Checklist of Colombian Butterflies- Highlights

As per recent study, Colombia is home to world’s largest variety of butterflies. It accounts for 20% of all known species.

Key points

• International team of scientists classified 3,642 species and 2,085 subspecies.
• They registered the species in document titled “Checklist of Colombian Butterflies.”
• About 200 butterfly species are found in Colombia.
• Project researchers travelled widely in Colombia and analysed about 350,000 photographs.

About Colombia

Colombia is a country having great diversity of natural habitats. It is having a complex and heterogeneous geography. It is located in a privileged location of extreme northeast of South America. It is bounded by Caribbean Sea, Panama, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela, Brazil, and Pacific Ocean. It’s rich cultural heritage is highly influenced by various Amerindian civilizations, European settlement, forced African labour, and immigration from Europe & Middle East.

Biodiversity in Colombia

Colombia is one among megadiverse countries. It ranks first in bird species. It has around 40,000 and 45,000 plant species accounting for 10 to 20% of total global species. It is second most biodiverse country of the world, following Brazil. Country has 10% of world’s mammals species, 14% of amphibian species and 18% of bird species.

Month: Current Affairs - June, 2021