Allocaecilius Nilgiriensis: Scientists Discover New Insect Species in Western Ghats

Allocaecilius Nilgiriensis Latest news

Scientists from the Zoological Survey of India have discovered and described a new insect species and named it as Allocaecilius nilgiriensis.

About Allocaecilius Nilgiriensis

• It is a new barklice species, discovered in Nilgiri Hills.
• It is only the second time a member of this unique barklouse genus has ever been recorded in the country. It brings the total number of known Allocaecilius species worldwide to thirteen.
• Distribution: It is found across the lush landscapes of the Southern Western Ghats in Tamil Nadu and Keralam.
• Habitat: These tiny barklice are specialised inhabitants restricted to the damp, shaded canopies and understories of high-altitude shola and evergreen rainforests in the southern Western Ghats.
• Barklice are a vital microscopic clean-up crew, grazing harmlessly on the surface of tree bark, feeding on mould, fungi, algae, lichens, and dead organic debris
• Appearance
  • It has distinctive brown patches located in specific distal of its forewings, alongside specialised thumb-like structures on the male’s lower abdomen (hypandrium) and a deeply indented subgenital plate in females.

Source: RM

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