ZSI discovers new micro-arthropod species in eastern Himalayas

Scientists from the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) have discovered a new species of Diplura in the eastern Himalayas, marking a historic milestone in Indian entomology.

The newly identified wingless, soil-dwelling micro-arthropod- the largest phylum of invertebrates named Lepidocampa sikkimensis.

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The researchers believe that it belongs to an ancient group of hexapods and is the first species of its kind to be described by an Indian research team.

According to entomology hexapod is a six-legged arthropod belonging to the class Hexapoda.

The findings were published on 7 January in the internationally reputed taxonomic journal Zootaxa, ending nearly five decades of stagnation in Diplura research in India.

Until now, 17 species had been recorded in the country, all discovered by foreign researchers.

The research team, led by Dr Surajit Kar and comprising Souvik Majumdar, Pritha Mondal, Gurupada Mondal and Kusumendra Kumar Suman, identified the species from specimens collected near Ravangla in Sikkim.

Its presence was later confirmed in Kurseong, indicating that the species may be distributed across the eastern Himalayan region.

According to ZSI Director Dhriti Banerjee, the discovery is significant for documenting soil biodiversity in India and for understanding ecosystem functioning.

“The research on lesser-known but ecologically important groups like Diplura is crucial, particularly in biodiversity-rich regions such as the Himalayas,” she said.

The species has been distinguished by its unique arrangement of body scales, specific chaetotaxy or bristle pattern, and specialized appendage structures.

Diplurans, commonly known as two-pronged bristletails, are blind primitive hexapods that play an important role in maintaining soil nutrient cycles and preserving soil structure.

In addition to describing the new species, the team also rediscovered a rare subspecies, Lepidocampa juradii bengalensis, which had not been recorded for nearly 50 years.

The study further achieved a molecular milestone by providing DNA barcode data for an Indian Lepidocampa species for the first time, bridging traditional morphology-based taxonomy with modern molecular evolutionary research and adding critical data to India’s soil biodiversity records.