As part of the collection and ex–situ conservation of the rare, endangered and threatened plants of the Southern Western Ghats, Ophiorrhiza radicans Gardner ex Thwaites (1859) was rediscovered from the Rosemala Estate of the Kollam District in Kerala after 119 years of its last record. The identity was confirmed by cross–matching the new collection with the type specimen (Sri Lanka, C.P. Thwaites 1706, K!) housed at Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
Cyperus Linnaeus is the second largest genus in Cyperaceae Jussieu with some 600 species mostly distributed in the tropics and subtropics of the world. Of these, 70 species occur in India. They usually grow as part of wet land vegetation, mud banks, open areas, etc., and yet they get little attention from the floristic workers even though they contribute significantly to the economic and ecologic stability of the ecosystem/region.
Abstract The present study was carried out to monitor three roost sites of Indian flying fox (Pteropus giganteus) populations during the period November 2010 to October 2011 near Purulia, West Bengal, India. At all three sites, bats were found to occupy different tree species (Eucalyptus sp., Dalbergia latifolia, Tamarindus indica and Terminalia arjuna) outside villages for day roost sites in close proximity to water bodies. Behavioural observations were made based on all occurrence method where all behaviours observed for duration of 30 minutes was noted during each census for the entire study period. Favourable roosting conditions were found to support higher bat abundance. Moreover, bat abundance and ambient temperature were found to be negatively correlated, and mass die–offs and population decline were recorded in the hotter months of the year (April–July). Study of bat guano revealed aspects of their feeding habits and their pivotal role as seed dispersers. Information from local villagers affirmed that the bat populations occurring at the roost sites are more than a century old and are regarded as sacred. Moreover, no direct conflicts were recorded between the bats and villagers during the present study. According to the villagers bat populations are declining due to road expansion, cutting of trees and hunting by outsider nomads; these aspects need serious attention from the authorities concerned.
Abstract A zoogeographic analysis of the chiropteran fauna of western Himalayan states of Himachal Pradesh (HP) and Jammu & Kashmir (J&K) is presented. Based on field surveys, study of museum specimens and published literature, 44 species of bats in 20 genera have been reported from the study area. By virtue of its transitional position between the Oriental and Palearctic biogeographic realms, the chiropteran fauna of western Himalaya exhibit an intermixing of elements from both the realms. At the species level, Oriental elements (25 species) dominate Palearctic (17 species) and Ethiopian (1 species) components, while the zoogeographic affinity of one species, Miniopterus schreibersii, is indeterminate. Some zoogeographic aspects influencing the present faunal composition of the region are also discussed. Considering the lack of studies on bat fauna in this part of the Himalaya, it is expected that intensive studies will shed new light into the zoogeography of these lesser known mammals.
Key words : Chiroptera, species diversity, zoogeographic affinity, disjunctive distribution
Abstract The current study describes and interprets the courtship behaviour exhibited by Sitana cf. ponticeriana. An ethogram comprised of 20 behavioural acts was compiled. Though complex communications were lacking in Sitana cf. ponticeriana, other acts were by and large similar (and perhaps evolutionarily homologous) to other agamids. The courtship behaviour was divided into three distinct patterns – orientation, persuasion and copulation. Gular flap extensions by the males of Sitana cf. ponticeriana was a peculiar display but not unique to this species. Head bobbing, which is a common feature to many agamids, was rare and functioned to enhance the visual acuity rather than to serve as a social signal. Neck grip was also a very short event performed rapidly by the male to subdue the female. Rest events of the courtship were more or less similar to other types of lizards. Tail twitching and tail twisting seemed to express high levels of arousal rather than ritualized social signals.