76,485 research outputs found
Sitana thondalu Deepak & Khandekar & Chaitanya & Karanth 2018, sp. nov.
No full textSitana thondalu sp. nov. Fig. 13–14 & 16; Table 3 & 4; Appendix 9 & 10 Holotype. BNHS 2492, adult male (Fig.13, 14a) from East Bank of Nagarjuna Sagar reservoir, Guntur district, Andhra Pradesh, India (16.55557°N, 79.30134°E), 200 m asl, collected on 0 8.08.2015 by V. Deepak, Praveen Karanth, Aniruddha Datta-Roy, Rama Harvey and Aparna Lajmi. Paratypes. CES 141175 adult male (Appendix 9b) and CES 141178 adult female (Appendix 9a) collected on 0 8.08.2015 by V. Deepak, Praveen Karanth, Aniruddha Datta-Roy, Rama Harvey and Aparna Lajmi both same collection data as holotype. Diagnosis. A large sized Sitana with a maximum SVL of 56.3 mm, distinguished from its congeners by the combination of characters: 1) dewlap feebly serrated without bright orange patches (vs well serrated in S. ponticeriana, S. visiri, S. marudhamneydhal, S. devakai with bright orange patches in breeding males), 2) dewlap extending beyond forearm insertion (vs not extending in S. sivalensis and S. fusca), 3) four prominent enlarged non spine like scales bordering occipital region (vs enlarged spine like scales in S. spinaecephalus); 4) relatively higher head HH/HL: mean 0.53 +/- 0.05 SD and HH/HW: mean 0.79 +/-0.06 (vs relatively depressed head HH/HL: mean 0.50 +/- 0.02 SD and HH/HW: mean 0.73 +/- 0.03 SD in S. gokakensis sp. nov.) (Fig. 15). Although these ratios have overlaps S. gokakensis overall have a depressed head compared S. thondalu sp. nov. (Fig. 15). 5) higher number of vertebral scales in females 49–53 (vs lower 45–47 in S. gokakensis sp. nov. however, this needs further verification with a larger sample size). 6) Geographic location confined to Northern Andhra, Guntur District (vs known only from Gokak plateau S. gokakensis sp. nov.). 7) Sitana thondalu sp. nov. has an uncorrected p- distance of 11% in the ND2 gene and 1.5 % in R35 gene, from its sister species Sitana gokakensis sp. nov. (Appendix 3 & 11). Description of holotype: The holotype is in good condition; hemipenis everted, exposed and seen on both sides when viewed dorsally (Fig. 13a). Tail entire, curved towards the right; loose folds of skin on the dorsum are artefacts of preservation. An adult male, SVL 54.25 mm. Head relatively long (HL/ SVL ratio 0.26), wide (HW/HL ratio 0.67), not depressed (HH/HL ratio 0.56), distinct from neck. Snout short (SE /HL ratio 0.38), longer than eye diameter (OD/ SE ratio 0.88), obtusely pointed in profile when viewed dorsally (Fig. 13c); rostral wider than high (RH/ RW ratio 0.55), contacted laterally on either side by first supralabial, a prenasal and dorsally by two large scales. Canthus rostralis and supraciliary edge sharp (Fig. 13e). Nostril roughly circular, laterally positioned and placed roughly in the centre of a large, undivided nasal scale (Fig. 13e). Nasal scale bordered by seven scales on the right and six on the left, one supranasal, two postnasals, one prenasal, the last two of a series of enlarged scales bordering the supralabials, first supralabial only on the right. Ten supralabials on the right side (11 on left side), first 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 eigth (right side). Twelve infralabials on the right side (11 on left), first slightly smaller, the rest elongate, 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 weekly keeled scales. Eye large (ED/HL ratio 0.34); pupil rounded, covered under the eyelids; eyelids covered with scales that are heterogeneous in shape and size, predominantly smooth; supraciliaries longer than broad. Orbital scales small but not granular. Scales on postorbital and temporal region heterogeneous (size and shape), sub-imbricate, strongly keeled, directed backward and upwards. Tympanum naked. Canthal scales, and orbit bordered below by a row of fourteen scales that are heterogeneous (size and shape) 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 (size and shape), mostly elongate, imbricate, strongly keeled longitudinally (Fig. 13c); scales on snout large, those on forehead slightly larger, interorbital region largest; occipital region with much smaller scales; 11 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, separated from each other by a series of three smaller scales; single inter-parietal, roughly pentagonal, with no visible pineal eye. Mental shield narrower than rostral, roughly pentagonal, pointed posteriorly, a pair of elongate, curved postmentals, slightly longer than mental, in strong contact with each other (Fig. 13d); scales on the gular region homogenous in shape, those behind mental smooth, increasing in size and carination posteriorly. Dewlap large (DEW/ SVL ratio 0.62), extends posteriorly over 41% of trunk; about seven to eight rows of anterior dewlap scales smaller, elongate, pointed, keeled; remainder of scales much enlarged, keeled, ending obtusely, gradually increasing in size towards margin; single marginal row largest. Enlarged scales on dewlap in 21 rows. Nuchal and dorsal crest absent (Fig. 13a). Scales on nuchal region smaller, less than half the size of those on interorbital region, imbricate, strongly keeled. Body slender (TORW / SVL ratio 0.23), 60 rows of scales around midbody; vertebral scale row with 49 scales, four or five dorsal scale rows on either side of the slightly smaller alternating pair of vertebral scale row, the 4 or 5 dorsal scale rows are larger than those on the neck and the largest enlarged scale on the flank, 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 size and shape, smaller than those on back, pointed, keeled, upper rows directed backwards and upwards, lower rows backwards and downwards; ventral scales imbricate around the dewlap, subimbricate posteriorly, keeled, homogenous in size and shape, arranged in 94 rows. Fore and hindlimbs relatively slender, tibia short (CL/ SVL ratio 0.32); digits moderately long, ending in strong, elongate, slightly recurved claw; inter-digital webbing absent; subdigital lamellae entire, bi-mucronate, 23 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 2.72), entire, 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. Colour of holotype in life. Head visibly darker than body (Fig. 14a). Dorsum of the torso dark brown, darker than flank region and tail. Blue tinge on the upper labials, neck and upper eyelids. Iris yellow, lower jaws pale cream, tympanum cream coloured. Forebody with two prominent cream yellow/orange stripes. First stripe starts from the nasal scale and extends till above the forearm insertion, the second shorter and thinner stripe starts above the tympanum and extends to the dorsum. Confluent with the second thinner stripe are the two prominent dark brown stripes on the dorsum which are discontinous and broken by lighter patches starting from the neck and end before 1/4th of the tail. Enlarged scale rows on the dorsum grayish brown in contrast to flank region which is brick red in colour (Fig. 14a). Some enlarged scales on the flank and thigh cream in colour. Most belly scales were cream yellow, scales adjoining the dewlap with brown speckles. Most scales on belly without speckles. Forelimbs and hindlimbs dark brown on dorsal side and pale on the ventral side; both limbs with dark brown bands on the dorsal side. Dewlap white with most scales having clustered brown speckles and some plain. Tail with broad dark brown bands, darker on the dorsal than the ventral side (Fig. 14a). Colour of holotype in preservative. Head dark brown, darker than body, with a faded Carolina blue patch on the neck and a pale white stripe with brown speckles that starts below the eye approximately in the middle directed downwards which broadens and ends at the anterior edge of the forearm insertion. A dark brown stripe below the off-white stripe on the head starting from the 10th supralabials on the left and 9th supralabial on the right, extends into the neck and ends near the forearm insertion. Tympanum off white with small light brown speckles, slightly lighter than the surrounding scales. A prominent dark brown band between the supraciliaries on top of the head. Dorsum light brown with 5 rhomboidal markings on the back that are variable in size and almost indistinguishable from the dorsal colouration; behind the hind limb insertion is a small rhomboidal marking on the dorsal side of tail base with small dark brown bars found throughout the tail. The 4–5 enlarged rows of scales on the dorsum markings, dark brown coloured. A off white stripe starting from neck bordering the 4th and the 5th lower enlarged scale rows on the dorsum ends near the tail base. Flanks light brown with the ventro-lateral scales paler with dark brown speckles. Venter off white (Fig 13b). Faint brown bars on the dorsal side of limbs. Enlarged scales on dewlap mottled with dark brown/black spots with a pale white spot in the center that is interspersed with dark brown/black spots. Anterior of each dewlap scale pale white without any spots/speckles, the throat region on either side of the enlarged scale on dewlap pale white with the dark blue colouration on the throat visible. Variation in paratypes. The two paratypes agree with the holotype in overall scalation with some exceptions. CES 141175 has 105 ventral scales, 32 belly ventral scales (VENB) and 46 dorsal scales. The female CES 141178 agrees with the holotype in overall scalation except that it lacks a dewlap, and has 68 ventral scales, one additional supralabial on the right and one less supralabial on the left, 53 vertebral scales. CES 141175 differs in colouration from the holotype in having a light brown stripe staring below the eye and ending near the forearm insertion. The thin black stripe near the labium starts from the angle of the jaw instead of the supralabials. The throat region on either side of the enlarged scale on dewlap off white with blue speckles. The first three bands on the tail broader than the rest. CES 141178 differs in colouration from the holotype in having head colouration similar to body, rhomboidal patterns prominent, pale white stripe on the dorsum, absent. Instead, the edges of the enlarged row on the dorsum that is dark brown starting from neck to tail base, forms two stripes on the dorsum. Light brown stripe starting below the eye ends anterior to the tympanum. Stripe near labium faint and brown in colour. Venter mottled with pale brown colouration. Throat region pale white in colour. Bands on the tail broader than the holotype. Variation in live colouration. Some of the male specimens collected during this study matched with the holotype in live colouration but there were some specimens which were different from the holotype. All of the breeding males had blue colouration on the eyelids, upper labials, nasal and the nuchal region (e.g. 14A & B; 16A & B). In two individuals, the blue colouration on the nuchal region extended most of the dorsum most prominent immediately after euthanization (Appendix 10). The gray band marking between the supraciliaries on top of the head, were darker in some males. The last row on the enlarged scale rows on the dorsum were bordered with continous/broken cream coloured or dark brown stripes till the vent. The rhomboidal patch on the neck was relatively darker than the other 4–5 rhomboidal markings which were faint and broken (Fig. 16 a,b). Hemipenial morphology. Hemipenis of seven specimens including the type and the paratype were examined (BNHS 2492, CES 141175, CES 141198, CES 141200, CES 141201, CES 141202 – 141203). Hemipenis bilobed, relatively small, longer than wide and shallowly forked (Fig. 17 a,b). Sulcus spermaticus bifurcated (Fig. 17a). Sulcal lips raised and papillate. Sulcus smooth, originating from the side of the base. Apex with close irregular row of small calyces and the sulcal region of apex nude, medial projection absent (Fig. 17a,d). Ornamentation is differentiated and combination of flounces, calyces observed (Fig. 17a–d). Papillae present between the apical lobes. Calyces are relatively larger at the base of the lobes. Calyces are deep regular pits on the asulcal side and become shallow at basal region (Fig. 17b). Ridges between the calyces are smooth. Eight to eleven flounces present, all of them, prominent on the asulcal side. Etymology. The specific epithet is a noun in apposition, derived from the Telugu word thondalu for an agamid lizard in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana states. Suggested English name. Nagarjuna Sagar fan-throated lizard Distribution. Sitana thondalu sp. nov. is found in Macherala and Nagarjuna Sagar, Guntur District, in Andhra Pradesh state. This species was only recorded from these two localities during this study (Fig. 1). The altitudinal distribution is between 180 and 200 m a.s.l. Habitat and Natural history. Sitana thondalu sp. nov. is found in dry rocky outcrops with boulders (Fig. 18a) and with sparse vegetation predominantly shrubs and few stunted trees (dominated by Mundulea sericea. Macherla receives annual rainfall between 380 to 508 mm (Talukder & Pal, 2007). In the second site Macherla, the habitat is dominated by the invasive Prosopis juliflora (Sw.) DC. (Fig. 18b). Calotes versicolor (Daudin, 1802) and Eutropis nagarjunensis (Sharma, 1969) are the two sympatric diurnal lizards found in this region. Breeding males were recorded during June and August months. useđ in the analyses. ……continued on the next pagePublished as part of Deepak, V., Khandekar, Akshay, Chaitanya, R. & Karanth, Praveen, 2018, Descriptions of two new endemic and cryptic species of Sitana Cuvier, 1829 from peninsular India, pp. 327-365 in Zootaxa 4434 (2) on pages 343-351, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4434.2.5, http://zenodo.org/record/129058
Sitana gokakensis Deepak & Khandekar & Chaitanya & Karanth 2018, sp. nov.
No full text<i>Sitana gokakensis</i> sp. nov. <p>Fig. 7–9 & 11; Table 3 & 4; Appendix 7 & 8</p> <p> <b>Holotype.</b> BNHS 2490, adult male (Fig. 7 & 8A) from Gokak plateau, Belagavi district, Karnataka, India (16.18618°N, 74.75952°E), 255 m elevation, collected on 0 8.08.2013 by V. Deepak and Aparna Lajmi.</p> <p> <b>Paratypes.</b> BNHS 2491, adult female (Fig. 9b; Appendix 7b) collected by V. Deepak and Aparna Lajmi; CES 141136, an adult male (Appendix 7a) collected by V. Deepak and Kunal Arekar on 12.5.15; both same collection data as holotype.</p> <p> <b>Diagnosis.</b> A large sized <i>Sitana</i> with a maximum SVL of 53.1 mm, distinguished from its congeners by the following combination of characters: 1) dewlap feebly serrated without bright orange patches in breeding males (vs well serrated with bright orange patches in breeding males in <i>S. ponticeriana</i>, <i>S. visiri</i>, <i>S. marudhamneydhal</i> and <i>S. devakai</i>); 2) dewlap extending beyond forearm insertion (vs not extending in <i>S. sivalensis, S. schleichi</i> and <i>S. fusca</i>); 3) four prominent enlarged non spine like scales bordering occipital region (vs enlarged spine like scales in <i>S. spinaecephalus</i>); 4) dewlap large sized extending up to 55% of trunk (vs up to 44 % of trunk in <i>S. laticeps</i> in southern most population which appears to be an outlier for the species; up to 29% of trunk in remaining population (Fig. 10) and vs up to 42% of trunk in <i>Sitana</i> sp1 (Fig. 10); 5) body size (male & females averaged) relatively large (SVL: mean 48.8 +/- 3.6 SE; range 42.4–53.1; n=14) vs (body size relatively small in <i>S. laticeps</i> SVL: mean 47.8 +/- 3.2 SE; range 40.7– 54.6; n=63 and in <i>S.</i> sp1 SVL: mean 46.2 +/- 3.2 SE; range 38.9–54.1; n=31 and <i>S. spinaecephalus</i> SVL: mean 47.3 +/- 3.7 SE; range 39.5– 56.6; n=25). It has to be noted here that the southernmost population of <i>S. laticeps</i> appears to have some relatively large bodied individuals (SVL: mean 50.1 +/- 4.2 SE; range 45.2–54.6; n=6) but need a larger sample size to further confirm.</p> <p> <b>Description of holotype.</b> The holotype is in good condition; hemipenis partially everted, exposed and seen on both sides when viewed dorsally (Fig. 7a). Tail entire, curved slightly towards the right; loose folds of skin on the dorsum and a small incision of 4mm to extricate tissue, are artefacts of preservation. An adult male, SVL 51.2 mm. Head relatively long (HL/SVL ratio 0.29), wide (HW/HL ratio 0.70), not depressed (HH/HL ratio 0.51), distinct from neck. Snout short (SE/HL ratio 0.39), longer than diameter of orbit (OD/SE ratio 0.73), obtusely pointed in profile when viewed dorsally (Fig. 7c); rostral much wider than high, contacted laterally on either side by first supralabial, a prenasal and dorsally by two smaller, keeled scales (Fig. 7e). Canthus rostralis and supraciliary edge, sharp. Nostril roughly circular, laterally positioned and placed in the centre of a large, undivided nasal. Nasal scale bordered by eight scales on either side: one supranasal, three postnasals, one prenasal, the last two scales form a series of enlarged scales bordering the supralabials and a small scale separates them from the first supralabial. Ten supralabials on the right side (11 on left side), first slightly higher than others, broader than long, 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 after the posterior margin of orbit. Twelve infralabials on the right side (13 on left), first slightly smaller, the rest elongate, keeled increasing in size posteriorly. Loreal region concave, with scales of heterogeneous shape and size. Canthals enlarged, overlapping, slightly protruding on supraorbital ridge laterally. Eye large (ED/HL ratio 0.27); pupil rounded, covered under the eyelids; eyelids covered with scales that are heterogeneous in shape and size; larger scales on the upper eyelids, keeled, elongate and bluntly pointed, rest smooth; supraciliaries longer than broad. Orbital scales small but not granular. Scales on postorbital and temporal region, heterogeneous, sub- imbricate, strongly keeled, directed backward and upwards. Tympanum naked. Scales on dorsal surface of snout, forehead, interorbital and occipital region highly heterogeneous in size, shape, mostly elongate, strongly keeled longitudinally (Fig. 7c); scales on snout large in size, those on forehead slightly larger, interorbital region largest; occipital region with much smaller imbricate scales relative to other dorsal head scales; four relatively enlarged scales on a transverse row in the occiput region; nine scales anterior and 14 scales posterior of 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, tricarinate, separated from each other by two inter-parietal scales; anterior large, roughly triangular, tricarinate; posterior roughly pentagonal, bicarinate, with distinctly visible pineal eye. Parietals and the posterior inter-parietal part of a series of nine large, strongly keeled scales traversing the forehead. Mental shield narrower than rostral, roughly pentagonal, pointed posteriorly, a pair of roughly hexagonal postmentals, slightly shorter than mental, completely divided by a smaller gular scale (Fig. 7d); scales on the gular region homogenous in shape, those behind mental smooth, increasing in size and carination posteriorly. Dewlap large (DEWL/SVL ratio 0.69), extends posteriorly over 55% of trunk, extending much beyond axilla (Fig. 7b); about nine rows of anterior dewlap scales smaller, elongate, pointed, keeled; remainder of scales much enlarged, keeled, pointed, gradually increasing in size towards margin; single marginal row largest with lanceolate scales. Enlarged scales on dewlap in 23 rows. Nuchal and dorsal crest absent (Fig. 7a). Scales on nuchal region smaller, less than half the size of those on interorbital region, imbricate, strongly keeled. Body slender, 60 rows of scales around midbody; vertebral scale row with 46 scales, vertebral scale row partially paired and alternating. Five enlarged dorsal scale rows, on either side of the vertebral scale row (except in 3 places the five rows on either side are in contact with each other), the 5 dorsal scale rows starts from back of neck until groin, sub equal in size and shape, imbricate, pointed, keeled, directed backwards forming regularly arranged longitudinal rows; scales on flanks heterogeneous in size, shape, smaller than those on back, pointed, keeled, upper rows directed backwards and upwards, lower rows backwards and downwards; ventral scales subimbricate, keeled, homogenous in size and shape, arranged in 101 rows. Fore and hindlimbs relatively slender, tibia short (CL/SVL ratio 0.33); digits moderately long, ending in strong, elongate, slightly recurved claw; inter-digital webbing absent; subdigital lamellae entire, bi-mucronate, 22 subdigital lamellae on toe IV including claw sheath; relative length of right fingers 3> 4> 2> 5> 1, right toes 4> 3> 2> 1. Fore and hindlimbs covered above and below with regularly arranged, enlarged, pointed, strongly keeled, scales. Tail long (TL/SVL ratio 2.35), entire, 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.</p> <p> <b>Colour of holotype in life.</b> Head darker than body, dorsum of the torso dark brown, darker compared to flank and tail (Fig. 7a). Neck region with blue and dark pink colouration. Iris yellow in colour, tympanum cream coloured. Dorsum with five black blotches the one on neck darker. Flank region brick red colour with mottled dark brown patches. Enlarged scales on the flank and thigh cream in colour. Belly off white in colour with brown speckles on most scales. Forelimbs and hindlimbs dark brown suffused with red on dorsal side, cream patch on the back of thigh extending to the saccaral region and pale on the ventral side. Lower jaws cream mostly, dark blue colouration starts from the mentum (on 7–8 horizontal scale rows (Fig. 7d) and extends along midline of dewlap. Dewlap white, each scale on dewlap with clustered brown speckles.</p> <p> <b>Colour of holotype in preservative.</b> Head dark brown, darker than the body—with scattered blue patches on the neck. Two broken black stripes start below the eye approximately in the middle directed downwards that broaden and end after the forearm insertion. Tympanum cream coloured, slightly lighter than the surrounding scales with small light brown speckles. Dorsum dark brown with two black blotches on the neck; 3 broad, dark brown bars at the tail base and multiple smaller bars found throughout the tail. The five enlarged rows of scales on the dorsum flanking the vertebral scale rows dark brown coloured, a pale brown broken white stripe starting from neck bordering enlarged scale row on the dorsum ends near the tail base, upper 3 /4th of the flanks dark brown with mixed light brown scales, the lower end of flanks paler. Venter mottled with brown on off white scales. Brown bars present on the dorsal side of limbs. Tail with dark brown bands throughout. Enlarged scales on dewlap with dark brown/black spots, mottled, with some scales having dark brown/black spots with a white spot in the center. Throat region on either side of the enlarged scale on dewlap off white with bluish dark gray /black speckles and the dark blue colouration on the throat is prominent 5 scales after the mentum and its surrounding scales, the rest are faint bluish gray.</p> <p> <b>Variation in paratypes.</b> The two paratypes agree with the holotype in overall scalation with some exceptions. CES 141136 has 101 ventral scales and 32 belly ventral scales, 58 mid-body scales, 49 dorsal scales, one less infralabial on each side and one additional supralabial on the left. The female BNHS 2491 agrees with the holotype in overall scalation except that it lacks a dewlap, and has 67 ventral scales, one less infralabial on each side. CES 141136 differs in colouration from the holotype in having a light brown dorsum (an artefact of preservation), four distinct dark brown patches on the dorsum the first one darker. No blue patches on the neck. The stripe below the eye, indistinguishable compared to the surrounding scale, only a short light brown stripe ends near the forearm insertion. Blue line on the dewlap/throat darker than the holotype. Broad bands are present throughout the tail. BNHS 2491 differs in colouration from the holotype in having head colouration similar to body, three rhomboidal/ oval patterns on the dorsum, pale white stripe on the dorsum absent. Head brown with patches of brick red and grey (likely due to shedding scales), no blue patches on the neck. Throat region pale white in colour with dark black spots and speckles. One rhomboidal marking on the dorsum of tail base.</p> <p> <b>Variation in live colouration.</b> Most of the male specimens collected during this study matched with the</p> <p>holotype in live colouration. There were some specimens which were different from the rest which we describe</p> <p>herein. Three out of the ten breeding males were found with blue colouration on the upper eyelids. Seven out of the ten males observed in-situ had mostly dark pink and tinge of blue on the nuchal region. The fifth scale on the enlarged scale rows flanking vertebral scales on the dorsum was bordered with continuous cream coloured/reddish stripe starting from neck till the vent (e.g, see Fig. 9 a,b,d), in some individuals these stripes were broken. The rhomboidal patch on the neck was single in many individuals but the 5 rhomboid patches on the dorsum were separated by a cream line on the vertebral region (e.g, see Fig. 9c). One of the adult males had blue colouration on the tail which became prominent immediately after euthanization (Appendix 8).</p> <p> <b>Hemipenial morphology.</b> Four samples were examined (CES 141136 – 141139). Hemipenis bilobed, relatively small, longer than wide and shallowly forked. Sulcus spermaticus bifurcated and the fork continues onto the apical lobes (Fig. 11a). Sulcal lips raised and papillate, sulcus smooth originating from the side of the base. Apex with small serrated row of calyces and the sulcal region of apex nude (Fig. 11d), medial projection absent. Ornamentation is differentiated and combination of flounces and 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 (Fig. 11a,b). Calyces are deep regular pits on the asulcal side and become shallow at basal region (Fig. 11b). Ridges between the calyces are thin and show micro-ornamentation which are scalloped. Flounces present, eight to ten in number, all prominent on the asulcal side (Fig. 11B,C).</p> <p> <b>Etymology.</b> The specific epithet is an adjectival toponym and refers to the Gokak plateau of Belagavi district in Karnataka, to which this species is endemic.</p> <p> <b>Suggested common name.</b> Gokak fan-throated lizard.</p> <p> <b>Distribution.</b> <i>Sitana gokakensis</i> <b>sp. nov.</b> is endemic to Gokak plateau in Belagavi district, Karnataka (Fig. 1). The samples collected from north and south outside this plateau (Nipani, Ramdurga, Bagalkot) were of <i>S. laticeps</i>. The Ghataprabha is a rocky river and a potential geographical barrier for this species.</p> <p> <b>Habitat and natural history.</b> <i>Sitana gokakensis</i> <b>sp. nov.</b> is only known from the open rocky habitat in Gokak plateau (Fig. 12). Gokak hills receives 820 mm of average annual rainfall. The habitat is xeric and is dominated by thorny and dwarf succulent species (Malpure <i>et al</i>. 2016). The recently described <i>Euphorbia gokakensis</i> Yadav,</p> <p> Malpure, Chandore, 2016 is endemic to this plateau which is found alongside other succulents such as <i>E. antiquorum</i> L., <i>E. caducifolia</i> Haines and <i>Opuntia elatior</i> Mill. and non-succulents like <i>Mundulea sericea</i> (Willd.) A.Chev. (Malpure <i>et al</i>. 2016). <i>Ophisops</i> sp and <i>Hemidactylus murrayi</i> Gleadow, 1887 are the two sympatric lizards found in this plateau. Breeding males were recorded during May and August months.</p>Published as part of <i>Deepak, V., Khandekar, Akshay, Chaitanya, R. & Karanth, Praveen, 2018, Descriptions of two new endemic and cryptic species of Sitana Cuvier, 1829 from peninsular India, pp. 327-365 in Zootaxa 4434 (2)</i> on pages 336-343, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4434.2.5, <a href="http://zenodo.org/record/1290584">http://zenodo.org/record/1290584</a>
Portrait of Amy Mack (Mrs Lancelot Harrison) [picture] /
No full textTitle from inscription on reverse.; Condition: Fair, glued to card.; Inscriptions: "Amy Mack (Mrs. Lancelot Harrison) author of 'A bush calendar', 'Bush days', etc. photo. J. S. P. Ramsay" --In ink on reverse
Profiling of Soluble Neutral Oligosaccharides from Treated Biomass using Solid Phase Extraction and Liquid Chromatography-Multiplexed Collision Induced Dissociation-Mass Spectrometry
No full textThermochemical pretreatment of cellulosic biomass improves cell wall enzymatic digestibility, while simultaneously releasing substantial amounts of soluble oligosaccharides. Profiling of oligosaccharides released during pretreatment yield information essential for choosing glycosyl hydrolases necessary for cost-effective conversion of cellulosic biomass to desired biofuel/biochemical end-products. In this report we present a methodology for profiling of soluble neutral oligosaccharides released from ammonia fiber expansion (AFEXTM)-pretreated corn stover. Our methodology employs solid phase extraction (SPE) enrichment of oligosaccharides based on porous graphitized carbon (PGC), followed by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) separation using a polymeric amine based column (Prevail Carbohydrate ES) and electrospray ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (ESI-TOF-MS) in both positive and negative modes. For structural elucidation on the chromatographic time scale, nonselective multiplexed collision-induced dissociation was performed for quasi-simultaneous acquisition of accurate molecular and fragment masses of neutral oligosaccharids in a single analysis. These analyses directly revealed presence of glucans up to degree of polymerization (DP) 22 without side-chain modifications. Additionally, arabinoxylans with DP up to 6 were detected in the pretreated biomass samples (post-enzymatic digestion). All linkages between sugar units in glucans and arabinoxylans were identified to be p-1-4 linkages based on cross-ring fragment masses. Comprehensive profiling of soluble oligosaccharides also demonstrated that arabinoxylan acetylation was reduced by greater than 85% post-AFEXTM treatment.Published version: Vismeh, Ramin, Humpula, James F., Chundawat, Shishir P. S., Balan, Venkatesh, Dale, Bruce E. & Jones, A. Daniel. (2013). Profiling of Soluble Neutral Oligosaccharides from Treated Biomass using Solid Phase Extraction and LC-TOF MS. Carbohydrate Polymers 94(2), 791-799. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.carbpol.2013.02.00
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Get PDFThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Experimental study of thin film sensor networks for wind turbine blade damage detection
Get PDFDamage detection of wind turbine blades is difficult due to their complex geometry and large size, for which large deployment of sensing systems is typically not economical. A solution is to develop and deploy dedicated sensor networks fabricated from inexpensive materials and electronics. The authors have recently developed a novel skin-type strain gauge for measuring strain over very large surfaces. The skin, a type of large-area electronics, is constituted from a network of soft elastomeric capacitors. The sensing system is analogous to a biological skin, where local strain can be monitored over a global area. In this paper, we propose the utilization of a dense network of soft elastomeric capacitors to detect, localize, and quantify damage on wind turbine blades. We also leverage mature off the shelf technologies, in particular resistive strain gauges, to augment such dense sensor network with high accuracy data at key locations, therefore constituting a hybrid dense sensor network. The proposed hybrid dense sensor network is installed inside a wind turbine blade 1:25 scale model, and tested in a wind tunnel to simulate an operational environment. Results demonstrate the ability of the hybrid dense sensor network to detect, localize, and quantify damage.</p
Prompt charm production in pp collisions at √<span style="text-decoration:overline">s</span>=7 TeV
Get PDFCharm production at the LHC in pp collisions at s√=7 TeV is studied with the LHCb detector. The decays D0→K−π+, D+→K−π+π+, D⁎+→D0(K−π+)π+, D+s→ϕ(K−K+)π+, Λ+c→pK−π+, and their charge conjugates are analysed in a data set corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 15 nb−1. Differential cross-sections dσ/dpT are measured for prompt production of the five charmed hadron species in bins of transverse momentum and rapidity in the region 0<pT<8 GeV/c and 2.0<y<4.5. Theoretical predictions are compared to the measured differential cross-sections. The integrated cross-sections of the charm hadrons are computed in the above pT-y range, and their ratios are reported. A combination of the five integrated cross-section measurements gives
σ(cc¯)pT<8 GeV/c,2.0<y<4.5=1419±12(stat)±116(syst)±65(frag) μb,
where the uncertainties are statistical, systematic, and due to the fragmentation functions
Probing the nature of AFEX-pretreated corn stover derived decomposition products that inhibit cellulase activity
No full textSequential fractionation of AFEX-pretreated corn stover extracts was carried out using ultra-centrifugation, ultra-filtration, and solid phase extraction to isolate various classes of pretreatment products to evaluate their inhibitory effect on cellulases. Ultra-centrifugation removed dark brown precipitates that caused no appreciable enzyme inhibition. Ultra-filtration of ultra-centrifuged AFEX-pretreated corn stover extractives using a 10 kDa molecular weight cutoff (MWCO) membrane removed additional high molecular weight components that accounted for 24–28% of the total observed enzyme inhibition while a 3 kDa MWCO membrane removed 60–65%, suggesting significant inhibition is caused by oligomeric materials. Solid phase extraction (SPE) of AFEX-pretreated corn stover extractives after ultra-centrifugation removed 34–43% of the inhibition; ultra-filtration with a 5 kDa membrane removed 44–56% of the inhibition and when this ultra-filtrate was subjected to SPE a total of 69–70% of the inhibition were removed. Mass spectrometry found several phenolic compounds among the hydrophobic inhibition removed by SPE adsorption.Published version: Humpula, James F., Uppugundla, Nirmal, Vismeh, Ramin, Sousa, Leonardo, Chundawat, Shishir P. S., Jones, A. Daniel, Balan, Venkatesh, Dale, Bruce E. & Cheh, Albert M. (2014). Probing the nature of AFEX-retreated corn stover derived decomposition products that inhibit cellulase activity. Bioresource Technology 152, 38-45. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.biortech.2013.10.08
Neo-Simulation and Gaming Toward Active Learning
No full textThis book provides tips to teachers for moving toward active learning by using simulation and gaming. The book is a rare reference for teachers who wish to initiate active learning by applying many real experiences from world experts in simulation and gaming. This cumulative wisdom comes from cutting-edge trials reported at the 49th International Simulation and Gaming Association’s annual conference in Thailand 9–13 July 2018. The importance of changing teachers’ one-way lecture approach to that of active learning has been commonly understood for several decades and has been promoted especially in recent years in Asian universities. Simulation and gaming meets the requirements of such teaching programs, especially for active learning, but there are few books or references on how to gamify a lecture. This book serves as a guide to facilitate that change. The author recognizes the duty to provide readers with fixed directions toward simulation and gaming in the next generation, which have still not been fully elucidated. Developing a simulation and gaming culture and making it sustainable in the next decade are the purpose of this book
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