Noakhali Science and Technology University (NSTU) teacher and marine biologist Dr Md Belal Hossain, who discovered two species of aquatic invertebrates in 2016 and stunned the entire nation, has yet again discovered two new ones – water mites.
Belal co-discovered the two species which were named Neumania nobiprobia and Arrenums smiti from the coastal region of Noakhali, writes Bangla Tribune.
The first species has been named after Noakhali Science and Technology University (NSTU), and the second one is named after the famous Dutch acarologist Harry Smith.
The two species were discovered during research done by five researchers from four countries. Montenegro’s famous acarologist Dr Vladimir, India’s Crescent International School Prof Tapas Chatterjee, a Polish biologist and Belal’s student Md Saiful Islam assisted him in his research, reports Bangla Tribune.
Md Belal Hossain is an associate professor of the department of fisheries and marine science at the university. He is the only Bangladeshi scientist who has made such a discovery and made a mark across borders and internationally.
The water mites are small arthropods belonging to the class Arachnida and the subclass Acari. They resemble small spiders. They are up to 2-3mm in size and are pale red and yellow in colour. They have a pair of antennas and four pairs of legs. They are usually found hanging on to the floating plants in ponds, rivers or canals. They feed on these plants for food. But during their larvae stage, they live in other aquatic animals as parasites and acquire food from them. They play an important role in the food chain of the ecosystem.
From April to August last year, Belal collected samples of mites from different ponds, canals and rivers of Noakhali. His student from NSTU’s department of fisheries and marine science, Saiful Islam, accompanied him in the pursuit. The samples that were collected by them were primarily indentified at the university’s lab. Later, to get conclusive results, the samples were sent to Dr Vladimir in the central European country Montenegro. Finally, Vlamidir confirmed the identification of the specimens.
Belal said: “As international recognition, an announcement titled, “First records of water mites from Bangladesh (Acari, Hydrachnidia) with the description of two new species” was published on the international journal Biotaxa in May 14, 2016. On the same day, the name of the species were included in the world renowned database Zoobank.”
He added: “This is the first time any research has been done on water mites. Our coastal or marine zones are rich in biodiversity. Due to inadequate research, a complete list of our country’s biodiversity could not be made yet. So far, however many research I have done were my own initiative and self-funded.
“If researchers and biologists get sponsorships by the government, it will be possible to study Bangladesh’s biodiversity like other countries.”
In 2016, Belal discovered a new species of nephtyid polychaete named Nephtys bangladeshi from the coastal region of Bangladesh, and a new species of amphipod from the subtidal waters of Brunei called Victoriopisa bruneiensis.
