About Jaechanax kuranganiensis:
- It is a new species of water-penny beetle.
- It was discovered in the fast-flowing Kurangani stream of the Bodi hills, in the Western Ghats of Tamil Nadu.
- It marks the first-ever record of its genus in Tamil Nadu. The genus was previously known only from three other species found in various Asian countries.
- The research team identified the new species by examining its distinctive larval form.
- Water-penny beetle larvae are famous for their flat, disc-like shape, which allows them to cling tightly to rocks in streams, resembling a tiny coin.
- Water-penny beetles play a vital role in the stream ecosystem, serving as an important part of the food chain.
- Researchers often use their presence and health as a bioindicator, a natural way to check the overall health and quality of the freshwater environment.
- The new species has been named kuranganiensis after the Kurangani stream where it was found.
- It is separated from its closest relatives by several key features on its larval body.
- Most notably, it possesses a unique groove, or oblique sulcus, on the shield-like segment behind its head (the pronotum).
- Furthermore, the researchers noted that the ninth and final abdominal segment of the larva is subrectangular and approximately 1.2 times wider than it is long, a crucial detail for distinguishing it from other known water-penny beetles.
- This groove forms a specific triangular structure that is not found in other species of the Jaechanax genus.
