ZSI Discovers New Diplura Species
Scientists from the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) have discovered a new species of Diplura in the eastern Himalayas, marking a milestone in Indian entomology. The wingless, soil-dwelling micro-arthropod has been named “Lepidocampa sikkimensis”. The discovery ends nearly five decades of limited research on Diplura in India and represents the first species of its kind to be formally described by an Indian research team. The findings were published on 7 January in the international taxonomic journal “Zootaxa”. Ancient Hexapod Lineage Diplurans are primitive hexapods, a group of six-legged arthropods under the class Hexapoda. They are blind, soil-dwelling organisms commonly known as two-pronged bristletails. Researchers believe “Lepidocampa sikkimensis” belongs to an ancient evolutionary lineage of hexapods. Until now, 17 Diplura species had been recorded in India, all identified by foreign scientists. The new discovery signals a revival of indigenous taxonomic research in this le...