Interfilum shuklaii:
A group of researchers at Catholicate College has discovered a new species of green algae named Interfilum shuklaii from the Western Ghats in Kerala.
- Interfilum shuklaii is a new species of green algae.
- It was discovered in the forests of Kerala’s Western Ghats.
- It is named after Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, a test pilot and astronaut with the Indian Air Force.
- It belongs to the family Klebsormidiaceae, under the order Klebsormidiales.
- It is distinguished by features such as a non-striated mucilage envelope and mother cell wall remnants forming a dome-shaped cap.
- It is the first-ever reported discovery of the genus Interfilum from India.
- Interfilum has emerging significance in biotechnology, carbon sequestration, biofertilizer development, and future space life-support systems due to its stress tolerance and efficient biomass production.
