Biodiversity Data Journal :
Data Paper (Biosciences)
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Corresponding author: Choki Gyeltshen (chokig@moaf.gov.bt)
Academic editor: Dmitry Schigel
Received: 15 Mar 2022 | Accepted: 10 May 2022 | Published: 19 May 2022
© 2022 Choki Gyeltshen, Karunya Prasad
This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Citation:
Gyeltshen C, Prasad K (2022) Biodiversity checklists for Bhutan. Biodiversity Data Journal 10: e83798. https://doi.org/10.3897/BDJ.10.e83798
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The species checklists for Bhutan published in the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) were originally collated for the publication ‘Biodiversity Statistics of Bhutan 2017, A Preliminary Baseline’ (BSB 2017). This document was published in 2019 and is the first comprehensive overview of Bhutan's species richness, recording more than 11,000 species across all five kingdoms. Collation of biodiversity checklists has been limited in Bhutan. Thus, this paper and its associated data provide an overview of all species from the kingdoms Plantae, Animalia, Fungi, Chromista and Eubacteria in the country that have been recorded in scientific publications.
The checklists showcase 11,175 species from the kingdoms Plantae, Animalia, Fungi, Chromista and Eubacteria. Research conducted into identifying species from the kingdoms Protista and Archaebacteria revealed zero records. These checklists include at least 33 species new to science and 566 species new to Bhutan, discovered between 2009 and 2017. Unidentified species are not taken into account in this publication.
checklist, Bhutan, plants, animals, insects, vertebrates, mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish, invertebrates, fungi, chromista, eubacteria, protista, biodiversity
The Himalayan country of Bhutan is renowned for its rich biodiversity (Table
Kingdom | World | Bhutan | Bhutan % |
Animalia | 1124516 | 5063 | 0.45 |
Plantae | 224244 | 5347 | 2.38 |
Fungi | 44368 | 690 | 1.56 |
Chromista | 17892 | 57 | 0.32 |
Protista | 16236 | 0 | 0.00 |
Eubacteria | 11010 | 18 | 0.16 |
Archaebacteria | 503 | 0 | 0.00 |
While the biodiversity found in these diverse habitats has been recorded both formally and informally over time, the collaboration of stakeholders interested in the conservation of these species and collation of related data have been limited. Therefore, in December 2016, the National Biodiversity Centre (NBC) in Thimphu, Bhutan, began the coordination and gathering of species checklists from various taxonomic experts and specialist institutions in Bhutan. The taxonomic data were discussed over multiple workshops before being finalised by a range of contributors from government agencies, universities, local and international non-government organisations, as well as other private institutions and colleges. Comprehensive literature reviews were conducted to collect as much information as possible to develop the checklists.
The checklists were created to provide biodiversity statistics baselines for Bhutan. These species checklists can now be updated regularly with new species records and discoveries made within the country. As the nation's first comprehensive biodiversity list, these data deliver a reliable reference point for Bhutan's species, available for use by scientists, researchers, civil servants and the general public.
Biodiversity checklists for Bhutan
National Biodiversity Centre
Bhutan - eastern Himalayas
Biodiversity data were obtained from various sources and a national biodiversity checklist was developed and published in 2019 as the BSB 2017, by the National Biodiversity Centre (
BIFA - GBIF (BIFA5_008)
Bhutan
Data sources include: NBC; Sherubtse College; College of Natural Resources; Naturalis Biodiversity Centre (The Netherlands); Ugyen Wangchuck Institute for Conservation and Environmental Research; Department of Forests and Park Services; Department of Livestock; National Mushroom Centre; National Plant Protection Centre; National Herbarium and the National Invertebrate Repository Centre at the NBC. Comprehensive literature reviews were conducted in order to access all available scientific publications containing information on species records.
Data were validated using published resources, such as peer-reviewed journals, books, institutional databases, theses and museum specimens located at the NBC and other national taxonomic agencies. Online databases, such as the Catalogue of Life, IUCN, BirdLife, GBIF and Australian Plant Name Index, were also used for nomenclature and taxonomic classification verification.
Species records from media sources, such as newspapers, magazines, television and social media, as well as anecdotal and non-scientific sources, were not included. Additionally, a lack of access to paid scientific publications and limited publishing of new records in peer-reviewed journals and other scientifically-robust modes of communication by local researchers could have led to some new records and discoveries being overlooked. Unidentified species have also not been taken into account.
Bhutan, entire country
27°31'53.11"; 90°26'9.07".
Rank | Scientific Name |
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kingdom | Animalia |
kingdom | Plantae |
kingdom | Fungi |
kingdom | Chromista |
kingdom | Eubacteria |
A total of 75 records including diatom, brown algae, cyanobacteria, bacteria and protozoa species (
Column label | Column description |
---|---|
Kingdom | Kingdom |
Phylum | Phylum |
Class | Class |
Order | Order |
Family | Family |
Scientific Name | Species / subspecies / variety name |
Vernacular Name | Common name |
Scientific Name Authorship | Scientific name authorship |
A total of 690 records including insect-fungi, Basidiomycota, Ascomycota, Oomycota and lichen species (
Column label | Column description |
---|---|
Kingdom | Kingdom |
Phylum | Phylum |
Class | Class |
Order | Order |
Family | Family |
Scientific Name | Species / variety name |
Vernacular Name | Common name |
Scientific Name Authorship | Scientific name authorship |
A total of 3,917 records including crab, spider, Psocoptera, mite, snail, slug and nematode species (
Column label | Column description |
---|---|
Kingdom | Kingdom |
Phylum | Phylum |
Class | Class |
Order | Order |
Scientific Name | Family / genus / species / subspecies name |
A total of 801 records including fern, liverwort, hornwort, moss and algae species (
Column label | Column description |
---|---|
Kingdom | Kingdom |
Phylum | Phylum |
Class | Class |
Order | Order |
Family | Family |
Scientific Name | Genus / species / subspecies / variety name |
Scientific Name Authorship | Scientific name authorship |
A total of 4,546 records of seed plant species (
Column label | Column description |
---|---|
Kingdom | Kingdom |
Phylum | Phylum |
Class | Class |
Order | Order |
Family | Family |
Scientific Name | Genus / species / subspecies / variety name |
A total of 1,146 records including mammal, bird, amphibian, reptile and fish species (
Column label | Column description |
---|---|
Kingdom | Kingdom |
Phylum | Phylum |
Class | Class |
Scientific Name | Species / subspecies name |