Systematics of the Ephemeroptera of India: Present status and future prospects

Abstract

Up to the end of 2015, the Ephemeroptera of India comprised 142 species in 56 genera and 15 families. Systematic studies placing the Indian species in a global context have progressed rapidly in the last few decades. However, much remains to be done in terms of the morphological and molecular characterization of the fauna at species level. The taxonomic updates presented herein are confined to the period 2010–2015. The Western Ghats region and the Western Himalayas region are reasonably well explored with regard to species diversity and distribution of the Ephemeroptera. To date however, the Gangetic plain and North-East India are under-explored. The remaining biogeographical regions are practically unexplored and intensive survey is urgently needed to generate data on spatio-temporal distribution dynamics. To advance our knowledge of Indian Ephemeroptera, the foremost need is a synthesis of the taxonomy of adults and larvae within a global systematic context for each family, precise delimitation of species, an understanding of intraspecific genetic diversity as well as detection of cryptic species complexes.