Omorgus Khandesh

In news– Omorgus Khandesh is the new beetle species has been discovered in India recently.

About Omorgus Khandesh-

Omorgus Khandesh is necrophagous and is, therefore, also called a keratin beetle.
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.
The bug was discovered by scientist Aparna Sureshchandra Kalawate who works with Zoological Survey of India, Western Regional Centre (WRC), Pune.
The beetle was found in the collections of WRC.
The new species belongs to the Trogidae family. With the addition of this new species, now there are a total of 14 extant species of this family in India.
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; they are usually black or grey and encrusted in dirt. Their bumpy appearance is distinct, with short, dense setae all over the body.
The new species is morphologically most similar to Omorgus rimulosus. The latter is redescribed and illustrated to enable accurate recognition of both species in the new paper.
Omorgus Khandesh is mainly associated with bird and mammal nests or burrows and the details of their life histories are poorly known.
They feign death upon being disturbed and become motionless.
The keratin beetles are less studied in the Oriental region generally and India particularly as compared to the other part of the world.