Species In News-27th Sep 2025

Bonnet Macaques

In News: Nine bonnet macaques were found dead in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, raising fears of poisoning or disease.

About

• Nine bonnet macaques were found dead near the Mankayam check-post in the Palode forest range of Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, raising concerns of poisoning or disease. 
• The monkeys were discovered in and around rubber plantations along a stream, with some exhibiting signs like foaming at the mouth and tremors before death. 
• The forest department has registered a case of unnatural death, and initial investigations suggest possible poisoning, potentially from traps or poisoned bait meant for wild elephants. 
• However, a conclusive cause is yet to be confirmed after necropsy and further tests. Samples are being sent to the National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases in Bhopal to rule out viral infections like Kyasanur Forest Disease (KFD) and for poison analysis. 
• The incident highlights issues of human-wildlife conflict, where local residents have complained about macaques damaging crops and property. Conservation authorities are monitoring the situation closely.

Asiatic  Lion

In News: The Asiatic lion population in India has shown a remarkable increase, rising from 674 in 2020 to 891 in 2025, a growth of about 32.2%, confirming continued expansion beyond the Gir Protected Area into a wider landscape in the Saurashtra region of Gujarat. 

• Nearly 50% of the lions now reside outside designated protected areas, dispersing into village and farmland patches which brings increasing human-lion interactions and conflicts. 
• This spillover is a longstanding trend but poses significant challenges for conservation managers, scientists, and local communities who must jointly decide on conservation strategies going forward.
• Currently, mitigative measures to handle human-lion conflicts have not fully resolved the problems, partly because the actual nature and drivers of the issues are not clearly defined. 
• Local communities living in interface zones face threats to safety, livelihoods, and property, and their concerns have led to resentment requiring conservation policies to be more accommodative to their needs. 
• Better communication and cooperation between conservation managers and communities are essential to avoid misunderstandings and address conflicting interests such as tourism, land use changes, and safety issues.
• The Asiatic lion population remains vulnerable due to being largely confined to a single geographical area, which risks disease outbreaks and genetic bottlenecks. 
• India’s Supreme Court had ordered the establishment of a second population in Madhya Pradesh’s Kuno National Park, but political and inter-state delays have stalled this. 
• Conservation efforts emphasize a multi-pronged approach involving habitat expansion, genetic diversification, conflict mitigation, and community engagement to safeguard the future of the species.

Apterichtus kanniyakumari

In News: A new species of finless snake eel named Apterichtus kanniyakumari has been discovered off the Colachel coast in Kanniyakumari district, Tamil Nadu. 

• It was identified by researchers from the National Bureau of Fish Genetic Resources (NBFGR) during marine biodiversity studies. 
• The species is characterized by distinctive features such as a golden-yellow body coloration, pale white ventral head with yellow lines along the lower jaw, and three black blotches behind the eyes, at the mouth corner (rictus), and behind the rictus origin. 
• Genetic analysis based on the mitochondrial CO1 gene confirmed Apterichtus kanniyakumari as a distinct species closely related to Apterichtus nanjilnaduensis. 
• This discovery highlights the rich marine biodiversity of the southeastern Arabian Sea and marks the 16th new species described from the Indian coast by the NBFGR team. 
• The species was found at about 100 meters depth during deep-sea trawling and adds important knowledge to the taxonomy and conservation of marine life in the region.

Eurhinosaurus mistelgauensis

In News: Researchers from Switzerland and Germany, led by Gaël Spicher at the JURASSICA Museum in Porrentruy, Switzerland, have identified a new species of ichthyosaur from the Jurassic period named Eurhinosaurus mistelgauensis. 

• This species was discovered based on exceptionally well-preserved fossils found in the Mistelgau clay pit in Upper Franconia, Bavaria, Germany. 
• The fossils include two nearly complete skeletons and a partial snout, exhibiting the genus’s characteristic elongated upper jaw with a pronounced “overbite” similar to a modern swordfish. 
• Eurhinosaurus mistelgauensis is distinct from previously known species by its notably robust ribs and unique features in the joint connecting the skull and neck. 
• The Mistelgau site is important for revealing rare insights into Jurassic marine ecosystems, and the new species represents the youngest stratigraphic occurrence of the genus Eurhinosaurus. 
• Further research on this material aims to explore the ecology and life history of these ancient marine reptiles. The findings were published in the journal Fossil Record in September 2025.

Careproctus colliculi

In News: Scientists recently discovered three new species of deep-sea snailfish off the coast of California, including the notably “cute” bumpy snailfish (Careproctus colliculi). 

• This species was first observed in 2019 at about 3,268 meters (10,722 feet) depth in Monterey Canyon using remotely operated vehicles (ROVs). 
• The bumpy snailfish is distinctive for its pink color, bumpy skin texture, large eyes, and round head. 
• It is an adult female about 9.2 cm long. Alongside the bumpy snailfish, two other new species were identified: the dark snailfish (Careproctus yanceyi) with a fully black body and flattened head, and the sleek snailfish (Paraliparis em) featuring a long, compressed black body and angled jaw. 
• These discoveries highlight the rich biodiversity of the deep ocean, a largely unexplored habitat, and provide key insights into adaptation and survival in extreme deep-sea environments. 
• The findings were published in the journal Ichthyology and Herpetology, emphasizing the importance of technological advances in deep-sea exploration.

Download as PDF