Melanochlamys Droupadi | 01 Mar 2024

Source: TH

The Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) has named a new marine species of head-shield sea slug with ruby red spot which was discovered along the coasts of West Bengal and Odisha, after President Droupadi Murmu, named Melanochlamys droupadi.

• Species of the genus Melanochlamys are characterised morphologically by a short, blunt and cylindrical body and a smooth dorsal surface with two dorsal equal or unequal shields, named the anterior cephalic and posterior shield.
• The species is small, brownish-black, with a ruby red spot at the hind end, and is a hermaphrodite.
• Reproduction of the species is observed between November and January.
• Melanochlamys droupadi secrete transparent mucus, shielding them from sand grains while crawling beneath smooth sand, making its body rarely visible.
• The ZSI states that while species in this group are typically found in temperate regions of the Indo-Pacific Oceanic realm, three species are truly tropical: Melanochlamys papillata from the Gulf of Thailand, Melanochlamys bengalensis from West Bengal and Odisha coast, and the Melanochlamys droupadi.