A species of hexapod originally described from the Nilgiris close to a century ago, with even the original ‘holotype’ specimen being lost, was “rediscovered” recently, with the complete mitochondrial DNA of the species – Ballistura fitchoides, being characterised by researchers at the Molecular Biodiversity Lab at the Government Arts College in Udhagamandalam.
“J. R. Dennis, a French scientist, in 1933 identified a rare species of springtail (Collembolla) insect from the Devarshola near Gudalur in Nilgiris. The taxonomy of this group is highly complex and has undergone many revisions. He named it Ballistura fitchi. Until now only two species of Ballistura are reported from India; the second one is from Bengal (Ballistura bengalensis by Yosii 1966)… He (Dennis) got only one or two individuals, and to make a clear description, he renamed it as Ballistura fitchoides in 1944 under the fitchi group. He deposited the specimens in the Musée National des Sciences Naturelles in Paris. Regrettably, the specimen vanished from the Musée National des Sciences Naturelles, leaving the world without any specimens of this species,” said R. Sanil one of the authors of the paper titled “Description of Ballistura fitchioides (Collembola; Isotomidae) from the Wayanad, Kerala, India with its mitogenome.”
R. Sanil, an associate professor from the Department of Zoology at Government Arts College in Udhagamandalam and head of the Molecular Biodiversity Lab in Udhagamandalam, along with his research students Anjooriya Jose and Narmadha S., worked with Dr. Mandal from the Zoological Survey of India in Kolkata and Dr. J. I. Arabea from Spain to discover the species again. They discovered a specimen at Kolavayal in Wayanad district, Kerala, about 35km from Devarshola in Tamil Nadu. As the original specimen (holotype – a single type specimen used to describe a species) has been lost, this specimen is called “neotype,” and it was obtained from decomposing plantain waste accidentally, noted Mr. Sanil.
Though 21 species are recorded throughout the world, genetic data of this genus are not available. The research team successfully characterised the complete mitochondrial DNA of this species, which is a promising discovery that can shed light on solving the taxonomical complexity of the genera, the researchers noted.
Mr. Sanil told The Hindu characterising mitochondrial DNA was extremely difficult, especially from specimens as small as a hexapod. “Till now, there is almost no genetic data accumulated about Ballistura species anywhere in the world. It is a matter of great pride that a small research lab in The Nilgiris, with limited funding has managed to accomplish this feat despite the challenges,” added Mr. Sanil, who is also the Principal of the to be constructed Government Arts and Science College in Coonoor.
He also noted that the lead author, Ms. Anjooriya Jose is from an Adivasi community in Wayanad, who is currently selected as a Project Scientist in the Zoological Survey of India, Chennai.
Published – June 09, 2025 08:45 pm IST
