A new genus of earthworm has been identified and added to Mahatma Gandhi University’s extensive collection, which now surpasses 21,000 specimens. The discovery, part of ongoing research at the Advanced Centre for Environmental Studies and Sustainable Development (ACESSD), has been published in the international journal Zootaxa, based in New Zealand.
The research team, comprising Dr. S. Prasanth Narayanan of ACESSD, Dr. A.P. Thomas, Director of ACESSD, and Dr. J.M. Julka, former Joint Director of the Zoological Survey of India and faculty member at Shoolini University, Himachal Pradesh, identified these earthworms from the forest regions of Pathanamthitta, Kollam, and Thiruvananthapuram districts. The new genus, named Aiyeriella Narayanan & Julka, 2025, belongs to the Megascolecidae family and is the second earthworm genus to be described from Kerala after independence.
Along with the new genus, two new species have also been identified and scientifically described: Aiyeriella quadritheca (Narayanan & Julka, 2025) and Aiyeriella longiprostata (Narayanan & Julka, 2025). The first species was found in the evergreen and deciduous forests, as well as Tectona grandis plantations with secondary growth in Pathanamthitta and Kollam districts. The second species is present in both forested areas and residential surroundings in Thiruvananthapuram.
Aiyeriella falls within the Indomalayan group of meronephric megascolecid genera, characterised by a lumbricine arrangement of setae, combined male and prostatic pores on segment 18, an oesophageal gizzard anterior to septum 5/6, and the absence of intestinal caeca, typhlosole, calciferous glands, and supra-intestinal glands. It has tubuloracemose, strap-shaped prostates and lacks stomate mega- and micromeronephridia in segments posterior to the clitellum. The genus shares similarities with Lennoscolex Gates, 1960 and Comarodrilus Stephenson, 1915.
The genus has been named in honour of the late Dr. K.S. Padmanabha Aiyer for his significant contributions to the taxonomy of earthworms in the Travancore Kingdom during the early 20th century. According to Dr. Prasanth Narayanan, the discovery offers new insights into the biodiversity of these regions and will be valuable for further research on soil composition and ecosystem health.
ACESSD, an inter-university research centre at Mahatma Gandhi University established in 2010, conducts studies in seven research areas, including earthworm taxonomy and ecology. According to its founding director, Dr. A.P. Thomas, the centre has documented over 21,000 earthworm specimens, identifying approximately 6,500 belonging to 135 species. Among these, 93 species were recorded from Kerala, while the rest originate from other states.
Dr. J.M. Julka plays a key role in training researchers at the centre. In 2023, ACESSD published a comprehensive book detailing all earthworm species discovered in India from 1872 to 2022.
Scientists from Kerala Agricultural University and CPCRI utilise the support of ACESSD for specimen identification and various research activities.
