Name of the Scientist: Dr. Santosh Singh

Scientist ‘B’

Highest Academic degree, year: Doctor of Philosophy (2024)

Department/Division: Zoological Survey of India, Central Zone Regional Centre, Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, India, 482002.

Email Address: bishtsantosh20@gmail.com; sun90bisht@gmail.com; santosh.singh@zsi.gov.in

Phone Number: +917508492397; +917579470614

Area of Expertise: Taxonomy and DNA Barcoding of Moths (Lepidoptera: Heterocera).

Experience after Ph. D.: Two years

Significant Achievements: Discovered and described 18 novel moth species from India through integrative taxonomic studies, and documented 16 moth species as new records for the Indian fauna, thereby contributing to the understanding of Lepidopteran diversity and distribution in the region.

Mentorship: Nil

Research Focus: Research focused on the exploration and assessment of moth diversity across different ecosystems of Madhya Pradesh, including protected areas and forest landscapes, emphasizing taxonomy, ecology, distributional patterns, and molecular systematics. The study employs DNA barcoding as an integrative tool for species authentication and phylogenetic assessment, contributing to biodiversity inventory, ecological monitoring, and conservation planning of moth fauna in Central India.

Significant Publications in the recent years:

• Singh, S., Bhattacharya, S., Singh, N. & Kirti, J.S. (2026) Taxonomic Contributions to the Lithosiini (Lepidoptera: Erebidae: Arctiinae) from India: Description of Two New Species and Seven New Species Records. Zootaxa, 5763 (1), 93–108. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5763.1.4
• Singh, S., Bhattacharya, S. & Nair, A. (2026) Range Extension of Atkinomus parilis Ranjan, N. Singh & Kirti, 2022 (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) from the Eastern Himalaya (Sikkim) to the Western Himalaya (Uttarakhand). Entomological News, 133(2), 183-186. https://doi.org/10.3157/021.133.0210
• Volynkin, A.V., Singh, S., Černý, K., Kirti, J.S., Datta, H.S. & Singh, N. (2025) On the taxonomy of the genus Miltochrista Hübner with descriptions of six new species from the Oriental Realm (Lepidoptera: Erebidae: Arctiinae: Lithosiini). Zootaxa, 5566 (3), 401–445. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5566.3.1
• Singh, S., Singh,N. & Kirti, J.S. (2026) Redescription of Asuridia rubrimargo (Hampson, 1894) and Asuridia miltochristoides Rothschild, 1913 (Erebidae: Arctiinae: Lithosiini). Entomological News, 132(2), 229-237. https://doi.org/10.3157/021.132.0212
• Singh, S., Singh, N., & Kirti, J. S. (2025). A new species of Dolgoma Moore, 1878 (Lepidoptera: Erebidae: Arctiinae: Lithosiini) from Arunachal Pradesh (North East India). Oriental Insects, 59(2), 277–285.
•  https://doi.org/10.1080/00305316.2024.2442790
• Singh, S., Bhattacharya, S., Singh, N. & Kirti, J.S. (2024). Taxonomic treatment of the genus Arctelene Kirti & Gill 2008 (Erebidae: Arctiinae) with description of two new species from India. International Journal of Tropical Insect Science,  44, 2897–2907 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42690-024-01381-8
• Singh, S., Singh, N. & Kirti, J.S. (2024) A new Miltochrista Hübner, [1819] from Western Ghats of India (Lepidoptera: Erebidae: Arctiinae: Lithosiini). Zootaxa, 5537 (2), 288–294. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5537.2.9
• Singh, S., Kirti, J. S., Zilli, A., & Singh, N. (2024). Taxonomic review of Chrysorabdia Butler (Lepidoptera: Erebidae: Arctiinae: Lithosiini) from India, a complex genus of uniformly looking species. Journal of Asia-Pacific Entomology, 27(2), 102250. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aspen.2024.102250
• Singh, N., Singh, S., Datta, H. S., & Kirti, J. S. (2024). Taxonomic review of the genera Cernyia Bucsek and Denteilema Dubatolov: resolving a group of cryptic species (Lepidoptera: Erebidae: Arctiinae: Lithosiini). Annales Zoologici, 74:1, 129-141). https://doi.org/10.3161/00034541ANZ2024.74.1.007

Research Gate profile: santosh_rs@pbi.ac.in;

Social Media: santosh.bisht.288 (Facebook) 

Name : Pankaj Sarup Bhatnagar

Scientist E

Highest Academic degree, year

PhD

Department/Division

CZRC,ZSI, Jabalpur

Email Address

czrc@zsi.gov.in

Phone Number

0761-2641421

Area of Expertise

Mammals, Orthoptera (Acrididae), Coleoptera (Coccinellidae)

Experience after Ph. D.

29 years

Significant Achievements(max 5 bullet points)

• Published papers on Taxonomy of Coccinellidae in Maharashtra and Karnataka
• Published papers on Taxonomy of Acridida in Maharashtra and Karnataka as well as Telangamna.
• Published papers on Taxonomy of Mammals of Maharashtra.

Mentorship

Supervised 5 students for dissertation

Research Focus(max. 5 bullet points)

Taxonomy of Mammals, Acrididae and Coccinellidae

Publications

(Max. 5)

Kumar S., Sharma S., Singh F., Bhatnagar P.,Kumari N. (2021) A Mathematical Model for COVID-19 in Italy with Possible Control Strategies. In: Shah N.H., Mittal M. (eds) Mathematical Analysis for Transmission of COVID-19. Mathematical Engineering. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-33-6264-2_6

Bhatnagar, P.S. 2018. Linking taxonomy and conservation. Indian Forester. 144 (9) : 808 – 811.

Bhatnagar, P.S. 2016. A Comparison of Fossils of the Two Whale Families: Physeteridae and Monodentidae (Cetacea). Mongolian Journal of Biological SciencesVolume 14(1-2), 59- 61.

Venkatraman, K.; Bhatnagar, P.S. and Mitra, Bulganin. 2014. Proceedings of  the Seminar on ‘Importance of Taxonomy in Conservation of Faunal Diversity ‘ in Marathi, 1-86 . (Published – ENVIS Centre, Zoological Survey of India, Kolkata

Bhatnagar,P.S. 2013. A classified list of megachiroptera of south-east Asia. Malay Nature Journal.65( 2& 3) : 22-29.

ResearchGate profile

Social Media

Smt. Pallabi Priyadarsini

Assistant Zoologist

Highest Academic degree, year

MSc (Wildlife and Conservation Biology) 2010

MSc( Zoology) 20233

Department/Division

Central zone Regional centre, Jabalpur

Email Address

pallabi_priyadarsini@yahoo.com

Phone Number

7008083409

Area of Expertise

Taxonomy: Fresh water Mollusca

Experience after Ph. D.

11 years

Significant Achievements

- Working on Diversity and distribution of Freshwater molluscs in Central India

-Studied Brachyuran crab and Hermit crab diversity in Costal part of Odisha.

-Studied estuarine Molluscs diversity in Odisha coast.

- Identified and cleared Approx 6000 unidentified Molluscs and 150 Orthoptera collection from NZC.

Working on identifying Chilopoda collections of NZC, CZRC,ZSI.

Mentorship

-

Research Focus

- Taxonomy and classification of Freshwater Molluscs.

- Species diversity and distribution patterns of Centepede in Central India.

- To identify unidentified Molluscs, Centipede, Millipede collections of NZC, CZRC, ZSI.

Publications

• First record of three species of Millipedes (Diplopoda: Paradoxosomatidae) from Gujarat, India. Swetapadma Dash  Pallabi Priyadarsini. Journal of Biological Records, 2016, e0052016: 52-60.
• A Preliminary Study on the Diversity of Macrobenthic and Aquatic Insect Fauna of Subhadra Estuary, Ganjam, Odisha. Swetapadma Dash , S. D. Gurumayum , Pallabi Priyadarsini (2020) . Records of Zoological survey of india.120(2). https://doi.org/10.26515/rzsi/v120/i2/2020/129183
• Preliminary study on Faunal Diversity of Narmada and Tapi estuaries, Gujurat,India , Swetapadma Dash , S. D. Gurumayum ,  Kosygin,L., Pallabi Priyadarsini (2014) : Island Biodiversity, U. P. State Biodiversity Board.65-72.
• Priyadarsini, P. and Kushwaha, S. 2023. Diversity and Distribution of Freshwater Molluscs in Pench Tiger Reserve, Madhya Pradesh, India. International Journal Global Science Research, Vol.10 (1).pp.1992-2000.
• Chouhan, S., Paunikar, S. and Priyadarshini, P. (2023). Record of pestiferous land snail, Macrochlamysindica Godwin–Austin, 1883 (Mollusca: Gastropoda: Ariophantidae) in Dehradun, Uttarakhand, India. International Journal of Zoology and Applied Biosciences, 8 (3):1-4.

ResearchGate profile

Not available

Social Media

Twitter: @ pallabi­­_priyadarsini

FB: not available