Environment & Biodiversity Current Affairs MCQs

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A new trapdoor spider species, Titanidiops kolhapurensis, was discovered in the grasslands of Kolhapur district, Maharashtra. It was found by researchers from Thackeray Wildlife Foundation and Shivaji University, Kolhapur. The spider creates vertical or slanted burrows in flat or sloping grassy meadows. Its burrow entrances are highly camouflaged, blending with soil and grass. The species thrives in natural forests and native grasslands. It is absent in areas dominated by exotic plantations like Gliricidia sepium (Undirmari). Due to rapid habitat degradation, it faces the risk of local extinction.

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A new ant species named Polyrhachis garbhangaensis was discovered in Garbhanga Reserve Forest near Guwahati, Assam. It is named after its place of discovery and is proposed to be called the “Assamese Spiny Ant.” The species belongs to the rare mucronata group of spiny ants. It is only the third species of this group ever recorded in India. Unlike related species that are black, it has a bright yellow-orange abdomen. The ant has distinctive curved spines on its body. These spines likely help protect it from predators and aid survival in the wild.

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A third tigress was recently released into the wild at Sahyadri Tiger Reserve (STR), boosting tiger conservation in western Maharashtra. Sahyadri Tiger Reserve (STR) is located in the Sahyadri Ranges of the Western Ghats, Maharashtra, and is the northernmost tiger habitat in the Western Ghats. It is the first tiger reserve of Western Maharashtra and the fourth in the state.

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The Himalayan Griffon Vulture was recently sighted in Melghat, Maharashtra, influenced by the presence of captive-bred vultures released in the area. It is one of the nine vulture species found in India and belongs to the Old World vultures group. It is mainly found in the Himalayan and Tibetan regions and Central Asian mountains, with limited altitudinal migration into northern India. It is a huge vulture weighing up to 12 kilograms, with long wings adapted for soaring on wind thermals. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), it is listed as Near Threatened.

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Supreme Court of India allowed construction of a road through Rajaji National Park with condition that no commercial vehicles will operate on it. It is located in Uttarakhand between the Shivalik ranges and the Indo-Gangetic plains. It was formed by merging Rajaji, Motichur and Chilla wildlife sanctuaries. It is named after C. Rajagopalachari, a freedom fighter known as Rajaji.

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Recently, researchers from Karnataka and Odisha discovered two new species of army ants, Aenictus chittoorensis and Aenictus lankamallensis, in the Eastern Ghats of Andhra Pradesh. Army ants are nomadic ant species that do not build permanent nests and belong to the subfamily Dorylinae. They are highly aggressive predators primarily found in tropical ecosystems. Instead of constructing fixed nests, they form temporary living structures called bivouacs, which are made entirely from the interlinked bodies of worker ants. Army ants are social insects that live in massive colonies and carry out highly coordinated group raids, preying on insects and small animals.

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A lone Ferruginous Pochard was recently sighted at Amoor Lake in Chennai along with a flock of Common Pochards. The Ferruginous Pochard, also called the ferruginous duck or white-eyed pochard, is a medium-sized diving duck native to the Eurosiberian region. It prefers shallow freshwater wetlands with rich submerged and floating vegetation and dense emergent plants along the margins. The species is distributed across Europe, Asia and parts of Africa, and winters mainly around the Mediterranean Basin and Black Sea. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), it is classified as Near Threatened.

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Botanists discovered a new flowering plant species named Impatiens nagorum from Northeast India. It was found in Fakim Wildlife Sanctuary in Nagaland. The name “nagorum” honours the Naga tribes of the state. Impatiens, commonly called balsams or “touch-me-nots,” are known for bright flowers and seed pods that burst when touched. The Eastern Himalayas and Northeast India are global hotspots for this plant group. It grows in moist temperate broadleaf forests and is known only from its original discovery site. It has purple flowers, serrated leaves, slightly hairy lateral sepals, and a deep lower sepal forming a hooked spur.

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Researchers in Silent Valley National Park discovered a freshwater crab species Vela carli showing both male and female traits at the same time. Vela carli is an endemic species found only in the forests and streams of the Central Western Ghats. It belongs to the family Gecarcinucidae, which includes freshwater crabs. The crab showed gynandromorphy, a rare condition where an organism has both male and female characteristics. Its body had male reproductive structures along with female features like gonopores. This phenomenon is extremely rare in crustaceans and has never been reported earlier in the Gecarcinucidae family.

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Navegaon Nagzira Tiger Reserve took control of its notified buffer area, strengthening conservation management. It is located in Maharashtra and forms part of the Central Indian Tiger Landscape, which supports nearly one-sixth of India’s tiger population. The reserve was declared in 2013 and is the fifth tiger reserve in Maharashtra. It comprises multiple protected areas, including Nawegaon National Park, Nawegaon Wildlife Sanctuary, Nagzira Wildlife Sanctuary, New Nagzira Wildlife Sanctuary, and Koka Wildlife Sanctuary.