Insect Biosystematics and Conservation Lab, ATREE

31/01/2025

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MzMvlfBBXfA&list=PPSV&t=425s&ab_channel=AhmedabadUniversity

Priyadarsanan Dharma Rajan, Senior Fellow, Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE), as part of the workshop "The Grand Challenges: Insect Decline, Causes, and Consequences," a national-level seminar for the college students held on November 28 and 29, 2024, at Ahmedabad University discussed the importance of insects and the impact of climate change on their populations. He emphasised insects' crucial roles as herbivores, nutrient cyclers, and pollinators, highlighting their impact on agriculture and food production. He argues for responsible pesticide use, prioritising food security while acknowledging the need for sustainable practices. He concluded by emphasising the interconnectedness of ecosystems and the importance of insect conservation. Priyadarsanan Dharma Rajan

Priyadarshan Dharma Rajan, Senior Fellow, Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE), as part of the workshop "The Grand Challenges: In...

25/09/2024

The new report of Onitis bordati from Meghalaya is on Green Humor Green Humour, Seena Karimbumkara Priyadarsanan Dharma Rajan

https://www.instagram.com/p/DAVyZZPt90r/?igsh=NHZsZXBpcjFmZGY4

14/09/2024

A monograph on the revision of the dung beetle genus Onitis of the Indian subcontinent was published by Seena Karimbumkara & Priyadarsanan Dharma Rajan in the European Journal of Taxonomy. They have described three new species of dung beetles of genus Onitis from India and there is a new report to the Indian Subcontinent. Descriptions and images are provided for all 20 species from the Indian Subcontinent. Image 2: Onitis bhomorensis from Tezpur, Assam collected from the banks of river Brahmaputra and named after the bridge Kolia bhomora near to which it was collected; Image 3: Onitis kethai from BRT Tiger Reserve, named in memory of the late Mr. Ketha Gowda who was Dr. Priyan's field assistant during most of his field work; Image 4: Onitis visthara from the grasslands near Hesaraghatta lake; Image 5: Onitis bordati is a new report to the Indian subcontinent and was collected near Nonkhyllem WLS in Meghalaya. To read more: https://europeanjournaloftaxonomy.eu/index.php/ejt/article/view/2657

23/08/2024

We are pleased to inform you about the discovery of a new species of army ant. 𝘈𝘦𝘯𝘪𝘤𝘵𝘶𝘴 𝘬𝘰𝘥𝘢𝘨𝘶𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘴 sp. nov., belonging to genus 𝘈𝘦𝘯𝘪𝘤𝘵𝘶𝘴 Shuckard, 1840, has been described from India based on the worker caste. This species is a member of the 𝘈𝘦𝘯𝘪𝘤𝘵𝘶𝘴 𝘱𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘺𝘤𝘦𝘳𝘶𝘴 group and was discovered during a field survey conducted at the Pushpagiri Wildlife Sanctuary and the Honey Valley private estate, both located in the Kodagu district of Karnataka.

The species is named 𝘈. 𝘬𝘰𝘥𝘢𝘨𝘶𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘴 after its type locality, Kodagu district, where the Pushpagiri Wildlife Sanctuary is situated.

http://www.asian-myrmecology.org/doi/10.20362/am.017003.html

13/08/2024

We are pleased to inform you of the discovery of three new species of edible insects from Northeast India: 𝘊𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘥𝘪𝘶𝘴 𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘪 sp. nov., 𝘊𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘥𝘪𝘶𝘴 𝘦𝘴𝘤𝘶𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘶𝘴 sp. nov., and 𝘊𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘥𝘪𝘶𝘴 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘴 sp. nov. This discovery also led to the rediscovery of 𝘊𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘥𝘪𝘶𝘴 𝘧𝘶𝘴𝘤𝘶𝘴, 𝘊𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘥𝘪𝘶𝘴 𝘭𝘢𝘰𝘴𝘢𝘯𝘶𝘴, and 𝘊𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘥𝘪𝘶𝘴 𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘢𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘴, species that had not been documented for over 100 years. These edible bugs have a long history of being consumed by ethnic communities in Northeast India but remained unrecognized and undocumented in scientific literature until now.

The research was conducted by Swapnil Boyane, Dr. Sandeep Sen, Dr. Priyadarsanan Dharma Rajan, Pavan Kumar Thunga, Nikhil U. Joshi, and Dr. Hemant V. Ghate. The team named the new species to reflect their unique characteristics and the cultural significance to the communities in the region. The etymology of the species is as follows:

𝘊𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘥𝘪𝘶𝘴 𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘪 is named in honour of the Adi tribe, highlighting the cultural connection to the region.

𝘊𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘥𝘪𝘶𝘴 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘴, meaning "unexpected" in Latin, reflects the surprise of its discovery. This species is distinct from others in the genus, as it has only four segmented antennae and a cupreous dorsal colouration, while all other species in the genus are dark brown, yellow to black dorsally, and have five segmented antennae.

𝘊𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘥𝘪𝘶𝘴 𝘦𝘴𝘤𝘶𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘶𝘴 is named after the Latin word "esculentus," meaning edible, denoting the species' status as a delicacy among the local communities.

https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0298176

Image 1 The new species of 𝘊𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘥𝘪𝘶𝘴
Credit: Swapnil Boyane
Image 2 People searching for Diapausing 𝘊𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘥𝘪𝘶𝘴 bugs in Siang River bed
Credit: Swapnil Boyane

04/07/2024

Onthophagus (Strandius) subansiriensis Biswas, 1979 (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Scarabaeinae). A male specimen of this dung beetle was collected from Gobuk village, Arunachal Pradesh during the expeditions in Siang. This image is shared here as the species description in 1979 has only black and white illustrations and no subsequent publications seems to have an image of this species Priyadarsanan Dharma Rajan,Seena Karimbumkara, Scarabaeinae and other dung beetles from Palaearctic and Oriental Regions, Dung Beetles of India, Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE)

04/07/2024

Congratulations to Sahanashree R, Aswaj Punnath and Priyadarasanan Dharma Rajan for the press coverage on the discovery of the blue ant. It is listed among the top 5% of all research outputs scored by Altmetric with coverage in over 63 news outlets.

ATREE, along with filmmakers from Felis Creations, set out to explore Siang Valley's ecologically important families of plants, mammals, reptiles, fishes, insects and molluscs. They retraced the British route, from over a hundred years ago, along the Siang River. The colonists meticulously catalogued the biodiversity, resulting in several volumes of high-quality natural history and travelogues.

This expedition funded by National Geographic Society has resulted in the discovery of over 42 new species from the region, including the discovery of the blue ant. This discovery marks the first addition to the Paraparatrechina genus from the Indian subcontinent, since the description of the sole previously known species P. aseta 121 years ago.

12/06/2024

🔓 💎 🐜 • 2024 :: neela • A Remarkable of Paraparatrechina (Hymenoptera: : Formicinae) from the Eastern Himalayas,
novataxa.blogspot.com/2024/06/neela.html 🐜 💎
DOI: doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1203.114168 🔓

Abstract :: A new ant species, Paraparatrechina neela sp. nov., with a captivating metallic-blue color is described based on the worker caste from the East Siang district of , northeastern India. This discovery signifies the first new species of Paraparatrechina in 121 years, since the description of the sole previously known species, P. aseta (Forel, 1902), in the Indian subcontinent.



Etymology: The specific epithet is a noun in apposition, signifying the color blue in most Indian languages. It is used to describe the unique blue or sapphire color of this species.

R. Sahanashree, et al. 2024.  . 1203: 159-172.
DOI: doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1203.114168

10/06/2024

Blue colouration is relatively rare in ants, scientists say

10/06/2024

02/06/2024

We are pleased to inform you about the discovery of a new ant species in our lab. Unlike the common red, black, or brown ants, a stunning blue ant has been found in Yingku village in Arunachal Pradesh, northeastern India. This new species belongs to the rare genus Paraparatrechina and has been named Paraparatrechina neela. The word “neela” signifies the color blue in most Indian languages, a fitting tribute to the ant's unique coloration.

The ant was discovered during an expedition to the Siang Valley in Arunachal Pradesh to resurvey its biodiversity after the century-old ‘Abhor Expedition’. A team of researchers from ATREE, along with a documentation team from Felis Creations, Bangalore, embarked on a series of expeditions under the banner “Siang Expedition” to resurvey and document the region's biodiversity. This expedition was funded by the National Geographic Society through the wildlife-conservation expedition grant.

https://zookeys.pensoft.net/article/114168/
ZooKeys

Sahana R Krishna Priyadarsanan Dharma Rajan punnath

06/03/2024

Taeniogonalos deepaki- a new species of Taeniogonalos described and illustrated from Western Ghats, kerala, India. The male of Taeniogonalos eurysoma Chen & van Achterberg, 2020 is described for the first time along with its first distribution record from India.

The new species is named after Dr Deepak Deshpande who collected the specimen.

Such a great feeling to see your first new species getting published. Grateful to Dr Ranjith AP for the constant motivation.