Mangalurean Viani D’Cunha is state chess champion

May 15, 2017

Mangaluru, May 15: Viani Antonio D’Cunha of Mangaluru has emerged as champion of Karnataka State Open FIDE Rated Chess Championship 2017. The championship was jointly organised by Chess Shoots Academy, Bengaluru and Rotary Club Bengaluru South (R I Dist 3190) at Osteen College, Chamarajpet, Bangaluru on Sunday.

IM Viani Antonio D’Cunha defeated Raghavendra to clinch the title in the final round. In the second board, Gahan MG defeated Sanjay N

Vivek Nambiar, Yashas D,Gahan M G and Andrea L D’Souza scored eight points each, Based on better tie break they are placed second to fifth accordingly.

Mr Srikumar B V, President Osteen College, Mr Sathish P S, President, Rotary Bangalore South, Mr Sunil Kumar, Secretary, Rotary Bangalore South, Mr Jayachandra Aradhya, Rotary Bangalore South, Mr Aravind Shashtry, Secretary, United Karnataka Chess Association. Mr Hanumantha R, Joint secretary, All India Chess Federation distributed prizes to the winners.

Viani D’cunha, Vivek Nambiar, Yashas D and Gahan M G will represent Karnataka state to 55th National Challenger chess championship 2017 to be held at Gujrat from 13th Aug to 23rd Aug 2017.

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Elusive bamboo shrimp resurfaces in Mangaluru estuary after 70 years

News Network

December 7,2025

Mangaluru, Dec 7: A rare bamboo shrimp has been rediscovered on mainland India more than 70 years after it was last reported, confirming for the first time the presence of Atyopsis spinipes in the country. The find was made by researchers from the Centre for Climate Change Studies at Sathyabama Institute of Science and Technology, Chennai, during surveys in Karnataka and Odisha.

The team — shrimp expert Dr S Prakash, PhD scholar K Kunjulakshmi, and Mangaluru-based researcher Maclean Antony Santos — combined field surveys, ecological assessments and DNA analysis to identify the elusive species. Their findings, published in Zootaxa, resolve decades of taxonomic confusion stemming from a 1951 report that misidentified the species as Atyopsis moluccensis without strong evidence.

The shrimp has now been confirmed at two locations: the Mulki–Pavanje estuary near Mangaluru and the Kuakhai River in Bhubaneswar. Historical specimens from the Andaman Islands, previously labelled as A. moluccensis, were also found to be misidentified and actually belong to A. spinipes.

The rediscovery began after an aquarium hobbyist in Odisha spotted a shrimp in 2022, prompting systematic surveys across Udupi, Karwar and Mangaluru. Four female specimens were collected in Mulki and one in Odisha, all genetically matching.

Researchers warn the species may exist in very small, vulnerable populations as freshwater habitats face increasing pressure from pollution, sand mining and infrastructure development. All verified specimens have been deposited with the Zoological Survey of India for future reference.

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