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Researchers Discover Two New Firefly Species and a New Wasp Species in India.

Environment | Dated: 13 Oct 2025

In October 2025, researchers discovered two new non-luminous firefly species — Lamellipalpodes kurumba and Lamellipalpodes debprasama — in Coonoor, Tamil Nadu (TN), and a new wasp species — Nesolynx banatibanea — in Central Park, Salt Lake, Kolkata, West Bengal (WB), marking India’s seventh recorded wasp species.

🎯 Key Highlights:

  • - The two new firefly species were found in the Nilgiris district, Tamil Nadu, and their discovery was published in the International Journal of Tropical Insect Science (IJTIS) by Springer Nature.
  • - Lamellipalpodes kurumba was named after the Kurumba tribe for conserving Nilgiris biodiversity, while Lamellipalpodes debprasama was named in tribute to the researchers’ parents. Both belong to the genus Lamellipalpodes under the family Lampyridae.
  • - The research was jointly conducted by iForNature Nature Club Laboratory, Wildlife and Nature Conservation Trust (WNCT), Kalyani University, Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS), and Pondicherry University (PU).

💡 Other Important Facts:

  • (i) The new wasp species, Nesolynx banatibanea, was discovered in Kolkata, West Bengal, and the findings were published in the Journal of the Korean Society of Applied Entomology.
  • (ii) Nesolynx banatibanea is India’s seventh recorded wasp species, belonging to the Hyperparasitoid type—parasites of other parasitoid wasps—highlighting biodiversity and ecological significance.
  • (iii) The wasp was discovered by Arnob Chakrovorty, Neveen S. Gadallah, Banani Bhattacharjee, Arjan Das Roy, and others. It was named banatibanea after “Banatibanea,” a Bengali term linked to Central Park, where the species was found.

📚 Test Your Knowledge:

Researchers recently discovered two new non-luminous firefly species in which Indian state?

Correct Answer: Tamil Nadu

🚀 Quick Recap:

About West Bengal (WB)

  • Chief Minister (CM): Mamata Banerjee
  • Governor: C. V. Ananda Bose