Queen of polka dots
Yayoi Kusama, 88, is a world famous Japanese artist known as ‘the queen of polka dots’. Known for her use of vivid colour in her works that often depict polka dots and spotted pumpkins, Kusama will open a museum exhibiting her works in Tokyo in October. AFP THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Two new primitive species of earthworm have been discovered in the Western Ghats mountain ranges in Kerala, scientists said on Friday.
The new earthworm species named Drawida polydiverticulata and Drawida thomasi are distinguished by a set of characters, said researchers at Mahatma Gandhi University in Kerala and Shoolini University in Himachal Pradesh.
For Drawida polydiverticulata, its multiple lobes, also called diverticulums — an organ located in the front of its body — are unique amongst the members of the genus.
This species was found to be widespread in the protected shola grasslands of the Munnar region, including Eravikulam National Park, Pampadun Shola National Park and Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary, researchers said.
The second new earthworm, Drawida thomasi, was collected at the Kozhippara Waterfalls near Kakkadampoyil, at the border between Malappuram and Kozhikode, they said.
In addition to the new species belonging to the primitive family Moniligastridae, the scientists also report the occurrence of five species of the same genus that have not previously been recorded from the state.