Hyderabad now has a beetle named after it and it was hiding in a city pond

Amphiops hyderabadi was collected from a seasonal pond in Hyderabad.

Hyderabad: Scientists from the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) have discovered three new species of aquatic beetles in India, one of which has been named after Hyderabad, where it was found in a seasonal pond, according to a study published in the Journal of Natural History.

The newly identified species – Amphiops hyderabadi, Amphiops kinnerasani and Amphiops sandi – belong to the genus Amphiops, a group of freshwater scavenger beetles typically found in shallow ponds and wetlands.

With these additions, the number of Amphiops species recorded in India has doubled from three to six, the researchers said.

Amphiops hyderabadi was collected from a seasonal pond in Hyderabad, Amphiops kinnerasani from a roadside pond within Kinnerasani Wildlife Sanctuary in Telangana and Amphiops sandi from the Sandi Bird Sanctuary in Uttar Pradesh, according to the study reported by the Times of India.

“These findings highlight how India’s freshwater ecosystems continue to harbour unexplored biodiversity despite mounting environmental pressures,” Dr Deepa Jaiswal of the Freshwater Biology Regional Centre, ZSI Hyderabad, told TOI.

The study suggests the Indian peninsula may serve as an important centre for the diversification of the Amphiops genus, with possible links to Southeast Asian and other tropical lineages, the researchers noted.

The beetles are adapted to shallow freshwater habitats with muddy, vegetated substrates. Scientists said the findings underscored the need to conserve wetlands and ponds, many of which face threats from urbanisation, pollution and habitat degradation.