Pune: New Species Discovered in Pashan Lake: ‘Dugesia punensis’ Marks First New Indian Planarian Species in Four Decades

Pune, 4th June 2025: A significant new biological discovery has emerged from Pune’s Pashan Lake, where a new species of planarian worm, Dugesia punensis, has been identified. The discovery was made by Ph.D. scholar Mithila Chinchalkar and her research guide Dr. Ravindra Kshirsagar from the Department of Zoology at Modern College of Arts, Science, and Commerce, Ganeshkhind. Notably, this is the first time since 1983 that a new species of planarian has been scientifically recorded in India.

This newly identified species was found in western India’s Pashan Lake, and a specimen has been deposited at the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI). The species has been named Dugesia punensis, reflecting its place of discovery – Pune. The research has been published in the reputed journal Records of the Zoological Survey of India. The institution’s president, Prof. Dr. Gajanan Ekbote, joint secretary, Prof. Dr. Jyotsna Ekbote, Secretary Prof. Shamakant Deshmukh, Principal Dr Sanjay Kharat have congratulated the researchers. Scientists from the Western Regional Centre (WRC) of the ZSI have also acknowledged and appreciated the authors for their discovery.

Planarians are aquatic flatworms renowned for their extraordinary regenerative capabilities. Even if their body is cut into pieces, each piece can regenerate into a complete organism. This unique trait makes them highly valuable in stem cell research. Mithila Chinchalkar and Dr. Ravindra Kshirsagar are actively conducting research in this field, and the discovery of this new species is considered a significant milestone in their work.

This finding holds importance not only in the context of local biodiversity but also on a global scale in the fields of regenerative biology and stem cell research.