Rediscovery of 220-Million-Year-Old Species of Velvet Worm in India’s Arunachal Pradesh
Summary:
A team of researchers at the Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and The Environment (ATREE) has rediscovered a long-lost species of velvet worms, estimated to be around 220 million years old, in India’s Arunachal Pradesh.
The rediscovery of Typhloperipatus williamsoni, a naturally rare species, has been confirmed by a team of researchers at the Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and The Environment (ATREE) after 111 years. The team, comprising Surya Narayanan, D.R. Priyadarsanan, A.P. Ranjith, R. Sahanashree, and Aravind Neelavar Ananthram, followed the trails of the Abor expedition and found two individuals of the species under stones while looking for ants in pre-monsoon season.
Lead:
A team of researchers at the Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and The Environment (ATREE) has rediscovered a long-lost species of velvet worms, estimated to be around 220 million years old, in India’s Arunachal Pradesh. The species, Typhloperipatus williamsoni, was first collected during the "Abor expedition" by Stanley Kemp, the erstwhile superintendent of the Indian Museum, Calcutta, and his team in December 1911 in Siang Valley. Since Kemp’s discovery, there has been no documented records of it from India.
Tracing the Colonial Trails
According to the paper, T. williamsoni was first collected during the "Abor expedition" by Stanley Kemp, the erstwhile superintendent of the Indian Museum, Calcutta, and his team in December 1911 in Siang Valley. Since Kemp’s discovery, there has been no documented records of it from India.
Living Fossils
"Onycophora is a very old group, easily older than 350 million years. It has only two families and not more than 200 species. The diversity is very less," explained Mr. Narayanan, lead author of the paper. "These were evolving almost simultaneously with dinosaurs. When the mass extinction happened, probably a lot of them were wiped out. What we see today is mostly those species which escaped extinction."
Turning a Corner
The molecular data from T. williamsoni indicated that South Asian onychophoras split from their neotropical and African relatives around 237 million years ago. "This rediscovery could actually turn the biogeographical story and could tell us more about how this one small group of animals ended up in Asia from the neotropics, which was always a puzzle," Mr. Narayanan noted.
More Species
The metallic blue ant, Paraparatrechina neela, more than 15 new species of parasitic wasps, a mollusc, and a gecko are among the other published discoveries. "We may take a few more years to discover all the new species we have collected in the expedition," said Mr. Priyadarshanan, who was part of the team. He added that more expeditions will be held in the region.
Conclusion:
The rediscovery of Typhloperipatus williamsoni, a naturally rare species, is critical in terms of addressing gaps in the evolutionary history of Asian peripatids. The study calls for the conservation of these habitats and broader sampling in the region. The discovery highlights the significance of Indian subcontinent as a hub for biodiversity and the importance of continued exploration and research in the region.
Keywords: velvet worms, Typhloperipatus williamsoni, Arunachal Pradesh, Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and The Environment, ATREE, Abor expedition, Onychophora, biogeography, evolutionary history.
Hashtags: #velvetworms #Typhloperipatuswilliamsoni #ArunachalPradesh #AshokaTrust #ATREE #Aborexpedition #Onychophora #biogeography #evolutionaryhistory
