29 Oct 2024        10:41:07 am

Environmental Ecology

Onitis bordati

Tags : Onitis bordati

Topic: Biodiversity

Why in the news?

• Researchers have made a significant discovery in the wilds of Meghalaya from an elephant dung. A dung beetle species Onitis bordati was discovered in a bamboo-dominated secondary forest near Nongkhyllem Wildlife Sanctuary.

Source: The Hindu 

About Onitis bordati: 

• It is a dung beetle species belonging to the genus Onitis.
• Males of most species have distinctive forelegs that are long, slender, and curved, often with teeth or spines.
• Dung beetle species were previously only found in Vietnam and Thailand.
• They are known for their ecological functions, such as seed dispersal, nutrient cycling, and pest control, and plant growth.
• Habitat destruction and climate change pose significant threats.

Nongkhyllem Wildlife Sanctuary:

• It falls in the Eastern Himalayan Global biodiversity hot spot and is located in the state of Meghalaya.
• It consists of undulating plains to low hills, which are part of the Archaean Meghalaya Plateau.
• The area has become broken and rugged, especially towards west and north, because of continuous erosion by the rivers Umtrew, Umran, Umling, Umtasor and other smaller streams. The Umtrew is the main river of the area and the rest are its tributaries. 
• The Umtrew river marks the western boundary of the Sanctuary.
• It is home to Clouded Leopards, Elephants, and the Himalayan Black Bear.
• Shorea robusta, Tectona grandis, Terminalia myriocarpa, Gmelina arborea etc. plants are found here.

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