Indian Specimens Research Articles

On Plesionika persica (Kemp, 1925) and P. reflexa Chace, 1985 (Crustacea: Decapoda: Pandalidae) from India.

The availability of Indian specimens of Plesionika persica(Kemp, 1925)and P. reflexa Chace, 1985 provided more information on the taxonomy around these two species. Moreover, it is the first record of P. persica to India. Although P. taiwanica Chan and Yu, 2000 is superficially rather similar to P. persica, there are many differences between them and probably it is inappropriate to establish a species group for these two species. It is likely that all previous records of P. ensis (A. Milne-Edwards, 1881) from India actually represent P. reflexa Chace, 1985. Nevertheless, the present Indian specimens of P. reflexa have more than 10% COI sequence divergence from the topotypic materials of both P. ensis and P. reflexa, and the epipods at the pereiopods III and IV reduced or absent. This data further highlights the confusing taxonomy in the "P. ensis" group.

New species of the genus Cheumatopsyche Wallengren 1891 (Insecta: Trichoptera: Hydropsychidae) from Indian Himalaya

Three new species belonging to genus Cheumatopsyche Wallengren are described and illustrated. The newly described species are Cheumatopsyche nigrocephala sp. nov. and Ch. similis sp. nov. both from Uttarakhand, and Ch. meghalayaensis sp. nov. from Meghalaya. Cheumatopsyche guadunica Li Dudgeon 1988 is reported for the first time from India. Cheumatopsyche ningmapa Schmid 1975 and Ch. galahittigama Schmid 1958 are also redescribed and reillustrated based on Indian specimens (males only). Due to insufficient description five species described by the Navás are considered to be nomina dubia (Cheumatopsyche chlorogastra (Navás 1932), Ch. indica (Navás 1932), Ch. lebasi (Navás 1932), Ch. stenocyta (Navás 1932), Ch. suffusa (Navás 1932). Previously, this genus was represented by 23 species and, with the addition of 3 new species and one new country record, there are now 27 species known from India.

The deep-sea commercial caridean shrimp, Heterocarpus woodmasoni (Crustacea: Decapoda: Panalidae), with description of a new species from the western Pacific Ocean

The availability of fresh specimens of the commercial, deep-sea pandalid shrimp, Heterocarpus Alcock, 1901, from India revealed that material referred to this species from India and the western Pacific Ocean have distinct differences in coloration, morphology, and genetic divergence. Although the syntypes of cannot be located now, a color photograph of a typotypic specimen from the Andaman Sea allowed the determination of the Indian form as the true woodmasoni. To stabilize the taxonomy in the H. woodmasoni species group, a neotype is selected for from an Indian specimen with both coloration and molecular barcoding information. The western Pacific form is described as a new species, Heterocarpus fascirostratus sp. nov., which differs from in having a banded rostrum, eggs reddish brown instead of greenish brown, lacking rostral crest, armed usually with fewer dorsolateral spines on the telson, the overhanging spine on the abdominal somite III not markedly recurved downwards, and a rather straight postantennal carina.

Phyllanthus racemosus (Phyllanthaceae), a misinterpreted name, replaces P. polyphyllus

Phyllanthus polyphyllus Willdenow (1805: 586) is at present considered to be an accepted name applied for a species distributed in the peninsular India and Sri Lanka (e.g. Wight 1852, Thwaites 1861, Müller 1866, Hooker 1887, Trimen 1898, Gamble 1925, Webster 1997, Gangopadhyay et al. 2007, Chakrabarty et al. 2012). As regards Phyllanthus racemosus Linnaeus f. (1782: 415), it is at present considered to be a synonym of Synostemon bacciformis (L.) Webster (1960: 26), based on Phyllanthus bacciformis Linnaeus (1771: 294), according to the recent treatment by Van Welzen et al. (2014). However, it may be mentioned that it was Willdenow (1805: 582) who first misinterpreted P. racemosus by referring it to an Indian specimen (“Habitat in India orientali” – Klein s.n., B–W17973–010 [digital image!]), which is identifiable as Synostemon bacciformis. Later, Müller (1863) while describing Agyneia bacciformis (L.) Jussieu (1824: 24, t. 6) var. angustifolia cited P. racemosus as its synonym. Subsequently, Hooker (1887) and Pax & Hoffmann (1922) cited P. racemosus as a synonym of Agyneia bacciformis, while Van Welzen (2003) placed it as a synonym of Sauropus bacciformis (L.) Airy Shaw (1980: 685).

A new slipper lobster of the genus Petrarctus Holthuis, 2002 (Crustacea, Decapoda, Scyllaridae) from Southwest coast of India.

A new species of slipper lobster of the genus Petrarctus Holthuis, 2002 was discovered from southwestern India during a survey of deep sea crustaceans. The new species closely resembles P. veliger Holthuis, 2002 from the Andaman Sea and western Pacific but differs mainly in the color marking on abdominal somite I, having a relatively lower cardiac tooth but with better developed tubercles on the abdomen, as well as a differently shaped anterior part of the thoracic sternum. Molecular genetic analysis also confirms the distinct taxonomic status of the new species. To fix the identity of the type species of the genus, a neotype of P. rugosus (H. Milne Edwards, 1837) was selected from a recently collected Indian specimen with color and genetic information.

Diagnostic Laboratories in India: Investigating Quality Characteristics, Productivity and Time of Reporting.

This is the result of a Survey of diagnostics laboratories in the Asia Pacific (APAC) region with perspectives on India, investigating the three key aspects that are central to the success of a laboratory: quality, cost and speed. This Survey provides a comparison in selected performance indicators in a large number of diagnostic laboratories in a broad range of countries in the APAC region. The Survey provides data on some key performance characteristics such as quality improvement activities, staff productivity and Turnaround Time (TAT). This Survey also demonstrates in India the common issues facing all the laboratories surveyed but also common solutions using a Quality Systems approach which involves Accreditation, customer responsiveness, greater use of IT, automation and Lean principles. Indian laboratories reported less automation and fewer laboratories have Laboratory Information Systems. The productivity by various measures in Indian laboratories was less than in other APAC laboratories. TAT was more commonly monitored in the Indian specimens though there were fewer laboratories compared with the APAC specimens where there were separate TATs for Short Turnaround Time and Routine specimens.

A new Indian species of Pardoteleia Kozlov & Lê (Hymenoptera: Scelionidae: Scelioninae) and first description of the male.

Pardoteleia, a monotypic genus was described by Kozlov and Lê (1988). A new species Pardoteleia flava from India is now described and imaged. The hitherto unknown male of this genus is also described and imaged for the first time. Pardoteleia prater, the type species is redescribed and imaged with intraspecific variations in the Indian specimens.

Observations on fertile populations of two Porella (Porellaceae, Marchantiophyta) species from Kumaun Region in the Western Himalaya, India

The unrecorded androecia and feebly described gynoecia in Indian specimens of two Porella species, namely, P. densifolia subsp. appendiculata (Steph.) S. Hatt. and P. campylophylla var. ptychantha (Mitt.) F. Shaheen & S.C. Sriv., collected from Kumaun region in the state of Uttarakhand in Western Himalaya, are being described and compared besides observing variations in vegetative features of the plants.

Taxonomic consideration of the Japanese red-cap Caesar's mushroom based on morphological and phylogenetic analyses

The Japanese red-cap Caesar's mushroom, “Tamagotake”, formerly identified as Amanita caesarea or A. hemibapha, was reevaluated taxonomically. The morphological characteristics of Japanese “A. hemibapha” specimens corresponded to the lectotype of A. caesareoides, but not to the isotype of A. hemibapha. Phylogenetic analysis of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region of the nuclear ribosomal RNA gene showed that Japanese “A. hemibapha” specimens formed a single clade with the lectotype of A. caesareoides, which were positioned adjacently to A. caesarea and A. jacksonii. A Thai A. hemibapha specimen, which corresponded morphologically to the isotype of A. hemibapha, was grouped with the Indian specimens and indicated a distant clade from A. caesareoides. Therefore, the Japanese red-cap Caesar's mushroom is A. caesareoides.

DNA barcoding of Gobiid fishes (Perciformes: Gobiidae) from eastern and northeastern India with new record of a Gobionellinae species for the region

The study attempted identification of Gobiid fishes from freshwaters in the east and northeast India on a collection of 20 specimens. The DNA barcode data delineated the collected samples into three species clades in the neighbor-joining tree. The results confirmed the identification of five sample sequences belonging to the subfamily Gobionellinae due to cohesive cladding with Awaous congeners. This is a new subfamily record for the northeastern region. Another 15 sample sequences showed conspecific cladding with Glossogobius giuris in the database. Among the 15 sample sequences, 14 sequences cladded with G. giuris sequences of Indian specimens while one sample sequence cladded with G. giuris sequences of South African specimens. This indicated the presence of either a hidden species or a previously synonymized species in the G. giuris complex.

Thorea indica sp. nov. (Thoreales, Rhodophyta) from Uttar Pradesh, India

Thorea indica sp. nov. is described from the Sai River, Uttar Pradesh, India (26°39′00.7″ N, 80°47′38.3″ E). Its classification is based on molecular sequences of the plastid-encoded RuBisCO large-subunit gene, rbcL and the barcode region of the mitochondrial encoded cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1, cox1, and morphological data. The sequence analyses confirm a new species of Thorea. The cox1 barcode sequence had 90.4-90.8% identity with Thorea sp. from Australia and Thorea hispida from Hawaii and China. Based on rbcL sequences the Indian specimen was positioned in a major clade with high support (>95 bootstrap and 0.95 posterior probability) containing two other species: T. okadae from Japan and T. hispida from the continental USA, Hawaii, the UK, and China. The divergences among these sequences were T. indica vs. T. okadae (2.8%) and T. indica vs. T. hispida (2.9-3.4%). The comparison of morphological characters of Thorea from India was not conclusive due to the inadequate descriptions in previous reports: most specimens reported as T. hispida fit within the circumscription of T. indica as described here. The previous report of T. siamensis from the Sai River is incorrect and the specimens fit within our description of T. indica. Thorea indica and T. okadae can be distinguished by minor morphometric characters and sexuality (dioecious vs. monoecious).

Homalothecium arenarium(Lesq.) Lawt., a new record from India

Homalothecium arenarium (Lesq.) Lawt. has been identified from Shillong (Meghalaya) in the North-eastern Hill region of the Eastern Himalaya, which is a new addition to the Indian bryoflora. This species is distinctly characterised by leaves having transverse basal band of two or more rows of short cells and costa ending into a spine and denticulate at back. Morphological and taxonomic details of the Indian specimen are provided.

On some brachypterous Encyrtidae (Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea) from India, with description of four new species

Four new species of brachypterous Encyrtidae (Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea) are described. These are: Cheiloneurus mandyanus Hayat, sp. nov., Encyrtus coorgensis Hayat & Zeya, sp. nov., Microterys atturensis Hayat, sp. nov. and Pseudectroma indicum Hayat & Zeya, sp. nov. The following species that exist either in brachypterous forms only or in both brachypterous and macropterous forms are recorded: Anomalicornia tenuicornis Mercet, Cheiloneurus bangalorensis (Subba Rao), C. quadricolor (Girault), Diversinervus cervantesi (Girault), Globulencyrtus politus (Hoffer), Indaphycus planus Hayat, Neodusmetia sangwani (Subba Rao), Prochiloneurus bolivari Mercet, Rhopus atys Noyes & Hayat and Sakencyrtus mirus Hayat. Globulencyrtus politus and P bolivari are newly recorded from India. A diagnosis of Globulencyrtus, and redescriptions of G politus, P bolivari based on the Indian specimens and of the brachypterous forms of R. atys are given. The occurrence of brachyptery in the Encyrtidae is briefly noted together with a list of brachypterous species recorded from India.

DNA barcoding and taxonomic notes on the genus Macolor (Perciformes: Lutjanidae) from Indian waters

The DNA “barcode”, the partial sequence of the mitochondrial gene cytochrome C oxidase subunit I (COI), was assessed for species identification within the genus Macolor. The Midnight Snapper, Macolor macularis Fowler 1931, is compared with its only congener, the Black and White Snapper, Macolor niger (Forsskal 1775), both collected from the south-west coast of India. The examination of fresh specimens of the two species showed diagnostic anatomical and coloration differences and the DNA barcoding showed a genetic divergence of 3.51% between the species. We provide a description and illustrations of DNA-barcoded specimens, assess the reliability of some key marking characters for the two species, and document the DNA barcodes for Indian specimens

Records and descriptions of some Aphelinidae (Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea) from India

Two new species, Centrodora flemingiae Hayat, sp. nov. and Proaphelinoides assamensis Hayat, sp. nov. (Hymenoptera: Aphelinidae), are described. The latter species is described for an Indian specimen earlier misidentified as P. australis Girault. Also, the following five species are recorded: Coccophagus fumadus Hayat, C. longifasciatus Howard, C. zebratus Howard, Eriaphytis chackoi Subba Rao and Paraphytis transversa (Huang). Coccophagus zebratus and Paraphytis transversa are redescribed because these two species are newly recorded from India.

Rhabdochona (Rhabdochona) keralaensis sp. nov. (Rhabdochonidae) and some other nematodes in the Indian mottled eel Anguilla bengalensis bengalensis from India

A new species of parasitic nematode, Rhabdochona (Rhabdochona) keralaensis sp. nov., is described based on specimens recovered from the intestine of Anguilla bengalensis bengalensis (Gray) collected from the freshwater bodies of Kerala State, southern India. It is characterized mainly by the presence of ten anterior prostomal teeth, absence of basal teeth, simple deirids, length of spicules, number and arrangement of preanal papillae and non-filamented eggs. Two species of camallanid nematodes, adults of Camallanus cotti Fujita, 1927 and a single Procamallanus (Spirocamallanus) sp. fourth-stage larva, were also recorded from A. bengalensis. Camallanus cotti, a pathogenic parasite of many species of wild and aquarium-reared fishes in many countries of South and East Asia, Europe, South and North America, West Indies and Australia, is reported for the first time from a representative of the fish family Anguillidae. Descriptions of R. (R.) keralaensis and Indian specimens of C. cotti, based on light and scanning electron microscopical examinations, are provided. Camallanus oxygasterae Gupta et Bakshi, 1983 is considered a junior synonym of C. cotti.

Taxonomic status of the arboreal Skink Lizard Dasia halianus (Haly & Nevill, 1887) in Sri Lanka and the redescription of Dasia subcaeruleum (Boulenger, 1891) from India

A comparative study of Dasia halianus in India and Sri Lanka is discussed. Indian specimens of “D. halianus” are in fact referable to D. subcaeruleum. D. halianus is again considered a Sri Lankan endemic.

Functional anatomy of the footpad vasculature of dogs: scanning electron microscopy of vascular corrosion casts

Dogs are well adapted to cold climates and they can stand, walk and run on snow and ice for long periods of time. In contrast to the body trunk, which has, dense fur, the paws are more exposed to the cold due to the lack of fur insulation. The extremities have a high surface area-to-volume ratio, so they lose heat very easily. We offer anatomical evidence for a heat-conserving structure associated with dog footpad vasculature. Methylmethacrylate vascular corrosion casts for scanning electron microscopy, Indian ink-injected whole-mount and histological specimens were each prepared, in a series of 16 limbs from four adult dogs. Vascular casts and Indian ink studies showed that abundant venules were arranged around the arteries supplying the pad surface and formed a vein-artery-vein triad, with the peri-arterial venous network intimately related to the arteries. In addition, numerous arteriovenous anastomoses and well-developed venous plexuses were found throughout the dermal vasculature. The triad forms a counter-current heat exchanger. When the footpad is exposed to a cold environment, the counter-current heat exchanger serves to prevent heat loss by recirculating heat back to the body core. Furthermore, the arteriovenous anastomoses shift blood flow, draining blood to the skin surface, and the venous plexuses retain warm blood in the pad surface. Hence, the appropriate temperature for the footpad can be maintained in cold environments.

Rediscovery and description of the quagga shark, Halaelurus quagga (Alcock, 1899) (Chondrichthyes: Scyliorhinidae) from the southwest coast of India

The Quagga shark Halaelurus quagga (Alcock, 1899) is one of the poorest known scyliorhinid (Carcharhiniformes) sharks of the world, described from a single specimen collected from the Arabian Sea coast of India (off Malabar). Since its description, the only other published reports of this species are of specimens from Somalia. This paper reports on H. quagga from Indian waters, more than 100 years after its description, and only the third report of specimens of this species globally. A re-description of H. quagga is also provided based on the recent Indian specimens.

<I>Amparoina spinosissima</I>: a continental Asian record and some taxonomic observations

Amparoina spinosissima is described and illustrated from Kerala State, India. This is the first record of the species from continental Asia. Basidiospores of the Indian specimens are inamyloid in support of Singer's original observation.