Vertebrate wildlife diversity of Sreepur upazila, Magura, Bangladesh

The species diversity and abundance of wildlife are the important indicators of a healthy ecosystem. A survey-based scientific study on species diversity, abundance and status of vertebrate wildlife was conducted from May 2015 to April 2016 at Sreepur upazila, Magura, Bangladesh. A total of 123 species of vertebrate wildlife was recorded during the 12 months of study period. Among them, eight species (6.5%) were amphibians, 13 (10.57%) reptiles, 84 (68.29%) birds and 18 species (14.64%) were mammals. Out of 84 species of birds, 45 (53.57%) were passerines and 39 (46.43%) non-passerines. Most of the observed birds (72 species, 85.72%) were resident and the rest 12 species (14.28%) were migratory. The highest number of wildlife species was observed in winter (108 species, 87.80%), particularly in December (62 species, 50.40%). The lowest number of species was recorded in June (33 species, 26.83%). Out of 123 species of vertebrate wildlife, three (2.44%) were very common, nine (7.32%) common, 26 (21.14%) fairly common and 85 (69.1%) were common. Of the total species, 117 (95.12%) species were least concern, five (4.06%) near threatened and one (0.81%) was endangered according to IUCN Bangladesh 2015. Implementation of conservation and management plan is required to save the wildlife in the study area. J. Biodivers. Conserv. Bioresour. Manag. 2021, 7(1): 51-62

Trade Potential of Indigenous Ornamental Fishes of Arunachal Pradesh, India

Arunachal Pradesh is rich with networks of drainage systems with enormous wild fish diversity due to varied climatic and topographical features. Most of the streams harbour very alluring small indigenous minnows, loaches, catfishes and barbs that have hardly been exploited for the ornamental fish market. If these aquatic resources are sustainably utilised as a trade commodity, then the pattern of livelihood of the local populace may be uplifted economically. The present investigation was undertaken to establish the market potential of certain indigenous ornamental fishes of Arunachal Pradesh. The survey was conducted during 2019–2020 for 6 months (October–March) based on the feasibility of accessible collections. A total of 52 ornamental fish species under 6 orders and 15 families were documented and collected during the surveys in various streams and rivers. The collection showed that 4 species namely Balitora brucei Gray, 1830, Aborichthys kempi Chaudhuri, 1913, Schistura devdevi Hora, 1935, and Neolissochilus hexagonolepis (McClelland, 1839) were recorded under near threatened; Lepidocephalichthys arunachalensis (Datta & Barman, 1984) and Botia rostrata Günther, 1868, under endangered and vulnerable categories, respectively as per International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) status. The species documented exhibiting natural ornamental features herein considered an indigenous ornamental fish (IOF) for depicting their market demand showing the minimal price of each individual species towards the development of organised trade in Arunachal Pradesh.

Taxonomic revision and morphological delimitation of Oxalis sect. Ripariae (Oxalidaceae)

Phylogenetic studies indicate that several infrageneric taxa in Oxalis require taxonomic updates to attain monophyly. In this contribution, we update the morphological delimitation of the South American Oxalis sect. Ripariae and provide a taxonomic revision of the currently accepted species. The sectional delimitation was carried out by comparing micro- and macromorphological features of Oxalis sect. Ripariae, O. sect. Corniculatae, and O. sect. Myriophyllum. These sections share yellow flowers and aerial stems. Glandular hairs and larger seeds with the surface longitudinally crested and with projections are exclusive to Oxalis sect. Ripariae. We accept 11 species in the section, including three previously placed in Oxalis sect. Corniculatae (i.e., O. eriocarpa, O. niederleinii, and O. refracta), but excluding O. serpens and O. subvillosa, which are moved to O. sect. Corniculatae. We also describe a new species (Oxalis lourteiginana), propose a new name and status for O. bifrons subsp. littoralis (now O. pampeana), the synonymization of O. irreperta with O. riparia, six second-step lectotypifications, and one epitypification. For each accepted species we provide a morphological description, illustrations, ecological and taxonomic information, conservation status following IUCN, and a geographic distribution map. Most species occur in southern Brazil, but the section is widespread also in Argentina, Uruguay, and eastern Paraguay. Six species are categorized as threatened and further three as near threatened. Besides, we provide an identification key for the taxa of the section.

Corak Budidaya Jenis Avifauna oleh Masyarakat Kota Manokwari Di Papua Barat, Indonesia

Masyarakat masih memanfaatkan jenis-jenis avifauna secara berlebihan. Teknik budidaya dari jenis avifauna dan bagaimana pemanfaatannya, merupakan focus dari kajian ini. Metode yang digunakan adalah metode deskriptif dengan teknik survei. Pengambilan sampel secara acak menggunakan metode wawancara dan observasi. Sebanyak 10 kepala keluarga sebagai responden dipilih dari masyarakat yang memiliki hobi memelihara satwa liar di kota Manokwari. Obyek pengamatan adalah proses domestikasi informasi dasar memelihara satwaliar di kota Manokwari. Obyek pengamatan adalah proses domestikasi informasi burung yang dipelihara, kegiatan berburu pemanfaatan avifauna, sistim perkandangan, makanan, tanda-tanda estrus, penyakit dan pencegahan dan aspek sosial ekonomi. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa umur pemelihara untuk kelompok hewan avifauna didominasi oleh kelompok umur 22-44 tahun. Pekerjaaan para pemelihara satwa avifauna di Manokwari didominasi oleh ASN dan TNI/Polri sebanyak 2 orang diikuti oleh kelompok wiraswasta, pelajar dan petani sebanyak 10%. Pemelihara memiliki pendidikan sekolah menengah atas (50%), diikuti oleh sekolah menengah pertama (40%) dan perguruan tinggi (10%). Jenis avifauna yang dibudidaya adalah nuri, kakatua, cenderawasih, mambruk, rangkok, elang dan kasuari. Mambruk dan kasuri mulai terasan sulit ditemukan yang dikategorikan statusnya menjadi near threatened dan least concern. Bahan kandang yang digunakan sebagai dinding kandang adalah berupa kayu (100%), atap kandang terbuat dari seng (100%), serta lantai kandang yang digunakan bervariasi yaitu bambu, kayu, semen dan besi beton. Satwa avifauna diperoleh dengan cara di beli dan berburu. Pemanfaatan avifauna meliputi pemeliharaan hewan kesayangan, hiasan dan konsumsi. Penjinakkan dilakukan dengan memandikan hewan, diberikan makanan (sisa dapur), memberikan air liur dan juga dengan meletakkan hewan tersebut di dalam kandang. Lama waktu menjinakkan adalah 4.8 bulan (1-24 bulan). Masyarakat menjadikan avifauna sebagai hewan hiburan dana tau hiasan yang memiliki nilai estetika.

Breeding record of Black-headed Ibis Threskiornis melanocephalus (Aves: Threskiornithidae) at Mavoor wetland, Kozhikode District, Kerala, India

Black-headed Ibis Threskiornis melanocephalus is a nomadic and medium sized waterbird foraging in shallow water habitats and is listed under Near-Threatened category of IUCN. Though it has a widespread distribution within Kerala, little is known about their breeding sites and their ecology. In Kerala, only three nesting sites were reported so far. Present study found an additional nesting site in Mavoor wetland, which is the first record in Kozhikode district and fourth site for Kerala.

Avifaunal Diversity of Barandabhar Corridor Forest, Chitwan, Nepal

The main aim of the study was to analyze the avifaunal diversity of Chitwan, Nepal. The avifaunal diversity at six transects of Barandabhar Corridor Forest in Chitwan district was carried out during two visits (autumn and spring) in 2020-2021. The line transect method was used to cover most of the study area. In total, 125 species of birds representing 18 orders and 59 families were recorded. The highest number of bird species i.e. (56) 44.8% were represented by order Passeriformes along with 34 families. The highest number of species was found in family Picidae (9) 7.2% followed by Cuculidae (8) 6.4% and least number (1) 0.8% in other 31 families. The seasonal status of species was Autumn (84) and Spring (116). The relative abundance of species was Very Common (60), Common (40), Uncommon (16), and Rare (9). According to the National Red List of Nepal’s Birds, 110 species were in the Least Concern category, eight species were in the Near Threatened category, six species were in the Vulnerable category and one species was in the Critically Endangered category. It was noted that major threats to the birds were illegal fishing, noise pollution, firewood collection, illegal cattle grazing, and invasive alien plant species. One Globally Threatened Bird Lesser Adjutant Leptoptilos javanicus was also noted.

Morphological Traits and Capture Depth of the Norwegian Skate (Dipturus nidarosiensis (Storm, 1881)) from Two Mediterranean Populations

The Norwegian skate Dipturus nidarosiensis (Storm, 1881) has only recently been recorded in the western-central Mediterranean Sea. It was hypothesized a more ancient presence of the species, which has not been detected due to a misidentification with other species of the same genus. This situation could lead to underestimate the risk of a dramatic decline of the spawning stock. In the IUCN Red List, the species is listed as near threatened and considered rare in both the northeast Atlantic and the Mediterranean areas. In the Mediterranean Sea, Norwegian skates were repeatedly caught mostly in two areas between 2005 and 2020: Sardinia Seas and Adriatic-Ionian Seas. In total, 58 specimens were caught, and 28 morphological length measurements were taken on all specimens. The Canonical Discriminant Analysis proved the presence of significant differences only for assemblages made on the basis of the specimen’s area of capture, but not on the basis of sex or ontogenetic development. This analysis could be the first step to highlight the differences between the populations of Norwegian skate in the Mediterranean basin. Moreover, a preliminary analysis of depth of capture was performed as a first step to study this species vertical distribution.

Behavior, ecology and territory of the chestnut-bellied hummingbird, Saucerottia castaneiventris, in the xerophytic vegetation of the Chicamocha canyon of Colombia

The Chestnut-bellied Hummingbird Saucerottia castaneiventris is an endemic hummingbird of Colombia, currently categorized as Near Threatened (NT) globally and as Vulnerable (VU) in Colombia. We characterize the territorial defense and foraging behaviors of S. castaneiventris hummingbird during different seasons of the year, and we determined the size of the S. castaneiventris territory and its relationship with floral abundance at different times of the year. We made four field trips between 2008 and 2009 and registered 19 individuals from S. castaneiventris. Of these, 10 were in the rainy periods, distributed in five territories (one male and one female for each). Eight were in the dry period (July), distributed in four territories. And one individual was in the dry period of February, which did not settle in any of the identified territories. Territorial defense occupied a large part of species’ time. The nectar drinking, and insect hunting were the most frequent activities. The most common floral resources were Opuntia dillenii, Tillandsia sp. and Aloe vera. The hummingbirds Chlorostilbon gibsoni and Doryfera ludoviciae shared habitats with S. castaneiventris and there were fluctuations in encounter rates between the seasons (C. gibsoni ER: 20–7.5 and D. ludoviciae and ER: 0.0–2.5). Territories ranged between 1800 and 3800 m2 for the dry season and between 1500 and 6500 m2 for the rainy season. Our results provided primary information on the ecology of S. castaneiventris and form the basis for the formulation of conservation strategies for the species and for its habitats..

BIRDS OF PARQUE ESTADUAL DO BIRIBIRI, CENTRAL ESPINHAÇO RANGE, BRAZIL

The Central Espinhaço Range forms a large biogeographical barrier that contains areas of ecological transition between two important conservation hotspots in Brazil: the Atlantic Forest and the Cerrado. This research aims to present the first consolidated list of bird species from Parque Estadual do Biribiri (PEBI) located in the Central Espinhaço Range at Minas Gerais state, southeastern Brazil. We recorded 172 bird species between August/November 2018 and January/April 2019, of which 15 are associated with the surrounding biomes (Caatinga, Cerrado and Atlantic Forest) and three species restricted to the southeastern Brazilian mountain tops. Among those species, four are considered globally Near Threatened and 41 species are listed under wildlife trafficking species, indicating the importance of conserving this area. Therefore, our results highlight the importance of PEBI and stress the importance of such transitional areas for maintaining diversity of birds in the Espinhaço Range.