Among the animal on the planet, the species rich group making more than 70% is ________.

Concept:

• India is one of the 12 megadiversity countries in the world.
• Its land area comprises only 2.4% of the world's total land area.
• However, India shares 8.1% of the global species diversity.
• Among this, there are about 45,000 plant species and twice that of animal species.
• According to the estimates by Robert May, only about 22% of the total species have been recorded so far.
• This indicates that there might be more than 1,00,000 plant species and 3,00,000 animal species that are yet to discovered in India.

Important Points

• According to the estimates by Robert May, the global species diversity is about 7 million.
• The recorded species comprise of:
  • Animal species - >70%
  • Plant species - 22%
• Among the animal species, insects are the most species-rich taxonomic group.
• Insects make up for more than 70% of the total animal species.
• Fungal species count is more than the sum total of all species of fishes, amphibians, reptiles and mammals.
• Among vertebrates, the highest species diversity is that of fishes.