Researchers at the Cochin University of Science and Technology (Cusat) have identified a new species of marine tardigrade which they have named ‘Batillipes kalami’ after the late former President and scientist A.P.J. Abdul Kalam.
Tardigrades
- Tardigrades, often called water bears or moss piglets, are near-microscopic aquatic animals with plump, segmented bodies and flattened heads.
- Tardigrades were discovered in 1773 by the German zoologist Johann August Ephraim Goeze, who dubbed them “little water bear.”
- They are known for their extraordinary resilience and survival instincts.
- Tardigrades have the ability to cope with extreme environments by shutting down their metabolism. This ability to cope with drying out or freezing is what gives them their durability in the Antarctic.
- They have eight legs, each tipped with four to eight claws or digits.
- Though tardigrades are disarmingly cute, they are also nearly indestructible and can even survive in outer space.
- They can survive a wide range of environments: from altitudes of over 19,600 feet (6,000 meters) in the Himalayan mountain range to ocean depths more than 15,000 feet (4,700 m) below the surface.
- They wilt under heat, which could be a problem as climate change increases temperatures.
Batillipes kalami
- The new species, discovered from Mandapam in south-east Tamil Nadu, belongs to the genus Batillipes.
- Batillipes kalami is the second marine tardigrade to be discovered from Indian waters and the first one from the east coast.
- It is also the first taxonomically described species belonging to the genus Batillipes from India.
- Batillipes kalami is the 37th species of the genus Batillipes.
- Although Batillipes is a globally distributed genus, previous reports and studies are predominantly Eurocentric.
- Although three species were reported from Indian waters in the past, they lack proper taxonomic descriptions, making verification impossible.
