Centenarian Sr Cresencia dies

August 25, 2012

Mangalore, August 25: The senior-most member of Society of the Sisters of Bethany Sr Cresencia passed away after a brief illness here on Friday night. She was 103.

Born and brought in the state of Goa, she served in many parts of Karnataka before moving to the Holy Family Convent, Nirkana, Vagga of Bantwal taluk in 1978.

It was the inspiration of Bethany Sisters founder Raymond Mascarenhas, which made her to join the profession at Bethany Convent in Mangalore at the age of 10. In her young age she was recognized as Maria, Camelina and Angelica. But she was identified as Sr Crescentia, after accepting the nunhood.

She has served at Gurupur, Puttur, Siddakatte, Kanajar, Dharwad and Kinnigoli and Kadoor convents in the state apart from neighbouring state Kerala.

A pall of gloom descended in the entire Vagga, following the death of Sr Cresencia, whose one of the wishes was to be buried in the soil of this small village of Dakshina Kannada district after her death.

She was affectionately called as 'Vadlivany Sister' (grandma sister) by Vagga residents.

Several priests, Christian leaders and thousands of people are expected to participate in her funeral rites which will be held on Sunday.

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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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