• 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.

In 2021, the first marine tardigrade species from India were discovered at Vadakara in Kerala. It was named Stygarctus keralensis.

• 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.