Key Highlights * India’s first exhaustive inventory of butterflies and moths lists 13,703 species. * The catalogue, completed after 12 years of fieldwork and museum research, establishes a new taxonomic benchmark. * Geometroidea, the most diverse superfamily, accounts for nearly 9 % of its global diversity within India. * The work clarifies long‑standing taxonomic ambiguities and provides a reference for conservation and climate studies. Detailed Insights The Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) undertook a systematic survey that spanned over a decade, integrating specimen audits, literature reviews, and extensive field sampling. The resulting 22‑volume series, published in Zootaxa, documents 3,705 genera, 240 subfamilies, 102 families, and 31 superfamilies, covering 82 % of the world’s Lepidoptera diversity. Key findings include: * Geometroidea: 2,205 species, 479 genera, 13 subfamilies, 4 families. * Family distribution: Geometridae (2,100 species), Uraniidae (95), Epicopeiidae (9), Pseudobistonidae (1). * Sematuridae is absent from India, a pattern shared with many other regions outside the Americas. Beyond cataloguing, the publication highlights the ecological roles of butterflies and moths as pollinators, herbivores, prey, and bioindicators, underscoring their value in monitoring environmental change. Key Concepts * Taxonomy – the science of naming, describing, and classifying organisms. * Superfamily – a rank above family that groups related families. * Bioindicator – a species whose presence or absence reflects environmental conditions. * Geometroidea – a superfamily of moths known for the “looping” caterpillars of the inchworms. * Conservation Reference – a comprehensive dataset used to guide biodiversity protection efforts.

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Nottinghamshire has spoken and crowned the Holly Blue its favourite butterfly. Now, wildlife charity Butterfly Conservation is calling on residents to get out