Overview
- ZSI has named the soil-dwelling species Neelus sikkimensis after documenting it in high-altitude Sikkim.
- It is the first record of the genus Neelus in India, bringing the global count for the genus to eight species.
- The research was conducted by ZSI’s Apterygota Section led by Gurupada Mandal with team member Kusumendra Kumar Suman.
- The findings were published on December 1 in the Journal of the Entomological Research Society.
- ZSI described an extremely minute body adapted to deep soil and moss layers and emphasized springtails’ role in nutrient cycling and soil health.