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New site records of <i>Gegeneophis goaensis</i> and <i>G. mhadeiensis</i> (Gymnophiona: Caeciliidae) from the Western Ghats of Goa and Karnataka
No full textGegeneophis goaensis and G. mhadeiensis were described by Bhatta et al. in 2007 from Keri Village (Goa) and Chorla Village (Karnataka) respectively from a set of three specimens for each species. The present account expands the morphological and morphometric variations within the species with new site records for both species. Habitat sharing with other congeneric species is discussed
Gegeneophis goaensis Bhatta, 2007, sp. nov.
No full textGegeneophis goaensis sp. nov. (Figs. 1, 2, Table 1) Holotype: Bombay Natural History Society, Mumbai, India (BNHS) 4594. A mature female, collected at Ganv Kond locality - 15 o 36.80 'N latitude 74 o 04.46' E longitude (Keri Village, Sattari Taluk, North Goa district, Goa), September 2004. Paratypes: BNHS 4595. A juvenile, same collection data as for the holotype. Zoological Survey of India, Calicut (ZSI/ WGFRS /V/A/ 608), mature male, collected at Ghoteli locality - 15 o 36.44 ' N latitude and 74 o 03.82' E longitude (Keri Village, Sattari Taluk, North Goa district, Goa), July 2006. Diagnosis: A Gegeneophis differing from all other species in having a combination of more than 120 primary annuli, more than 75 of which are marked with secondary annular grooves. G. goaensis is a more slender species (length> 40 times greater than midbody width) than the only other Gegeneophis that have more than 50 secondary annuli (G. danieli, G. nadkarnii). Description of the holotype: Some morphometric and meristic data are given in Table 1. The specimen is a mature female. It is in good condition generally, but the skin throughout much of the body is slightly roughened due to dehydration. There is an artefactual ridge on the dorsal surface, commencing c. 58 mm from the snout tip. A midventral longitudinal groove of 145 mm length extends between the third nuchal groove and the vent. There is an 18 mm long midventral incision into the body cavity beginning 40 mm in front of the vent. Another incision of 12 mm is present commencing c. 85 mm from the snout tip. There are a few small scratches on the skin on both the dorsal and ventral surfaces (made during the search for scales). The body in life is sub-cylindrical and slightly dorsoventrally compressed. The specimen measures 185 mm in length and 14 mm in circumference at midbody. The body is almost uniform in its width throughout the length. In the preserved specimen the body is 3.6 mm wide at the first annular groove and 4.3 mm at midbody in the broadest part. Thereafter the body gradually decreases in width to 3.0 mm just in front of the vent. In dorsal view, the head tapers strongly from the level of the occiput to the tentacular apertures. Anteriorly, the head tapers and terminates in a bluntly rounded but narrow snout tip. The posterior region of the head at jaw angle is slightly narrower than the nuchal region. Laterally the top of the head is straight and without any strong bulges. The margin of the upper lip slightly arched. The snout projects 0.6 mm beyond the mouth. The distance between the jaw angle and the top of the head (1.5 mm) is less than the distance between the jaw angle and the ventral surface of the lower jaw (1.6 mm). In ventral view, the anterior margin of the lower jaw is more broadly rounded than the anterior margin of the snout. The minute sub-circular nostrils are slightly closer to the level of the snout tip (0.4 mm). The nostrils are 1.0 mm apart, visible dorsally and laterally but not ventrally. They are surrounded by a narrow whitish rim. In life, the tentacles are globular. The tentacular apertures are lateral in position and 2.5 mm apart. They are situated at a distance of 1.4 mm from the tip of the snout and 0.8 mm from the nostrils. The slightly raised tentacular apertures are visible in both dorsal and ventral views. They are much closer to the margin of the upper lip (0.3 mm) than to the top of the head (0.7 mm). The eyes that are situated under bone are visible to the naked eye (and clearly visible in photographs) in life but not in the preserved specimen. We counted 18 premaxillary-maxillary, 19 vomeropalatine, 17 dentary, and 4 splenial teeth. The teeth in all four series are recurved and monocusped. They are smaller posteriorly than anteriorly. The posteriormost teeth of the premaxillary-maxillary and vomeropalatine series are almost parallel. The vomeropalatine series lacks diastemata. Both in the upper and lower jaw the teeth of the outer rows are markedly larger than those of the inner rows. The premaxillary-maxillary and vomeropalatine tooth rows clearly extend posterior to the choanae. When viewed anteriorly, the dentary teeth appear largest, followed by the premaxillary-maxillary and vomeropalatine teeth in decreasing order of the size. The splenials are the smallest. The choanae are small, sub-circular and are separated by a distance of approximately two times the width of each choana. The tongue is broadly rounded in dorsal view and unattached anteriorly. The anterior end of which, lies close to the splenial teeth. It is separated by a groove from the gingivae. The narial plugs are situated far anterolaterally close to the edge of the tongue and have encircling grooves. The posterior part of the dorsal surface of the tongue behind the narial plugs and the anterior surface to it is uniform whitish colour. The nuchal region is broader and higher than the adjacent parts of the body. The two nuchal collars are marked clearly by three nuchal grooves. The nuchal region at the first nuchal groove (3.6 mm) is slightly broader than the back of the head at the jaw angle (3.4 mm) but the width of the body at the first annular groove (3.6 mm) is equal to the width at the first nuchal groove. The first collar (1.2 mm) is shorter than the second (2.0 mm) laterally. The nuchal grooves are complete around the nuchal region with the exception of the third nuchal groove, which is incomplete midventrally. The first collar bears one short transverse groove middorsally. The second collar also bears a middorsal transverse groove that extends almost fully across the dorsal surface. Although the nuchal and annular grooves are mostly perpendicular to the long axis of the body, the third nuchal groove and the posterior grooves of the first two primary annuli are slightly angulate anterodorsally. On the ventrolateral surface, the free ends of the third nuchal groove bend slightly posteriorly. The annuli are marked by whitish coloured grooves, which are more conspicuous posteriorly. There are 125 primary annuli. Primary annular grooves are complete middorsally on the 1 st and 2 nd primary annuli, and from the 39 th primary onwards, but they are incomplete middorsally on primary annuli 3 to 38. The secondary annular groove appears for the first time on right side of the 48 th primary annulus dorsolaterally, but it is not seen in the 49 th primary annulus. The secondary grooves are middorsal from 50 th to 55 th primary annuli with the exception of 51 and 53 where secondary annular grooves are not seen. 56 th primary annulus also is without secondary annular groove. From 57 to 115, secondary annular grooves are middorsal in position extending gradually on both sides. The secondary grooves extend across the midline on the ventral surface and become complete from the 116 th primary annulus up to the sub-circular disc surrounding the vent. The sub-circular disc is 1.0 mm wide, 0.7 mm long. The rounded terminus ends in a cap that is completely demarcated by the last primary annular groove. The transverse vent is 0.4 mm wide. The vent is surrounded by eight denticles. Nine secondary grooves in front of the vent are complete. There are 78 primary annuli with secondary grooves. Scales were sought at three different points along the body both dorsally and ventrally. No scales were found anterior to the 50 th primary annulus. On the 60 th primary annulus oval scales were found only on the dorsal surface in four rows. On the posterior primary annulus, where the secondary annular grooves become complete ventrally, scales occur in four rows on the dorsal and two rows on the ventral surface. In life, the holotype was a fleshy-brown on its anterior two thirds of the body, which gradually merged with the dark brown of the posterior one third. The colour of the body was almost uniform on both dorsal and ventral surfaces. The annuli were more prominent in the posterior one-third, comparatively less prominent in the anterior one third and moderate in the middle of the body. The head was pinkish brown in colour. A creamy white patch extends from behind the eyes to just in front of the tentacular apertures. The rims of both upper and lower jaws were lighter than the dorsum of the head. The skin contains whitish glands throughout the body which were more prominent on the posterior one third. In preservation, the body is blackish grey on the dorsal surface which merges gradually with the light grey on the ventral surface. The annular grooves are of whitish colouration and more prominent laterally. The entire dorsal surface of the head including the snout tip is light cream coloured. The under surface of the lower jaw is yellowish white in colour up to the second nuchal groove. The disc surrounding the vent is whitish both in life and preservation. Paratypes: Morphometric and meristic data for the type series are given in Table 1. The paratypes are very similar to the holotype. The paratypes are in good condition generally. Specimens range in size from 133 mm (BNHS 4595) to 220 mm (ZSI/ WGFRS /V/A/ 608) in length and 9 to 15 mm in circumference respectively at midbody. Sex was determined by examining gonads. Both the paratypes resemble the holotype in the pattern of nuchal grooves; width of disc surrounding vent; width of vent; in number of denticles surrounding the vent; recurved and monocusped teeth in all four series; lacking diastemata. In having markedly larger outer rows of teeth in both upper and lower jaws than the inner rows; largest dentary teeth followed by the premaxillarymaxillary and vomeropalatine teeth in decreasing order of the size and smallest splenials, the paratypes are similar to the holotype. Distance between jaw angle and ventral surface of lower jaw 1.6 1.2 1.5 Total number of primary annuli with secondary grooves 78 82 89 Paratype BNHS 4595 is an immature specimen (neither ova nor testes could be identified), dorsolaterally compressed with an artefactual 105 mm long midventral groove, beginning c. 8 mm from tip of the ventral surface of the lower jaw. There is a 9 mm long midventral incision in to the body cavity beginning 60 mm in front of the vent. In preserved specimen body is 2.6 mm at the first annular groove and 3.3 mm at midbody in the broadest part and width at the level of vent is 1.9 mm. There are 126 primary annuli and 82 of these have secondary grooves. Primary grooves are incomplete dorsally only on the 4 th and 5 th primary annuli and are middorsally complete from 1 st to 3 rd and from 6 th primary annulus onwards. Secondary grooves ‘start’ dorsolaterally on both sides from the 45 th primary annulus and continue middorsally from 48 th primary annulus back along the body. The secondary grooves extend across the midline on the ventral surface and become complete from the 116 th primary annulus onward. Nine secondary annular grooves in front of the vent are complete. We counted 17 premaxillary-maxillary, 18 vomeropalatine, 17 dentary and 4 splenial teeth. No scales could be found. Paratype ZSI/ WGFRS /V/A/ 608 is a mature male, slightly dorsolaterally compressed with a sub-cylindrical body. There is an artefactual middorsal groove of 4 mm, beginning c. 4 mm behind the snout tip, and a midventral groove 148 mm long beginning c. 10 mm behind the tip of the ventral surface of the lower jaw. There is an 18 mm long midventral incision into the body cavity beginning 25 mm in front of the vent. There are 126 primary annuli, 89 of which have secondary annular grooves. Primary grooves are complete middorsally on the 1 st and 2 nd primary annuli and from 39 th primary annulus onwards, but incomplete middorsally from the 3 to 38. Secondary grooves ‘first appear’ dorsolaterally on the 38 th primary annulus on the left side. On the 39 th primary annulus secondary groove is on the right side dorsolaterally. Secondary grooves are not seen on 40 th and 41 st primary annuli. From 42 nd primary annulus onwards secondary grooves are middorsal. Secondary grooves extend across the midline on the ventral surface from the 112 th primary annulus to become complete. Eleven secondary annular grooves in front of the vent are complete. We counted 16 premaxillarymaxillary, 20 vomeropalatine, 16 dentary teeth and only 1 splenial tooth. No scales were observed at the 25 th or 40 th primary annulus. On each of the 50 th and 60 th primary annuli four dorsal rows of scales were found, but none were found ventrally. Where the secondary annular grooves become complete ventrally, scales occur in four rows on the dorsal and two rows on the ventral surface. Ecology and habitat: The holotype and smaller of the two paratypes were collected from rotting vegetation at the base of saplings c. 5 m from a small river (Kalti) in a mixed orchard of arecanut, banana, coconut, acacia and pepper. The locality is 32 m above sea level. The soil where the specimens were collected was black and rich in mixed compost and rotten waste, temperature 32 o C (at 30 cm depth), humidity 87 % and canopy cover around 55 %. The larger paratype was collected from underneath piles of rotting coconut leaves c. 20 m from a small rivulet (Angadiho Vahal) in a coconut orchard at 42 m above sea level. The soil was lateritic, mixed with clay, temperature 30 o C (at 30 cm depth), humidity 70 % and canopy cover around 30 %. Comparison with congeneric species: The numbers of primary and secondary annuli are important characters differentiating the species of Gegeneophis (e.g. Giri et al. 2003). G. goaensis differs from all other species of Gegeneophis except G. krishni and G. seshachari in having more than 120 primary annuli, but it is easily distinguished from these because the latter two have no (seshachari) or fewer than 20 (krishni) of their primaries bearing secondary grooves. Indeed, only G. goaensis, G. danieli and G. nadkarnii among the nine species of Gegeneophis have more than 50 primary annuli bearing secondary grooves. G. goaensis is readily distinguished from G. danieli and G. nadkarnii in being more slender (superficially earthworm-like). Additionally, the latter two species have some secondary grooves on the anteriormost primary annuli, whereas in G. goaensis they ‘begin’ no further forwards than the 40 th primary. G. danieli has more premaxillary-maxillary teeth (30 versus 18) than G. goaensis. We are convinced that these differences are sufficient to warrant description of the new species. As with many caecilians, several species of Gegeneophis are known from small samples and few localities and our very rudimentary understanding of intra-specific will probably need to improve as additional species are recognized. Etymology: The species is named after Goa where the type locality is situated.Published as part of Bhatta, Gopalakrishna, 2007, A new species of Gegeneophis Peters (Amphibia: Gymnophiona: Caeciliidae) from Goa, India, pp. 51-59 in Zootaxa 1409 on pages 51-57, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.17555
Gegeneophis madhavai Bhatta & Srinivasa, 2004, sp. nov.
No full textGegeneophis madhavai sp. nov. (Figs. 1, 2, Table 1) Holotype: Bombay Natural History Society, Mumbai, India (BNHS 4235). A mature male, collected at Doddinaguli locality (Mudur Village, Kundapura Taluk, Udupi District, Karnataka State) in August 2001. The village is situated adjacent to the Mookambika Wildlife Sanctuary, in the Western Ghats. Paratype: Zoological Survey of India, Calicut (ZSI, Calicut: V/A/ 574). A mature male, with collection data as for the holotype. Diagnosis: A large Gegeneophis differing from all other species in having ‘visible eyes in life’, fewer than 100 primary annuli and more than 25 secondary annuli that are confined to the posterior of the body. These features are found in other species, but not in this unique combination. holotype paratype Distance between jaw angle and ventral surface of lower jaw 2.9 3.0 Distance between jaw angle and snout tip 7.0 6.1 Distance between jaw angle and tip of lower jaw 5.9 5.1 Distance between nostrils 2.0 1.8 Distance between nostril and snout tip 0.8 1.0 Distance between tentacles 3.8 3.7 Distance between tentacle and snout tip 2.8 2.5 Distance between tentacle and jaw angle 4.1 3.7 Distance between tentacle and nostril 1.4 1.4 Distance between tentacle and margin of upper lip 0.5 0.6 Distance between tentacle and top of head 1.2 0.9 Width at 1 st nuchal groove 7.8 7.8 Width at 2 nd nuchal groove 8.5 8.6 Width at 3 rd nuchal groove 9.2 8.3 Length of 1 st nuchal collar (laterally) 2.0 2.2 Length of 2 nd nuchal collar (laterally) 2.5 2.9 Distance between snout tip and 1 st nuchal groove 9.1 7.5 Distance between snout tip and 2 nd nuchal groove 11.1 9.7 Distance between snout tip and 3 rd nuchal groove 13.6 12.6 Total number of primary annuli 97 96 Total number of secondary annuli 35 27 Anteriormost primary annulus with secondary groove 63 rd 70 th Number of complete secondary annuli in front of vent 7 5 Description of the holotype: Morphometric and meristic data are given in Table 1. The specimen is in good condition. The holotype measures 256 mm in length and 34 mm in circumference at midbody. There are four artefactual transverse ridges on the dorsal surface, commencing c. 22 mm from the snout tip. A midventral longitudinal groove of 210 mm length extends between the third nuchal groove and the vent. There is a 44 mm long midventral incision into the body cavity beginning 41 mm in front of the vent. There are a few small scratches on the skin on both the dorsal and ventral surfaces (made during the search for scales). The body in life is subcylindrical and slightly dorsoventrally compressed. The body is not uniform in its width throughout the length. In the preserved specimen the body is 8.8 mm wide at the first annular groove and 11.7 mm at midbody in the broadest part. At 55 mm anterior to the terminus, i.e. just behind the broadest region, the body is 8.5 mm width. Thereafter the body gradually increases in width to 10.6 mm just in front of the vent. The body is 8.6 mm wide at the level of vent. In dorsal view, the head tapers strongly from the level of the occiput to the tentacular apertures. Anteriorly, the head tapers and terminates in a bluntly rounded but narrow snout tip. The posterior region of the head at jaw angle is slightly narrower than the nuchal region. Laterally the top of the head is straight and without any strong bulges. The margin of the upper lip slightly arched. The snout projects 1.0 mm beyond the mouth. The distance between the jaw angle and the top of the head (2.7 mm) is less than the distance between the jaw angle and the ventral surface of the lower jaw (2.9 mm). In ventral view, the anterior margin of the lower jaw is more broadly rounded than the anterior margin of the snout. The small subcircular nostrils are slightly closer to the level of the snout tip (0.8 mm) than to the anteriormost margin of the mouth (1.1 mm) in lateral view. The nostrils are 2.0 mm apart, visible dorsally and laterally but not ventrally. They are surrounded by a narrow whitish rim. In life, the tentacles are globular. The tentacular apertures are circular, lateral in position and 3.8 mm apart. They are situated at a distance of 2.8 mm from the tip of the snout and 1.4 mm from the nostrils. The slightly raised tentacular apertures are visible in both dorsal and ventral views. They are much closer to the margin of the upper lip (0.5 mm) than to the top of the head (1.2 mm). The eyes, which are scarcely visible in life, are not visible in the preserved specimen. We counted 25 premaxillarymaxillary (13 left, 12 right), 22 vomeropalatine, 19 dentary (9 left, 10 right) and 4 splenial teeth (including empty sockets). The vomeropalatine and splenial teeth occur in equal numbers on each side of the jaws. The teeth in all four series are generally recurved and are monocusped. They are smaller posteriorly than anteriorly. The posteriormost teeth of the premaxillarymaxillary and vomeropalatine series are not parallel, but lie closer together. The vomeropalatine series lacks diastemata. Both in the upper and lower jaw the teeth of the outer rows are markedly larger than those of the inner rows. The premaxillarymaxillary and vomeropalatine tooth rows clearly extend posterior to the choanae. When viewed anteriorly, the dentary teeth appear largest, followed by the premaxillarymaxillary and vomeropalatine teeth in decreasing order of the size. The splenials are the smallest. The choanae are small, circular and are separated by a distance of approximately two times the width of each choana. The tongue is broadly rounded in dorsal view and unattached anteriorly. It is separated by a groove from the gingivae. The raised narial plugs are situated far anterolaterally close to the edge of the tongue and are with encircling grooves. The posterior part of the dorsal surface of the tongue behind the narial plugs is darker than the anterior and it is marked by tiny longitudinal grooves. The nuchal region is broader and higher than the adjacent parts of the body. The two nuchal collars are marked clearly by three nuchal grooves. The nuchal region at the first nuchal groove (7.8 mm) is slightly broader than the back of the head at the jaw angle (6.5 mm) but it is less expanded than the body at the first annular groove (8.8 mm). The first collar (2.0 mm) is shorter than the second (2.5 mm) laterally. The nuchal grooves are complete around the nuchal region with the exception of the third nuchal groove, which is incomplete midventrally. The first collar bears one short transverse groove middorsally. The second collar also bears a middorsal transverse groove that extends almost fully across the dorsal surface. There is a small transverse groove on the ventral surface just in front of the first nuchal groove. Although the nuchal and annular grooves are mostly perpendicular to the long axis of the body, the transverse groove on the second collar, the third nuchal groove and the posterior grooves of the first three primary annuli are slightly angulate anterodorsally. On the ventrolateral surface, the free ends of the third nuchal groove bend slightly posteriorly. The annuli are marked by whitish coloured grooves, which are more conspicuous posteriorly. There are 97 primary annuli. Secondary annular grooves occur as far forward as middorsally on the 63 rd primary annulus. They are absent on the 64 th and 65 th primary annuli but present on all subsequent primary annuli. Between the 66 th and 73 rd primary, the secondary grooves are dorsolateral in position but often not on both sides. From 74 th primary annulus onwards, they are middorsal in position, gradually increasing in length up to the terminus. The secondary grooves extend across the midline on the ventral surface from the 90 th primary annulus up to the subcircular disc surrounding the vent. The subcircular disc is 4.2 mm wide, 2.1 mm long and is interrupted by the 96 th primary and the 35 th secondary annular grooves. The rounded terminus ends in a cap that is completely demarcated by the last primary annular groove. The transverse vent is 3.3 mm wide. The vent is surrounded by ten denticles. Seven secondary grooves in front of the vent are complete. There are 35 secondary annuli. Scales were sought at five different points along the body both dorsally and ventrally. No scales were found on the 40 th primary annulus. On the 50 th and the 56 th primary annulus the oval scales are found only on the dorsal surface in two rows. On the 90 th primary annulus, where the secondary annular grooves become complete ventrally, scales occur in two rows both on the dorsal and the ventral surfaces. Behind this annulus, on both the dorsal and ventral surfaces, scales occur in three rows in each of the annular grooves. In life, the colour of the holotype in the anterior one third was pinkish grey, which gradually merged with the dark grey of the posterior two thirds of the body. The dorsal surface of the head was light pink and the ventral surface pinkish grey with a prominent inverted ‘V’ shaped light pink mark on the underneath of the lower jaw. The skin contains whitish glands throughout the body. In preservation, the body is dark grey on the dorsal surface, which merges gradually with the light grey on the ventral surface. The annular grooves are of whitish colouration and more prominent laterally. The entire dorsal surface of the head including the snout tip is light cream coloured. The under surface of the lower jaw is indistinguishable in colouration from the rest of the body behind it but it has a 2 mm wide light cream coloured border. The disc surrounding the vent is whitish both in life and preservation. Paratype: Morphometric and meristic data are given in Table 1. The paratype is very similar to the holotype. The paratype is in good condition. It measures 218 mm in length and 33 mm in circumference at midbody. There are four artefactual transverse ridges on the dorsal side, beginning c. 10 mm behind the snout. There is a 195 mm long midventral groove extending between the third nuchal groove and the vent. There is a 39 mm long midventral incision into the body cavity beginning 48 mm in front of the vent. In the preserved specimen the body is 8.5 mm wide at the first annular groove and 11.2 mm at midbody in the broadest part. At 55 mm anterior to the terminus, i.e. just behind the broadest region the body is 9.0 mm width. Thereafter the body gradually increases in width to 10.4 mm just in front of the vent. The body is 8.0 mm wide at the level of vent. The paratype is a paler grey than the holotype. It resembles the holotype in the pattern of nuchal grooves. There are 96 complete primary annular grooves in the paratype i.e. one less than the holotype. The paratype has 27 secondary annuli with the grooves appearing most anteriorly on either side of the middorsal line of the 70 th primary annulus. The 71 st primary annulus lacks a secondary groove. Between the 72 nd and 78 th primary, the secondary grooves are dorsolateral in position but often not on both sides. From 79 th primary annulus onwards, they are middorsal in position, gradually increasing in length up to the terminus. They extend across the midline on the ventral surface from the 92 nd primary annulus up to the subcircular disc surrounding the vent. The disc is 4.0 mm wide, 2.8 mm long and is interrupted by the grooves of the 96 th primary and 27 th secondary annular grooves. The transverse vent is 3.0 mm wide and surrounded by nine denticles. Five secondary annular grooves in front of the vent are complete. The paratype has 22 premaxillarymaxillary teeth, in equal numbers on both the sides and 15 dentary teeth of which seven are on the left side and eight on the right side of the jaw. The scalation pattern resembles that of the holotype although the exact number of the primary annulus where the scaling commences differs from the latter. Ecology and habitat: Both the holotype and paratype were collected from rotting vegetation at the base of saplings at a distance c. 5 m from a stream in an arecanut orchard. The locality is situated in the Western Ghats at approximately 80 m above sea level. The soil where the specimens were spotted was reddishblack in colour with pH 6.0, temperature 29 o C (at 30 cm depth) and 75 % canopy cover. Comparison with congeneric species: The presence or absence of secondary annuli and grooves, the number of primary and secondary annuli, the position of secondary annuli and the external visibility of eyes are important characters used for differentiating the species of Gegeneophis (Giri et al. 2003). G. madhavai differs from G. seshachari in having secondary annuli and from G. ramaswamii in having visible eyes in life. It differs from G. danieli and G. nadkarnii in having secondary annular grooves confined to the end of body, and from G. carnosus, G. seshachari, G. danieli, G. nadkarnii and G. krishni in having fewer than 100 primary annuli. G. madhavai is distinct from G. f u l l e r i in having more than 25 secondary annuli. Externally visible eyes, fewer than 100 primary and more than 25 secondary annuli are found in other species, but not in this unique combination. The above differences are substantial to consider G. madhavai as a new species. Etymology: The species is named for Madhava Bhat, Madhavarao Bhide, Madhava Anantha Pai and Madhava Gadgil for supporting the first author’s research into caecilians.Published as part of Bhatta, Gopalakrishna & Srinivasa, R., 2004, A new species of Gegeneophis Peters (Amphibia: Gymnophiona: Caeciliidae) from the surroundings of Mookambika Wildlife Sanctuary, Karnataka, India, pp. 1-8 in Zootaxa 644 on pages 2-7, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.15809
Sexual health knowledge and risky sexual behaviour of Nepalese trekking guides
No full textTourism, a global industry, brings with it a number of public health problems, one of which is the spread of sexually transmitted infections transmitted between travelers and hosts. Previous studies have largely focused on sex workers and sex tourists. This study assesses sexual behavior, knowledge and condom use among male trekking guides in Nepal. A self-administered questionnaire survey (n=324) was conducted using snowball sampling amongst men working as mountain trekking guides in Nepal. Most respondents (59%) had initiated sex before the age of 18. Most (84 %) reported sexual relations with a woman other than their partner, 46% reported foreign partners, 43% had Nepalese partners, and 28% had concurrent foreign and Nepalese partners. Most (70 %) reported ever having sex with a foreign woman and two-thirds had had sexual intercourse with foreign women in the previous 12 months. Participants age, education status, age of first sex, smoking and drinking habits and English proficiency were significant predictors of having sex with foreign women. About 60% reported condom use during their most recent occasion of extra-marital sex. A similar proportion had used a condom during last sexual intercourse with a foreign woman. The likelihood of condom use was associated with a guides age, educational level, ethnicity, age of first sex and work experience. Most trekking guides reported sexual relations with foreign women as well as irregular use of condoms. Although sexual health knowledge about among trekking guides is high, some misconceptions still result in unsafe sex. Hence there is an urgent need to revise the existing training for trekking guides and implement appropriate health promotion programmes
On the taxonomic status of Gegeneophis nadkarnii Bhatta & Prashanth, 2004 (Amphibia: Gymnophiona: Indotyphlidae)
No full textExamination of type material and new collections from Goa, southern Maharashtra and northern Karnataka, leads to the conclusion that Gegeneophis nadkarnii Bhatta & Prashanth, 2004 is a subjective junior synonym of Gegeneophis danieli Giri, Wilkinson & Gower, 2003. The purported differences between these species are very minor and attributable to normal individual variation, except for some features of the dentition that are peculiar to the exceptionally abnormal paratype of G. nadkarnii. This taxonomic revision extends the known geographic range of G. danieli and suggests it could be transferred from Data Deficient to Least Concern status in the IUCN Red List
Dynamic Measurements of 1000 Microstrains Using Chirped-Pulse Phase-Sensitive Optical Time-Domain Reflectometry
No full text8 pags., 6 figs., -- Open Access funded by Creative Commons Atribution Licence 4.0This paper extends the capabilities of chirped-pulse phase-sensitive optical time-domain reflectometry to the measurement of large dynamic strains over hundreds of meters of standard single-mode fiber. Benefitting from single-shot strain measurements, this technique has already demonstrated dynamic strains of the order of submicrostrains with a sensitivity of picostrains-per-root-Hertz. Yet, for large dynamic strains, it relies on the accumulation of incremental measurements, where each trace is cross correlated with its predecessor to determine the relative change of strain. However, practical time records of measured high slew-rate applied perturbations contain disturbing outliers. We then detail and analyze a post-processing strategy to mitigate this limitation. Through this strategy, we are able to achieve for the first time (to our knowledge) high signal-to-noise Rayleigh-backscattering-based distributed measurements of large and fast dynamic strains of a longitudinally vibrating 4 m section at the end of 210 m of a single-mode fiber: from peak to peak 150-1190 ¿¿ at vibration frequency of 400 Hz and 50 Hz, respectively.The work of H. D. Bhatta was performed in the
framework of ITN-FINESSE, funded by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under the Marie Sklodowska-Curie Action grant
agreement n.° 722509. Additional support was obtained from EC H2020 (project
DOMINO, ERANET Cofund Water Works 2014 call) and Spanish MINECO
(project DOMINO, project TEC2015-71127-C2-2-R and project RTI2018-
097957-B-C31), UAH (FPI contract) and Regional Program SINFOTON2-CM:
P2018/NMT-4326. (Corresponding author: Hari Datta Bhatta.
Mottl et al. (2021, Science) Taxonomic harmonization tables for North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia, Africa
No full textSupplementary info to: Mottl, O., Flantua, S.G.A., Bhatta, K.P., Felde, V.A., Giesecke, T., Goring, S., Grimm, E.C., Haberle, S., Hooghiemstra, H., Ivory, S., Kuneš, P., Wolters, S., Seddon, A., Williams, J.W., 2021. Global acceleration in rates of vegetation change over the last 18,000 years. Science - Reports
Two-year Effect of Semaglutide 2.4 mg on Control of Eating in Adults with Overweight/Obesity: STEP 5
No full textBackground: The STEP 5 trial (NCT03693430) investigated once-weekly
(OW) subcutaneous semaglutide 2.4 mg vs placebo for the
treatment of overweight/obesity in adults over 2 years.
Methods: Adults w ith B MI ≥ 3 0 k g/m2, or ≥27 kg/m2 and ≥ 1
weight-related
comorbidity, without diabetes, were randomized
1:1 to semaglutide 2.4 mg OW or placebo for 104 weeks. Co-primary
endpoints related to body weight (BW) changes. Control
of eating questionnaire (CoEQ) was assessed in a subgroup from
Canada/USA, with scores from 19 individual items grouped into 4
domains: craving control, craving for savory, craving for sweet, or
positive mood. P values for exploratory CoEQ data are unadjusted
for multiplicity.Results: 304 adults were randomized (78% female; mean age 47
years, BW 106.0 kg and BMI 38.5 kg/m2). Semaglutide significantly
reduced BW from baseline to week 104 vs placebo (estimated treatment
difference: −12.6 %-points
[95% CI: –15.3,
–9.8];
p < 0.0001).
In participants completing the CoEQ with semaglutide (n = 88) vs
placebo (n = 86), all 4 domain scores significantly improved at week
20 and 52 (all p < 0.05). At week 104, craving control and craving for
savory domains remained significantly improved with semaglutide
vs placebo (p < 0.01); positive mood and craving for sweet were not
statistically significant. Scores for the following individual craving-related
items were significantly reduced from baseline with semaglutide
vs placebo at week 104: desire to eat salty and spicy food,
craving for dairy food, craving for starchy food, difficulty in resisting
cravings, and difficulty in control of eating (all p < 0.05). Scores for
hunger and fullness improved with semaglutide vs placebo at week
20, 52 and 104, but the differences were only significant at week 20
(p < 0.001 for both).
Conclusions: In adults with overweight/obesity, substantial weight
loss with semaglutide 2.4 mg was accompanied by short-and
long-term
improvements in control of eating vs placebo, wit
Mottl et al. (2021, Science) Taxonomic harmonization tables for North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia, Africa
No full textSupplementary info to: Mottl, O., Flantua, S.G.A., Bhatta, K.P., Felde, V.A., Giesecke, T., Goring, S., Grimm, E.C., Haberle, S., Hooghiemstra, H., Ivory, S., Kuneš, P., Wolters, S., Seddon, A., Williams, J.W., 2021. Global acceleration in rates of vegetation change over the last 18,000 years. Science - Reports
Recommendation domains for pond aquaculture: country case study: development and status of freshwater aquaculture in Bangladesh
No full textThis report is an output of the project ôDetermination of high-potential aquaculture development areas and impact in Africa and Asiaö. This monograph is the case study for Bangladesh. Written in three parts, it describes the historical background, practices, stakeholder profiles, production levels, economic and institutional environment, policy issues, and prospects for aquaculture in the country. First, it documents the history and current status of the aquaculture in the country. Second, it assesses the technologies and approaches that either succeeded or failed to foster aquaculture development and discusses why. Third, it identifies the key reasons for aquaculture adoption.Freshwater aquaculture, Economic analysis, Trade, Ecosystems, Pond culture, Fish consumption, Food security, Policies, Regulations, Legislation, Socioeconomic aspects, Yield, Bangladesh,
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