An important turning point in Indian entomology has been reached with the announcement by scientists at the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) of the discovery of a new species of Diplura. An Indian research team has reported a species within this archaic hexapod group for the first time with the discovery of Lepidocampa sikkimensis, a wingless, soil-dwelling micro-arthropod.

The results fill a roughly five-decade gap in domestic studies on Indian Diplura and were published on January 7, 2026, in the esteemed international taxonomic journal Zootaxa. All of the 17 species that had previously been identified in the nation were originally described by researchers from other countries.

Dr. Dhriti Banerjee, Director of the Zoological Survey of India, said, “An important addition to the documenting of India’s soil biodiversity is the finding of Lepidocampa sikkimensis. Understanding how ecosystems function requires research into lesser-known but evolutionarily significant groups like Diplura. This achievement emphasizes the need for ongoing taxonomic work in areas with high biodiversity, such as the Himalayas”.

The Discovery: Lepidocampa sikkimensis

Led by Dr. Surajit Kar, the research team—including Mr. Souvik Mazumdar, Mrs. Pritha Mandal, Dr. Guru Pada Mandal, and Mr. Kusumendra Kumar Suman—identified the species from specimens collected near Ravangla, Sikkim. Subsequent findings in Kurseong, West Bengal, suggest the species maintains a broader distribution across the Eastern Himalayan range. The species is distinguished by its unique arrangement of body scales, specific chaetotaxy (bristle patterns), and specialized appendage structure. As primitive, blind hexapods, Diplurans (two-pronged bristletails) are fundamental to soil health, playing a critical role in nutrient cycling and the maintenance of soil structure.

The study offers a thorough update to Indian soil fauna data in addition to describing a new species:

Lepidocampa juradii bengalensis, a rare Indian Diplura subspecies that had not been seen in almost 50 years, was successfully relocated by the researchers.

The study closes a major gap between traditional morphology and contemporary molecular phylogenetics by providing the first DNA barcode data for an Indian Lepidocampa species ever published worldwide.

Priyanka Dutta