On May 22, during the 31st International Day for Biological Diversity, the China Biodiversity Committee of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, along with collaborators, unveiled the "China Species Catalog 2024" at a symposium held in Beijing.
According to information shared at the event, the 2024 edition of the catalog includes a total of 155,364 species and infraspecific taxa, comprising 141,484 species and 13,880 infraspecific taxa. This marks an addition of 6,423 species and 267 infraspecific taxa compared to the 2023 edition.
"In 2008, when we first released the China Species Catalog, the total number of species was over 45,000. This year, it has increased to more than three times the original count," stated Ma Keping, Vice Chairman and Secretary-General of the China Biodiversity Committee of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. He highlighted that the catalog addresses the fundamental question of "what is biodiversity" at a comprehensive level across China.
Grey Heron. Photographed by Song Huiqiang, Beijing Miyun District Gardening and Greening Bureau.
White-naped Crane. Photographed by Song Huiqiang, Beijing Miyun District Bureau of Parks and Greening.
Leading Animal Species
It is worth noting that, as Mark Pyne pointed out, since the first listing was released, after 17 years of iterative updates, the plant species that initially led the list have been replaced by animal species.
In the 2024 edition of the list, the animal section includes a total of 73,862 species and infraspecific taxa. Among them, insects and invertebrates account for the largest proportion in the animal section, with 60,769 species. The animal kingdom has added 4,045 species and 159 infraspecific taxa, making it the group with the highest number of newly recorded species in this year's list, especially the order Coleoptera in the class Insecta, which has added 3,275 species, effectively filling the gaps in the Chinese biological species list.
Narrow-winged ladybird beetle. Photo by Zhang Runzhi, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences.
The Red Sleeve Wax Cicada. Captured by Zhang Runzhi from the Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences.
In addition, the plant section includes a total of 47,474 species and infraspecific taxa, while the fungi section includes 27,807 species and infraspecific taxa. Furthermore, the catalog also encompasses 2,503 species and 63 infraspecific taxa from the native animal kingdom, 1,968 species and 413 infraspecific taxa from the chromista kingdom, 463 species and 6 infraspecific taxa from the bacteria kingdom, and 655 species and 150 infraspecific taxa from the virus kingdom.
"China is the only country in the world that updates its biological species catalog annually. The data provided by the catalog serves as a core foundation for biodiversity, playing a crucial role in carrying out innovative conservation efforts, promoting international cooperation, and fulfilling international conventions," said Lin Congtian, an engineer at the Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and a member of the catalog editing team.
Based on the 2024 edition of the catalog, the "2024 Edition of the Miyun District Biological Species Catalog" was also released during the meeting, featuring a total of 3,785 species, including 1,124 vascular plants, 480 terrestrial wild animals, 55 fish species, 439 algae species, 199 planktonic animals, 1,255 insects, and 233 large fungi. This provides a glimpse into the biodiversity of the capital city, Beijing.
Pigweed (Amaranthus blitum subsp. microphyllus). Photo by Lin Qinwen, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences.
Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Botany, photo by Lin Qinwen.
The photo shows a Primula species at the summit of Yangji Peak. Photo by Lin Qinwen, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences.
Taxonomy in Need of "Rescue"
Since 2008, the Chinese Academy of Sciences Biodiversity Committee and its partners have organized over 300 experts to comprehensively collect and compile publicly available data on Chinese biological species, releasing 17 annual species lists.
"Over the past 17 years, the significant increase in the number of species in the list indicates that our team has been quite successful in inheritance," said Mark Ping. Initially, the biological species list was organized by only three scientists, including Yao Yijian, a researcher at the Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences; today, the editing team of the list has been replaced by a group of young people who are continuing this work excellently.
The editing work of the species list continues to attract more scientists to participate. Last year, Lin Congtian received a "self-recommendation" email from Dong Yajie, an associate researcher at the Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, saying, "Currently, there are very few terrestrial mollusk species in the biological species list. If this work has not been carried out yet, my team can compile a list of about 200 snail species."
Despite many achievements, at the meeting, several scientists from the editing group expressed that there are still many aspects that need to be strengthened, and taxonomy urgently needs "rescue."
"The list of biological species may seem simple, but behind it are the efforts and support of taxonomists. Otherwise, this work cannot be accomplished," said Mark Ping.
As a fundamental discipline supporting biodiversity research and conservation, the development of Chinese biological taxonomy is facing challenges. Currently, the status of many biological taxonomists in China is shrinking rapidly, similar to endangered species.
"Usually, each species category in the Chinese biological species list must have expert reviewers, but due to the reduction in taxonomists, many species groups cannot find suitable experts for review," said Ji Liqiang, a researcher at the Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences.
He stated that China is the only country that integrates information on all species within a node according to the international "Species 2000" standard every year, but there are still many blank spots in the Chinese biological species list because of the lack of taxonomists who have to seek alternative ways to make up for and improve this situation.
This year, in response to this deficiency, the editing group had to "pour out" the list of bamboo insect species distributed in China from the global biological species list to fill in the gaps.
Five-angled ghost shrimp. Photographed by Ke Wang from the Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences.
The Yunnan Branch Coral Fungus. Captured by Wang Ke from the Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences.
"Going Global" in Chinese Biological Species Research
At this symposium, the latest important biological species groups newly published by Chinese scientists in 2023 were announced. This includes 93 new species of vertebrates, 989 new taxonomic units of insects, 14 new genera and 235 new species of plants.
Li Shuqiang, a researcher at the Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, introduced that in 2023, 344 scholars worldwide published one new family, 70 new genera, and 1,240 new species of spiders, with 94 Chinese scholars contributing 33 new genera and 507 new species, leading globally.
Of note, the new spider species published by Chinese scholars not only come from China but also from 11 other countries including Vietnam and Myanmar.
Other data also indicates the increasing globalization of Chinese scholars in the field of arachnology. For instance, in 2023, Chinese scholars named 41% of the new taxonomic units globally, up from 37% in 2022, 33% in 2021, and an average contribution rate of 28% from 2016 to 2020. Among the top 30 scholars globally who named the most new spider species in 2023, 13 were Chinese scholars.
In 2023, Li Shuqiang named 171 new taxonomic units, maintaining his position as the "person who discovers the most new spider species in the world." From 2016 to 2023, he named 1,349 new taxonomic units, accounting for 19% of the total new spider taxonomic units published worldwide during the same period.
"Currently, Chinese biological species research is expanding outward," said Mark Paine. Since 2015, the Asian Plant Digitalization Project led by the Biodiversity Committee of the Chinese Academy of Sciences has established collaborations with experts from many countries, completing the initial plant catalogs of 48 countries/regions in Asia. Currently, more institutions are participating, such as the Center for Northeast Asian Regional Integration at Peking University and the Central Asian Ecology and Environment Research Center at the Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences.
"In the future, by establishing a digital platform for temperate Asian plants through multi-party cooperation, more people will recognize the importance of this matter and actively participate, allowing Chinese biological species research to go global," Mark Paine stated.
Leaf-footed bug. Photo by Zhang Runzhi, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences.
Gastrochilus japonicus. Photo by Lin Qinwen, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences.
