Kochi: A new species of lichen, Buellia maharajensis, has been discovered in Mathikettan Shola National Park, Idukki , and named in honour of Maharaja’s College, Ernakulam, as the institution marks its 150th anniversary.
The species was identified during a lichen diversity survey in the national park and has been described in the 2026 volume of the international journal Taiwania. The newly discovered species is a saxicolous lichen, growing on rock surfaces, and was recorded at an elevation of around 1,351m. The researchers had earlier reported three other new lichen species from Mathikettan Shola National Park.
Researchers said the name maharajensis was chosen to recognise Maharaja’s College and its long-standing contribution to education and scientific research. Three researchers associated with the Lichenology Laboratory of the postgraduate and research department of botany at Maharaja’s College — Aswathi Anilkumar, Arun Christy and Stephen Sequeira — are among the authors of the study. The team also includes Siljo Joseph of Kerala Forest Research Institute and Sanjeeva Nayaka and Roshini Kumar Ngangom of CSIR-National Botanical Research Institute, Lucknow. The latest study also records Buellia hemisphaerica and Buellia nilgiriensis as new records for Kerala. The discovery further adds to the documented lichen diversity of the Western Ghats.