Moths of India: A Field Guide, authored by renowned naturalist Sanjay Sondhi, is the first affordable and comprehensive photographic field guide dedicated to the rich and largely underexplored diversity of moths found across India. Featuring over 1,500 species, this volume brings together high-quality photographs and concise distributional information to help readers identify moths with ease and accuracy. India is home to an astonishing variety of moths—more than 12,000 species, many yet to be formally described. Globally, moths outnumber butterflies by nearly ten to one, yet in India, they have long remained underrepresented in popular natural history literature. The last major reference work on Indian moths was the four-volume Fauna of British India series authored by G. F. Hampson over a century ago. Moths of India: A Field Guide seeks to fill this long-standing gap, offering a user-friendly resource for students, amateur naturalists, and professional researchers alike. The book is structured taxonomically, with species organized by superfamily, family, subfamily, tribe, and genus. Each entry includes the scientific name, author details, and, where available, a common name, all in accordance with the standards of the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature (ICZN). The text also provides detailed information on regional and state-level distribution for each species. Where species appear visually similar, helpful notes on comparable species are included to assist with identification. In addition to species-level details, the guide includes valuable contextual data. The number of species within each genus is noted, and where possible, a full list of Indian species under that genus is provided. Plates identify the sex of the individual moths using standard gender symbols, and details on sexual dimorphism, such as size differences between males and females, are mentioned wherever applicable. Wingspan measurements, noted in millimetres, are based on the forewing length from apex to the base where the wing attaches to the thorax. More than just a field guide, this book is a call to appreciate and engage with the world of moths—a group of insects that are as fascinating and ecologically significant as their more celebrated butterfly cousins. By making moth identification accessible, Sanjay Sondhi’s work contributes meaningfully to the growth of citizen science and biodiversity awareness in India.

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Common questions