A novel member of the Hemidactylus brookii complex (Squamata: Gekkonidae) from the Western Ghats of Maharashtra, India

Zootaxa ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 4646 (2) ◽  
pp. 236-250 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. CHAITANYA ◽  
ISHAN AGARWAL ◽  
APARNA LAJMI ◽  
AKSHAY KHANDEKAR
Keyword(s):  
Western Ghats ◽  
Posterior Part ◽  
Molecular Data ◽  
Phylogenetic Position ◽  
Fourth Digit ◽  
Nocturnal Species ◽  
The Western Ghats ◽  
Nd2 Gene ◽  
Average Adult

A new rupicolous gecko from the Hemidactylus brookii complex is described from the forests and plateaus of Amboli, in the Western Ghats of Maharashtra. This medium sized (average adult SVL 56.2±5.0 to at least 62 mm), nocturnal species is superficially similar to other congeners from the ‘H. brookii’ clade, but can be distinguished from them in having 17 or 18 fairly regular longitudinal rows of enlarged, conical, keeled tubercles at midbody, extending from posterior part of the head to groin; tubercles in parasagittal rows smaller, feebly keeled and more rounded; approximately six rows of tubercles on either side of parasagittal tubercle rows, highly enlarged, remarkably conical and strongly keeled; lamellae divided in a straight transverse series—seven or eight lamellae beneath fourth digit (manus and pes) and five or six beneath first digit (manus and pes). Males with nine or ten (rarely eight) femoral pores separated by four or five poreless scales; supralabials 11–13; infralabials 8–11. Molecular data based on the mitochondrial ND2 gene supports the distinctiveness of this species and helps ascertain its phylogenetic position within the ‘H. brookii’ group of the Indian Hemidactylus radiation. 

scholarly journals Phylogenetic position of Pleurogenoides species (Plagiorchiida: Pleurogenidae) from the duodenum of Indian skipper frog, Euphlyctis cyanophlyctis (Amphibia: Dicroglossidae) inhabiting the Western Ghats, India

2020 ◽  
Vol 57 (1) ◽  
pp. 71-77
Author(s):  
A. Chaudhary ◽  
K. Shinad ◽  
P. K. Prasadan ◽  
H. S. Singh
Keyword(s):  
Western Ghats ◽  
Phylogenetic Trees ◽  
Phylogenetic Analyses ◽  
Pcr Amplification ◽  
Molecular Study ◽  
Molecular Data ◽  
Phylogenetic Position ◽  
Digenetic Trematodes ◽  
The Family ◽  
The Western Ghats

SummaryTwo species of digenetic trematodes of the genus Pleurogenoides viz., P. cyanophlyctiShinad & Prasadan (2018a) and P. euphlyctiShinad & Prasadan (2018b) have been described from India. Information regarding the molecular data of various species of the genus Pleurogenoides Travassos, 1921 is virtually lacking. This study addresses the application of molecular markers to validate the phylogenetic position of P. cyanophlycti and P. euphlycti. In the present study, two species P. cyanophlycti and P. euphlycti were collected between January 2016 to October 2017, infecting the freshwater frogs inhabiting the Western Ghats, India. In the present study, the two species were identifi ed morphologically and by PCR amplification of the 28S ribosomal RNA gene. Phylogenetic tree results clearly demonstrate that both P. cyanophlycti and P. euphlycti belongs to the family Pleurogenidae Looss, 1899. Based on these results, we presented and discussed the phylogenetic relationships of P. cyanophlycti and P. euphlycti within family Pleurogenidae from India. Phylogenetic analyses showed that P. cyanophlycti and P. euphlycti cluster according to their vertebrate host and revealed an important congruence between the phylogenetic trees of Pleurogenoides and of their vertebrate hosts. P. cyanophlycti and P. euphlycti clearly constitute a separate, sister branch with other species of the genera, Pleurogenoides, Pleurogenes (=Candidotrema), Prosotocus and Brandesia. The present study firstly provides important information about the molecular study and phylogenetic analysis of P. cyanophlycti and P. euphlycti. This study will also serve as a baseline for Pleurogenoides species identifi cation for further studies.

A new species of Boiga (Serpentes: Colubridae) from the Southern Western Ghats of India with a molecular phylogeny and expanded characterisation of related species

Zootaxa ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 4981 (3) ◽  
pp. 449-468
Author(s):  
S.R. GANESH ◽  
ASHOK KUMAR MALLIK ◽  
N.S. ACHYUTHAN ◽  
KARTIK SHANKER ◽  
GERNOT VOGEL
Keyword(s):  
New Species ◽  
Western Ghats ◽  
Molecular Data ◽  
Phylogenetic Position ◽  
Phylogenetic Study ◽  
New Taxon ◽  
Western Ghats Of India ◽  
Southern Western Ghats ◽  
The Western Ghats ◽  
A New Species

We conducted a molecular phylogenetic study on the Boiga ceylonensis group from the Western Ghats of India, building on a recent morphology-based study. Our analysis supports previous work in elucidating the phylogenetic position of B. nuchalis and B. beddomei s. str. (of Matheran, Western Ghats) as clustering closely with B. ceylonensis, while B. flaviviridis clustered with the Sri Lankan taxon close to B. ranawanei. Additionally, our phylogenetic study revealed the presence of an undescribed taxon in the Southern Western Ghats, more closely related to B. ceylonensis than to any other sampled taxon, including sympatric congeners. This new taxon is described here as a new species Boiga whitakeri sp. nov. from the Devar Malai–Anaimalai hill complex. Based on molecular and morphometric studies, we expand the description of the recently described B. thackerayi as inhabiting almost the entire stretch of the Western Ghats. We also complement the diagnoses of B. nuchalis and B. flaviviridis, and determine the phylogenetic position of B. thackerayi with molecular data. 

Two more new Hemiphyllodactylus Bleeker, 1860 (Squamata: Gekkonidae) from Tamil Nadu, India

Zootaxa ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 4729 (2) ◽  
pp. 249-265
Author(s):  
ISHAN AGARWAL ◽  
AARON M BAUER ◽  
SAUNAK PAL ◽  
ACHYUTHAN N SRIKANTHAN ◽  
AKSHAY KHANDEKAR
Keyword(s):  
New Species ◽  
Western Ghats ◽  
Tamil Nadu ◽  
Southern India ◽  
Meristic Characters ◽  
Two New Species ◽  
The Western Ghats ◽  
Nd2 Gene

Two new species of the gekkonid genus Hemiphyllodactylus are described from mountains of the Western Ghats in Tamil Nadu, southern India. Hemiphyllodactylus nilgiriensis sp. nov. and H. peninsularis sp. nov. are > 5 % divergent in the mitochondrial ND2 gene from each other and members of the H. aurantiacus complex and differ from each other and members of the H. aurantiacus complex in several meristic characters and colouration. The description of these two new species takes the number of Indian Hemiphyllodactylus to six and the number of endemic geckos from Tamil Nadu to 15. 

Description of a cryptic new species of Cnemaspis Strauch, 1887 (Squamata: Gekkonidae) from the Western Ghats of Kerala State of India

Zootaxa ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 4656 (3) ◽  
pp. 501-514
Author(s):  
AMIT SAYYED ◽  
L. LEE GRISMER ◽  
PATRICK D CAMPBELL ◽  
RAVEENDRAN DILEEPKUMAR
Keyword(s):  
New Species ◽  
Head And Neck ◽  
Western Ghats ◽  
Morphological Characters ◽  
Adult Males ◽  
Adult Females ◽  
Fourth Digit ◽  
Southern Western Ghats ◽  
Kerala State ◽  
The Western Ghats

We describe a cryptic new species of gecko of the genus Cnemaspis Strauch from the southern Western Ghats of Kerala. This medium-sized Cnemaspis species is differentiated from all other Indian congeners by a suite of the following distinct morphological characters: heterogeneous mid-dorsal scales, 6–7 supralabials; 113–120 paravertebral rows of tubercles; 71–85 mid-dorsal scales; absence of spine-like tubercles on flanks; subimbricate, smooth ventral scales; 135–140 mid-ventral scales; subdigital lamellae under fourth digit of manus 23–25; subdigital lamellae under fourth digit of pes 24–25; males with 7–8 precloacal pores; median row of subcaudals enlarged, smooth, a series of two large scales alternating, containing one divided scale; head and neck colouration brownish-yellow, consistent in adult males; adult females with orange coloured head and neck. Recent new descriptions of Cnemaspis species together with the present discovery show that the southern Western Ghats species have been overlooked by previous studies. Therefore we suggest further studies to evaluate the diversity of Cnemaspis in this region. 

Cryptomonas indica sp. nov. (Cryptophyceae: Cryptomonadales), a new species described from the Western Ghats, India

Phytotaxa ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 518 (4) ◽  
pp. 261-270
Author(s):  
EVGENIY GUSEV ◽  
BALASUBRAMANIAN KARTHICK ◽  
NIKITA MARTYNENKO ◽  
NATALIYA SHKURINA ◽  
MAXIM KULIKOVSKIY
Keyword(s):  
New Species ◽  
Western Ghats ◽  
Indian Subcontinent ◽  
Large Subunit ◽  
Molecular Data ◽  
Northern Region ◽  
Basal Clade ◽  
Morphological And Molecular Data ◽  
The Western Ghats ◽  
A New Species

A new species, Cryptomonas indica sp. nov., is described from Western Ghats, India, based on morphological and molecular data. Phylogenetic relationships inferred from nuclear small and large subunit ribosomal DNA, internal transcribed spacer 2, and plastid psbA sequences show that the new species forms a separate lineage on the phylogenetic tree of the genus Cryptomonas. This new species is included in the basal clade of Cryptomonas tree, which consists of undescribed taxa from Europe and South Korea. Cells of this species are up to 19 µm in length, elliptical to slightly asymmetrical in broad view, and have a plastid with four pyrenoids. Cryptomonas indica has been observed in one locality, the Northern region of the Western Ghats. Notably, this is the first Cryptomonas taxon described from the Indian subcontinent with both morphology and molecular information.

Phylogenetic position and relationships of mountain loaches (Teleostei: Balitoridae) of the Western Ghats as revealed by CO1 sequences

Zootaxa ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 4926 (1) ◽  
pp. 79-92 ◽  
Author(s):  
ARYA SIDHARTHAN ◽  
RAJEEV RAGHAVAN ◽  
V. K. ANOOP ◽  
ASHWINI KESKAR ◽  
NEELESH DAHANUKAR
Keyword(s):  
Western Ghats ◽  
Molecular Phylogenetics ◽  
Sister Group ◽  
Mountain Streams ◽  
Eastern Himalaya ◽  
Phylogenetic Position ◽  
Sister Group Relationship ◽  
Accurate Identification ◽  
Endemic Genera ◽  
The Western Ghats

The teleostean family Balitoridae comprises small-sized freshwater fishes adapted to swift-flowing torrential mountain streams in South and South-East Asia. Little is known about their molecular phylogenetics and evolutionary biogeography, and much of the scientific literature that references them is focused on morphological taxonomy. In this paper, we generate CO1 sequences for the endemic balitorid lineages of the Western Ghats (WG) Hotspot in India, particularly for the endemic genera, Bhavania, Ghatsa and Travancoria. Integration of these data into a phylogeny revealed that the endemic WG genera together form a well-supported monophyletic clade that shows, subject to our limited taxon sampling, a sister-group relationship to the Southeast Asian genus Pseudohomaloptera. Three WG endemic species of the genus Balitora, namely B. chipkali, B. jalpalli and B. laticauda, though morphologically distinct, have low genetic divergence and barcode gap, suggestive of recent speciation. Interestingly, a fourth WG endemic, B. mysorensis, formed a clade with two species of Balitora from Eastern-Himalaya and Indo-Burma. We also show that all available CO1 sequences assigned to WG endemic balitorid genera in GenBank are misidentifications, and provide diagnostic characters for the accurate identification of these taxa in the future. 

Revision of the scolopendrid centipede Digitipes Attems, 1930, from India (Chilopoda: Scolopendromorpha): reconciling molecular and morphological estimates of species diversity

Zootaxa ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 3626 (1) ◽  
pp. 99-145 ◽  
Author(s):  
JAHNAVI JOSHI ◽  
GREGORY D. EDGECOMBE
Keyword(s):  
Western Ghats ◽  
Molecular Phylogenetics ◽  
Sister Group ◽  
Morphological Characters ◽  
Molecular Data ◽  
Indian Species ◽  
Ecological Data ◽  
Peninsular India ◽  
Putative Species ◽  
The Western Ghats

Recent work on molecular phylogenetics of Scolopendridae from the Western Ghats, Peninsular India, has suggested the presence of six cryptic species of the otostigmine Digitipes Attems, 1930, together with three species described in previous taxonomic work by Jangi and Dass (1984). Digitipes is the correct generic attribution for a monophyletic group of Indian species, these being united with three species from tropical Africa (including the type) that share a distomedial process on the ultimate leg femur of males that is otherwise unknown in Otostigminae. Second maxillary characters previously used in the diagnosis of Digitipes are dismissed because Indian species do not possess the putatively diagnostic character states. Two new species from the Western Ghats that correspond to groupings identified based on monophyly, sequence diver-gence and coalescent analysis using molecular data are diagnosed based on distinct morphological characters. They are D. jangii and D. periyarensis n. spp. Three species named by Jangi and Dass (Digitipes barnabasi, D. coonoorensis and D. indicus) are revised based on new collections; D. indicus is a junior subjective synonym of Arthrorhabdus jonesii Ver-hoeff, 1938, the combination becoming Digitipes jonesii (Verhoeff, 1938) n. comb. The presence of Arthrorhabdus in In-dia is accordingly refuted. Three putative species delimited by molecular and ecological data remain cryptic from the perspective of diagnostic morphological characters and are presently retained in D. barnabasi, D. jangii and D. jonesii. A molecularly-delimited species that resolved as sister group to a well-supported clade of Indian Digitipes is identified as Otostigmus ruficeps Pocock, 1890, originally described from a single specimen and revised herein. One Indian species originally assigned to Digitipes, D. gravelyi, deviates from confidently-assigned Digitipes with respect to several charac-ters and is reassigned to Otostigmus, as O. gravelyi (Jangi and Dass, 1984) n. comb.

Molecular phylogenetic investigations of Triops granarius (Lucas, 1864 (Branchiopoda: Notostraca) from the type locality of the former Apus orientalis Tiwari, 1952 and three other localities in the Western Ghats of India

Zootaxa ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 4531 (4) ◽  
pp. 541 ◽  
Author(s):  
NIKHIL MODAK ◽  
MICHAEL KORN ◽  
SAMEER M. PADHYE
Keyword(s):  
Western Ghats ◽  
Species Level ◽  
Junior Synonym ◽  
Type Locality ◽  
Morphological Data ◽  
Coi Gene ◽  
Phylogenetic Position ◽  
12S Rrna ◽  
Western Ghats Of India ◽  
The Western Ghats

We investigated the phylogenetic position of Triops granarius populations from four localities in the Western Ghats using partial sequences of three mitochondrial genes (COI, 12S rRNA and 16S rRNA) publicly available on the GenBank database. One of these localities, Panchgani, is particularly important since it is the type locality of the former Apus orientalis which is currently treated as a junior synonym of T. granarius. Phylogenetic analyses reveal that populations from all the four localities (Kolhapur, Chalkewadi, Panchgani, and Dighi) form a single lineage, which is here named ‘Maharashtra lineage’. One of the two previously published samples from India, treated as lineage ‘Triops granarius 4’ is nested within this clade. The ‘Maharashtra lineage’ is separated from other lineages by mean maximum likelihood distance ≥ 11.9% in the COI gene. This distance is suggestive of a separation on species level from other lineages of T. granarius. This interpretation is further supported by a conservative genus-wide species delimitation analysis performed in the present study upon application of the Automatic Barcode Gap Discovery method. The ‘Maharashtra lineage’ branches out in two sub-lineages of Panchgani+Kolhapur and Dighi+L4+Chalkewadi samples, separated by 5.9% mean ML distance (uncorrected p-distance = 5.4%) in COI. The application of a 5% threshold to the COI dataset would thus even suggest a possible differentiation of both sub-lineages on species level. Comparative morphological data is presently not available because most vouchers associated with the sequences were depleted for DNA extraction. Further studies are needed in order to prepare a sound taxonomic revision. Thus, in the current study we refrain from re-instating Apus orientalis to full species status (likewise, for other names of Asian taxa in this morphogroup, including Apus sinensis Uéno, we retain the status as junior synonym of T. granarius). Nonetheless, our study highlights the fact that still there may be undescribed cryptic species associated with the specific name in this part of Western Ghats (Linnean Shortfall) and paves the way for future taxonomic investigations and conservation strategies for the genus Triops in India. 

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