Why in the News
According to The Hindu (8 September 2026), a new lichen species Buellia maharajensis has been described from Mathikettan Shola National Park in Idukki (Kerala). The research paper appears published on the Taiwania journal's page on 2 September 2026.
What Is in the Research Paper?
The research paper's title is "A new species of Buellia (Caliciaceae) from the Western Ghats, India with additional records for Kerala". According to the abstract, the new saxicolous species Buellia maharajensis is described from Mathikettan Shola National Park, Idukki. In morphology it is like B. quartziana but differs in the I- medulla, aethalea-type exciple and the absence of atranorin. A detailed comparison with close species has been given.
According to the same abstract, Buellia hemispherica and Buellia nilgiriensis have been recorded from Kerala for the first time. That is, one is a new species and two are new records only for Kerala.
According to The Hindu, the species was found at an elevation of about 1,351 m and it is the fourth new lichen species discovered from the park. According to the report, about 250 lichen species are recorded in the park, of which about 60 were new records for Kerala and 15 for India. The name was given in honour of the 150th anniversary of Maharaja's College, Ernakulam. According to the report, the park is 12.82 square km and the Kerala government notified it as a national park on 21 November 2003.
Where Does the Exam Confusion Happen?
"New species" and "new record for Kerala" are different things: B. maharajensis is new to science, while B. hemispherica and B. nilgiriensis were already described and were found in Kerala only for the first time. The elevation, the 250/60/15 count and the reason for naming are from the press, not the abstract.
The Direction of Preparation from Past Questions:
Statement-based questions have appeared in the official General Studies Paper-I of the UPSC Prelims 2023. So prepare the difference between a species, a place and the type of record. The questions below are original practice, not real PYQs.
Prelims Style: Practice Questions
1. With reference to Buellia maharajensis, on the basis of the abstract, consider the following statements:
1. It is a saxicolous lichen described from Mathikettan Shola National Park.
2. It is like Buellia quartziana in morphology.
3. It differs from B. quartziana because atranorin is present in it.
How many of the above statements are correct?
(a) Only one
(b) Only two
(c) All three
(d) None
See the answer and reason
Answer: (b) only two. Statements 1 and 2 are in the abstract. Statement 3 is wrong; the difference is of the absence of atranorin.
2. According to the abstract, which two Buellia species were recorded from Kerala for the first time?
(a) B. hemispherica and B. nilgiriensis
(b) B. maharajensis and B. quartziana
(c) B. quartziana and B. hemispherica
(d) B. nilgiriensis and B. maharajensis
See the answer and reason
Answer: (a). B. maharajensis is a new species; B. hemispherica and B. nilgiriensis are new records for Kerala.
3. According to The Hindu, in whose honour was the species named maharajensis?
(a) The 150th anniversary of Maharaja's College, Ernakulam
(b) A former forest officer
(c) The king of Kerala
(d) The old name of Mathikettan Shola
See the answer and reason
Answer: (a). According to the report, the name was chosen in honour of the academic heritage of Maharaja's College.
Sources:
Download This Article: PDF