Researchers discover two new species of earthworms in Koraput

Berhampur: Researchers from Department of Biodiversity and Conservation of Natural Resources, Central University of Odisha, Koraput, in collaboration with scientists from Advanced Centre of Environmental Studies and Sustainable Development, Mahatma Gandhi University, in Kerala, have unearthed two new species of Megascolex earthworms from the Eastern Ghats of Odisha.

During an earthworm diversity study conducted in different parts of Koraput district, CUO student Ayusmita Naik collected a few large earthworm specimens from Rani Duduma and Jeypore ghat areas, said Sharat Kumar Palita, Dean of the School of Biodiversity and Conservation of Natural Resources and the Acting VC CUO under whose supervision the specimens were examined in the laboratory by the researchers.

Later, with the support of R Paliwal, retired scientist of the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) and earthworm specialists Prasantha Narayanan and A P Thomas of Advanced Centre of Environmental Studies and Sustainable Development, Mahatma Gandhi University, the two large earthworm varieties were identified as two new species.

The earthworm varieties were subsequently identified as two new species, Megascolex jeyporeghatiensis and Megascolex quadripappilatus, which are completely new to science, Palita said. Megascolex quadripappilatus sp. nov. and M. jeyporeghatiensis sp. nov. occur in deciduous forests with brownish gravel-loamy soils.

With the new findings, the range of Megascolex genus has been extended further north in the less explored Eastern Ghats of India. With this discovery, the total number of Megascolex species has increased to 70, of which 34 are found in India, he said.

Most Megascolex species are restricted to the southern portion of the Western Ghats mountain ranges in the southwest corner of Peninsular India. With the discovery of these new species, the range of Megascolex groups of earthworms has been further extended into northern Peninsular India.