Environment & Biodiversity Current Affairs MCQs

Notes:
Researchers discovered a new tiny crab species named Galathea balasubramaniani from coral reefs of Agatti in Lakshadweep Islands. It belongs to genus Galathea, a group of small reef-dwelling anomuran crabs called squat lobsters. These crabs look like tiny lobsters and hide in coral and rocky crevices. It measures only about 3 millimetres, making it one of the smallest reef crabs in the region. It plays a key ecological role by recycling organic matter and serving as food for fish and other marine life.

Notes:
The Smew was recently sighted for the first time in Kaziranga during the 7th Waterbird Count at Rowmari-Donduwa beels (Laokhowa) buffer of Kaziranga Tiger Reserve. Smew is a small diving duck. They breeds in the northern taiga of Europe and the Palearctic region. They requires trees for breeding and prefers fish-rich lakes and slow rivers. The conservation status of Smew according to the IUCN Red List is Least Concern.

Notes:
A pair of rare dusky eagle owls was sighted in the Phato tourism zone of Terai West forest division, near Corbett Tiger Reserve, Uttarakhand, after 15 years. The dusky eagle owl belongs to the family Strigidae. It is large, greyish-brown with prominent ear tufts, greyish-white underparts with dark streaks, and dark brown wings with whitish streaks. It is found in Pakistan, India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, Malaysia, and China. It inhabits thick riverside forests and old-growth trees.

Notes:
A rare sighting of the Blue-and-White Flycatcher was recently reported at Pavagadh Hills, Gujarat. It is a small migratory songbird belonging to the Old World flycatcher family Muscicapidae. It mainly breeds in Japan, Korea, northeastern China, and the Russian Far East. During winter it migrates to Southeast Asia, especially Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Sumatra, and Borneo. It prefers wooded lowlands, submontane forests, taiga, slopes and gullies up to about 1200 metres, and also occurs in scrub, bushes and plantations. Conservation status in the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List is Least Concern.

Notes:
Researchers discovered a new earthworm species Drawida vazhania in Peechi-Vazhani Wildlife Sanctuary. It was found near Vazhani Dam in Kerala. The species belongs to genus Drawida of the family Moniligastridae, mainly found in South, Southeast, and East Asia. It is a small-bodied earthworm belonging to the Barwelli species group. With this discovery, Drawida species recorded in India increased to 83. The Western Ghats now has 55 recorded Drawida species, highlighting its rich biodiversity.

Notes:
Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) discovered nine new species during a faunal survey in Megamalai Wildlife Sanctuary in Tamil Nadu. It is located in Tamil Nadu. It is part of the Western Ghats, a global biodiversity hotspot with rich wildlife diversity. The area supports many plants and animals, from shrubs and trees to mammals, birds, and insects.

Notes:
The Veerangana Durgavati Tiger Reserve is being developed as India’s third cheetah habitat, with the foundation of a soft release enclosure (Boma) laid recently. The reserve was created by combining Nauradehi and Durgavati Wildlife Sanctuaries and is located in the Bundelkhand region across Sagar, Damoh, and Narsinghpur districts, Madhya Pradesh. The initiative will help in the safe adaptation and release of cheetahs, strengthening wildlife conservation in India.

Notes:
Researchers from the Zoological Survey of India (Zoological Survey of India) have discovered a new cockroach species named Neoloboptera peninsularis. The species was found in the Deccan Peninsula region of Pune, Maharashtra, near farmland in Nathachiwadi. It was observed living among palm shrubs and dry leaf litter in its natural habitat. The name “peninsularis” has been given to highlight its origin in Peninsular India. This discovery marks the first use of DNA (Deoxyribonucleic Acid) technology in India to identify a cockroach species. It is the third known species of the genus Neoloboptera recorded in India.

Notes:
Around 20,000 eggs of Olive Ridley Turtles have been conserved on Hope Island by authorities at Coringa Wildlife Sanctuary. It is located in Andhra Pradesh, in the Godavari estuary where the Coringa River meets the Bay of Bengal. It was declared a wildlife sanctuary in 1978. It has extensive mangrove and tropical dry deciduous forests, forming the second-largest mangrove stretch in India.

Notes:
The National Biodiversity Authority has designated two institutions as National Repositories under Section 39 of the Biological Diversity Act 2002. The institutions are Centre for Marine Living Resources and Ecology and Agharkar Research Institute. The Centre for Marine Living Resources and Ecology hosts the Referral Centre Bhavasagara, focusing on deep-sea biodiversity with over 3,500 geo-referenced specimens, including fishes and invertebrates. It is the only national facility dedicated to preserving life from India’s deep-sea ecosystems. The Agharkar Research Institute hosts the MACS Microorganism & Fungal Collection, specialising in anaerobic and extremophilic microorganisms and diverse fungal cultures.