Batillipes kalami

• Researchers have identified a new species of marine tardigrade and named it after the late former President and scientist A.P.J. Abdul Kalam.

ABOUT TARDIGRADES

• Tardigrades are extremely tiny animals whose size is measured in micrometres.

• They are known for their extraordinary resilience and survival instincts.
• These water-dwelling animals also go by the rather unlikely moniker ‘water bears.’
• The marine species are smaller than their terrestrial counterparts and also tougher to identif

ABOUT BATILLIPES KALAMI

• The new species, discovered from Mandapam (close to Dr Kalam’s native place Rameswaram) in south-east Tamil Nadu, belongs to the genus Batillipes and has been named Batillipes kalami.
• Batillipes kalami is the second marine tardigrade to be discovered from Indian waters and the first one from the east coast.
• It is also the first taxonomically described species belonging to the genus Batillipes from India
• Batillipes kalami averages 170 micrometres (0.17 mm) in length and around 50 micrometres (0.05 mm) in width.
• It has a trapezoid-shaped head with sharp-tipped filament-like appendages (cirri) extending from it.
• All four pairs of legs possess sensory spines of varying length.
• The females are slightly bigger compared to the males.
• Batillipes kalami is the 37th species of the genus Batillipes.
  • Although Batillipes is a globally distributed genus, previous reports and studies are predominantly Eurocentric.