love for natural history of organisms, from the curiosity to know more about an interesting insect here, an unfamiliar frog there. Typically, we spend part of our field time systematically collecting data for various research projects. Then, we spend much time just walking around in the forest, getting lost in seemingly irrelevant detail, which somehow come together at some point to reveal some principles of nature that others have not yet fully grasped. So we continue to explore, discover, be amazed and excited by little things on all of our field trips: a new lizard, a rare butterfly, a rediscovered species. A list of new species that we have discovered is here, and the following is a sample of some of our favorite recent discoveries:
- New species of a moth (NE India) and damselflies (Western Ghats): Metallolophia taleensis, Protosticta cyanofemora, and Protosticta myristicaensis (2020)
- New species of cicadas from the Western Ghats: Platypleura poorvachala, Rustia minuta, and Rustia kodagura (2017-2018)
- New species of scorpion and spider from NE India: Thaicharmus guptaiOrientothele alyratus (2016-2017)
- Rediscovery of the Calinaga aborica butterfly from Arunachal Pradesh, NE India (2016)
- New species of dragonflies and damselflies: Cephalaeschna acanthifrons and Planaeschna poumai from NE India, and Protosticta ponmudiensis from the Western Ghats (2015-2017)
- New species of butterflies and moths: Banded Tit butterfly, Hypolycaena narada, from Arunachal Pradesh, Eastern Himalaya, and a moth, Theretra shendurneensis from the Western Ghats (2015-2017)
- Rediscovery of a lizard, Japalura sagittifera, from Arunachal Pradesh, Eastern Himalaya (2008)
- Rediscovery of the Scarce Jester butterfly, Symbrenthia silana, from Sikkim, Eastern Himalaya (2008)
- A new species of wrinkled frog, Nyctibatrachus petraeus, from Castle Rock, Western Ghats (1997-2005)