Six New Scarab Beetle Species Discovered in India
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Event | Discovery of six new species of scarab beetles in India. |
| Journal | Published in Zootaxa. |
| Key Highlights | - Six new species identified in the subfamily Sericinae. |
| New Species | 1. Maladera champhaiensis (Champhai, Mizoram) <br> 2. Maladera barasingha (named after swamp deer) <br> 3. Maladera lumlaensis (Lumla, Arunachal Pradesh) <br> 4. Maladera onam (Kerala, named after Onam festival) <br> 5. Neoserica churachandpurensis (Churachandpur, Manipur) <br> 6. Serica subansiriensis (Subansiri, Arunachal Pradesh) |
| Discoverers | Dr. Devanshu Gupta, Dr. Debika Bhunia, Dr. Dirk Ahrens, Dr. Kailash Chandra |
| Regions of Discovery | - Five species in Northeast India <br> - One species in Kerala, Western Ghats |
| Biodiversity Hotspots | - Eastern Himalayas (Northeast India): Center of endemism and evolution <br> - Western Ghats: UNESCO World Heritage site, rich in endemic species |
| Method of Discovery | Study of Zoological Survey of India's National Zoological Collection in collaboration with Germany's Museum A. Koenig. |
| Additional Contributions | 28 new state records added, e.g., Maladera bengalensis in Goa, M. seriatoguttata in Maharashtra. |
| Ecological Importance | - Soil aeration, nutrient recycling, pest control <br> - Some species act as agricultural pests <br> - Integral to ecosystem balance and food webs |
| Significance | Highlights international cooperation in conservation science and stresses the need for further sampling and closing knowledge gaps. |