Kanchuria Tripuraensis and Kanchuria Priyasankari, Discovery, Location, Latest News

Smaller size and distinctive spermathecal structure

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Kanchuria Tripuraensis and Kanchuria Priyasankari Latest News

Conservation activists have expressed concern over tourism promotion through wildlife safari in the Kali Tiger Reserve.

These are two new species of earthworms discovered in Tripura.
Kanchuria tripuraensis has been named after Tripura, where it was found thriving in rubber and pineapple plantations — highlighting the ecological diversity of even agriculturally modified landscapes.
Kanchuria priyasankari is a tribute to Prof. Priyasankar Chaudhuri, whose four-decade-long dedication to earthworm taxonomy has placed Tripura on the national and international map for soil biodiversity studies.
K. tripuraensis is unique within its genus for having single ventromedian spermathecae in segments 7 and 8—a distinguishing morphological feature.
K. priyasankari, a member of the turaensis species group, is characterised by its comparatively smaller size and a distinctive spermathecal structure that sets it apart from its close relative, K. turaensis.
With these additions, the genus Kanchuria—which is endemic to Northeast India—the genus count reaches 10.
This discovery also raises the number of documented megadrile earthworm species in Tripura to 38, cementing the Eastern Himalaya–Northeastern Hills as the second-richest region in India in terms of earthworm diversity.