On the types ofPresbytis barbei Blyth

An attempt was made to clarify the position regarding the types ofPresbytis barbei Blyth present in the Zoological Survey of India, Calcutta. The presence of asymmetrical white patch at the interior base of the thighs in the female specimen, which is in the nature of an individual variation, establishes its identity as one of the syntypes. The change in the colour of lips from white to black is probably due to the use of chemicals on the soft parts of the face or subsequent falling of white hairs of the lips, as these specimens were exhibited in the galleries of the Indian Museum.     

Biochemical values of blood serum in the female silvered leaf-monkey,Presbytis cristatus

Thirteen days after capture, the blood serum of eight anesthetized female leaf-monkeys,Presbytis cristatus (3.86 kg of mean body weight), were analyzed for hematocrit (35.6±6.7 %), total protein (6.7±0.8 g/dl), albumin (3.61±0.77 g/dl), α-1 globulin (0.13±0.04 g/dl), α-2 globulin (0.73±0.18 g/dl), β globulin (0.87±0.27 g/dl), γ globulin (1.36±0.55 g/dl), A/G ratio (1.23±0.38), Na (161±6.14 mEq/l), K (5.61±0.74 mEq/l), LDH (575±257 IU/l), GOT (93±67 IU/l), GPT (34±33 IU/l), CPK (250±200 IU/l), ALP (613±633 IU/l), LAP (115±68 IU/l), γ-GTP (28±30 IU/l), TG (47±24 mg/dl), T-Cho (141±31 mg/dl), BUN (29.0±5.7 mg/dl), T-bil (0.21±0.07 mg/dl), and IP (3.4±2.0 mg/dl).     

Food selection by the South Indian leaf-monkey,Presbytis johnii,in relation to leaf chemistry

Summary The leaf-monkey Presbytis johnii has been found to exhibit considerable selectivity in its dietary utilization of mature foliage in a rain-forest habitat. To investigate the basis of this selectivity and to examine the hypothesis that the observed selection is related to the digestibility and toxicity of the available foliage, chemical analyses have been made on 16 of the most important tree species in the monkey's habitat. It has been found that the most heavily used items, which form a staple part of the diet of P. johnii, are characterized by a low fibre content and a very low condensed tannin content. However, neither class of compound is an absolute feeding deterrent as minor, but still significant, mature leaf food items contain considerable amounts of both. It is suggested that the feeding deterrents in these minor items, which may be ingested to supply specific dietary requirements, can perhaps be tolerated because of their dilution in the gut by the dietary staples. An examination of the pepsin/cellulase digestibility of available mature foliage showed that the staple food items tended to be highly digestible. Little correlation has been found between alkaloid content and food selection and it is suggested that the colobine forestomach microflora has the ability to detoxify at least some alkaloids. Additional data on mature leaf petioles and young leaves suggest that the high ratio of cell-sap to cell-wall in these items, and their related high digestibility, explain the high relative abundance of these items in the P. johnii diet.     

Light microscopy of the endometrium of the dusky leaf-monkey (Presbytis obscura)

Specimens of this langur species were available from juvenile, adult and lactating animals. The endometrial sections of non-pregnant adults were dated from the ovarian appearances. During the cycle the endometrium underwent changes similar to those decribed for women, baboons and macaques, except that stromal oedema was pronounced and diffuse in the langur, occurring before ovulation and throughout the secretory phase.     

Antifilarial activity of intravenous suramin and oral diethylcarbamazine citrate on subperiodic Brugia malayi in the leaf-monkey, Presbytis cristata

The known filaricides, suramin and diethylcarbamazine citrate, were tested against subperiodic Brugia malayi infection in the leaf-monkey, Presbytis cristata. As expected, intravenous suramin at 10 mg/kg daily x 5 days or 17 mg/kg weekly x 5 weeks, did not show any microfilaricidal activity, but substantially reduced the recovery of live adult worms to 50.6% and 13.6% of controls respectively. Oral diethylcarbamazine citrate at 6 mg/kg daily x 6 or 10 days reduced final microfilarial counts to 30% of initial counts four weeks post-treatment and adult worm recovery was reduced to 4.5% and 0% of controls respectively. Although the antifilarial activity of these drugs against the infection in this non-human primate model appears to be similar to that seen in man, these results have to be confirmed using larger groups of animals.     

Further observations on the golden langur (Presbytis geei Khajuria, 1956), with a note to capped langur (Presbytis pileatus Blyth, 1843) of Assam

In continuation of the field work that was initiated in the summer of 1973 another field trip to the same area of Goalpara district was undertaken in the winter of 1973 and later on a survey of Manas sanctuary was made in winter of 1976 to collect further information about golden langur. This report incorporates the results of these two field studies and includes such information as the characteristics of the study area, total number of langur groups observed, their size and composition, food items utilised by them during winter months, inter-group and inter-specific relationships, etc. It also includes, incidentally, observations of the capped langur in the Manas sanctuary and remarks on allopatry of distribution of golden and capped langurs in this sanctuary. The range of distribution of golden langur on the Indian side and present status and future of these monkeys have been discussed. The social organisation of the golden langur has been compared with that of other langurs and the concentrations of the former in Jamduar and Raimona forests during the winter months have been compared with those in summer months.     

Sex identification of the phayre's leaf monkey (Presbytis phayrei Blyth, 1847) with the help of facial marks

The Phayre's leaf monkey occurs in India only in Tripura and South Cachar hills. Identification of sex with the help of markings on the face in adult individuals has been suggested in this paper.     

Taxonomic status of Saguinus tripartitus (Milne-Edwards, 1878)

A review of specimens and field notes of Carlos Olalla and his sons showed that they collected Saguinus tripartitus and Saguinus fuscicollis lagonotus at the same place on the right bank of the lower Rio Napo in Peru. Thus, these two forms are sympatric, although they probably occur in different habitats. Therefore, Saguinus tripartitus should be treated as a distinct species, not as a subspecies of Saguinus fuscicollis.     

甘肃仓鼠的分类地位

自1928年Allen发表采自甘肃卓尼的甘肃仓鼠(Cansumys canus)以来,对其分类地位的争论就没有停止,不同学者从形态学和生态学方面研究得出了不同的结论。为了确认Allen所命名的甘肃仓鼠的分类地位,本研究利用形态性状和遗传性状,比较研究了甘肃、宁夏标本(包括模式产地标本)与华北、东北大仓鼠标本共计169只。结果显示:甘肃、宁夏地区标本身体及头骨量度与大仓鼠指名亚种、东北亚种间大多无显著性差异;地理分布连续,其间无隔离,也无地理重叠;生态特征与华北、东北的大仓鼠相似;基于线粒体DNA D-loop区序列的遗传变异分析表明,甘肃、宁夏地区种群与大仓鼠东北亚种种群关系较大仓鼠东北亚种种群与指名亚种种群关系更近;单倍型演化关系显示,指名亚种种群和东北亚种种群分别独立地由甘肃种群单倍型衍生而来,并且三个种群单倍型之间的分歧较浅,没有形成种上的分歧程度。据此,甘肃、宁夏地区“甘肃仓鼠”应为大仓鼠甘肃亚种[Cricetulus triton canus(Allen),1928]。     

The golden langur,Presbytis geei Khajuria: Its discovery,authorship, taxonomic status,and bibliography

The article provides an appraisal of the present information available on the discovery, authoriship, and taxonomic status of the golden langur,Presbytis geei Khajuria of Assam, India. An exhaustive list of 26 references so far published or in press dealing with this recently discovered species of exceptional beauty has also been provided. The length of bibliography shows the keen interest shown by various workers in the animal in a short period since its discovery in 1956.     

Taxonomic status of putative Verticillum alboatrum isolates

Two fungal isolates, formerly classified as Verticillium alboatrum and proposed as forming the basis of a new sub-group (`Group 2') within the species, have been shown to be non-pathogenic to known hosts of V. alboatrum and, on the basis of molecular evidence, to be closely related to Verticillium psalliotae and Verticillium fungicola. We propose that the taxon V. alboatrum be confined to those closely related isolates, usually plant pathogenic and usually producing dark resting mycelium, referred to by other authors as Group 1. The only sub-specific groupings which appear valid (based on pathological and molecular evidence) comprise: (1) host-adapted isolates from lucerne; and (2) all other isolates.     

Taxonomic status of the Farasan Island gazelle

The taxonomy of Arabian gazelles has been confused by single specimen collected from the Farasan Islands in the Red Sea in the 1820s. There is still population of gazelles on the islands. They form distinct taxon most closely related to the mountain gazelle Gazella gaiella , which is characterized by small size, grey-brown colouring, very short horns in the female and rounded upper tooth-row in the male. This gazelle bears no resemblance to the type specimen of G. arabica , said to come from the Farasan Islands. In this paper the Farasan gazelle is described as Gazella gazella Jarasani n. ssp.     

Comparative study of vocal communication in two Asian leaf monkeys, Presbytis johnii and Presbytis entellus

This paper presents comparative data on the vocal communication of two Asian leaf monkeys, the Nilgiri langur (Presbytis johnii) and South Indian common langur (Presbytis entellus), based on sound recordings and behavioural observations of free-ranging groups. Spectrographical analyses revealed a repertoire of 18 basic patterns for Nilgiri langurs, and 21 basic patterns for common langurs. The repertoires of the two langur species consist of both discretely structured vocal patterns, in which alterations of the physical parameters are restricted to intra-class variation, and those in which structural variations cause integration between different sections of the repertoire. Qualitative assessments of group scans indicate that in both species vocal behaviour is characterized by pronounced sex-differences in the use of the different elements of the vocal repertoire. Comparison of data available from different populations of P. entellus suggests population-specific modifications on both structural and behavioural levels. Moreover, characteristic elements of the vocal systems of the two Asian species demonstrate striking similarities to those described for the African black-and-white colobus.     

Taxonomic status ofAnabaena azollae: An overview

Despite the long-standing and widespread use of the symbiotic association between the aquatic fern Azolla and its cyanobacterial symbiontAnabaena azollae to augment nitrogen supplies in rice paddy soils, very little is known about taxonomic aspects of the symbiosis. The two partners normally remain associated throughout vegetative and reproductive development, limiting the opportunities for interchanges. We have used monoclonal antibodies and DNA/DNA hybridization techniques to show that the cyanobacterial partner is not uniform throughout the genus Azolla, and that substantial diversification has occurred. With these procedures it will be possible to characterize genotypes of the cyanobacterium and to monitor experiments aimed at synthesizing new combinations ofAzolla species andAnabaena azollae strains.     

Taxonomic status of the belemnite genusBelemnopsis Bayle 1878

The Tethyan genus “Belemnopsis” of authors, notBayle 1878, includes 110–120 Bajocian to Hauterivian belemnite species and subspecies from Europe and the southern hemisphere. Its type species,Belemnites sulcatus Miller 1826 from the Callovian to Oxfordian of England, belongs to the Boreal belemnite genusLagonibelus Gustomesov 1956, since Phillips selected a lectotype for it in 1870. But the subsequent designation of the type species byDouvillé in 1879 is invalid according to Art. 67 (h) ICZN, and consequentlyBelemnopsis Bayle gets a nomen dubium. It is also a homonym ofBelemnopsis Edwards inGray 1849, and has, therefore, to be replaced byPachybelemnopsis Riegraf 1980, a junior subjective synonym, the family Belemnopseidae Naef 1922 by MesohibolitidaeNerodenko 1983, and the suborder BelemnopseinaJeletzky 1965 by PachybelemnopseinaRiegraf inRiegraf et al. 1998.