scholarly journals A note on the current distribution of reedtail damselfly Protosticta rufostigma Kimmins, 1958 (Odonata: Zygoptera: Platystictidae) from Western Ghats, and its addition to the odonate checklist of Kerala

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 17548-17553
Author(s):  
Kalesh Sadasivan ◽  
Muhamed Jafer Palot
Keyword(s):  
Current Distribution ◽  
Western Ghats ◽  
Tamil Nadu ◽  
Literature Search ◽  
Original Description ◽  
The State ◽  
Peninsular India ◽  
Kerala State ◽  
The Western Ghats

The genus  Protosticta (Odonata, Zygoptera, Platystictidae) is represented by nine species in the Western Ghats of peninsular India, of which seven are reported for the state of Kerala.  Our recent records of Protosticta rufostigma Kimmins, 1958 from the Western Ghats of Kerala State is discussed, and despite a thorough literature search no collection records or photographs of the species has been found after the original description from Tamil Nadu.  The species is, thus, added to the checklist of odonates of Kerala State. The description of the live insect, its ecology, status and distribution is discussed. 

scholarly journals Legumes of Kerala, India: a checklist

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (5) ◽  
pp. 18257-18282
Author(s):  
Anoop P. Balan ◽  
S.V. Predeep
Keyword(s):  
Western Ghats ◽  
Single Species ◽  
Biodiversity Hotspot ◽  
The State ◽  
Field Surveys ◽  
Extensive Field ◽  
Voucher Specimens ◽  
Kerala State ◽  
The Western Ghats

A checklist of the legumes of Kerala State is presented.  This exhaustive checklist is an outcome of extensive field surveys, collection, identification and documentation of family Leguminosae carried out across Kerala State during the period 2006–2019.  A total of 448 taxa were recorded under five subfamilies and 115 genera.  The majority of the legumes are herbs and shrubs, the rest being trees and woody climbers.  About 81 taxa are endemic to India, especially confined to the Western Ghats biodiversity hotspot, out of which 17 are endemic to  Kerala.  The state is home to two Critically Endangered and six Endangered legumes, facing severe threat of extinction.  Crotalaria is the dominant legume genus in the state with 62 taxa followed by Desmodium and Indigofera.  About 57 genera are represented by single species each.  Legumes are treated according to the latest phylogenetic classification of the Legume Phylogeny Working Group (LPWG).  Updated nomenclature, habit, native countries, voucher specimens, and images of endemic and lesser known legumes found in the state are provided.  Crotalaria multiflora var. kurisumalayana (Sibichen & Nampy) Krishnaraj & N. Mohanan is reduced as a synonym to C. multiflora (Arn.) Benth.

A new species of rock-dwelling Cnemaspis Strauch, 1887 (Squamata: Gekkonidae) from Tamil Nadu, southern India

Zootaxa ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 4571 (3) ◽  
pp. 383
Author(s):  
AKSHAY KHANDEKAR
Keyword(s):  
New Species ◽  
Endemic Species ◽  
Western Ghats ◽  
Tamil Nadu ◽  
Southern India ◽  
Peninsular India ◽  
Tamil Nadu State ◽  
The Rich ◽  
The Western Ghats ◽  
A New Species

A new species of the gekkonid genus Cnemaspis is described based on a series of nine specimens from near Sankari in Salem district, Tamil Nadu state, southern India. The new species is diagnosable by the following suite of characters: a small-sized Cnemaspis (adult snout to vent length less than 33 mm); heterogeneous dorsal pholidosis consisting of weakly keeled granular scales intermixed with large strongly keeled, conical tubercles, 9–11 rows of dorsal tubercles, 12–17 tubercles in paravertebral rows; spine-like scales absent on flank, 17–20 lamellae under digit IV of pes. Males with 4–6 femoral pores on each thigh, separated on either side by eight poreless scales from four precloacal pores; precloacal pores separated medially by a single poreless scale; two single dorsal ocelli on occiput and between forelimb insertions, two pairs of ocelli on either side just anterior and posterior to forelimb insertions. Cnemaspis agarwali sp. nov. is the fifth endemic species of Cnemaspis from peninsular India outside the Western Ghats and highlights the rich and unique diversity of this understudied region. 

Two new Cnemaspis Strauch, 1887 (Squamata: Gekkonidae) from the Shevaroy massif, Tamil Nadu, India, with a preliminary ND2 phylogeny of Indian Cnemaspis

Zootaxa ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 4609 (1) ◽  
pp. 68
Author(s):  
AKSHAY KHANDEKAR ◽  
NIKHIL GAITONDE ◽  
ISHAN AGARWAL
Keyword(s):  
New Species ◽  
Body Size ◽  
South Asian ◽  
Western Ghats ◽  
Tamil Nadu ◽  
Elevation Gradient ◽  
Sequence Divergence ◽  
Colour Pattern ◽  
Peninsular India ◽  
The Western Ghats

We present a preliminary ND2 phylogeny of South Asian Cnemaspis, recovering a number of deeply divergent clades within Indian Cnemaspis, endemic to the southern and northern Western Ghats besides the Mysore Plateau and hills of Tamil Nadu. There are a number of unnamed lineages that are >5% divergent on ND2 across the phylogeny, including three from the gracilis clade on an elevation gradient (800–1400 m asl.) around Yercaud in the Shevaroy massif, Salem district, Tamil Nadu. We describe two of these as new species— Cnemaspis shevaroyensis sp. nov. and Cnemaspis thackerayi sp. nov. are both allied to Cnemaspis gracilis and can be diagnosed from all other Indian Cnemaspis by the absence of spine-like scales on flank, heterogeneous dorsal pholidosis, presence of femoral and precloacal pores, tail with enlarged, strongly keeled, conical tubercles forming whorls, a median row of enlarged and smooth sub-caudals. They differ from C. gracilis and each other in body size, the number of tubercles around midbody, the number of tubercles in paravertebral rows, the number of femoral and precloacal pores, the number of poreless scales in-between precloacal pores and between femoral and precloacal pores, and subtle colour pattern differences; besides uncorrected mitochondrial sequence divergence (7.9–16.6 %). We also provide a description of Cnemaspis yercaudensis from its type locality and an additional locality. The discovery of two endemic species and a third unnamed divergent lineage from an isolated massif in peninsular India outside the Western Ghats indicate that many other such understudied hill ranges may harbour high endemic biodiversity. 

scholarly journals A checklist of the vertebrates of Kerala State, India

2015 ◽  
Vol 7 (13) ◽  
pp. 7961 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. O. Nameer ◽  
Praveen J ◽  
A. Bijukumar ◽  
Muhamed Jafer Palot ◽  
Sandeep Das ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Western Ghats ◽  
Scientific Information ◽  
Biodiversity Loss ◽  
The State ◽  
Current Status ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Kerala State ◽  
Research Students ◽  
The Western Ghats ◽  
Made In

<p>Following the first publication on vertebrates of India (Blanford 1888–1890), a huge wealth of information has been compiled on the vertebrate fauna of various biogeographic zones of the country, especially the Western Ghats.  The state of Kerala comprising of a land area of 38,863km<sup>2</sup>, 590km coastline, an intricate system of backwaters along the coast, tropical moist forests of the Western Ghats, the highly undulating terrain, and the tropical monsoon is a unique geographical and environmental entity rich in biodiversity.  A region-specific checklist that summarises and documents the current status of vertebrate diversity provides benchmark data for documentation and appreciation of biodiversity at regional level.  Further, with the current rate of global biodiversity loss and concordant conservation efforts, the taxonomic community has a greater responsibility to make scientific information available to scientists, policy makers, politicians, research students and all relevant stakeholders, an attempt that has been made in the present paper.  The State of Kerala has 1847 species of vertebrates in 330 families and 81 orders, of which 386 are endemic to the Western Ghats region (of the Western Ghats - Sri Lanka Hotspot), and 205 species as threatened. Six hundred and eighty species of vertebrates of Kerala have been listed in the various schedules of the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, while 148 are listed in the different appendices of CITES. </p><p> </p>

scholarly journals Notes on the extended distribution of Impatiens megamalayana, a recently described balsam in Western Ghats, India

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (12) ◽  
pp. 19878-19883
Author(s):  
Anoop P. Balan ◽  
A.J. Robi
Keyword(s):  
Western Ghats ◽  
Tamil Nadu ◽  
Tourist Destination ◽  
Distribution Maps ◽  
Tamil Nadu State ◽  
Annual Herb ◽  
Kerala State ◽  
The Western Ghats ◽  
Future Reference

Impatiens megamalayana is a recently described balsam from the Megamalai hills of the Western Ghats in Tamil Nadu state. This is a small, annual herb with ridged stem, often distributed in open, wet, rocky grasslands above 1,000 m elevation. The plant considered endemic to the Megamalai hills of Tamil Nadu is recently located in the Urumbikkara hills of Idukki district in Kerala state, which is about 120 km away from its original locality. Urumbikkara is an emerging tourist destination in central Kerala and the newly located populations of the plant are outside protected forest areas and are facing severe threat due to anthrapogenic activities. A detailed description, photographs and distribution maps are provided to facilitate easy identification of the plant in the field. An updated checklist of the genus Impatiens in Kerala state is also furnished for future reference.

Description of four new species of Burrowing Frogs in the Fejervarya rufescens complex (Dicroglossidae) with notes on morphological affinities of Fejervarya species in the Western Ghats

Zootaxa ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 4277 (4) ◽  
pp. 451 ◽  
Author(s):  
SONALI GARG ◽  
S.D. BIJU
Keyword(s):  
New Species ◽  
Western Ghats ◽  
Conservation Status ◽  
Nuclear Gene ◽  
Haplotype Network ◽  
Distinct Species ◽  
The State ◽  
Breeding Period ◽  
Peninsular India ◽  
The Western Ghats

The Rufescent Burrowing Frog, Fejervarya rufescens, is thought to have a wide distribution across the Western Ghats in Peninsular India. This locally abundant but secretive species has a short breeding period, making it a challenging subject for field studies. We sampled 16 populations of frogs morphologically similar to F. rufescens in order to understand the variation among populations found across the Western Ghats. Our study shows significant morphological and genetic differences among the sampled populations, suggesting that F. ‘rufescens’ is a complex of several undescribed species. Using evidence from morphology and genetics, we confirm the presence of five distinct species in this group and formally describe four as new. The new species were delineated using a phylogeny based on three mitochondrial genes (16S, COI and Cytb) and a haplotype network of a nuclear gene (Rag1). Hereafter, the distribution of F. rufescens is restricted to the state of Karnataka and adjoining regions of northern Kerala. Three new species (Fejervarya kadar sp. nov., Fejervarya manoharani sp. nov. and Fejervarya neilcoxi sp. nov.) are from regions south of Palghat gap in the state of Kerala, and one (Fejervarya cepfi sp. nov.) from the northern Western Ghats state of Maharashtra. These findings indicate that Fejervarya frogs of the Western Ghats are more diverse than currently known. Our results will also have implications on the conservation status of F. rufescens, which was previously categorized as Least Concern based on its presumed wide geographical distribution. Furthermore, in order to facilitate a better taxonomic understanding of this region’s fejervaryan frogs, we divide all the known Fejarvarya species of the Western Ghats into four major groups—Fejervarya nilagirica group, Fejervarya rufescens group, Fejervarya sahyadris group and Fejervarya syhadrensis group, based on their morphological affinities. 

Glyptothorax malabarensis, a new catfish (Teleostei: Sisoridae) from the Western Ghats of Kerala, India

Zootaxa ◽  
2010 ◽  
Vol 2528 (1) ◽  
pp. 53
Author(s):  
K. C. GOPI
Keyword(s):  
Western Ghats ◽  
The West ◽  
Caudal Peduncle ◽  
Body Depth ◽  
Peninsular India ◽  
Peduncle Length ◽  
Kerala State ◽  
Asian Catfish ◽  
The Western Ghats ◽  
A New Species

Glyptothorax malabarensis, a new species of the Asian catfish family Sisoridae, is described from a hill stream of an upper tributary of the west-flowing Valappattanam River drainage of Kerala State, India. It is distinguished from its congeners in Peninsular India by the following combination of characters: body depth 19.6–9.9% SL, caudal peduncle length 14.3–14.7% SL and caudal peduncle depth 12.4–12.7% SL (caudal peduncle depth 86.4–88.1% of its length); thoracic adhesive apparatus approximately pentagonal, as long as broad, without a median depression; skin of head and body minutely granulated; and a coloration in life consisting of a black background with three flesh-red or orange transverse bands on body, in preservative changing to dark grey with black mottling and three yellowish-white transverse bands.

Liverwort (Marchantiopsida) records from the Western Ghats (Kerala State, Peninsular India)

2007 ◽  
Vol 49 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 121-129 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. Pócs ◽  
M. Nair ◽  
K. Rajesh ◽  
P. Madhusoodanan
Keyword(s):  
Western Ghats ◽  
Peninsular India ◽  
Kerala State ◽  
The Western Ghats

scholarly journals A preliminary study of the hawkmoth diversity (Lepidoptera: Sphingidae) of Kanyakumari District, Tamil Nadu, India

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 13592-13604
Author(s):  
Geetha Iyer ◽  
Ian James Kitching
Keyword(s):  
Natural History ◽  
Western Ghats ◽  
Tamil Nadu ◽  
Natural History Museum ◽  
Historical Records ◽  
Peninsular India ◽  
History Museum ◽  
Tamil Nadu State ◽  
Preliminary Study ◽  
The Western Ghats

Kanyakumari District is situated at the southernmost tip of peninsular India in Tamil Nadu State and is bounded by the Western Ghats and the coasts of three seas.  There are no detailed historical records of the moths of this region, which, before India’s independence, was part of Travancore State.  This paper presents a brief account of the 27 species of hawkmoths of Kanyakumari District, recorded during surveys conducted from 2011-2015, and is the first formal record of the hawkmoths of this region.  A list of the species from the collection of the Natural History Museum, UK, collected in the erstwhile Travancore State that are likely to be found in the Kanyakumari region is also included.

scholarly journals A new species of Uropeltis Cuvier, 1829 (Serpentes: Uropeltidae) from the Anaikatty Hills of the Western Ghats of India

Zootaxa ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 4415 (3) ◽  
pp. 401 ◽  
Author(s):  
V.J. JINS ◽  
FILIPA L. SAMPAIO ◽  
DAVID J. GOWER
Keyword(s):  
New Species ◽  
Western Ghats ◽  
Tamil Nadu ◽  
Road Traffic ◽  
Type Specimens ◽  
Peninsular India ◽  
Western Ghats Of India ◽  
Snake Fungal Disease ◽  
The Western Ghats ◽  
A New Species

A new species of Uropeltis is described from a series of six type specimens from the Anaikatty Hills of the Western Ghats of Tamil Nadu, peninsular India. Uropeltis bhupathyi sp. nov. is distinguished from congeners by having more than 200 ventral scales, 17 dorsal scale rows at midbody and by the size and shape of the rostral and frontal shields. Although tens of specimens have been seen in the vicinity of the type locality (and previously reported as U. ellioti), the new species is known only from this locality and faces threats from road traffic, habitat loss and change, and possibly a condition that deforms heads and head shields which is at least superficially similar to snake fungal disease reported from wild snakes in North America and Europe.

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