The new species of Indo-Burmese pangolin (Manis indoburmanica).
| Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

Scientists of the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) have identified a new species of Indo-Burmese pangolin (Manis indoburmanica) that diverged from the Chinese pangolin (Manis pentadactyla) approximately 3.4 million years ago.

The development of the species was likely influenced by dramatic geoclimatic changes in the Indo-Burma region, which is recognised as one of the world’s biodiversity hotspots. The details of the discovery was published in the paper ‘Indo‐Burmese pangolin (Manis indoburmanica): a novel phylogenetic species of pangolin evolved in Asia’ in international peer-reviewed journal Mammalian Biology.

“With the present findings, we advocate recognition of this novel lineage as Indo-Burmese pangolin, Manis indoburmanica – a distinct phylogenetic species of Asian pangolin. This lineage’s unique evolutionary history and genetic distinctiveness, highlighted by its divergence approximately 3.4 million years ago amid significant paleo-climatic shifts, underline its vulnerability and the critical need for targeted conservation measures,” the paper stated.

The discovery was led by a team of scientists led by Mukesh Thakur of the ZSI who used cutting-edge genomic tools to analyse mitochondrial genomes.

“This discovery is a testament to the power of modern genetic tools in uncovering hidden diversity. The Indo-Burmese pangolin not only enriches our understanding of Asian pangolins but also emphasises the need for region-specific conservation efforts,” Dr. Thakur said.

Lenrik Konchok Wangmo, a PhD scholar at the University of Calcutta and a key contributor to the discovery, played a vital role in identifying the holotype and paratype specimens from Arunachal Pradesh. “This species adds a new dimension to pangolin conservation, highlighting the importance of protecting their habitats from threats like poaching and habitat degradation,” Mr. Wangmo said.

The study was based on genetic analyses of specimens that confirmed that the Indo-Burmese pangolin diverged from the Chinese pangolin around 3.4 million years ago.

“A significant genetic distance of 0.038 and a barcode gap of 3.8% reinforced its status as a distinct species. The species is believed to have evolved in isolation during the Pliocene and Pleistocene epochs, influenced by climatic and geological shifts. Its current distribution spans parts of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, and possibly extends to Nepal, Bhutan, and Myanmar,” the scientists behind the discovery said.

Dr. Thakur emphasised that discovery of the Indo-Burmese pangolin underscores the urgent need to prioritise pangolin conservation. “Pangolins are among the most heavily trafficked mammals globally,” he said, adding that recognizing this species as distinct highlights its vulnerability and the pressing need for collaborative conservation measures across its range.”

Lauding the team of scientists for the discovery, ZSI Director Dhriti Banerjee said this remarkable finding demonstrates the critical role of scientific research in uncovering biodiversity and informing conservation action. “Protecting the Indo-Burmese pangolin is essential to safeguarding the ecological integrity of the Indo-Burma region,” Dr. Banerjee said.

Pangolins are among the most trafficked wild mammals globally. India is home to two species — the Indian Pangolin, found across the subcontinent; and the Chinese Pangolin, found across a larger area in south Asia. Bihar, West Bengal, and Assam have both species in their States. World Pangolin Day is observed every year on February 18.

The Zoological Survey of India announced the discovery of two spider species in the Western Ghats region, a biodiversity hotspot, in south India. A ZSI statement said the newly discovered species – Mimetus Spinatus and Mimetus Parvulus – highlight the importance of the region.

In its quest for exploration to underscore Western Ghat’s rich biodiversity @ZoologicalI unveiled two rare spider species & . #spiders#wildlifepic.twitter.com/6YDS2rTFtB

— Zoological Survey of India (@ZoologicalI) August 27, 2024

The addition of two new spiders brings the number of Mimetus species in India to three, all of which have been spotted from the southern part of the country, the surveyor said.

Speaking about the discovery, ZSI Director Dr Dhriti Banerjee said, “The Western Ghats plays a crucial role in the climatic conditions of the country and continue to surprise scientists with their high levels of endemism.” The discovery was made by a research team comprising Dr Souvik Sen along with Dr Sudhin PP and Dr Pradeep M Sankaran.

Mimetus Spinatus and Mimetus Parvulus were collected from the Mookambika Wildlife Sanctuary, Karnataka and Ernakulam district of Kerala respectively.

This discovery highlights the need for continued exploration and conservation efforts in the region, which is one of the world’s hottest biodiversity hotspots, she said on Saturday.

Dhriti Banerjee emphasised the importance of the Western Ghats, a UNESCO World Heritage site, in preserving India’s rich biodiversity.

She said this discovery assumes significance as it comes 118 years after the last Mimetus species was found in India.

“This long gap emphasises the need for more extensive surveys and research into the taxonomy and biogeography of spiders in India.

“The current findings suggest that the true diversity of Mimetus in the country remains largely unexplored, with the potential for more undiscovered species in India’s least explored areas,” she said.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

The new species of deep-water dogfish shark Squalus hima 
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

Scientists from the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) have discovered a new species of deep-water dogfish shark Squalus hima from Sakthikulangara fishing harbour in Kerala along the Arabian Sea.

Also read: Tamirabharani fish count reveals 36 species, smooth-coated otters 

Squalus is a genus of dogfish sharks in the family Squalidae. commonly known as spurdogs, and are characterized by smooth dorsal fin spines.

The discovery has been made by a team of scientists led by Bineesh K. K Scientist at the Marine Biology Regional Centre of ZSI and the discovery has recently been published in the journal Records of the ZSI.

“This species has been largely misidentified with S. mitsukurii and S. lalannei. However, morphological, meristic, morphometric evidence support it to be a separate and undescribed species. Squalus hima sp.nov differs from other species by the number of precaudal vertebrae, total vertebrae, teeth count, trunk & head heights, fin structure and fin colour,” said by Sweta Beura, lead author of the publication. 

In the Indian coast, two species of Squalus are found from the southwest coast of India and the new species, Squalus hima n.sp. very similar to Squalus lalannei, but differs in many characteristics.

The species belonging to Squalus megalops group are characterised by an angular short snout, a small mouth almost as wide as the snout, first dorsal fin origin behind the pectoral fins, and body without any spots.

Dr. Bineesh explained that the shark species belonging to the genus Squalus and Centrophorus are exploited for their liver oil that contains high levels of squalene (or squalane is when it is processed for products). It is in high demand for pharmaceutical industries particularly for making high end cosmetic products and anti cancerous products.

“ Fishermen from the southern coast of India and Andaman and Nicobar Islands are exploiting several such families of sharks to harvest their liver oil for the pharmaceutical industry. The discovery of the new species is important to conserve such varieties of shark,” Dr. Bineesh said,

The scientist added that dogfish sharks represent commercially important taxa because of their trade for their fins, liver oil and meat. Squalus species are also sometimes caught incidentally as bycatch in fisheries targeting other species.

Dhriti Banerjee, director of ZSI, lauded the discovery of a new species of dogfish shark and said that the Survey is conducting deep sea habitat explorations at depths of 1000-3000 metres to find out species diversity of sharks and rays under the special programme of Deep Ocean Mission of Ministry of Earth Sciences.

Dr. Bineesh said that his team has explored sharks and rays in the seas along the country’s coastline to a depth of about 1000 metres and in the next phase the species diversity upto 2000 metres will be explored.

This species Squalus hima is described on the basis of 13 specimens collected from the southwest coast of India during the surveys conducted to understand the diversity and distribution of deep-sea sharks from the Indian EEZ ( Exclusive Economic Zone).

A photograph of Melanochlamys droupadi, a head-shield sea slug with ruby red spot.
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

The Zoological Survey of India named a new marine species of head-shield sea slug with ruby red spot which was discovered from West Bengal and Odisha coast after President of India Droupadi Murmu.

This species belonging to Melanochlamys genus was discovered from Digha of West Bengal coast and Udaipur of Odisha coast. The new species of head-shield sea slug, which is found nowhere in the world, is named as Melanochlamys droupadi.

Species of the genus Melanochlamys are characterised morphologically by a short, blunt and cylindrical body and a smooth dorsal surface with two dorsal equal or unequal shields, named the anterior cephalic and posterior shield

In a statement, Dhriti Banerjee, ZSI director, said, “The species was confirmed by examination of morphological, anatomical and molecular characteristics. It is a small invertebrate with a maximum length up to 7 mm, brownish black in colour with a ruby red spot in the hind end, shell inside the body, hermaphrodite, normally crawling on the intertidal zone, which left the crawl mark behind them in the sandy beaches.”

“Their reproduction apparently occurs between November and January. The locality was designated as Hospital Ghat, Old Digha, which just 50 metre away from Marine Aquarium Regional Centre, Zoological Survey of India, Digha. The type specimens were deposited in Marine Aquarium and Regional Centre, Digha and Estuarine Biology and Regional Centre, Gopalpur,” she said.

According to ZSI, species of this group are generally distributed in temperate regions of the Indo-Pacific Oceanic realm but three species are truly tropical distributed, Melanochlamys papillata from the Gulf of Thailand, Melanochlamys bengalensis from West Bengal and Odisha coast and the present species.

A scientific paper published by ZSI researchers Prasad Chandra Tudu, Sheikh Sajan, Smrutirekha Acharya and Anil Mohapatra says live Melanochlamys droupadi animals continuously secrete transparent mucus to form a sheath that prevents sand grains from entering parapodial space. It crawls beneath smooth sand to form a moving capsule where the body is rarely visible, the paper said.