First record of the genus Lodosocoris Ahmad & Afzal (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Pentatomidae: Halyini) from India with description of a new species

The genus Lodosocoris Ahmad & Afzal, 1986 (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Pentatomidae: Pentatominae: Halyini) is recorded for the first time from India. Prior to this publication, the genus was monotypic so far, containing only Lodosocoris azhari Ahmad & Afzal, 1986 from Pakistan. Herein, the genus Lodosocoris is redescribed along with the description of Lodosocoris santhae sp. nov., based on specimens from Arunachal Pradesh, a region in northeastern India. Lodosocoris santhae sp. nov is described and illustrated based on male and female genitalia. The diagnostic characters of the new species are compared with L. azhari.

Mayel Lyang Embodied: ‘Tradition’ and Contemporary Lepcha Textiles

The Lepchas, an ethnic group indigenous to the Himalayas and the Darjeeling hills, have been weaving textiles from local nettle (Girardinia diversifolia) for millennia. However, their native land, centered around the former Kingdom of Sikkim in modern-day northeastern India, has been the site of centuries of cultural exchange and colonization despite its remoteness, entailing wide-ranging and continuous social, political, and economic changes within the area. Rapid regional industrialization, and the concomitant globalization process and urbanization will potentially further transform Lepcha culture. Despite this, the Lepchas continue to weave textiles they consider traditional. With that in mind, this article will consider the concept of ‘tradition’ and its place in post-industrial Sikkim, using these textiles as a basis for understanding the significance of ‘tradition’ and how ‘tradition’ is used as a tool for carving a place out in the contemporary world. This study analyzes its deployment in contemporary Lepcha textiles so as to illuminate the relationship between tradition, textiles, and contemporary Lepcha identity.

A recent sighting of the Stripe-backed Weasel Mustela strigidorsa (Mammalia: Carnivora: Mustelidae) in Hkakabo Razi Landscape, Myanmar

In March 2019, a Stripe-backed Weasel, Mustela strigidorsa, was observed in Hkakabo Razi Landscape, Myanmar. Although geographically widespread in southeastern Asia and neighboring areas of northeastern India and southern China, relatively little is known of this small carnivore, which is seldom recorded in camera traps or seen in the wild. In Myanmar, there are 24 previously published records, almost all from mountainous areas. The recent sighting was of a solitary animal, which was foraging at an altitude of 580 m in a thickly vegetated area in montane evergreen forest, close to a stream. The photographs and video footage are the first for the species from the country.

New record of the Sewing Needle Zipper Loach Paracanthocobitis linypha Singer & Page, 2015 (Teleostei: Cypriniformes: Nemacheilidae) from the Chindwin drainage of Manipur, India

Paracanthocobitis linypha Singer & Page, a freshwater nemacheiline zipper loach, is reported for the first time from the Lokchao River of Manipur (headwaters of Chindwin drainage), in northeastern India. The species is diagnosed in having an incomplete lateral line, flank with 10–14 thin dark bars, long bars occasionally alternating with short bars extending up to about lateral mid-line, interspaces broader than bar width. Morphometric and meristic data of the examined specimens were compared with the original description to validate the species identity.

Ethnozoological use of primates in northeastern India

Ethnozoological practices to cure various diseases have a long history. Communities that reside near the forest collect wild animals and their derivatives to prepare medicines and get relief from diseases. Northeastern India is home to many tribes with vast traditional ethnobiological knowledge, and there are many reports of zootherapeutic uses in the region. In an attempt to understand primate-based ethnozoologic use in the area a literature survey was carried out using different sources. The findings revealed that Hoolock hoolock was the most used species among the primates (48 %), followed by Macaca assamensis (20 %) and Macaca mulatta (10 %). Among the materials used, the flesh of primates was the most dominant (43 %), followed by the blood (20 %) and brain (14 %). This paper highlights the negative effects of ethno-medicinal uses of primates to draw the attention of conservationists and encourage conservation education to address the damage to primates in the name of health care. Government agencies are also requested to strengthen health care systems to discourage the killing of valuable primate species.