PHLOGACANTHUS SUDHANSUSEKHARII (Syllabus: GS Paper 3 – Env and Eco)

Context: Researchers from the Botanical Survey of India (BSI) have recently discovered a new plant species, Phlogacanthus sudhansusekharii, in the Itanagar Wildlife Sanctuary, Arunachal Pradesh.

Phlogacanthus Sudhansusekharii

• About: It is a newly discovered plant species that belongs to the family Acanthaceae and the genus Phlogacanthus.
• Discovery Location: It was discovered in the Itanagar Wildlife Sanctuary, located in the Papum Pare district of Arunachal Pradesh.
• Name Origin: The species is named to honor Dr. Sudhansu Sekhar Dash, a scientist at the Botanical Survey of India (BSI), for his significant contribution to plant and ecological research in the Indian Himalayan region.
• Genus Information: The genus Phlogacanthus comprises 13 species in India, predominantly found in the northeastern and eastern Himalayan states.

Itanagar Wildlife Sanctuary

• Location: It is a protected area located in Naharlagun, near the capital city of Arunachal Pradesh.
• Area Coverage: The sanctuary covers an area of 140.30 sq. km.
• Borders: It shares borders with the Pam River in the east, Pachin in the south, Neorochi in the northeast, and Chingke stream in the north.
• Flora: The forest is a heterogeneous mixture of evergreen and semi-evergreen forest types.
• Fauna: Tgers, leopards, clouded leopards, elephants, barking deer, sambar, and various primate species such as hoolock gibbons and macaques.

o The sanctuary also houses numerous bird species, including hornbills, eagles, and pheasants.