News Excerpt: The Zoological Survey of India(ZSI) has named a new marine species of head-shield sea slug after President of India Droupadi Murmu.

More About News: 

• The new species belonging to the Melanochlamys genus was discovered off the coasts of Digha in West Bengal and Udaipur in Odisha. 
• Named Melanochlamys Droupadi, this previously unknown head-shield sea slug is distinctive to these regions and has not been found elsewhere in the world.
• Members of the Melanochlamys genus are characterized by their short, blunt cylindrical bodies and smooth dorsal surfaces, typically adorned with two dorsal shields, the anterior cephalic and posterior shield.

Characteristics: 

• Melanochlamys Droupadi is a diminutive invertebrate, reaching a maximum length of 7 mm. It exhibits a brownish-black coloration with a distinct ruby red spot at its hind end. 
• Internally, it possesses a shell within its body and is hermaphroditic in nature. These sea slugs are commonly observed crawling on intertidal zones, leaving distinctive crawl marks on sandy beaches. 
• Reproduction is thought to take place between November and January. 

Distribution: 

• According to the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI), species within the Melanochlamys genus are typically found in temperate regions of the Indo-Pacific Ocean.
• However, only three species display a truly tropical distribution i.e Melanochlamys Papillata from the Gulf of Thailand, Melanochlamys Bengalensis from the coasts of West Bengal and Odisha, and the newly discovered Melanochlamys Droupadi.