New record of Kashmir Birch Mouse Sicista concolor leathemi (Thomas, 1893) (Rodentia: Sminthidae) in the Indian Himalaya

Birch mice are grouped under the monotypic genus Sicista Gray, 1827 and placed under the family Sminthidae. They are distributed over the Palearctic ream and the fragmented population of the species Sicista concolor reported from China, North Pakistan and India in Himalayan region. The present communication is a range extension of the Kashmir Birch mouse, Sicista concolor leathemi in Indian Himalaya and first report from Himachal Pradesh.

Two new species in the Russula (Russulaceae, Basidiomycota) crown clade from Indian Himalaya

Two species, namely Russula adwanitekae A.Ghosh, K.Das & Buyck sp. nov. and Russula purpureozonata K.Das, A.Ghosh & Buyck sp. nov. are proposed herein as new mushroom taxa from the Indian Himalaya based on their morphological features and ITS-based phylogenetic inferences. Both species belong to the crown clade of Russula subgenus Russula but with affinities to different subsections, viz. subsect. Laricinae Romagn. and subsect. Decolorantes Maire, respectively. Russula adwanitekae sp. nov. was collected in mixed temperate forests where it is most likely associated with conifers. It is distinct from several similarly looking, small, mild species with dark spore print and reddish lilac, orchid purple or greyish to deep magenta colored pileus in subsect. Laricinae by its sequence data (nrITS) or geographic distribution. Russula purpureozonata sp. nov. associates with Abies densa Griff., and possesses all typical features of Decolorantes, viz. the amyloid suprahilar spot on the spores, presence of pileogloeocystidia, the reddening then blackening context, equal lamellae and colored spore print. It reminds of North American R. californiensis Burl. and R. magna Beardslee under the microscope but has distinctly smaller spores and differs further in the unique coloration and concentrically zonated pileus margin. Macro- and micromorphological features are illustrated for both species. Their habitats, distributions and relationships with allied species are discussed.

Phenotypic plasticity in Barilius vagra (Hamilton, 1822) (Teleostei: Danionidae) from two geographically distinct river basins of Indian Himalaya

Truss-based morphometric analysis was used to examine phenotypic plasticity of Barilius vagra (Hamilton, 1822) inhabiting the tributaries of the Alaknanda (Ganga River basin) and Chenab (Indus River basin), two geographically distinct river basins in the Indian Himalaya. Fourteen landmarks were connected to generate a truss network of 90 parameters on the body of fish. Eighty morphometric traits out of ninety morphometric measurements explained statistically significant difference among six sampling locations of Barilius vagra from streams in the Alaknanda and Chenab basins. Discriminant function analysis revealed 82% of Barilius vagra specimens originally classified into their own groups. 95% of the variance was explained by 13 principal components. Morphometric characters (1–6, 1–13, 2–5, 2–6, 2–14, 3–6, 4–6, 4–14, 6–12, 7–8, 7–9, 10–11, and 13–14) contributed greatly in differentiation of B. vagra populations from different river basins. The Alaknanda basin reflected some mixing within populations, which may be due to common environmental conditions and fish migration in these streams. This study will be helpful in framing site-specific conservation and management strategies, such as net mesh size selection, avoiding overexploitation, stock augmentation and food availability for different fish populations.

Encountering the Goddess in the Indian Himalaya: On the Contribution of Ethnographic Film to the Study of Religion

This paper examines the benefits of ethnographic film for the study of religion. It argues that the exploration of gaps between colloquial descriptions of divinities and their practical manifestation in ritual is instructive of the way religious categories are conceptualized. The argument is developed through an analysis of selected scenes from the documentary AVATARA, a meditation on goddess worship (Śaktism) among the Khas ethnic majority of the Hindu Himalaya (Himachal Pradesh, India). Centering on embodiments of the goddess in spirit possession séances, it points to a fundamental difference between the popular depiction of the deity as a virgin-child (kanyā) who visits followers in their dreams and her actual manifestation as a menacing mother (mātā) during ritual activities. These ostensibly incongruent images are ultimately bridged by the anthropologically informed edition of the material caught on camera, illustrating the added advantage of documentary filmmaking for approximating religious experiences.