Zoological Survey of India Describes Two New Lichen Moths From the Eastern Himalaya

Overview

• ZSI scientists formally named the species Caulocera hollowayi and Asura buxa based on Himalayan field collections.
• Specimens were collected near Golitar in Sikkim and Panijhora in West Bengal by a team led by Dr Navneet Singh, Dr Santosh Singh and Srishti Bhattacharya.
• The diagnoses, published March 2 in Zootaxa, relied on body-scale patterns, chaetotaxy, wing fasciae and distinct external genital structures.
• ZSI highlights lichen moths as bioindicators because their larvae feed on pollution-sensitive lichens, aiding ecosystem assessments in mountain regions.
• Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav hailed the discovery on X as a milestone in Indian taxonomy, and the paper also reported seven lichen species newly recorded for India.