Team Blitz India
PUNE: A newly discovered beetle species from Morgaon village in Pune district has gained an important place in forensic science as it helps detect the time of death of an animal or human being. The beetle has been named Moreshwar as it was found near Moreshwar Temple.
The species was discovered by an Indian scientist Aparna Sureshchandra Kalawate who works with the Zoological Survey of India, Western Regional Centre, Pune. The study on this discovery was published recently in the New Zealand-based peer-reviewed international journal Zootaxa. ‘Omorgus (Afromorgus) Moreshwar’, is named after the Moreshwar Temple (or Shri Mayureshwar), located in village Morgaon in Pune, which is also an Ashtavinayak pilgrimage.
The beetles are also called keratin beetles. After the death of an organism, during the decomposition of a body, blowflies are amongst the first ones to arrive in the early stages. Meanwhile, the final successional stage is with the arrival of the keratin feeders, thus their importance in forensic science is immense.
The beetles of this group are sometimes called hide beetles as they tend to cover their body under the soil and hide. They are not photogenic; are usually black or grey and encrusted in dirt. Their bumpy appearance is distinct, with short, dense setae all over the body.
The beetles from this family are mainly associated with bird and mammal nests or burrows and the details of their life histories are poorly known.
The keratin beetles are less studied in the oriental region generally and India particularly as compared to the other part of the world. Also, considering the importance of these beetle species, It is needed to make the public aware of their importance and appearance.
