Two New Earthworm Species Discovered in Tripura: One Named After the State, Another in Honour of a Veteran Scientist
In a quiet but significant moment for biodiversity research, two previously unknown species of earthworms have been discovered in Tripura. reported the Tripura Times. The finding, emerging from a collaborative study by researchers from Tripura and Kerala, has not only enriched the scientific community’s understanding of northeastern India’s soil biodiversity but also brought a sense of pride for the state and its scholars.
The Tripura Times reported, the research team included Dr. Animesh Dey, Assistant Professor at the Ecology and Biodiversity Laboratory, Department of Zoology, Tripura University, along with S. Prasanth Narayanan, R. Paliwal, and others from Kerala. These two species—though only recently described—were actually first collected many years ago, between 2004 and 2010, during the doctoral work of Dr. Dey and his colleague Dr. Sabyasachi Nath. Their research, guided by the eminent Professor Priyasankar Chaudhuri, took them deep into the rubber and pineapple plantations of Tripura, where the tiny soil dwellers were quietly thriving.
Years later, a new generation of researchers has revisited those same grounds and collected the species again—this time with a name and a story to tell.
One of the newly discovered species has been named Kanchuria tripuraensis—a direct nod to the land that nourished it. The second species has been christened Kanchuria priyasankari, in honour of Professor Priyasankar Chaudhuri, whose decades-long dedication to the field of biodiversity research has shaped many careers and contributions.
One of the newly discovered species has been named Kanchuria tripuraensis—a direct nod to the land that nourished it. The second species has been christened Kanchuria priyasankari, in honour of Professor Priyasankar Chaudhuri, whose decades-long dedication to the field of biodiversity research has shaped many careers and contributions.
“This region—the Eastern Himalaya and Northeastern Hills—is a hotspot for earthworm diversity,” said Dr. Dey. “The genus Kanchuria, which was first described in 1988 by Julka, is endemic to this part of India, and with these two additions, now has a total of ten known species.”
“K. tripuraensis is unique in its genus—it has a single ventromedian spermatheca in segments 7 and 8, which makes it easy to distinguish from others. K. priyasankari, on the other hand, belongs to the turaensis-species group and features three pairs of spermathecal pores. It closely resembles K. turaensis, but can be identified by its smaller body size and specific spermathecal characteristics.”
He elaborated on the distinct features that set the two new species apart.
“K. tripuraensis is unique in its genus—it has a single ventromedian spermatheca in segments 7 and 8, which makes it easy to distinguish from others. K. priyasankari, on the other hand, belongs to the turaensis-species group and features three pairs of spermathecal pores. It closely resembles K. turaensis, but can be identified by its smaller body size and specific spermathecal characteristics.”
Detailed descriptions, photographs, and illustrations of these new species have now been made available through the researchers’ publication.
With these two new additions, the count of Kanchuria species has risen to ten, and the number of documented megadrile worm species in Tripura alone now stands at 38—making this small state an unsung champion of subterranean biodiversity.
In a breakthrough for soil biodiversity research in #Northeast, scientists have discovered two new species of #earthworms in #Tripura.#TheAssamTribune @mygovtripura https://t.co/LQSSWn87Yp
— The Assam Tribune (@assamtribuneoff) June 14, 2025
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