Overview
- The Zoological Survey of India confirmed the discovery Monday, naming Neoloboptera peninsularis from farm leaf litter near Pune on the Deccan plateau.
- Scientists from ZSI and a Pune college used integrative taxonomy with DNA sequencing, producing the first DNA barcode for the genus.
- The insect has a yellowish-brown glossy body with full wings, asymmetrical cerci that are rear appendages, and a whip-like male genital part that diagnoses the species.
- Genetic data flagged distinct, unnamed lineages in Jharkhand, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka that may represent additional species.
- India previously had only two recorded Neoloboptera species, with PTI reporting a national tally of 190 cockroach species after this addition.