Two new moniligastrid earthworm species discovered in Silent Valley National Park

Key facts

• Researchers discovered two new moniligastrid earthworm species in Silent Valley National Park, part of the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve (NBR) in the Western Ghats.
• The species are Moniligaster girishi and Drawida reynoldsi, belonging to the family Moniligastridae.
• Moniligaster girishi was collected from tropical wet evergreen forest near Chembotti.
• Drawida reynoldsi was collected from montane grassland between Sispara and Anginda.
• Moniligaster girishi is named after P. Girish Kumar, scientist at the Zoological Survey of India’s Western Ghats Regional Centre, Kozhikode.
• Drawida reynoldsi is named after John Warren Reynolds, Canadian earthworm specialist.
• India’s recognised moniligastrid fauna now totals 95 species, with 70 species reported from the Western Ghats.
• Kerala hosts the highest moniligastrid species richness among Western Ghats states, with 30 Drawida and 13 Moniligaster species.
• Nilgiri Hills harbour about 43% (16 species) of Tamil Nadu’s 37 recorded moniligastrid species.
• The discovery is published in the peer-reviewed journal Zootaxa.