Indian Fauna Research Articles

An annotated checklist of Xanthopimpla Saussure (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae)

A checklist to the 246 species with 79 subspecies of Xanthopimpla Saussure (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae) provided. Taxonomic history with details of synonyms. bibliography and distribution given. The Zoogeographic distribution, in particular, for the Indian fauna analyzed and details included.

A new species of Polyzonus Castelnau (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) from China

The genus Polyzonus (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae: Cerambycinae) was established by Castelnau in 1840. Gahan (1906) recorded 19 species in the Indian cerambycid fauna. Pandy (1980) reviewed this genus with 33 species, and the species, P. opacus Pic was absent in his key of the original description. The descriptions of P. latefasciatus Hüdepohl, 1998 and P. hefferni Vives, Bentanachs & Chew Kea Foo, 2008 brought the number of described species in the genus to 35 worldwide. Gressitt (1951) listed nine Polyzonus species in the Chinese cerambycid fauna. Both Hua (2002) and Fu (2006) listed thirteen species in China. In this paper, a new species is described, bringing the number of Chinese species in the genus Polyzonus to 14.

The Significance of Temminck’s Work on Biogeography: Early Nineteenth Century Natural History in Leiden, The Netherlands

C.J. Temminck, director of the Rijksmuseum van Natuurlijke Historie (now the National Museum of Natural History in Leiden) and a renowned ornithologist, gained his contemporary's respect thanks to the description of many new species and to his detailed monographs on birds. He also published a small number of works on biogeography describing the fauna of the Dutch colonies in South East Asia and Japan. These works are remarkable for two reasons. First, in them Temminck accurately described the species composition of poorly explored regions, like the Sunda Islands and Japan. Secondly, he formulated a new law on the geographical distribution of animals around the globe, based on the parallels he observed between the fauna from Europe, Asia and Japan. The underlying ideas that lead Temminck to this law were the type-concept, which he understood as the ideal morphological plan behind animal form, the unchanging character of the species and a strong belief in nature's divine design. During the first half of the nineteenth century, the type- and the species-concept, the origin and fixity of the species and the meaning of variations aroused heated discussions. When put in the context of his time, Temminck emerges as a scientist whose work was driven by the dominating scientific philosophy of the time in which he lived, under the influence of late eighteenth century natural history and of French empiricists, in particular, the great zoologist and paleontologist Georges Cuvier. Temminck's detailed descriptions of the Dutch East Indian fauna helped the great naturalists after him to understand nature's patterns and to propose comprehensive theories that explain its diversity.

A revision of Patagifer Dietz, 1909 (Digenea: Echinostomatidae) and a key to its species

Patagifer Dietz, 1909 is revised and a key to the species is presented. P. oweni n. sp. is described from Threskiornis molucca (Cuvier) in the Western Province of Papua New Guinea and distinguished from the related P. chandrapuri Srivastava, 1952 by: the shape of the pair of large angle spines (cudgel-shaped vs sub-rectangular); pointed (vs rod-shaped) marginal spines; a smaller body and internal organs; more anteriorly located testes; and larger eggs. The new species differs from P. brygooi Richard, 1964 in its larger body, head collar, suckers, pharynx and eggs, longer oesophagus and testes, the latter being also more elongate and more anteriorly located, and a different number of collar spines (61-62 vs 59). P. bilobus (Rudolphi, 1819) (the type-species), P. parvispinosus Yamaguti, 1933, P. chandrapuri and P. vioscai Lumsden, 1962 are redescribed on the basis of museum and newly collected material. The variations in the number and size of the collar spines and other metrical characters of P. bilobus are studied in two different host species from Europe, Plegadis falcinellus and Platalea leucorodia. Other species considered valid are: Patagifer consimilis Dietz, 1909, P. acuminatus Johnston, 1917, P. fraternus Johnston, 1917, P. wesleyi Verma, 1936, P. brygooi and P. toki Onda, Imai & Ishii, 1983. P. plegadisi Sakla, Monib & Mandour, 1988 and P. simarai Nigam, 1944 are considered synonyms of P. bilobus, and P. sarai Saksena, 1957 is placed in synonymy with P. chandrapuri. Forms considered dubious are: P. bilobus of Machida et al. (Jpn J Parasitol 15:339, 1966) and Machida (Bull Natl Sci Mus Tokyo 11:157-160, 1968), P. simerai [sic] of Mehra (The fauna of India and adjacent countries. Platyhelminthes, 1980), P. skrjabini Hilmy, 1949 sp. inq. and P. srivastavai Peter, 1954 sp. inq. Lists of the records and hosts of the 11 valid species are included.

Descriptions of six new and records of eight known species of Encyrtidae from India (Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea)

Six new species of Encyrtidae are described. These are Ooencyrtus utpradianus Hayat, Sakencyrtus albiclavus Hayat, Rhopus rymma Hayat & F. R. Khan, Rhopus beatus Hayat & F. R. Khan, Paraphaenodiscus ramamurthyi Hayat & Badruddin, and Xenostryxis bella Hayat & Badruddin. Eight known species are recorded of which Prochiloneurus clavatus (Girault) and Psyllaephagus minor Prinsloo are new for the Indian fauna.

Ecomorphology of Anolis lizards of the Choco′ region in Colombia and comparisons with Greater Antillean ecomorphs

We analysed the ecomorphological relationships in four species of Anolis lizard that occur in the Choco′ region in Colombia. The region is one of the most diverse of the Neotropical lowlands. The species were assigned to traditionally recognized Greater Antillean ecomorph categories based on habitat use data. Principal component analyses were carried out to examine correlations between the morphological traits, body size, and habitat use. We found that species are separated in morphological space principally by body size and lamella number. Upon removal of the effect of body size, correlations between morphology and habitat use became apparent. However, when compared with Greater Antillean ecomorphs, we found little evidence of morphological convergence in species occupying similar habitats. The species of the Choco′ region are, however, clearly separated in the multidimensional morphological space from the Antillean taxa, and appear to form a separate cluster differentiating principally in body size and the number of lamellae. Mainland species clearly constitute an ecomorphological radiation but apparently this is independent of that of the West Indian fauna. More studies are needed to understand the causes for the independence of evolutionary trajectories on the mainland and the Greater Antilles, and to obtain a better understanding of the ecological and evolutionary processes underlying the radiation of these faunas.

Resolving taxonmic discrepancies: Role of Electronic Catalogues of Known Organisms

There is a disparity in availability of nomenclature change literature to the taxonomists of the developing world and availability of taxonomic papers published by developing world scientists to their counterparts in developed part of the globe. This has resulted in several discrepancies in the naming of organisms. Development of electronic catalogues of names of known organisms would help in pointing out these issues. We have attempted to highlight a few of such discrepancies found while developing IndFauna, an electronic catalogue of known Indian fauna and comparing it with existing global and regional databases.

The marine East Indies: diversity and speciation

AbstractAim To discuss the impact of new diversity information and to utilize recent findings on modes of speciation in order to clarify the evolutionary significance of the East Indies Triangle.Location The Indo‐Pacific Ocean.Methods Analysis of information on species diversity, distribution patterns and speciation for comparative purposes.Results Information from a broad‐scale survey of Indo‐Pacific fishes has provided strong support for the theory that the East Indies Triangle has been operating as a centre of origin. It has become apparent that more than two‐thirds of the reef fishes inhabiting the Indo‐Pacific are represented in the Triangle. An astounding total of 1111 species, more than are known from the entire tropical Atlantic, were reported from one locality on the small Indonesian island of Flores. New information on speciation modes indicates that the several unique characteristics of the East Indian fauna are probably due to the predominance of competitive (sympatric) speciation.Main conclusions It is proposed that, within the East Indies, the high species diversity, the production of dominant species, and the presence of newly formed species, are due to natural selection being involved in reproductive isolation, the first step in the sympatric speciation process. In contrast, speciation in the peripheral areas is predominately allopatric. Species formed by allopatry are the direct result of barriers to gene flow. In this case, reproductive isolation may be seen as a physical process that does not involve natural selection. Allopatric species formation often takes millions of years, while the sympatric process is generally much faster. Following species formation, dispersal from the East Indies appears to take place according to the centrifugal hypothesis.

Middle to Upper Jurassic sedimentary sequences and marine biota of the early Indian Ocean (Southwest Madagascar): some biostratigraphic, palaeoecologic and palaeobiogeographic conclusions

As part of an intradisciplinary project which was concerned with the early rifting processes between Madagascar and East Africa, the Middle to Upper Jurassic sedimentary sequences of the Morondava Basin in Southwest Madagascar has been investigated with respect to biostratigraphy, sedimentary facies and palaeoecology. The transgressive sedimentary sections in the Bajocian and Callovian–Oxfordian yield rich macro- and microfossil assemblages which improved the biostratigraphic framework and gave some important information about the palaeoenvironments. Palaeogeographic distribution patterns of the Bajocian ostracod Paradoxorhyncha are suggestive of a migration along the southern shores of Gondwana between Madagascar, Australia and South America. The Callovian ostracods show strong affinities to the Indian faunas, indicating existence of a free migration route for shallow marine benthic organisms between Madagascar and India. Significant faunal differences between Madagascar and Tanzania suggest a physical or environmental migration barrier between Madagascar and East Africa during the Callovian to Kimmeridgian interval. The Upper Jurassic ostracods from the northern and eastern margin of Gondwana show a very high degree of endemism and they can be assigned to two faunal provinces in North Gondwana (Arabia, Near East, North Africa) and South Gondwana (India, Madagascar, East Africa).

Middle to Upper Jurassic sedimentary sequences and marine biota of the early Indian Ocean (Southwest Madagascar): some biostratigraphic, palaeoecologic and palaeobiogeographic conclusions

As part of an intradisciplinary project which was concerned with the early rifting processes between Madagascar and East Africa, the Middle to Upper Jurassic sedimentary sequences of the Morondava Basin in Southwest Madagascar has been investigated with respect to biostratigraphy, sedimentary facies and palaeoecology. The transgressive sedimentary sections in the Bajocian and Callovian–Oxfordian yield rich macro- and microfossil assemblages which improved the biostratigraphic framework and gave some important information about the palaeoenvironments. Palaeogeographic distribution patterns of the Bajocian ostracod Paradoxorhyncha are suggestive of a migration along the southern shores of Gondwana between Madagascar, Australia and South America. The Callovian ostracods show strong affinities to the Indian faunas, indicating existence of a free migration route for shallow marine benthic organisms between Madagascar and India. Significant faunal differences between Madagascar and Tanzania suggest a physical or environmental migration barrier between Madagascar and East Africa during the Callovian to Kimmeridgian interval. The Upper Jurassic ostracods from the northern and eastern margin of Gondwana show a very high degree of endemism and they can be assigned to two faunal provinces in North Gondwana (Arabia, Near East, North Africa) and South Gondwana (India, Madagascar, East Africa).

An illustrated key to the identification of centipedes (Chilopoda: Scolopendromorpha) of Kerala

Introduction Centipedes are an economically important group of arthropods playing valuable role in the control of noxious insect pests in the terrestrial ecosystem (Yadav, 1994). They are often treated as creatures of nuisance value owing to their poisonous nature and painful bite, particularly of the members of the family Scolopendridae. The microhabitat of all the centipedes is the wet and moist places and they inhabit the environs below rotten barks, dry foliage, stones, heap of cowdung etc. Being a tropical megadiversity country, India is gifted with a rich variety of centipede fauna. A perusal of the recent literature on the Indian fauna reveals that systematic studies on centipedes have so far been restricted mainly to Deccan Plateau, Western Ghats, Indian Desert, Western Himalaya, U.P, Delhi, Rajastan, and Gujarat (Jangi & Das, 1984; Yadav, 1993a,b,c; Khanna & Yadav, 1997; Khanna, 2001). Khanna (2001) checklisted 100 species of centipedes belonging to 11 genera under two families from India.

Records and descriptions of Indian Encyrtidae (Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea)

Seventy-nine known species of Encyrtidae are recorded from materai collected from several Indian States, and 32 species are described as new. Taxonomic notes are provided on some encyrtid genera and species. The following genera are synonymized (senior synonyms in parentheses): Negeniaspidius (Lamennaisia), Paraschedius (Xenostryxis). The following species are synonymized (senior synonyms in parentheses): Anagyrus agarwali Fatima (Anagyrus subflaviceps); Anagyrus micans Noyes (Anagyrus aligarhensis); Leiocyrtus aphidivorus Shafee et al., Adelencyrtus magniclavus Fatima & Shafee (Tassonia gloriae); Ginsiana solitocornis Kaul & Agarwal (Trichomasthus frontalis); Xanthoencyrtus longiclavatus Shafee et al. (Rhopus nigroclavatus). The following genera and species are new to the Indian fauna: Forcipestricis; Hemencyrtus; Paracladella; Adelencyrtus axillaris (Girault); Aphycus sappomensis (Compere & Annecke); Cerchysiella kuwatai Tachikawa; Isodromus axillaris Timberlake; Mayridia procera (Mercet); Parablatticida citri (Mercet); Psyllaephagus africanus Prinsloo; Tassonia gloriae Girault; Trjapitzinellus obscurus (Mercet). Trichomasthus frontalis Alam is considered a doubtful Indian species.

How far did India drift during the Late Cretaceous?—Placenticeras kaffrarium Etheridge, 1904 (Ammonoidea) used as a measuring tape

India, once a member of the lost supercontinent Gondwana, broke away from it and made a solitary northward excursion and finally collided with Asia. During its long voyage, India remained isolated for 100 Ma and is expected to be characterized by stunning endemic biodiversity. But this is not recognized by the terrestrial faunal and floral content, and their distribution patterns paint no simple scenario. For example, the Inter-trappean vertebrate faunas of India, which lived during “India-in-exile”, do not show any made-in-India assemblages, but rather betray a mixed biota having both Gondwanan and Laurasian affinities. These differential distribution patterns of fauna and flora, and their affinities with those of other areas, prompted many workers to envisage an array of suggestions regarding the time of India's final separation from Gondwana, the time of northward drifting and different palaeopositions during its long journey. But closer examination of the nature of the vertebrate fossil records reveals that the so-called elusive endemicity of Indian fauna during its sojourn is in fact a product of taxonomic artefact. The majority of the faunas have been described on the basis of poor fossil data, and comparisons for biogeographic correlations are made at higher taxonomic levels, which perhaps masked India's faunal distinctiveness. Yet, the biological processes that constrain biogeographical distribution operate at the species level. In this paper, we present our own data to reconstruct the palaeoposition of India in the Late Cretaceous, and to estimate the time of its northward migration. The present study is based on a newly recorded ammonite species, Placenticeras kaffrarium Etheridge from the Coniacian horizons in Bagh, central India. The species abounds in Bagh and represents a complete population structure. It resembles significantly the populations described from the coeval horizons of Madagascar and Zululand, South Africa. P. kaffrarium has a stunning display of intraspecific variability represented by at least seven distinct morphotypes reported from Zululand and Madagascar. The Indian population, significantly matches the latter two populations, variant by variant and remarkably, also for the sexual dimorphs within each variant. Geographic range is a biological property of a species and ammonite species have differential distribution patterns depending on the length of larval longevity, oceanic circulation patterns and favourable environments. Placenticeras was a nektobenthic genus living in the shallowest depths of epicontinental seas, and could not cross a narrow strait wider than a few hundred kilometers. Palaeogeographic distribution patterns of all placenticeratid species during the Late Cretaceous support this view and show the wandering nature of the genus over time. However, they always exhibit a latitudinally limited distribution and are restricted mainly to the subtropics north and south of the equator. Thus, it appears that the P. kaffrarium population of Zululand, Madagascar and Bagh constitute a homogenous, single breeding population, implying geographical proximity of these areas, connected by exclusively shallow seas till the Coniacian. Other fossil records of ammonites and geophysical data also support this view. Shortly after this, India started its northward drift. By the Late Maastrichtian, India was completely isolated by a wide oceanic gap from the rest of the Gondwana fragments and the northern part of India crossed the equator. This is evident from strong endemicity of ammonite species assemblages of the northwest and southern Indian subcontinent, which constitute the most diverse communities known.

Evaluating trans-tethys migration: an example using acrodont lizard phylogenetics.

A phylogenetic tree for acrodont lizards (Chamaeleonidae and Agamidae) is established based on 1434 bases (1041 informative) of aligned DNA positions from a 1685-1778 base pair region of the mitochondrial genome. Sequences from three protein-coding genes (ND1, ND2, and COI) are combined with sequences from eight intervening tRNA genes for samples of 70 acrodont taxa and two outgroups. Parsimony analysis of nucleotide sequences identifies eight major clades in the Acrodonta. Most agamid lizards are placed into three distinct clades. One clade is composed of all taxa occurring in Australia and New Guinea; Physignathus cocincinus from Southeast Asia is the sister taxon to the Australia-New Guinea clade. A second clade is composed of taxa occurring from Tibet and the Indian Subcontinent east through South and East Asia. A third clade is composed of taxa occurring from Africa east through Arabia and West Asia to Tibet and the Indian Subcontinent. These three clades contain all agamid lizards except Uromastyx, Leiolepis, and Hydrosaurus, which represent three additional clades of the Agamidae. The Chamaeleonidae forms another clade weakly supported as the sister taxon to the Agamidae. All eight clades of the Acrodonta contain members occurring on land masses derived from Gondwanaland. A hypothesis of agamid lizards rafting with Gondwanan plates is examined statistically. This hypothesis suggests that the African/West Asian clade is of African or Indian origin, and the South Asian clade is either of Indian or Southeast Asian origin. The shortest tree suggests a possible African origin for the former and an Indian origin for the latter, but this result is not statistically robust. The Australia-New Guinea clade rafted with the Australia-New Guinea plate and forms the sister group to a Southeast Asian taxon that occurs on plates that broke from northern Australia-New Guinea. Other acrodont taxa are inferred to be associated with the plates of Afro-Arabia and Madagascar (Chameleonidae), India (Uromastyx), or southeast Asia (Hydrosaurus and Leiolepis). Introduction of different biotic elements to Asia by way of separate Gondwanan plates may be a major theme of Asian biogeography. Three historical events may be responsible for the sharp faunal barrier between Southeast Asia and Australia-New Guinea, known as Wallace's line: (1) primary vicariance caused by plate separations; (2) secondary contact of Southeast Asian plates with Eurasia, leading to dispersal from Eurasia into Southeast Asia, and (3) dispersal of the Indian fauna (after collision of that subcontinent) to Southeast Asia. Acrodont lizards show the first and third of these biogeographic patterns and anguid lizards exhibit the second pattern. Modern faunal diversity may be influenced primarily by historical events such as tectonic collisions and land bridge connections, which are expected to promote episodic turnover of continental faunas by introducing new faunal elements into an area. Repeated tectonic collisions may be one of the most important phenomena promoting continental biodiversity. Phylogenetics is a powerful method for investigating these processes.

Chalcidoidea (Hymenoptera: Insecta) status and diversity in India

In the field of insect pest control, increasing attention is being paid to the ecofriendly and environmentally safe methods. Biological control has come to stay as one of the best alternatives to chemical control and the utilisation of insect parasites and predators has emerged as one of the most fruitful strategies in Integrated Pest Management. Biological control, however, depends to a considerable extent on taxonomy for the correct identification of both pests and their natural enemies. The superfamily Chalcidoidea, commonly called the Chalcid wasps is one of the largest groups of parasitic Hymenoptera. Most members of the group attack major insect orders, many of which are agricultural and forest pests of economic importance. Chalcids attack a wide range of hosts which include 12 orders of insects and two orders of Arachnida (Table 1). Through their parasitic mode of life, they destroy populations of potential pest species in the field by regulating their numbers, thus playing an important role in the biological control of serious pests. The chalcids are cosmopolitan and include about 2,000 genera and 19,000 described species from the world (Noyes, 1990). They are characterised by their minute size, ranging from 0.18mm to about 25mm and are readily distinguished from other groups of parasitic Hymenoptera by the reduced forewing venation without closed cells. Despite the abundance of Chalcidoid taxa, their complex biological interactions and baffling morphology, the group has received relatively little attention in India. Several attempts have been made to document the Indian fauna by Mani (1938, 1989), Joseph, Narendran and Joy (1973), Subba Rao and Hayat (1985, 1986), Boucok (1979), Narendran (1989, 1991) and, Noyes and Hayat (1984). Members of 19 families of Chalcidoidea are known from India (Sureshan, 1998). Among these, the Encyrtidae, Chalcididae, Eurytomidae, Aphelinidae and Trichogrammatidae are well documented. The families Tanaostigmatidae, Tetracampidae, Eulophidae, Pteromalidae, Perilampidae, Ormyridae etc., are less studied.

Historical biogeography of Jamaica: evidence from cave invertebrates

The Jamaican fauna of obligately subterranean invertebrates contains 25 species of terrestrial troglobitic onychophorans, arachnids, isopods, and hexapods and 16 species of freshwater - brackish water stygobites, mostly crustaceans. Cladistic analyses of the faunas are not available. In place of this, general track analysis of the cave-restricted terrestrial faunas suggests closest relationships with Jamaican forest faunas, followed by other West Indian forest or cave faunas, and lastly Central American forest faunas. Over-water dispersal best accounts for the presence of the terrestrial epigean ancestors of the fauna in Jamaica, and they must have arrived after Jamaica became emergent in the early Miocene (about 20 Ma). The terrestrial cave fauna then descended from the epigean ancestors. In contrast, the aquatic fauna invaded from the sea, but also after the Miocene emergence. There is no evidence for a macro-vicariance origin of the cave-evolved fauna from one existing in cave environments at the time when Jamaica separated from proto-Middle America. The troglobites probably arose on Jamaica through habitat shift or Pleistocene climatic change (both micro-vicariance mechanisms). Seven terrestrial and three aquatic species seem to be phylogenetic relicts. These relicts also have a stronger relationship to other Antillean islands than to Central America. This fauna shows no evidence of a South American origin. There is a very significant species-area linear regression for Greater Antillean stygobites but not for troglobites (probably because Hispaniola is not sufficiently studied).

Production of in-vitro derived blackbuck antelope [formula omitted] embryos using standard bovine protocols

Shivpuri National Park (151·99 sq km), a former game preserve of the rulers of Gwalior State, India, is situated ca 120 km south-west of Gwalior and 435 km from Delhi. The Park is inhabited by typical Indian fauna comprising the Spotted Deer or Chital (Axis axis), Nilgai or Blue Bull (Boselaphus tragocamelus), Black Buck (Antilope cervicapra), Four-horned Antelope or Chausingha (Tetraceros quadricornis), Sambar (Cervus unicolor), Chinkara or Indian Gazelle (Gazella gazella), and a unique variety of migratory bird. It contains tropical dry deciduous mixed and scrub forests inhabited by more than 400 species of flowering plants. The aquatic and marshland habitats are rich in animal and plant wildlife, the latter being represented by more than 100 taxa of free-floating, anchored, submerged, emergent, and terrestrial wetland, hydrophytes. During the course of this study, an ornamental herb, Craterostigma plantagineum, was collected from the region, which is so far the only record of its occurrence in India. The Park is infested by a number of pernicious weeds etc. (e.g. Acanthospermum hispidum, Xanthium strumarium, Alternanthera pungens, and Gomphrena celosioides) which are spreading rapidly. The forest constitutes one of the last strongholds or refuges for India's fast-vanishing wildlife. Its flora and biotopes are extremely valuable from the point of view of conservation. The author makes a plea to save the flora from cattle graziers, plant collectors, dealers, and growers, and to launch a programme of sound conservation practices.

The Asian Colobinae (Mammalia: Cercopithecidae) as indicators of Quaternary climatic change

A reappraisal of the zoogeography and systematics of Asian colobines demonstrates marked discontinuities in their distribution. The Borean proboscis monkey is separated by Sumatra from its sole congener on the Mentawai Islands. Pygathrix species have a discontinuous distribution at the range limit of the Asian Colobinae. The existence in the Himalayas of some disjunct relatives of the south Indian fauna, has obscured a wider disjunction in which for example, the hooded black leaf monkey, Semnopithecus johnii , has one subspecies in southern India and another in north Vietnam. A closely related Vietnamese leaf monkey is a subspecies of the otherwise Indonesian S. auratus. Presbytis comata is disjunct between west Java, northern Sumatra and northern Borneo. The Mentawai Islands P. potenziani is closely related. Biogeographic parallels imply a common cause and previous continuity across the intervening areas. The only wholly compatible explanation is that the disjunct areas alone retained adequate moisture and temperature to support their endemic biota during a cool drought. That not only genera, but species are disjunct, indicates such conditions prevailed recently, and are probably attributable to the Pleistocene glaciations. The supposition that its maritime climate shielded Asian rainforest from the glacial drought known to have partially deforested Africa and South America, is inapplicable to the Indian subcontinent, and ignores the climatic effects of the emergence of the Sunda and the Sahul shelves. Such known influences, the distribution of drought indicator plants, fossil plants and fossil mammals, grassland birds and freshwater fish, and the anatomical specializations of Nasalis confirm the instability of the Asian environment. The absence of endemic representatives of certain primates in north Sumatra implies the occurrence of two cold droughts. Available evidence appears to correlate the deforestations with the abrupt curtailment of glacial Stages 7 and 5, at about 190 000 years BP and about 80 000 years BP. The greater significance of climatic than topographical barriers in delineating the Oriental zoogeographic region, and a rapid speciation rate, is implied. Morphological change is evidently generated by geographic dispersal, rather than geographic isolation.

Kaleidoscopic tree boas: the genus Corallus of tropical America

This work covers the natural history and captive management of the genus Corallus, a small group of highly adapted tree-dwelling snakes from Tropical America. Related to the giants of the snake world, such as the anaconda and python, their striking appearance and often exorbitant coloration have long made them popular subjects for herpetological study and interesting animals for zoological exhibition. Peter Stafford has published regularly on the subject of herpetology, including articles on natural history and captive husbandry, and three books on snakes and lizards. Recently, he has developed a special interest in the herpetology of Central America, and other parts of the New World Tropics. Following a number of expeditions and field studies on the herpetofauna of Belize, he is presently working on a comprehensive account of the reptiles of this country. Robert W. Henderson is the author of more than 120 technical articles on amphibian and/or reptile biology, and has coauthored or edited five other books on reptiles. Primarily interested in snakes, his research has also included field work on amphibians and other reptiles. For the past 15 years he has concentrated on West Indian fauna, visiting more than 40 islands in his search for snakes. He has recently focused on neotropical boas (in the West Indies and on the neotropical mainland) with a strong emphasis on diet and foraging behaviour. Interested in tree boas as a boy, he has studied their biology for eight years, His work with corallus, as well as other boas, is ongoing.

Birding in Orang Wildlife Sanctuary (OWLS)

Birding in Orang Wildlife Sanctuary (OWLS) The state of Assam with its typical geologic, physiographic and climatic diversity holds a pivotal place in the process of progressive evolution of the present day flora and fauna of India, serving as an effective gateway to the floristic faunistic influx (Kurup 1986). Around thirtynine percent of the state is under forest cover, with one national park and cleven sanctuaries occupying more than 2000 sq. km. area. Yet except for the Kaziranga National Park and Manas Tiger Project, not much effort has been put in to the survey of the avifauna of the rest of the protected areas. The present paper is an attempt to the listing of avifauna of Orang Wildlife Sanctuary, a hitherto unsurveyed area.