We have an extensive network of biodiversity scientists and research associates who do research work on various aspects of Indian biodiversity. Currently, we have the following members:

Dr. Vivek Chandran: Christ College, Kerala. Expert on Odonata (dragonflies and damselflies), who has led dozens of species discoveries.

Shantanu Joshi: PhD student, University of Kansas, USA. Expert on Odonata (dragonflies and damselflies), who has led dozens of species discoveries.

Dr. Dattaprasad Sawant: Maharashtra. Expert on Odonata (dragonflies and damselflies), who has led dozens of species discoveries.

Sanjay Sondhi: Dehradun. Expert on Lepidoptera (moths and butterflies), who has led dozens of species discoveries, some that were new to science, some that were new to India.

Rachit Singh: Expert on Lepidoptera (moths and butterflies), who has been involved in dozens of species discoveries and new species records for India.

Biodiversity needs to be properly documented to design and implement an effective conservation strategy. Mischaracterisation or under-estimation of species may limit the impact of conservation efforts. Our research programme has a significant component of faunal surveys and species discovery to generate taxonomically well-informed faunas of protected areas (national parks and wildlife sanctuaries), thus strengthening conservation planning for Indian biodiversity. See the list of our faunal publications on the Publications page. Our team and research associates have discovered the following species:

1. Lyriothemis keralensis Chandran, Sawant, Mathews & Kunte, 2026
2. Caliphaea sinuofurcata Sawant, Joshi & Kunte, 2025
3. Merogomphus aryanadensis Chandran A. V., Chandran R., Sawant & Jose, 2025
4. Merogomphus flavoreductus Sawant, Chandran A. V., Koparde & Kunte, 2025
5. Protosticta sanguinithorax Chandran A. V., Chandran R., Sawant, Koparde & Kunte, 2025
6. Protosticta shambhaveei Sawant, Chandran A. V., Ogale, Rane & Kunte, 2025
7. Protosticta sooryaprakashi Haneef, Chandran, Sawant, Beevi & Kunte, 2025
8. Devadatta adii Joshi, Sawant & Kunte, 2024
9. Yunnanosticta siangi Joshi, Sawant & Kunte, 2024
10. Protosticta khasia Joshi & Sarkar, 2024
11. Cigaritis conjuncta Kunte & Sengupta, 2024
12. Piarosoma arunachalensis Sondhi, Efetov, Tarmann & Kunte, 2023
13. Zographetus dzonguensis Kunte, Karmakar & Lepcha, 2021
14. Metallolophia taleensis Sondhi, Nath, Sondhi and Kunte, 2020
15. Cephalaeschna acanthifrons Joshi & Kunte, 2017
16. Planaeschna poumai Joshi & Kunte, 2017
17. Protosticta ponmudiensis Kiran, Kalesh & Kunte, 2015
18. Hypolycaena narada Kunte, 2015

The Trust has produced and/or supported the following publications. Also see the list of new species that our team and research associates have discovered on the Species Discovery page.
 

1. [Mobile App] Kunte, K. and A. S. Kannan. 2026. iButterfly Explorer Mobile App. Indian Foundation for Butterflies Trust and Nature's Ark, Bengaluru, India. Available at https://www.ifoundbutterflies.org/IBExplorer-mobile-app.

2. [Mobile App] Kunte, K. and A. S. Kannan. 2026. iBiodiversity Count Mobile App. Indian Foundation for Butterflies Trust and Nature's Ark, Bengaluru, India. Available at https://www.ifoundbutterflies.org/IBCount-mobile-app.

3. [New Species] Joshi, S., D. Sawant, U. Pawar, F. Khan, R. Gassah, V. A. Ismavel, and K. Kunte. 2026. Three new species of Sarasaeschna Karube & Yeh, 2001 (Odonata: Anisoptera: Aeshnidae) from northeastern India; with a new record of Sarasaeschna khasiana (Lieftinck, 1968). Zootaxa, 5796, 261–288. Descriptions of Sarasaeschna dosdewaensis sp. nov., Sarasaeschna nuboides sp. nov., and Sarasaeschna sigotaayo sp. nov.

4. [Butterfly Population Monitoring] Riva, F., R. Schmucki, R. Cooke, M. Balalaikins, J. M. Barea-Azcón, D. N. Basu, M. Böhm, T. C. Bonebrake, S. Chowdhury, O. Comray, A. O. Debrot, A. J. Dolezal, E. E. Dyer, B. Fontaine, Z. F. Fric, R. Girotra, N. J. B. Isaac, K. R. Nagesh, E. Kühn, K. Kunte, A. S. Kutt, M. Kuussaari, M. Larivee, N. Legall, V. V. Lien, H. M. Madden, D. Maes, S. P. McGaffin, L. McRae, X. Mestdagh, M. L. Munguira, M. Musche, H. I. Mynott, V. Nawge, G. Peer, L. B. Pettersson, J. Pippen, L. Reis, T. Roth, M. Šašić, J. Settele, C. Sevilleja, S. Sheikh, M. Sielezniew, R. Solis, C. Stefanescu, N. Titeux, E. Tzirkalli, A. Ubach, C. A. M. van Swaay, A. Walker, B. A. Woodcock, and D. B. Roy. 2026. Addressing gaps in butterfly population monitoring to catalyze global insect conservation. Conservation Letters, 19:e70037.

5. [New Species] Sawant, D., S. Joshi, U. Pawar, F. Khan, V. Nawge, and K. Kunte. 2026. Six new species of Calicnemia Strand, 1926 and one new species of Coeliccia Kirby, 1890 (Odonata: Zygoptera: Platycnemididae) from northeastern India. Zootaxa, 5760,401–449.. Descriptions of Calicnemia ardena sp. nov., Calicnemia arunachala sp. nov., Calicnemia flavovittata sp. nov., Calicnemia mimumkoa sp. nov., Calicnemia naga sp. nov. and Calicnemia rubromacula sp. nov.; and Coeliccia magna sp. nov.

6. [New Species] Sawant, D., A. V. Chandran, R. J. Mathews, and K. Kunte. 2026. Description of Lyriothemis keralensis sp. n. (Odonata: Libellulidae) from the southwestern coast of India. International Journal of Odonatology, 29:19–36. Description of Lyriothemis keralensis sp. nov.

7. [Brochure] Kunte, K., Lochana R., Lalrintluanga, and V. Nawge. 2025. Butterflies of Indian Urban Greeneries (brochure). 2nd revised edition. Indian Foundation for Butterflies Trust, Bengaluru, India.

8. [New Species] Sawant, D., S. Joshi, U. Pawar, V. Nawge, and K. Kunte. 2025. Caliphaea sinuofurcata sp. nov. (Odonata: Zygoptera: Calopterygidae) from Arunachal Pradesh, India. Zootaxa, 5637:139–154. Description of Caliphaea sinuofurcata sp. nov.

9. [New Species] Chandran, A. V., D. Sawant, R. Chandran, P. Koparde, S. K. Jose, K. Kunte. 2025. Two new species of Merogomphus Martin, 1904 (Odonata: Anisoptera: Gomphidae) from the Western Ghats, India. Zootaxa, 5588:201–226. Descriptions of Merogomphus aryanadensis sp. nov. and Merogomphus flavoreductus sp. nov.

10. [New Species] Haneef, K. A. R. M., A. V. Chandran, D. Sawant, Y. P. M. Beevi, P. Koparde, and K. Kunte. 2025. Description of Protosticta sooryaprakashi sp. nov. (Odonata: Zygoptera: Platystictidae) from the Western Ghats, India. Zootaxa, 5723:359–383. Description of Protosticta sooryaprakashi sp. nov.

11. [New Species] Chandran, A. V., D. Sawant, R. Chandran, P. Koparde, H. Ogale, A. A. Rane, and K. Kunte. 2025. Two new species of Protosticta Selys, 1885 (Odonata: Zygoptera: Platystictidae) from the Western Ghats, India. Zootaxa, 5679:451–483. Descriptions of Protosticta sanguinithorax sp. nov. and Protosticta shambhaveei sp. nov.

12. [Faunal Checklist] Sondhi, S., R. P. Singh, U. Pawar, and K. Kunte. 2025. Additions to the moth (Lepidoptera) fauna of India from the eastern Himalaya and northeastern region: Part 2. Tropical Lepidoptera Research, 35:1–13.

13. [New Country Record] Sondhi, S., A. Kallies, R. P. Singh, A. B. Roy, and K. Kunte. 2025. The first confirmed record of the genus Scoliokona Kallies & Arita, 1998 (Lepidoptera: Sesiidae: Sesiinae) from India. Tropical Lepidoptera Research, 35:28–30.

14. [Booklet] Rashtriya Chitte Namkarana Sabha. 2024. Butterflies of India: A Checklist of Kannada Names. Indian Foundation for Butterflies Trust, Bengaluru. 37 pp. Free ebook for educational and outreach purposes, with Kannada names of the majority of butterflies of Karnataka. PDF file (8.8 MB).

15. [Booklet] Rashtriya Titli Namkaran Sabha. 2024. Butterflies of India: A Checklist of Hindi Names. Indian Foundation for Butterflies Trust, Bengaluru. 25 pp. Free ebook for educational and outreach purposes, with Hindi names of common and widespread Indian butterflies. PDF file (5.8 MB).

16. [Faunal Checklist] Sondhi, S., R. P. Singh, U. Pawar, and K. Kunte. 2024. Additions to the moth (Lepidoptera) fauna of India from the eastern Himalaya and northeastern region. Tropical Lepidoptera Research, 34:47-59. Specimens used in the paper are deposited in the Biodiversity Lab Research Collections.

17. [New Species] Sawant, D., S. Joshi, U. Pawar, P. Naik, F. Khan, V. Nawge, and K. Kunte. 2024. Devadatta adii sp. nov. (Odonata: Zygoptera: Devadattidae) from Upper Siang District, Arunachal Pradesh, India. Zootaxa, 5519:571–589. Description of Devadatta adii sp. nov.

18. [New Species] Joshi, J., V. Sarkar, D. Sawant, U. Pawar, and K. Kunte. 2024. Description of Protosticta khasia sp. nov. and Yunnanosticta siangi sp. nov., with new records of P. samtsensis Gurung & Phan, 2023 from Northeast India (Odonata: Zygoptera: Platystictidae). Zootaxa, 5448:348–370. Descriptions of Protosticta khasia sp. nov. and Yunnanosticta siangi sp. nov.

19. [New Species] Kunte, K., A. Sengupta, U. Pawar, and V. Nawge. 2024. A new species of silverline butterfly, Cigaritis Donzel, 1847 (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae), from the Western Ghats biodiversity hotspot, India. Zootaxa, 5399:85–95. Description of Cigaritis conjuncta sp. nov.

20. [Brochure] Kunte, K., Locahana R., Lalrintluanga, and V. Nawge. 2023. Butterflies of Indian Urban Greeneries (brochure). Indian Foundation for Butterflies Trust and National Centre for Biological Sciences - TIFR, Bengaluru, India.

21. [New Species] Sondhi, S., K. A. Efetov, G. M. Tarmann, T. Karmakar, U. Pawar, and K. Kunte. 2023. A new species of Piarosoma Hampson, 1893 (Lepidoptera, Zygaenidae, Procridinae, Artonini) from Arunachal Pradesh, India. Zootaxa, 5270:139–145. Description of Piarosoma arunachalensis sp nov.

22. [Taxonomy and Natural History] Joshi, S., D. Sawant, A. Dalvi, Y. Koli, M. Haneef, R. Sanap, and K. Kunte. 2023. New records of Lestes nigriceps Fraser, 1924 (Odonata: Lestidae) from Maharashtra, India, with notes on L. patricia Fraser, 1924 and an updated key to Lestes of the Western Ghats, India. International Journal of Odonatology, 26:132–144.

23. [New Species] Karmakar, T., S. W. Lepcha, D. N. Basu, and K. Kunte. 2021. A new species of Zographetus Watson, 1893 (Lepidoptera: Hesperiidae) from Sikkim, eastern Himalaya, India. Zootaxa, 5072:373–379. Description of Zographetus dzonguensis sp. nov.

24. [Faunal Checklist] Joshi, S., R. Gassah & V. A. Ismavel. 2021. Dragonflies and damselflies (Insecta: Odonata) of Karimganj District, Assam, India with four additions to the Indian checklist. Oriental Insects, 56:299-327.

25. [Faunal Checklist] Sondhi, S., T. Karmakar, Y. Sondhi, and K. Kunte. 2021. Moths (Lepidoptera: Heterocera) of Tale Wildlife Sanctuary, Arunachal Pradesh, India with seventeen additions to the moth fauna of India (Lepidoptera: Heterocera). Tropical Lepidoptera Research, 31(Suppl. 2):1–53.

26. [New Species] Sondhi, S., D. N. Basu, Y. Sondhi, and K. Kunte. 2020. A new species of Metallolophia Warren, 1895 (Lepidoptera: Geometridae: Geometrinae), and notes on M. opalina (Warren, 1893), from eastern Himalaya, India. Zootaxa, 4838:289–297. Description of Metallolophia taleensis sp. nov.

27. [New Country Record] Sondhi, S., D. N. Basu, and K. Kunte. 2020. First record of Ourapteryx dierli Inoue, 1994 (Lepidoptera: Geometridae: Ennominae) from India. Journal of Threatened Taxa, 12:16916–16919.

28. [Taxonomy and Systematics] Kunte, K., D. N. Basu, and G. S. Girish Kumar. 2019. Taxonomy, Systematics, and Biology of Indian Butterflies in the 21st Century. Pp. 275–304, in Indian Insects: Diversity and Science, S. Ramani, P. Mohanraj and H. M. Yeshwanth (eds). Taylor & Francis, UK. pp. 472.

29. [Taxonomy and Systematics] Basu, D. N., P. Churi, A. Soman, A. Sengupta, M. Bhakare, S. Lokhande, S. Bhoite, B. Huertas, and K. Kunte. 2019. The genus Tarucus Moore, [1881] (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae) in the Indian Subcontinent. Tropical Lepidoptera Research, 29:87-110.

30. [New Species] Joshi, S., and K. Kunte. 2017. Two new dragonfly species (Odonata: Anisoptera: Aeshnidae) from north-eastern India. Zootaxa, 4300:259–268. Descriptions of Cephalaeschna acanthifrons sp. nov. and Planaeschna poumai sp. nov.

31. [New Species] Kunte, K. 2015. A new species of Hypolycaena (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae) from Arunachal Pradesh, north-eastern India. The Journal of Research on the Lepidoptera, 48:21–27. Description of Hypolycaena narada sp. nov.

32. [New Species] Kiran, C. G., S. Kalesh, and K. Kunte. 2015. A new species of damselfly, Protosticta ponmudiensis (Odonata: Zygoptera: Platystictidae) from Ponmudi Hills in the Western Ghats of India. Journal of Threatened Taxa, 7(5):7146–7151.

33. [Faunal Checklist and New Country Record] Joshi, S., and K. Kunte. 2014. Dragonflies and damselflies (Insecta: Odonata) of Nagaland, with an addition to the Indian odonate fauna. Journal of Threatened Taxa, 6:6458–6472.

We have created a citizen science platform called Biodiversity Atlas – India. It is a species-based bioinformatics platform designed for aggregating, displaying and analysing biodiversity data from tropical developing countries and other biodiversity hotspots such as India. It is a distributed platform of stand-alone, taxon-specific, natural history websites that give ownership and recognition to contributing naturalists. We extensively use this platform and the family of natural history websites that it drives for research as well as educational and other outreach activities. It is a unique platform that is exclusively designed and hosted in India. The following websites are hosted on this platform: Butterflies of India Moths of India:

Butterflies of India

Moths of India

Odonata of India

Cicadas of India

Amphibians of India

Reptiles of India

Birds of India

Mammals of India

The following projects and activities are currently at the forefront of what we do at the Indian Foundation for Butterflies Trust:

1. Biodiversity Atlas – India Citizen Science Platform: Biodiversity Atlas – India is a species-based bioinformatics platform. It is designed for aggregating, displaying and analysing biodiversity data from tropical developing countries and other biodiversity hotspots such as India. It is a distributed platform of stand-alone, taxon-specific, natural history websites that give ownership and recognition to contributing naturalists. We extensively use this platform and the family of natural history websites that it drives for research as well as educational and other outreach activities. We currently run eight websites on this platform, on butterflies, moths, dragonflies and damselflies, cicadas, mammals, birds, reptiles, and amphibians. Know more about the BioAtlasIndia platform.

2. Biodiversity Atlas – India Field Guide Series: Biodiversity Atlas – India Field Guide Series aims to produce modern, authoritative, and multi-platform field guides that are integrated across print, mobile and online media. These Field Guides will assist a budding population of naturalists and citizen scientists in the identification, natural history and biology of species. The overarching goal is to contribute to the growth of biodiversity sciences in India through citizen science initiatives using biodiversity informatics. Read more ... 

3. Biodiversity surveys in India's biodiversity hotspots: Currently, we are surveying insect biodiversity in Meghalaya and Arunachal Pradesh. In the past, we have done surveys in Kerala, Karnataka, Goa, and Nagaland, in addition to Meghalaya and Arunachal Pradesh. See our list of publications from previous works on biodiversity of these states.

4. Species Discovery: Our scientists, research associates and collaborators have discovered dozens of species of butterflies, moths, dragonflies and damselflies, cicadas, and other insects and invertebrates over the past few years. See the list of species discovered.

5. Biodiversity Fellowships: We offer mentored, full-time fellowships to budding scientists and conservationists. Read more about this fellowship programme.

6. Publication of books and brochures on Indian biodiversity: See our list of publications.