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.

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. 

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 A checklist of mammals of Tamil Nadu, India

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (8) ◽  
pp. 13992-14009
Author(s):  
Manokaran Kamalakannan ◽  
Paingamadathil Ommer Nameer
Keyword(s):  
Western Ghats ◽  
Tamil Nadu ◽  
Conservation Status ◽  
Wildlife Protection ◽  
Vernacular Names ◽  
Tamil Nadu State ◽  
Complete Bibliography ◽  
The Western Ghats

A checklist of mammals of Tamil Nadu State is presented in this paper. Accepted English names, scientific binomen, prevalent vernacular names in Tamil, IUCN conservation status, Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act schedules, the appendices in the CITES, endemism, the distribution of species in India, the Western Ghats & plains of Tamil Nadu, and the complete bibliography pertaining to the 132 species of mammals of Tamil Nadu are given.

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 Distribution and habitat associations of the Critically Endangered frog Walkerana phrynoderma (Anura: Ranixalidae), with an assessment of potential threats, abundance, and morphology

2018 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 21
Author(s):  
Arun Kanagavel ◽  
Sethu Parvathy ◽  
Abhiijth P. Chundakatil ◽  
Neelesh Dahanukar ◽  
Benjamin Tapley
Keyword(s):  
Western Ghats ◽  
Tamil Nadu ◽  
Habitat Associations ◽  
Critically Endangered ◽  
Suitable Habitat ◽  
Time Activity ◽  
Western Ghats Of India ◽  
Pesticide Runoff ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Western Ghats

Distribution and habitat associations of the Critically Endangered frog Walkerana phrynoderma (Anura: Ranixalidae), with an assessment of potential threats, abundance, and morphology. Little is known about Walkerana phrynoderma, a frog endemic to the Anamalai Hills of the Western Ghats of India. Baseline information (i.e., distribution, threats, habitat characteristics, activity patterns, and relative abundance) is provided for this species, with the aim of improving our understanding of the status of the species in the wild. Visual-encounter, transect, and time-activity budget surveys were conducted in and around the Anamalai Hills of the Western Ghats. The frog skin was swabbed to determine the presence/absence of Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis, and habitat and environmental characteristics were recorded at sites where W. phrynoderma was found. These data were compared with those of sites apparently lacking this species that had suitable habitat. Walkerana phrynoderma is restricted to evergreen forests between 1300 and 1700 m a.s.l. in the Anamalai Tiger Reserve and at Munnar; thus, its range was extended from the state of Tamil Nadu to the adjoining state of Kerala. Pesticide runoff and human disturbance are the most severe threats to the species; B. dendrobatidis was not detected. This nocturnal anuran prefers forest edges and is associated with well-shaded forest foors in cool areas near freshwater streams. Walkerana phrynoderma is rarely encountered whereas its congener, W. leptodactyla, is more common. The impact of anthropogenic disturbances, especially waste disposal and development of tourism infrastructure, should be evaluated. The land that is owned by the Forest Department peripheral to the protected areas could be designated as eco-sensitive sites to prevent changes in land use that could have an adverse effect on W. phrynoderma.

scholarly journals First record of Mantispilla indica (Westwood, 1852) (Neuroptera: Mantispidae) from the Western Ghats, India

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (9) ◽  
pp. 19376-19379
Author(s):  
T.B. Suryanarayanan ◽  
C. Bijoy
Keyword(s):  
Western Ghats ◽  
First Record ◽  
Kerala State ◽  
First Time ◽  
The Western Ghats

The species, Mantispilla indica (Westwood, 1852) of the Mantispidae family is recorded for the first time from the Western Ghats as well as from Kerala state. Besides, the distribution of the species in India is mapped. 

scholarly journals PHYTOSOCIOLOGICAL ANALYSIS OF THE MEDICINAL PLANT SPECIES, THALICTRUM JAVANICUM BLUME IN THOTTABETTA, NILGIRIS, THE WESTERN GHATS

2015 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 56-62
Author(s):  
Abinaya G ◽  
Paulsamy S
Keyword(s):  
Western Ghats ◽  
Tamil Nadu ◽  
Degree Of Dominance ◽  
The Family ◽  
Qualitative Characters ◽  
The Nilgiris ◽  
The Western Ghats ◽  
Study Species ◽  
Phytosociological Study

Phytosociological study is the most essential in any community to know its structure and organization. The various qualitative characters obtained are used to determine the level of distribution, numerical strength and degree of dominance exhibited by the constituent species in the community. Thalictrum javanicum belongs to the family Ranunculaceae family, it is medium sized erect herb, found in the temperate Himalayas from Kasmir to Sikkim in Khasi hills, and Kodaikanal and Nilgiri hills of Western Ghats in Tamil Nadu, India. At global level, it is generally distributed in the hilly tracts of India, Srilanka, China and Java at the altitude of around 2400 m above msl. The present study was undertaken in Thottabetta , the Nilgiris by sampling using belt transects of 10x1000m size which further divided into 100 segments each which 10x10m size. The total number of species encountered in the study area is 45 which includes 5 grasses and 40 forbs. The quantitative ecological characters of the study species, T. javanicum is a detailed below: frequency 11%, abundance 3.82 individuals/m2, density 0.42 individuals/m2, basal cover 172.20/mm2/ m2, relative frequency 0.55% and relative density 0.08%, relative dominance 0.16%. Based on the ecological attributes it is determined that the species, T. javanicum is less perpetuated in the community studied. Hence, further studies on the determination of propagation strategies for population enhancement and conservationof wilds are suggested.

scholarly journals Notes on the extended distribution of Humboldtia bourdillonii (Fabales: Fabaceae), an Endangered tree legume in the Western Ghats, India

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (14) ◽  
pp. 14886-14890
Author(s):  
Anoop P. Balan ◽  
A. J. Robi ◽  
S. V. Predeep
Keyword(s):  
Endemic Species ◽  
Western Ghats ◽  
Type Locality ◽  
Tree Legume ◽  
Endangered Tree ◽  
Conservation Measures ◽  
Tiger Reserve ◽  
Kerala State ◽  
Periyar Tiger Reserve ◽  
The Western Ghats

Humboldtia bourdillonii is an Endangered tree legume; considered endemic to its type locality in the Periyar Tiger Reserve in Idukki District of Kerala State.  A new population of this highly threatened endemic species is located in the Vagamon Hills of Kottayam District which is about 70km away from its original locality.  The newly located population is drastically affected by the severe floods and landslides that occurred in Kerala state during August 2018.  Urgent conservation measures are needed to protect the population from further loss.  

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.

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