Bryospilus bharaticus:
A new species of water flea was discovered from moss growth found on walls of Korigad Fort near Pune and named it as Bryospilus (Indobryospilus) bharaticus n. sp.
- Bryospilus bharaticus is a species of water flea belongs to Bryospilus genus.
- This recent discovery from western India is the first for the whole of Tropical Asia.
- It uses antennae as ‘supports’ to crawl through thick, debris-filled water films on moss.
- The antennae have big spines that assist sideways and forward movement.
- The fleas’ main eye is absent because it lives in reduced light and does not require colour distinction for foraging.
- It has been found in semi-terrestrial habitats in rainforests of West Africa, South and Central America, and New Zealand.
- The distant relatives of this species are found in open waters, while many are found in littoral (vegetated) regions of different water bodies.
- The genus Bryospilus is a unique animal with characteristic adaptations suited for living in “semi-terrestrial” environments, such as water film found on mosses.
- Ancestors of this species were potentially present on the Indian subcontinent before the breakup of Gondwanaland started approximately 200 million years ago.
