scholarly journals Resolving pitfalls in pit viper systematics – A multi-criteria approach to species delimitation in pit vipers (Reptilia, Viperidae, Craspedocephalus) of Peninsular India reveals cryptic diversity

2021 ◽  
Vol 71 ◽  
pp. 577-619
Author(s):  
Ashok Kumar Mallik ◽  
Achyuthan Needamangalam Srikanthan ◽  
Sumaithangi Rajagopalan Ganesh ◽  
Seenapuram Palaniswamy Vijayakumar ◽  
Patrick D. Campbell ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Species Delimitation ◽  
Western Ghats ◽  
Genetic Relatedness ◽  
Indian Species ◽  
Habitat Association ◽  
Peninsular India ◽  
Geographic Space ◽  
Distributional Range ◽  
Extensive Field ◽  
The Western Ghats

Abstract Asian pit vipers belonging to the genus Craspedocephalus are a complex group of vipers, distributed in South and Southeast Asia. Their taxonomy is unresolved in many lineages across their distributional range. Here, we reassess the taxonomy and systematics of pit vipers of the genus Craspedocephalus in Peninsular India based on extensive field sampling, in particular in the Western Ghats. We build and expand on the previous findings of genetic relatedness between the peninsular Indian lineages with the Sundaic clade (C. puniceus complex) with greater evidence, based on additional taxa sequenced herein. We reconstruct the phylogeny of the group using three mitochondrial genes and delineated lineages using coalescent species delimitation methods. We then used multiple criteria including genetic divergence and separation in morphological and geographic space to designate taxonomic units. Our work revealed the presence of a South Asian radiation of the clade Craspedocephalus, with a few Sundaic members. Our study reveals the systematic relationships of four Peninsular Indian species of Craspedocephalus, including Peltopelor macrolepis and C. strigatus, sequenced here for the first time, that are classified or confirmed as members of Craspedocephalus. Hence, we place the genus Peltopelor in the synonymy of Craspedocephalus. Using our multi-criteria approach, we delimit four new cryptic evolutionary lineages within the Western Ghats escarpment of Peninsular India. These cryptic lineages belong to the C. malabaricus, C. gramineus and C. macrolepis complexes and are geographically and/or ecologically (in terms of habitat association) distinct from their sister lineages across their distributional range, while others are separated in morphological space. Our new phylogenetic tree and delimitation analysis thus reveals the presence of multiple clades with several cryptic lineages separated by geographical barriers or habitat association.

scholarly journals A new species of Rhinophis Hemprich, 1820 (Serpentes: Uropeltidae) from the Wayanad region of peninsular India

Zootaxa ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 4778 (2) ◽  
pp. 329-342
Author(s):  
VIVEK PHILIP CYRIAC ◽  
SURYA NARAYANAN ◽  
FILIPA L. SAMPAIO ◽  
PAVUKANDY UMESH ◽  
DAVID J. GOWER
Keyword(s):  
New Species ◽  
Western Ghats ◽  
Indian Species ◽  
Peninsular India ◽  
Type Series ◽  
Black And White ◽  
The Western Ghats ◽  
A New Species

A new species of the shieldtail snake genus Rhinophis is described based on a type series of seven recently collected specimens from the Wayanad region of the Western Ghats of peninsular India. Rhinophis melanoleucus sp. nov. is diagnosed based on a combination of 15 dorsal scale rows at (or just behind) midbody, more than 215 ventral scales and a long rostral. The new species also has a distinctive (mostly black and white) colouration. A new key to the identification of Indian species of Rhinophis is provided. 

A new species of Prosopistoma Latreille, 1833 and redescription of P. indicum Peters, 1967 (Ephemeroptera: Prosopistomatidae) from the Western Ghats, India

Zootaxa ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 4242 (3) ◽  
pp. 591 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. RAMYA ROOPA ◽  
C. SELVAKUMAR ◽  
K. A. SUBRAMANIAN ◽  
K. G. SIVARAMAKRISHNAN
Keyword(s):  
New Species ◽  
Western Ghats ◽  
Indian Species ◽  
Peninsular India ◽  
Fresh Material ◽  
Central Western Ghats ◽  
The Western Ghats ◽  
A New Species

Prosopistoma someshwarensis n. sp. is described based on larvae collected from the streams of central Western Ghats, and P. indicum Peters, 1967 is redescribed based on fresh material from additional localities of the southern and central Western Ghats of peninsular India. A brief discussion on their ecology and biogeography, and a key to the Indian species of Prosopistoma, are also provided. The Indian species may be distinguished from one another based on the segmentation of the antennae, carapace colourations, the setation of the tibiae and mandibular canines, and the morphology of gills 2. 

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.

scholarly journals The woody flora of Shettihalli Wildlife Sanctuary, central Western Ghats of Karnataka, India - A checklist

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (13) ◽  
pp. 20033-20055
Author(s):  
Naveen Babu Kanda ◽  
Kurian Ayushi ◽  
Vincy K. Wilson ◽  
Narayanan Ayyappan ◽  
Narayanaswamy Parthasarathy
Keyword(s):  
Western Ghats ◽  
Forest Cover ◽  
Forest Type ◽  
Human Impacts ◽  
Forest Types ◽  
Wildlife Sanctuary ◽  
Peninsular India ◽  
Ecological Features ◽  
Central Western Ghats ◽  
The Western Ghats

Documenting the biodiversity of protected areas and reserve forests is important to researchers, academicians and forest departments in their efforts to establish policies to protect regional biodiversity. Shettihalli Wildlife Sanctuary (SWS) is an important protected area located in the central Western Ghats of Karnataka state known for its diverse flora and fauna with distinct ecological features. For the last four decades the sanctuary has witnessed the loss of forest cover, yet the vegetation in few locations is relatively undisturbed. The current inventory was undertaken during 2019–2020 to provide a checklist of woody species from SWS under-researched earlier. The list comprises 269 species of trees, lianas and shrubs distributed in 207 genera and 68 families. The most diverse families are Fabaceae, Moraceae, Rubiaceae, Rutaceae, Lauraceae, Apocynaceae, Meliaceae, Malvaceae, Phyllanthaceae, and Anacardiaceae, representing 48% of total woody flora. The sanctuary shelters 263 native and six exotic plant species. Thirty-nine species were endemic to the Western Ghats, five species to peninsular India and one species to the Western Ghats and Andaman & Nicobar Islands. Four forest types, i.e., dry deciduous, moist deciduous, semi-evergreen, and evergreen forests, are represented in the sanctuary. Of the total species, only seven occurred in all forest types, while 111 species are exclusive to a single forest type. One-hundred-and-four taxa were assessed for the International Union for Conservation of Nature & Natural Resources (IUCN) Red List. Ten species that fall under Near Threatened, Vulnerable, and Endangered categories were encountered occasionally. The baseline data generated on plant diversity will be useful in highlighting the importance of these forests for species conservation and forest management. Such data form a cornerstone for further research. For instance, to understand the effect of invasive species and human impacts on the diversity of the region. 

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 Karyotypic Variations in Three Indian Species of the Genus Rana (Anura: Ranidae) from the Western Ghats, India

CYTOLOGIA ◽  
2006 ◽  
Vol 71 (1) ◽  
pp. 63-68 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Hareesh Joshy ◽  
Mitsuru Kuramoto ◽  
K .S. Sreepada ◽  
M. Abdul Rahiman
Keyword(s):  
Western Ghats ◽  
Indian Species ◽  
The Western Ghats

scholarly journals Endophytic fungal association in roots of exotic medicinal plants cultivated in the Nilgiris, Western Ghats, Peninsular India

2021 ◽  
pp. 161-174
Author(s):  
Nagarajan Bharathy ◽  
Srinivasan Sowmiya ◽  
Shanmugam Karthik ◽  
Ravichandran Koshila Ravi ◽  
Mayakrishnan Balachandar ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Medicinal Plants ◽  
Plant Species ◽  
Western Ghats ◽  
Arbuscular Mycorrhizal ◽  
Am Fungi ◽  
Fungal Spore ◽  
Fungal Endophyte ◽  
Peninsular India ◽  
The Nilgiris ◽  
The Western Ghats

Algunos microbios beneficiosos para el suelo ayudan en el establecimiento y crecimiento de plantas medicinales exóticas. Por lo tanto, evaluamos la presencia y el estado de la asociación de endófitos de raíces [hongos micorrízicos arbusculares (AM) y hongos endofíticos septados oscuros (DSE)] en diez especies de plantas medicinales exóticas cultivadas en Nilgiris de los Ghats occidentales. El alcance de las variables endófitas de hongos y las características del pelo de la raíz difirieron significativamente entre las plantas medicinales. Se identificaron seis morfotipos de esporas de hongos AM en las muestras de suelo. Por lo tanto, este estudio indicó la asociación de plantas medicinales exóticas con hongos nativos AM y DSE que podrían explotarse para promover el crecimiento y aumentar la producción de metabolitos secundarios en estas especies de plantas. Some soil beneficial microbes help in the establishment and growth of exotic medicinal plants. Therefore, we evaluated the presence and status of root endophyte [arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi and dark septate endophytic (DSE) fungi] association in ten exotic medicinal plant species cultivated in the Nilgiris of the Western Ghats. The AM fungi colonized all the examined plant species and eight plants had the co-occurrence of DSE fungi. The extent of fungal endophyte variables and root hair characteristics significantly differed among the medicinal plants. Six AM fungal spore morphotypes were identified in the soil samples. Thus, this study indicated the association of exotic medicinal plants with native AM and DSE fungi which could be exploited to promote growth and increase secondary metabolite production in these plant species.

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. 

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document