1,990 research outputs found
Do Community-Based Rehabilitation programs promote the participation of persons with disabilities? A case control study from Mandya District, in India.
No full textCan Horticulture be a Success Story For India?
No full textIndia is the second largest producer of fruits and vegetables in the world after China. Since the 1980s, the international trade in fruits and vegetables has expanded rapidly. The number of commodities as well as the number of varieties produced and traded have increased manifold during the past 25 years. There is an overall increase in the demand for fruits and vegetables for consumption both in the fresh and the processed form. Also there is a wide diversification in production pattern globally. Income in this sector is increasing which is indeed driving the supply. In spite of being one of the largest producers of fruits and vegetables in the world, the export competitiveness among the Indian producers remains low. But with new marketing initiatives, the post-harvest losses and the wastage due to poor infrastructure facilities, such as storage and transportation, have been reduced to a considerable extent. Yet a lot needs to be done in this sector. In an effort to overcome some of the problems associated with this sector, the case study of the successful SAFAL Market is presented in the paper. The study has observed a shift in cropping pattern in favour of horticulture in India in the past one-and-a-half decades. Analysis of the economic feasibility of this shift away from cereals to fruits and vegetable shows that its economically viable and beneficial to shift towards horticulture production, but this diversification needs to be planned in a systematic manner. Certain strategies and policies are also suggested in this regards. The study confirms the changing consumption patterns and diversification, along with the outlook for the next 15-20 years in the light of shortage of supply to increased domestic demand. The major exports from India are mango, grapes, orange, apple, banana, mosambi, onion, potato, tomato and pumpkins. The major share of Indias exports of fresh fruits and vegetables go to Bangladesh, Nepal, UAE, UK and Malaysia. The supply constraints, yield gaps and huge logistic costs affect our competitive and comparative advantage in world trade market. In this study the nominal protection coefficient and revealed comparative advantage are computed to check on the existing status. Study also identifies the potential states for the fruits and vegetables, for which India is globally competitive and has comparative advantage in production. These states should be targeted for enhancing the export potential of the country. The potential competing countries are also identified. Lessons from other developing countries focus on the growth of the horticulture sector through increased participation of small and marginal farmers in an organized manner and farmers being trained with entrepreneurial skills.Horticulture, Cost Benefit Ratio, competitiveness, Comparative Advantage, SAFAL Market
Impact of Community-Based Rehabilitation (CBR) programs for persons with disability in Mandya district (Karnataka, India)
No full textFlip Learning experiments. An introductory course in A.I
No full textActive learning with Flip learning techniques are described in an active learning course in introductory A.I , taught at IIT Madras Computer Sciences Department, by the author in collaboration with Dr Deepak Khemani. In a methodology of flip learning and inverting the classroom, a system of surprise quizzes as more than an assessment, but a self exploratory flip learning pedagogy, with open ended deadlines.
The author describes a flip learning methodology, with preparatory reading and future reading summaries, as part of an open evaluation as part of the course instruction, combined with lectures, eliminating examinations, quizzes and traditional assessment techniques.
As a novel approach, the grading is modified to award original contributions, more than a good understanding of the subject matter, with a viva voce for a grading poorer than a B, inspired by Prof Josua Chover of UW Madison.
This active learning methodology builds on the methods practiced by Prof V Balakrishnan of the Physics department, IIT Madras, Prof Deepak Khemani of Computer Sciences , IIT Madras and Prof Joshua Chover of the Mathematics Department, UW Madison.
Keywords: Active Learning, Flip Learning, Undergrad instruction, Creative thinking, critical thinkin
Sphaerotheca varshaabhu Deepak & Dinesh & Nag & Ohler & Shanker & Prasad & Ashadevi 2024, sp. nov.
No full text<i>Sphaerotheca varshaabhu</i> sp. nov. <p>urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: C88C6AFA-9889-4E3E-A2CD-816FDA5481FD</p> <p>(Table 1–3 and Figure 6–7)</p> <p> <b>Holotype</b>: ZSI/WRC/A/2571 (Fig. 6,7), an adult male (SVL 35.2 mm) collected by P. Deepak and team on 24 th July, 2020 from the disturbed suburban agro ecosystems of Budumanhalli (N 13.1973; E 77.5328, 850 msl), Bengaluru, Karnataka.</p> <p> <b>Paratypes</b>: ZSI/WRC/A/2572, an adult male (SVL 36.8 mm) collected by P. Deepak and team on 19 th September, 2019 and ZSI/WRC/A/2573, an adult male (SVL 34.0 mm) collected by P. Deepak and team on 24 th July, 2020 location details same as holotype.</p> <p> <b>Lineage separation</b> (Fig. 2): <i>Sphaerotheca varshaabhu</i> <b>sp. nov.</b> can be assigned phylogenetically to the genus <i>Sphaerotheca</i>. The new species is part of a clade of species including <i>S. breviceps</i> and <i>S.</i> cf. <i>breviceps</i> [swani]. The new species has 3.9% uncorrected pairwise genetic distance to <i>S. breviceps</i> and 3.6 % to 4.1 % genetic distance to <i>S.</i> cf. <i>breviceps</i> [swani] for 16S rRNA.</p> <p> <b>Geography</b>: So far, the species is known from a restricted range of distribution in a few pockets around the Bengaluru, Karnataka, India (predominantly Deccan Plateau). Based on our current knowledge of its distribution, <i>Sphaerotheca varshaabhu</i> <b>sp. nov.</b> is geographically separated from its the phylogenetic sister species <i>S. breviceps</i> which is found in the eastern part of southern India (Fig. 11) and <i>S.</i> cf. <i>breviceps</i> [swani], which is distributed from Nepal to Central India.</p> <p> <b>Morphological diagnosis</b>: <i>Sphaerotheca varshaabhu</i> <b>sp. nov.</b> can be identified in the field based on the following combination of morphological characters. A medium-sized burrowing frog (SVL ranging from 33.7 mm to 41.1 mm) with a robust stocky body; head slightly wider than the head length; snout rounded, snout length sub equal to eye diameter; nostrils near to snout tip; tympanum rounded and almost half the diameter of the eye; first finger longer than the second finger; hind limbs short, when adpressed to body tibiotarsal articulation reaching tympanum; webbing moderately (Deepak <i>et al.</i> 2020a) developed (I 0–1 II ½–1 III 1–2 IV 2–1 V); inner metatarsal tubercle shovel-shaped and longer than inner toe; tibiotarsal tubercle present; dorsal surface of the skin glandular with raised glandular tubercles and overall skin colour light chocolate with brown blotched pattern interspersed with raised small orange granules (Fig. 3). In the field, there are no confusing sympatric congeners reported (<i>S. bengaluru</i> is the known sympatric congener which is morphologically distinct in body colour and striped pattern).</p> <p> <b>Description of the holotype</b> (ZSI/WRC/A/2571) (Fig. 6–7)</p> <p>A moderate-sized burrowing frog (SVL 35.2 mm) with a robust, stocky body; with head width slightly wider than head length (HW 14.1 mm; HL 12.0 mm); snout rounded (SL 4.3 mm) and sub equal to eye diameter (EL 5.7 mm); canthus rostralis slightly angled, loreal region concave; inter orbital space (IUE 2.6 mm) sub equal to the upper eyelid (UEW 3.2 mm) and sub-equal to inter narial distance (IN 2.2); distance between the back of eyes twice the distance in front of eyes (IFE 5.9 mm; IBE 11.1 mm); nostrils oval, nearer to the tip of snout than to eyes (NE 2.7 mm); distinct tympanum, almost half of the eye diameter visible below the curved supratympanic fold (TYD 2.6 mm) and close to the eye (TE 1.2 mm); symphysial knob weak; vomerine ridge weak; tongue bifid without a papilla.</p> <p>Forearm stout and shorter (FLL 7.4 mm) compared to the hand (HAL 9.2 mm); fingers short and narrow without dermal fringes, first finger (FL1 3.6 mm) slightly larger than the second finger (FL2 3.0 mm) and shorter than the third finger (TFL 4.5 mm) with blunt tips, without any enlarged discs, webbing absent between fingers; subarticular tubercles distinct, rounded and pre-pollex tubercle distinct, supernumerary tubercles absent.</p> <p>Hind limbs short, falling apart when folded at right angles to the body and tibiotarsal articulation reaches tympanum; femur length (FL 16.6 mm) longer than tibial length (TiL 14.0 mm); foot length (FOL 17.0 mm) twice the size of tarsal length (Tal 7.6 mm), relative toe length I<II<V<III<IV (FTL 9.1 mm); inner toe minute (ITL 0.9 mm), webbing moderately developed (I 0–1 II ½–1 III 1–2 IV 2–1 V); inner metatarsal tubercle (IMT 3.3 mm) distinct and sharp shovel shaped, distinctly longer than inner toe; prominent tarsal tubercle present.</p> <p>The skin on dorsum smooth with regularly set glandular tubercles; flanks with dense glandular tubercles; abdomen and groin granular.</p> <p>Colour in life, light chocolate and brown blotched pattern on dorsal body surface with raised small orange granules (Fig. 6). Fore and hind limbs with distinct dark brown transversal bands. Entire ventral side of the body whitish, except the region of the vocal sacs which is blackish in adult males.</p> <p>...Continued on the next page</p> <p>In preservative (Fig. 7), the entire dorsum is covered with dark blotches outlined by black markings; glandular granules whitish. Forelimb grey and creamish and hindlimb lighter grey than dorsum with dark brown bands. Creamy white bars on the upper lip. Back of supra tympanic fold is creamy white.A small creamy white spot present between the eyes, V-shaped brown marking above the spot, in between the eyes. Inverted V-shaped brown marking on dorsum in the region between forelimbs and a creamy white spot at the intersection of the marking. Tubercles on the flank region are creamy white on a dark brown background. Venter pale creamy white in colour. Vocal sacs black. Ventral side of the limbs and groin light brown.</p> <p> <b>Secondary sexual characters</b>: Males are smaller than females among amplecting pairs. During the breeding season, males have a blackish vocal sac on the throat (Fig. 7A, 7B) and an inconspicuous light brown nuptial pad on the first finger.</p> <p> <b>Variations among paratypes and other referred collections</b>: The morphological data for the paratypes and other referred collections are given in Table 2; males SVL range from 33.7 mm to 36.8 mm; a single female measured SVL 41.1 mm. All the specimens collected are similar to the holotype description in colour pattern.</p> <p> <b>Etymology</b>: The specific epithet is derived from the Sanskrit name ‘Varshaabhu’, (Varshaa, rain; Bhu, taking birth) signifying the breeding activity of the species only during the rains. The species epithet is treated as a noun in opposition to the generic name. Suggested common name: “Varshaa burrowing frog”.</p> <p> <b>Occurrence and natural history</b> (Fig. 8): <i>Sphaerotheca varshaabhu</i> <b>sp. nov.</b>, is currently known from the agro-horticultural regions of Budumanhalli village, Bengaluru. <i>S. bengaluru</i> is the only sympatric congener in its known distribution range. During our anuran surveys in 2019 and 2020, we encountered calling males during the peak northeast monsoon period (October to December). Feeding and breeding activities of both the species of <i>Sphaerotheca</i> were seen during the northeast monsoon and calling males were observed during torrential rains. There are no permanent water bodies around the study area and the species were found to breed in temporary muddy puddles. No activity was observed for the two species between the intermittent showers.</p> <p> <b>Advertisement call</b>: (Fig. 12; Table 5): The advertisement calls of <i>Sphaerotheca varshaabhu</i> <b>sp. nov.</b> (Fig. 12, fourth from top: A&B; Table 5) are long and pulsatile. The call repetition rate is low and inter-call interval is high. The call duration is long. The calls had a mean duration of 823.15 ± 95.21 ms (742–928.60 ms) with a mean pulse rate of 128.16 ± 6.18 pulses/s (119.53–134.24 pulses/s) and mean of 104.75 ± 7.93 pulses per call (98.00–115.00 pulses/call). The call repetition rate was 0.53 ± 0.08 calls/min (0.44–0.58 calls/min). The mean dominant frequency was 3649.88 ± 41.23 Hz (3617.58–3703.71 Hz). We heard the similar advertisement calls from two more calling males of <i>S. varshaabhu</i> <b>sp. nov.</b> in the surroundings. Also, we heard the calls of <i>S. bengaluru</i> occurring in same habitat at same time that <i>S. varshaabhu</i> <b>sp. nov.</b> was calling. <i>S. varshaabhu</i> <b>sp. nov.</b> and <i>S. bengaluru</i> are syntopic. Further observations are needed to confirm partitioning in their calling microhabitat.</p>Published as part of <i>Deepak, P., Dinesh, K. P., Nag, K. S. Chetan, Ohler, Annemarie, Shanker, Kartik, Souza, Princia D, Prasad, Vishal Kumar & Ashadevi, J. S., 2024, Discovery and description of a new species of burrowing frog Sphaerotheca Günther, 1859 (Anura: Dicroglossidae) from the suburban landscapes of Bengaluru, India, pp. 381-410 in Zootaxa 5405 (3)</i> on pages 392-398, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5405.3.3, <a href="http://zenodo.org/record/10603512">http://zenodo.org/record/10603512</a>
Genomic and Functional Characterization of a Novel Burkholderia sp. Strain AU4i from Pea Rhizosphere Conferring Plant Growth Promoting Activities
No full textMembers of Burkholderia genus are gaining importance for their application in crop improvement by acting as plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR), however, our knowledge about mechanisms of their plant growth promotion is limited. Herein, we aimed to isolate Burkholderia sp. from pea rhizosphere that confers plant growth promoting traits both in vitro and in vivo using pea seedlings as model. We have isolated a novel Burkholderia strain AU4i (B-AU4i) from pea rhizosphere that strongly promotes root and shoot growth in plantae. B-AU4i confers phosphate solubilization, indole-3-acetic acid production, N2 fixation, ammonia production, siderophore production, HCN production, and inhibits growth of pathogenic fungi both in vitro and in vivo experiments where we employed pea-seedlings as model system. Sequencing of B-AU4i genome using the Illumina-HiSeq 1000 technology reveals that it contains genes for the above-mentioned biofertilizer and biocontrol activities. The findings demonstrate the potential use of B-AU4i as plant growth promoter, which could be due to the presence of relevant genes in its genome. The current study improves our knowledge regarding the genes present in Burkholderia spp. that are involved in its plant growth promotion activities. B-AU4i strain can be used for improving agriculture productivity owing to its strong biofertilizer and biocontrol activity.Fil: Usha, Devi. Shoolini University; IndiaFil: Khatri, Indu. Council of Scientific & Industrial Research. Institute of Microbial Technology; IndiaFil: Lalit, Kumar. Shoolini University; IndiaFil: Devender, Singh. Shoolini University; IndiaFil: Aditi, Gupta. Shoolini University; IndiaFil: Navinder, Kumar. Council of Scientific & Industrial Research. Institute of Microbial Technology; IndiaFil: Gárriz, Andrés. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas. Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas "Dr. Raúl Alfonsín" (sede Chascomús). Universidad Nacional de San Martín. Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas. Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas "Dr. Raúl Alfonsín" (sede Chascomús); ArgentinaFil: Subramanian, Srikrishna. Council of Scientific & Industrial Research. Institute of Microbial Technology; IndiaFil: Sharma, Deepak. Council of Scientific & Industrial Research. Institute of Microbial Technology; IndiaFil: Adesh, Saini K.. Shoolini University; Indi
Experimental Investigations of Magnetohydrodynamic Plasma Jets
No full textThis thesis primarily focuses on understanding the plasma behavior during the helicity injection stage of a pulsed spheromak experiment. Spheromak formation consists of a series of dynamic steps whereby highly localized plasma near the electrodes evolves toward a Taylor state equilibrium. The dynamical evolution stage has been modeled as a series of equilibrium states in the past. However, the experiments at the Caltech spheromak facility have revealed that unbalanced J x B forces drive non equilibrium Alfvénic flows during these preliminary stages.
The Caltech spheromak experiment uses coplanar electrodes to produce a collimated plasma jet flowing away from the electrodes. The jet formation stage precedes the spheromak formation and serves as a mechanism for feeding particles, magnetic helicity, energy, and toroidal flux into the system. Detailed density and flow velocity measurements of hydrogen and deuterium plasma jets have revealed that the jets are extremely dense with β [subscript thermal] ~1. Furthermore, the flow velocity was found to be Alfvénic with respect to the the toroidal magnetic field produced by the axial current within the plasma. An existing magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) model has been generalized to successfully predict the effect of plasma current on the jet's density and flow velocity. The behavior of these laboratory jets is in stark contrast to the often considered model for astrophysical jets describing them as equilibrium configurations with hollow density profiles.
Other contributions of this thesis include the following.
1. The thesis presents an analytical proof that resistive MHD equilibrium with closed flux tubes is not feasible. This implies that sustained spheromak experiments cannot maintain helicity while being in a strict equilibrium.
2. The thesis describes measurements to characterize the circuit parameters of the high voltage discharge circuit used in the Caltech spheromak experiment.
3. The thesis also describes the setup of novel He-Ne laser interferometers used to measure the density of plasma jets. The ease of alignment of these interferometers was greatly enhanced by having unequal path lengths of the scene and reference beams.
4. Finally, the thesis details the setup for a soft X-ray (SXR)/Vacuum ultra violet (VUV) imaging system. Some preliminary images of reconnecting flux tubes captured by the imaging setup are also presented.</p
Sitana sushili Deepak & Tillack & Kar & Sarkar & Mohapatra 2021, sp. nov.
No full textSitana sushili sp. nov. Figs. 1–3 & 5; Tables 1–2; Appendix 2 urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: AE630DB2-4A74-46A8-9AE7-94E16F360CD3 Sitana ponticeriana. — Sanyal (1993): 57 [in part]; Chandra & Gajbe (2005): 1815 [in part]; Chakraborty et al. (2008): 192 –193; Dutta et al. (2009): 68; Murthy et al. (2018): 501; Chandra et al. (2018a): 309 –310; Chandra et al. (2018b): 361; Chandra et al. (2018c): 368 –369; Chandra et al. (2018d): 242; Chandra et al. (2018e): 245. Sitana cf. ponticeriana .— Manthey (2010): 153 [in part] plate RA04163-4. Holotype. BNHS 2511 an adult male (Fig. 1), Chiplima, Sambalpur district, Odisha, India (21.3501°N, 83. 9137°E), 174 m elevation, collected on 14 June 2014 by V. Deepak, S.K. Behera & N. B. Kar. Paratypes (n=2). ZSI-CZRC V-7176 an adult female collected by V. Deepak, S.K. Behera and N. B. Kar; ZSI-CZRC V-7177, an adult male collected by P. Mohapatra on 15 April 2015 both collected from Brooks hill, Sambalpur (21.483°N, 83.766°N), 183 m elevation (Appendix 2). Referred specimens (n=36). Males: CES 14698 –14699, CES 141156–141159, CES 13584, CES 13579, IAG 103, IAG 106, IAG 126, ZSI-CZRC V- 6715, 6735a & b, 6744a, 6917, 6978, 7159a, 7186; Females: CES 14695 –14696, CES 13580 –13583, CES 13585, 14699, ZSI-CZRC V- 6788, 6979b, 7152, 7159b; unsexed juveniles: ZSI-CZRC 6744b-e, V- 6977 (see Table 1 & Appendix 2 for locality information). Diagnosis. A small sized Sitana (maximum SVL 48mm), having 42–48 vertebral scales (42–48 in males, 44–47 in females), 61–94 ventrals (82–94 in males, 61–70 in females), 49–57 mid body scale rows; in adult males, dewlap with single dark blue line and dewlap scales mottled with brown, 0.10–0.23 % dewlap in trunk; brown dorsum with five black rhomboidal markings and venter off white with brown speckles. The new species differs from its congeners by the following combination of characters: 1) dewlap feebly serrated without bright orange patches in breeding males (vs. well serrated in breeding males of S. ponticeriana, S. visiri, S. marudhamneydhal and S. devakai), 2) dewlap extending beyond forearm insertion (vs. not extending in S. schleichi, S. sivalensis and S. fusca), 3) four less prominent enlarged non spine like scales bordering the occipital region (vs. enlarged spine like scales in S. spinaecephalus), 4) dewlap medium sized extending up to 23 % of trunk (vs. dewlap extending up to 29%, 45% and 46.5 % of trunk in S. laticeps, S. dharwarensis and S. spinaecephalus respectively and up to 42% of trunk in Sitana sp1 (in Deepak & Karanth, 2018), 5) body size small SVL(mm) = mean 43.7 +/- 0.59 SE, range 40–48.3 (n=18) (vs. large in S. gokakensis (SVL(mm): mean 48.8 +/- 3.6 SE; range 42.4–53.1; n=14) and S. thondalu (SVL(mm): mean 50.2 +/- 0.93 SE; range 44.9–56.3; n=19). Description of holotype: The holotype BNHS 2511 is in good condition except the tail is detached from body and it also has a constriction near the groin region due to the knot for tag; hemipenis everted, exposed and seen on both sides when viewed dorsally. An adult male, SVL 46.6 mm. Head relatively long (HL/SVL ratio: 0.3), wide (HW/HL ratio: 0.6), not depressed (HH/HL ratio: 0.5), distinct from neck. Snout short (SE/HL ratio: 0.4), longer than eye diameter (OD/SE ratio: 0.8), obtusely pointed in profile when viewed dorsally; rostral wider than high (RH/RW ratio: 0.3), contacted laterally on either side by first supralabial, a prenasal and dorsally by two smaller scales, the second of which is roughly pentagonal. Canthus rostralis and supraciliary edge sharp. Nostril circular, laterally positioned and placed on top posterior region of a large, undivided nasal scale. Nasal scale bordered by seven scales on both sides; one supranasal, three postnasals the last of which much smaller than the first two, one prenasal, the first supralabial and the last of a series of enlarged scales bordering the supralabials. Ten supralabials on either side, first slightly higher than others, broader than high, roughly rectangular; rest more elongate, weakly keeled, bordered above by a row of slightly smaller, rectangular, weakly keeled scales, which start at posterior margin of first supralabial, decreasing in size posteriorly and terminating above the tenth supralabial. Eleven infralabials on the right side (ten on the left), elongate, first slightly smaller than the rest, weakly keeled increasing in size posteriorly. Loreal region concave, with scales of heterogeneous shape and size. Canthals enlarged, overlapping, slightly protruding on supraorbital ridge laterally. Loreal region with few weakly keeled scales. Eye large (ED/HL ratio: 0.3); pupil round, covered partially under the eyelids; eyelids covered with scales that are heterogeneous in shape and size; larger elongate, roughly rectangular scales on the upper eyelids and two rows of imbricate pointed scales on the lower, keeled, rest predominantly smooth; supraciliaries longer than broad. Orbital scales small but not granular. Scales on postorbital and temporal region, heterogeneous, sub-imbricate, strongly keeled, predominantly directed backward and upwards. Tympanum naked. Canthal scales, and orbit bordered below by a row of eleven enlarged scales that are heterogeneous in shape and size anteriorly, roughly rectangular under the eye, weekly keeled, starting at the posterior margin of nasal scale and terminating after the posterior margin of the orbit. Scales on dorsal surface of snout, forehead, interorbital and occipital region highly heterogeneous in shape and size, mostly elongate, sub-imbricate, strongly keeled longitudinally; scales on snout large in size, those on forehead larger and interorbital region largest; occipital region with much smaller scales; 9 scales anterior and 13 scales posterior to eyelids in the interorbital region; supraorbital scales along the supraciliary edge elongate, keeled, decreasing in size posteriorly, following curvature of orbit. Parietals larger than surrounding scales, longer than broad, strongly keeled in contact with each other; single inter-parietal, roughly pentagonal, with a distinct pineal eye. Mental shield narrower than rostral, roughly pentagonal, pointed posteriorly; a pair of elongate, curved postmentals, slightly longer than mental when viewed ventrally, completely separated from each other by a smaller gular scale; scales on the gular region homogenous in shape, those behind mental smooth, increasing in size and carination posteriorly. Dewlap medium (DEW/SVL ratio: 0.6), extends posteriorly up to 23% of trunk, about eight rows of anterior dewlap scales smaller, elongate, pointed, weakly keeled; remainder of scales much enlarged, keeled, ending obtusely, gradually increasing in size towards margin; single marginal row largest. Enlarged scales on dewlap in 16 rows. Nuchal and dorsal crest absent. Scales on nuchal region smaller, less than half the size of those on interorbital region, imbricate, strongly keeled. Body slender (TRW/SVL ratio: 0.2), 55 rows of scales around midbody; 45 vertebral scale, 4 or 5 dorsal scales on either side of the vertebral scales (1 or 2 rows), larger than the those on the neck and the largest enlarged scale on the lateral, these scales starts from back of neck until groin, sub equal in size, shape, imbricate, pointed, keeled, directed backwards forming regularly arranged longitudinal rows; those on flanks heterogeneous in shape and size, much smaller than those on dorsum, pointed, keeled, upper rows directed backwards and upwards, lower rows backwards and downwards, 16 distinctly enlarged scales on the flank (left); ventral scales imbricate around the dewlap, subimbricate posteriorly, keeled, homogenous in shape and size, arranged in 89 rows; Fore and hindlimbs relatively slender, tibia short (CL/SVL ratio: 0.3); digits moderately long, ending in strong, elongate, slightly recurved claw; subdigital lamellae entire, bi-mucronate, 21 subdigital lamellae on toe IV including claw sheath; relative length of fingers (right) 3> 4> 2> 5> 1, toes (right) 4> 3> 2> 1. Fore and hindlimbs covered above and below with regularly arranged, enlarged, pointed, strongly keeled scales. Tail long (TL/SVL ratio 2.4) but broken, base swollen, uniformly covered with similar sized, keeled, pointed, regularly arranged, backwardly directed imbricate scales; subcaudal scales keeled, weakly pointed near base, becoming pointed posteriorly; no enlarged subcaudals. Colour of holotype in life: Head brown, a dark brown irregular stripe starting from behind the eye extends into the dorsum along the enlarged scale rows; tympanum pale yellow colour; a prominent broad dark brown band between the supracilliaries, on the top of the head. Dorsum brown, with five rhomboidal dark brown markings of subequal size; upper portion of the limbs same as dorsum colour; venter pale white and vent iridescent white. Dark brown bars found throughout the tail. Dewlap scales are mottled with dark brown/black; a single ‘ink blue’ line starting from the mental extends into the enlarged scales in the middle of dewlap. Nuchal region where the crest is located it had cyan and light green colours. Colour of holotype in preservative. Head dark brown, darker than the body, a short pale brown stripe with white edges below the eye directed downwards; tympanum pale brown, a prominent broad dark brown band between the supraciliaries at the frontal region. Dorsum light brown with a dark brown line from the occiput joining the first rhomboidal marking on the back; in total there are five rhomboidal markings, subequal in size; between axilla-groin on the dorsum a faint cream midline runs through the last four rhomboidal markings; a small rhomboidal marking behind the hindlimb insertion on the dorsal side of tail base; dark brown bars found throughout the tail, the ones near tail tip are light brown. The 4–5 enlarged rows of scales on the dorsum, excluding the rhomboidal marking, are light brown in colour; flanks dark brown; the enlarged scales on the lateral sides are orange coloured and those towards the lower end of lateral scales are whitish with dark blackish-brown speckles. Venter pale white with dark blackish-brown speckles. Prominent dark brown bars on the dorsal side of limbs. Enlarged scales on dewlap mottled dark brown with pale white spots on the anterior of each scale, the throat region on either side of the enlarged scale on dewlap pale white with scattered dark brown speckles and the dark blue stripe colouration on the throat is visible (Fig. 1D). Variation in paratypes. The two paratypes agree with the holotype in overall scalation with some exceptions. ZSI-CZRC V-7177 has 88 ventral scales and 34 belly ventral scales, 13 lamellae on the 4 th finger and 46 vertebral scales. The female ZSI-CZRC V-7176 agrees with the holotype in overall scutellation except it lacks a dewlap, and have 65 ventral scales, one less supralabial and infralabial on the right, one less infralabial on the left, 46 vertebral scales. ZSI-CZRC V-7177 differs in colouration from the holotype in having lighter dorsum, limbs, head and tail (an artifact of longer preservation), only the first rhomboidal marking is prominent.A broad dark brown patch at the frontal region, instead of a band, not touching the supraciliaries. Dorsum and flanks similar in colour (an artifact of preservation). Venter lighter compared to the holotype with scattered dark speckles. Enlarged scales on the dewlap are much lighter in colour compared to holotype. ZSI-CZRC V-7176 differs in colouration from the holotype in having seven markings on the dorsum, 5 of which are rhomboidal and two are irregular shaped. A prominent buff coloured line starting from the first rhomboid runs through the mid-dorsal region till the last marking on the dorsum. The stripe below the eye is longer and extending till the anterior border of tympanum on the left, the stripe starts behind the nostril on the right. Colouration on the throat region excluding the dewlap and the blue line is similar to that of the venter. Hemipenial morphology. ( CES 13584 ). Hemipenis bilobed, relatively small, as long as wide and shallowlyforked. Sulcus spermaticus bifurcated (Fig. 3). Sulcal lips raised and papillate, sulcus smooth originating from the side of the base. Apex with a small serrated row of calyces and the sulcal region of apex nude. Ornamentation is differentiated and a combination of flounces, calyces observed. Papillae present between the apical lobes. Apical regions on the lobes of sulcal side calyces are serrated and continuous; calyces are relatively larger and non-serrated at the base of the lobes. Calyces are deep regular pits on the asulcal side and become shallow and broad at the basal region. Ridges between the calyces are thin and show micro-ornamentation which scalloped. Flounces present six to eight in numbers, all of them are prominent on the asulcal side. The hemipenial morphology of ZSI-CZRC V-7186 and 6917 corresponds to this description. Etymology. The specific epithet is a patronym named in honor of ProfessorSushil Kumar Dutta from Odisha, India, for his continued support of our research in this region and for promoting herpetology in India through the “School in Herpetology”. Suggested common name. Sushil’s fan-throated lizard. Distribution. Sitana sushili sp. nov. is endemic to the Deccan peninsula Biogeographic zone and has been recorded from Eastern Highlands (6A), Chotta Nagpur Plateau (6B) and Eastern Highlands (6C) provinces according to Rodgers et al. (2000) classification of Biogeographic zones of India. Based on our present understanding, the distribution limit of this species is bounded by Gangetic Plains to the north, Kaimur and Maikal hills to the west and Godavari River to the south (Table 1, Fig. 4). Habitat and natural history. Sitana sushili sp. nov. is found in open habitats with shrubby vegetation and rocky outcrops (Fig. 2C). The areas in which this species occurs are low to mid elevations (10 to 600 m a.s.l.) and the mean annual rainfall is between 800–1400 mm (Source: Indian Meteorological Department, Ministry of Earth Sciences, Government of India). The type locality of the species is close to Debrigarh Wildlife Sanctuary and the species is patchily distributed in the sanctuary area, mostly seen in open fields, scrub forests, bamboo brakes (Dendrocalamus strictus), forest clearings and barren hillocks. The broad habitat types occupied by the species are northern tropical dry deciduous forests, dry mixed deciduous forests, moist and deciduous Sal forest and also grasslands and savannah (Champion & Seth, 1968). Individuals were also found along roadside gravels, near agricultural fields, Lantana camara invaded lands and essentially with scattered boulders on the surface. This species was seen taking refuge under boulders during night and also during winter months (November–January), when the activities are limited. Breeding activities were observed during the summer (April–June) and hatchlings are seen during post-monsoon (July–August). During the breeding season, the males appear vivid with prominent dewlap lined with a blue streak at the anterior part. The dorsal nuchal crest develops a greenish-blue patch, hemipenial bulges at the ventral tail base become pronounced and the overall body colour changes with whitish spots on lateral sides and bands on the tail. Male–male competition is prominent in breeding season and was observed in the form of flashing of dewlaps and display of raised nuchal crests and dorsal crests in some cases. The latter two behaviours are aggressive in nature. The raising of nuchal and dorsal crests is possibly the effect of some muscular actions, as no trace of raised crest was observed after preservation of the animals. Territorial show-offs between two males were observed by VS and PPM on 24.05.2013 during one of the field trips to Debrigarh Wildlife Sanctuary (Fig. 5). The two individuals were approximately 30 cm apart on an open ground and continued to display for a period of 20 minutes until one of them left the area and went hiding into the bushes. Male combats were observed occasionally as the last option to chase the intruder away in the form of wrestling (like that of monitor lizards, Varanus spp.) in bipedal position, pushing each other with the help of anterior body and using forelimbs, and biting at the base of the tail. Male combat was observed by PPM during April 2010 at Utkal University campus at 11:00hrs and the wrestling part took 6 minutes. Similar observations of male-male combat and tail biting were observed in S. visiri in Tuticorin, Tamil Nadu (DV pers. obs.) in October 2013. The nuchal crest was observed only during male-male combats in S. laticeps, S. spinaecephalus, S. gokakensis, S. thondalu and S. ponticeriana (DV pers. obs.) and in S. marudhamneydhal (A. Balan pers. obs.)Published as part of Deepak, V., Tillack, Frank, Kar, Niladri B., Sarkar, Vivek & Mohapatra, Sh. P., 2021, A new species of Sitana (Squamata: Agamidae) from the Deccan Peninsula Biogeographic Zone of India, pp. 261-274 in Zootaxa 4948 (2) on pages 263-268, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4948.2.6, http://zenodo.org/record/462090
Boiga thackerayi Giri, Deepak, Captain, Pawar & Tillack 2019
No full text<i>Boiga thackerayi</i> Giri, Deepak, Captain, Pawar & Tillack, 2019 <p>(Fig. 1–2, 6; Table 1)</p> <p>Suggested common name: Thackeray’s cat snake.</p> <p> <i>Boiga ceylonensis</i> (non <i>Dipsadomorphus ceylonensis</i> Günther, 1858)— Boulenger 1896 part; Wall 1909 part; Wall 1919; Inger <i>et al</i>. 1984 part; Malhotra & Davis 1991 part; Das 2002 part; Whitaker & Captain 2004 part; Hutton & David 2009 part; Chandramouli & Ganesh 2010 part</p> <p> <i>Boiga ceylonensis dakhunensis</i> (<i>non</i> Deraniyagala, 1955)— Sharma 2004; Wallach <i>et al</i>. 2014</p> <p> <i>Boiga</i> cf. <i>thackerayi</i> — Ganesh <i>et al</i>. (2020)</p> <p> <b>Specimens examined.</b> (n=33). INDIA. <i>Tamil Nadu</i>: MNHN 1946.67 Kodikanel; BMNH 74.4.29.66 Anamallais; CAS 13091 Puthuthotam, Anamallais; BMNH 1955.1.3.45 High Wavy mountains 3000-5000 ft; BMNH 1955.1.3.42 High Wavys; CAS 13092 Valparai, Anamalais; BNHS 1840 a Paralai, Valparai; CSPT /S-39 Madurai dt.,; SACON / VR-75a one from Meghamalai, SACON /VR-75b one from Anamalai; CESS254 collected by SP in 2011 from Valparai (10.394N 76.992E; 1287 m asl), Tiruppur dt.,; CESS292 collected by SP in 2011 from Kalakkad-Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve (8.605N 77.224E; 1052 m asl), Tirunelveli dt.; <i>Kerala</i>: NMW 19937:1–2 Malabar; FMNH 217702 Trivandrum district;. BNHS 1841 a Nelliampathy, Palghat District; BNHS 1844 a & b Nelliampathy, Palghat; FMNH 217701 Trivandrum District; USNM 42469 Cochin hills,; BNHS 1862 Bariami estate, Fairfeild, Travancore; CESS011 collected by AKM in 2009 from Vellimala (9.532N 77.371E; 1380 m asl), Periyar Plateau, Idukki dt.,; CESS093 collected by SP & MP in 2010 from Sirivani (10.945N 76.645E; 1522 m asl), Palghat dt.,; CESS 139 collected by SP & MP in 2010 from Silent Valley (11.111N 76.429E; 950 m asl), Palghat dt.,; CESS 140 collected by SP & MP in 2010 from Silent Valley (11.177N 76.414E; 1140 m asl), Palghat dt.,; CESS 107 collected by SP & MP in 2010 from Chemunji (8.678N 77.192E; 1330 m asl), Peppara, Kollam dt.,; <i>Karnataka</i>: CESS534 collected by AKM in 2012 from Agumbe, Karnataka (13.576N 75.106E).</p> <p> <b>Complementary Diagnosis.</b> <i>Boiga thackerayi</i> is phylogenetically sister to (node support 100%) a clade containing <i>B.</i> cf. <i>ranawanei</i> and <i>B. flaviviridis</i>. From <i>B. flaviviridis</i>, it is 11.4–12.6% divergent; and from <i>B</i>. cf. <i>ranawanei</i> of Sri Lanka, it is 10.5–11.1% divergent at cyt <i>b</i>. The highest intraspecific divergence was 3.6%, between two samples from Coorg and Kalakkad-Mundanthurai Hills situated on the Central and Southern Western Ghats respectively.</p> <p> <b>Description and variation.</b> A medium-sized snake with a snout-vent length: 261–832 mm, tail length: 76–275 mm, relative tail size 21.8–23.5%; with slender habitus, thin neck, wide head; long tail; anterior dorsal scale rows 17–20 (17, 18 and 20 anterior dorsal scale rows in one, two and one specimens respectively out of 31 specimens examined); midbody scale rows 19; posterior scale rows 13–15 (13 in 2 out of 20 cases, 14 in 1 out of 31 cases); rostral visible from above; preocular 1, subequal to loreal; postoculars 2; loreal 1; supralabials 8/9, with 3 rd –5 th / 4 th –6 th ones touching eye; infralabials 11/12, with 1–5 touching genials; temporals 10–14; preventral 1; ventrals 207–239, angulate laterally; anal scale 1; subcaudals 86–109 pairs. Dorsal color brownish-grey, patterned with blackish brown cross bars, 55–76 on body, 19–29 on tail; cross bars covering 2–4 scales in size, extending either sides up to 3–4 scale rows across; interspaces often with sparse dark dots; distinct circular markings on top of head, on frontal, parietals, temporal and occipital parts; a distinct postocular stripe up to the jaw angle; labials, chin and venter ashy brown, finely spotted with darker hue; venter bordered along both sides by a series of large adjacent white and black blotches, alternating at an interval of every 3–4 ventrals.</p> <p> <b>Distribution and natural history:</b> This species is endemic to the Western Ghats. It occurs in wet tropical evergreen forests. Its distribution covers most of the ranges including Agasthyamalai (Inger <i>et al</i>. 1984), Kottamalai, Meghamalai (Chandramouli & Ganesh 2010; Malhotra & Davis 1991), Anaimalai (Hutton & David 2009), Nilgiris, Wayanad (Wall 1919), Malnad, Coorg, Kudremukh, Castle Rock (Ganesh <i>et al</i>. 2013), on to its type locality Koyna (Giri <i>et al</i>. 2019). During fieldwork we recorded this species in almost all hill complexes of the Western Ghats. This species is nocturnal and live individuals were sighted in the field by us at night (19:30 h to 24:00 h). On one occasion, a resting adult female was sighted tucked underneath the peeling bark of a tree at 14:00 h. It is an arboreal species, with live snakes sighted almost always on the branches and twigs of vegetation, with perching heights ranging from 0.5 m to up to over 3 m. This species has been sighted both in pristine forests (evergreen rainforests, montane forests) as well as secondary forests and even amidst tea gardens. Its distribution ranges in elevation from 500–1500 m asl. On its juveniles from Nilgiri-Waynad, Wall (1919) stated that young ones measuring 450 mm length were sighted during August-September.</p> <p> <b>Comments.</b> Originally described based on three specimens from a single locality in the Northern Western Ghats (Giri <i>et al</i>. 2019). Our study has expanded the morphological and geographical boundary of this species, by examining a ten-fold higher number of specimens (n=33) from sites spanning over 1300 km, across the entire Western Ghats. We also depict its phylogenetic placement in a tree for the first time; in addition to genetic distances (also see Giri <i>et al</i>. 2019).</p>Published as part of <i>Ganesh, S. R., Mallik, Ashok Kumar, Achyuthan, N. S., Shanker, Kartik & Vogel, Gernot, 2021, A new species of Boiga (Serpentes: Colubridae) from the Southern Western Ghats of India with a molecular phylogeny and expanded characterisation of related species, pp. 449-468 in Zootaxa 4981 (3)</i> on pages 458-459, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4981.3.2, <a href="http://zenodo.org/record/4921065">http://zenodo.org/record/4921065</a>
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