Species of the genus Thrips from India (Thysanoptera)

Abstract. The species of Thrips Linnaeus from the Indian region are revised, and a key is provided to the thirty-three valid species, including eight new species and one new subspecies, Eight species customarily included in Taenio-thrips Amyot & Serville are here included in Thrips and six species are newly placed in synonymy: Thrips hawaiiensis (Morgan) (= Thrips exilicornis Hood from Africa); Thrips palmi Karny (= leucadophilus Priesner from Sudan); Thrips brunneus Anan. & Jaga. ( =speratus zur Strassen from South West Africa); Thrips tabaci Lind.(= kallarensis (Anan.) from India); Thrips sumatrensis Priesner (= lucaenae Moulton from Guam); Thrips simplex (Morison) (= Taeniothrips quinani Moulton from South Africa). Isoneurothrips Bagnall is regarded as a synonym of Thrips , and Isothrips is treated as a synonym rather than as a sub-genus. Two nominal species, beharensis (Ram. & Marg.) and rostratus (Ram. & Marg.) are considered unrecognizable at present.     

Haustoriid amphipods (Crustacea) from India

Summary 4 species of gammaridean amphipods belonging to the family Haustoriidae are described from the southern Indian region. One among these, namely Urothoe platydactyla, is considered new.

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Zusammenfassung Es werden 4 gammaride Amphipoden aus der Familie Haustoriidae beschrieben, lebend im Süden Indiens. Die Art Urothoe platydactyla wird als neu bezeignet.

     

Histoplasmosis in India (a case report)

Summary A case of generalised infection withH. capsulatum is described in which the main stress was on the lungs and in the latter stage an ulcer in the oral cavity developed. The fungus was recovered from the sputum as well as the ulcer.     

Caprellids (Crustacea: Amphipoda) from India

The caprellid fauna of India is investigated. A total of 538 samples (including algae, seagrasses, sponges, hydroids, ascidians, bryozoans, encrusted dead corals, coral rubble, fine and coarse sediments) were collected from 39 stations along the coast of India, covering a wide diversity of habitats from intertidal to 12 m water depth. A new species (Jigurru longimanus n.sp.) is described, and figures of the 11 valid species reported so far from India are given together with a key for their identification. No caprellids were found in sediments from the northeast (16–20oN) coast of India while they were abundant in the southeast and west coast. Decreases in salinity due to river discharges associated with lower values of oxygen, higher water temperatures and lower nutrient inputs along the east coast could explain these differences in caprellid composition between the two coastlines. Significantly, lower abundance of caprellids in India, as in other tropical ecosystems, is probably related to the lack of species belonging to the genus Caprella, which reach very high abundances in temperate waters.     

Myxomycetes from Orissa-(India)-I

Summary Seven species of Myxomycetes belonging to 6 genera,Ceratiomyxa fruticulosa (Mull.)Macbr.,Hemitrichia serpula (Scop.)Rost.,Diachea splendens Peck.,Stemonitis Smithii Macbr.,Stemonitis fusca Roth.,Comatricha typhoides (Bull.)Rost. andDiderma hemisphericum (Bull.)Hornem. have been figured and described, of whichStemonitis Smithii Macbr. is a new record in India.     

Trichophyton violaceum infection of the scalp in Poona (India)

Summary A report of thirty-four cases of ringworm of the scalp caused byT. violaceum studied at Sassoon Hospitals, Poona, India, is presented. The infections were found to be more common in children of the ages between 5 to 15 during the months of February to June. Majority of the affected individuals were undernourished. Symptomatologically the cases fall into five groups.     

Assessing and managing the rising rhino population in Kaziranga (India)

The greater one-horned rhinoceros (Rhinoceros unicornis) is a flagship species, and yet is poorly known unlike its African cousin. The species future is now under a growing threat, judging by the prospect of a legalization of the horn trade that has been the subject of recent debate, coupled with the fragmentation of the animal's habitat. In this study, we analyze the rhino habitat and assess its dynamics in the Kaziranga National Park (KNP), Assam, India. To compensate for the limited size of the data available, we use some numerical models and propose some original spatial analyses and indicators.Our findings point to a healthy and increasing rhino population in a density-dependent scenario. An increase of at least 30% in the rhino population is expected in the coming twelve years, mainly as a result of the effective implementation of wildlife protection laws in the country. Kaziranga's grasslands have been quite stable in the past (7% between years, in average, and less than 19% at most), and are expected to remain so in the near future, especially in the core area of the KNP. In the absence of a detailed suitability map and known carrying-capacity values, we identified the areas most favoured by the rhinos, and developed a so-called “preference map”. We conclude by stressing the need to realistically combine the existing conservation strategies while increasing the monitoring effort on the species distribution.     

Airborne yeasts in Amritsar (India)

A survey of airborne yeasts in Amritsar has been carried out by the petri plate exposure method for a period of one year. A total of 14 yeasts species appeared on the plates. Candida was the commonest yeast representing 43.1% of the total colony count followed by Rhodotorula and Torulopsis. There was a seasonal variation in the concentration of the yeasts in the atmosphere. Maximal numbers were recorded in October and minima during January–February.     

Phylogeography of the Golden Jackal (Canis aureus) in India

The golden jackal (Canis aureus) is one of the most common and widely distributed carnivores in India but phylogeographic studies on the species have been limited across its range. Recent studies have observed absence of mitochondrial (mt) DNA diversity in European populations while some North African populations of golden jackal were found to carry gray wolf (Canis lupus lupaster) mtDNA lineages. In the present study, we sequenced 440 basepairs (bp) of control region (CR) and 412 bp of cytochrome b (cyt b) gene of mtDNA from 62 golden jackals sampled from India (n = 55), Israel (n = 2) and Bulgaria (n = 5), to obtain a total of eighteen haplotypes, comprising sixteen from India and one each from Israel and Bulgaria. Except for three previously described haplotypes represented by one cyt b and one CR haplotype both from India, and one CR haplotype from Bulgaria, all haplotypes identified in this study are new. Genetic diversity was high in golden jackals compared to that reported for other canids in India. Unlike the paraphyletic status of African conspecifics with the gray wolf, the Indian (and other Eurasian) golden jackal clustered in a distinct but shallow monophyletic clade, displaying no evidence of admixture with sympatric and related gray wolf and domestic dog clades in the region. Phylogeographic analyses indicated no clear pattern of genetic structuring of the golden jackal haplotypes and the median joining network revealed a star-shaped polytomy indicative of recent expansion of the species from India. Indian haplotypes were observed to be interior and thus ancestral compared to haplotypes from Europe and Israel, which were peripheral and hence more derived. Molecular tests for demographic expansion confirmed a recent event of expansion of golden jackals in the Indian subcontinent, which can be traced back ~ 37,000 years ago during the late Pleistocene. Our results suggest that golden jackals have had a potentially longer evolutionary history in India than in other parts of the world, although further sampling from Africa, the Middle East and south-east Asia is needed to test this hypothesis.     

Myxomycetes from Orissa (India)-III

Summary Six myxomycetous fungi,Cribraria intricata Schrad.,Elaeomyxa miyazakiensis (Emoto)Hagelst.,Stemonitis flavogenita Jahn,Didymium vaccinum (Dur. &Mont.)Buchet,Didymium minus (Lister)Morgan andPhysarella oblonga (Berk. &Curt.)Morgan have been figured and described form Cuttack, Orissa, of whichElaeomyxa miyazakiensis (Emoto) Hagelst.,Stemonitis flavogenita Jahn,Didymium vaccinum (Dur. &Mont.)Buchet,Didymium minus (Lister)Morgan are new records for India.     

Neocrassinid bivalves (Heterodonta) from the Middle Bathonian (Jurassic) of Kachchh,Western India

Six bivalve taxa belonging to the genusNeocrassina Fischer have been described from Middle Bathonian (Middle Jurassic) rocks of Kachchh, Western India. Of these,Neocrassina (N.) ovata (Smith), TV.(N.) robusta (Etallon) andN. (N.) paphia (d?Orbigny) have been recorded previously from various parts of Europe, whileNeocrassina (N.) pandeyi Maithani is an endemic faunal element as areNeocrassina (N.) sp. A andNeocrassina (N.) sp. B. The generic and sub-generic characters ofNeocrassina are reviewed as are affinities of the taxa with closely related forms from India and other parts of the world.     

A new species of Acrotrema (Dilleniaceae) from India

Acrotrema agastyamalayanum , a new species of Dilleniaceae from India is described and illustrated. The new species is allied to A. arnottianum an endemic species of the southern Western Ghats.     

A new species of Memecylon (Melastomataceae) from India

Memecylon sivadasanii , a new species of Melastomataceae from India is described and illustrated. The new species is allied to M. angustifolium and M. rivulare.     

A new species of Litsea (Lauraceae) from India

Litsea beei, a new species of Lauraceae from India is described and illustrated. The new species is allied to the Burmese-Malayan species L. myristicaefolia.     

Contributions to the lichen flora of the Lakshadweep (Laccadive) Islands,India

Abstract:The first lichen records from the Lakshadweep (Laccadive) Islands are presented.Lithothelium insulare (Pyrenulaceae) is described as new and nine other taxa are reported. The poor lichen flora, dominated by pantropical species, is probably a result of the lack of natural habitats in this area.     

Phaeohyphomycosis caused by Cladosporium bantianum in Kerala (India)

A case of phaeohyphomycosis caused by Cladosporium bantianum is reported from India for the first time. It is also the first known case of infection involving the foot caused by this fungus. The cultural characteristics and animal pathogenicity of the isolate are described.     

Airborne Penicillium in the grain shops of Nagpur (India)

The airborne Penicillium spp. and total airborne fungal spore concentration was investigated in the grain shops of Nagpur city, India, using a volumetric Hi‐Air sampler system Mark II (Hi Media Laboratories Ltd., India). The mycotoxins were analysed from the Penicillium isolates obtained from the seeds by thin layer chromatography.

The mean concentration of the total fungi isolated from different grain shops ranged from 7.8×10² to 1.1×10³ CFU/m³. The mean concentration of Penicillium isolated from the air of grain shops ranged from 8.6×10¹ CFU/m³ (10.8%) to 1.7×10² CFU/m³ (19.9%). Among the 13 species of Penicillium which were isolated, P. citrinum Thom was the most prevalent species (24.2%), followed by P. oxalicum Currie & Thom (16.5), P. digitatum Saccardo (8.9%), P. janthinellum Biourge (8.7%), P. funiculosum Thom (8.3%), P. chrysogenum Thom (6.4%), P. purpurogenum Stoll (6.2%), P. brevicompactum Dierckx (4.8%), P. frequentans Westling (4.2%), P. italicum Wehmer (3.8%), P. rubrum Stoll (3.4%), P. expansum Link (2.9%) and P. cyclopium Westling (1.6%).

Penicillium species were also isolated from seeds such as wheat, maize, soybean, and groundnut. The mycotoxins roquefortin C, citrinin, rubratoxin B, cyclopiazonic acid, verrucosidin, mitorubrinic acid and two unknown metabolites were isolated from Penicillium isolates.     

Dentition ofSivaladapis nagrii (Adapidae) from the late Miocene of India

Two genera and three species of adapid primates are known from the middle and late Miocene of India and Pakistan. Most fossil specimens are fragmentary, but the best-known species, Sivaladapis nagrii,is now represented by enough specimens to permit composite reconstruction of much of the dentition. The incisors of Sivaladapishave spatulate crowns, and the canines are large, projecting teeth. Premolars and molars exhibit complex occlusion involving simultaneous approximation of pointed leading cusps on upper and lower molars, with linear trailing lophs. The premolar eruption sequence in Sivaladapisappears to be P ₂-P₄-P₃, as in most extant prosimians. Symphyseal fusion of the mandibular rami occurred early in ontogeny, before the eruption of any of the anterior permanent teeth. We interpret Sivaladapisto have been a specialized arboreal folivore that became extinct near the end of the Miocene, when the distribution of forests was increasingly restricted and colobine monkeys first invaded South Asia.