Terrestrial Isopods are soil-dwelling crustaceans acts as decomposers; they play a major role in the decomposition of leaf litter and in maintaining soil fertility. However, there is a scarcity of literature on terrestrial isopods, and they have not been widely studied. This prompted the present investigation. Four species of terrestrial isopods, viz., Cubaris robusta Collinge, 1914; Porcelio assamensis (Chopra, 1924), Porcellionides pruinosus (Brandt, 1833) and Trachelipus rathkii (Brandt, 1833) belonging to 4 genera and 3 families are recorded in the present study. These four species are the first record from Sikkim state of North East India.
The freshwater prawn and shrimp fauna of Harishankar Hill stream, a hill stream in the western part of Odisha, was studied. The study reveals the presence of four species of palaemonid prawns and three species of atyid shrimps in the Hill stream, providing detailed and comprehensive information about this ecosystem. Previously, six atyid shrimp species of the genus Caridina have been documented in Odisha. This paper reports Caridina fernandoi Arudpragasam and Costa, 1962 and Caridina gurneyi Jalihal, Shenoy and Sankolli, 1984 for the first time from Odisha state, accompanied by a detailed taxonomic description. With this, the valid atyid shrimp species of the genus Caridina becomes eight from the state.
The present paper deals with the record of the muricid snail Pterynotus alatus (Röding, 1798) from fishing bycatch of the northern part of the east coast of India, Bay of Bengal. A single specimen was collected from Petuaghat Fish Landing Centre, West Bengal, while examining fishing bycatch fauna along this coast. The identification was confirmed by examining the morphological characteristics. The detailed distribution of the genus Pterynotus in India was presented in the paper.
The selenopid spider, Siamspinops garoensis Kadam, Tripathi & Sankaran, 2022, was previously known only from the type locality in Meghalaya, India. The present study extends its known distribution to the states of Mizoram and Nagaland. In addition, intraspecific variation is discussed, and an updated distribution map of the species in India is provided.
In this study, a new species of the genus Steneucyrtus Fairmaire, 1896, namely S. wayanadensis sp. nov., is described and illustrated from India. Additionally, the species S. pexicollis Fairmaire, 1896, is rediscovered, figured, and diagnosed briefly. An identification key and a distribution map for all Steneucyrtus species from the Indian subcontinent are also provided.
A new species of annulocylix caecilian is described from the genus Gegeneophis based on distinct genetic and morphological features. The species is having both primary and secondary annuli, wherein secondary annuli are concentrated at the posterior half of the body. Molecular analysis reveals that the new species is sister to an unknown lineage from Amboli and Gegeneophis mhadeiensis from the near proximity phylogenetically. Molecular phylogeny suggests the possibility of four other new lineages from the northern Western Ghats. The findings are discussed in the light of cryptic diversity of these limbless amphibians and the need for systematic studies to describe them.
Camera trapping is widely used to study elusive and cryptic wild animals in the field of wildlife ecology. Although, primarily designed for mammals, yet camera traps have increasingly documented avifauna, offering valuable insights into species presence, behaviour and habitat use. However, such records are underreported, especially from the Himalayan regions. We report first camera trap record of the Indian Peafowl (Pavo cristatus), from the Kanchenjunga Biosphere Reserve (KBR), West Sikkim. Thereby, extending current knowledge on the species occurrence and camera trapping value for the avian documentation.
Clypeocaenis malzacheri is known from nymphs and eggs from the Western Ghats (Kottagudi River, Kurangani, Theni district, Tamil Nadu), India. The unknown adult stage (male and female imagoes) is described herein based on our recent collection. A key to the imagoes of the genus Clypeocaenis in the Oriental region is also provided. Type locality and the map showing the localities are also provided.
Acoustic communication in anurans plays a crucial part in territoriality, mate attraction, courtship, sexual recognition, and reproductive success. The selection of the microhabitat can influence the propagation of anuran calls, whereas microhabitat characteristics and climatic conditions can optimize their reproductive success. We looked into the microhabitat characteristics associated with the calling behavior of Raorchestes annandalii (Boulenger, 1906). We measured a range of abiotic factors that include air temperature, relative humidity, and call site temperature. In addition, we looked into the effect of relative humidity and air temperature on a spatial variable, specifically perch height. Statistical analysis confirms no significant association between relative humidity and perch height, as well as between air temperature and perch height. Statistical analyses were performed to test the relationship between calling activity and relative humidity; the results suggest that relative humidity may have an effect on calling activity. To further examine thermal dynamics, a comparison was made between the call site temperature and ambient air temperature. The result shows a significant difference between the two temperatures, while the call site temperature remains cooler than the ambient temperature, but it was not possible to infer the cause of the selection of a cooler calling site by Raorchestes annandalii (Boulenger, 1906).
Shell utilization patterns of the intertidal hermit crab Clibanarius padavensis De Man, 1888 (Paguroidea: Diogenidae) were investigated from the Bichitrapur mangrove along the Eastern coast, eastern India. A total of 120 individuals were recorded inhabiting shells of ten gastropod species representing eight families. Indothais lacera (Born, 1778) was the most frequently occupied (34 individuals, 28.3%), followed by Telescopium telescopium (Linnaeus, 1758) (27 individuals, 22.5%), Pirenella cingulata (Gmelin, 1791) (18 individuals, 15.0%), Nerita articulata Reeve, 1855 (9 individuals, 7.5%), Cerithidea obtusa (Lamarck, 1822) (9 individuals, 7.5%), Turritella attenuata Reeve, 1849 (6 individuals, 5.0%), Turricula javana (Linnaeus, 1767) (6 individuals, 5.0%), Littoraria melanostoma (Gmelin, 1791) (5 individuals, 4.2%), Agaronia gibbosa (Born, 1778) (3 individuals, 2.5%) and Neverita didyma (Röding, 1998) (3 individuals, 2.5%). Morphometric analyses of shield length (SL) and aperture width (AW) revealed a strong positive correlation between SL and AW (r = 0.95, p < 0.001), indicating a high degree of morphological compatibility between crab and shell. This close fit is essential for mechanical defense and protection from predation and the results suggest that shell selection in C. padavensis is governed by the combined effects of local shell resource availability and morphometric constraints determining functional occupancy. The study provides a quantitative baseline dataset on shell use along the Bay of Bengal coast, facilitating future comparisons of resource utilization, spatial variation, and interspecific competition in coastal hermit crab assemblages.
In this paper, we report Scionomia solitaria Yazaki, 1992 for the first time from India, bringing the total number of Scionomia species known from the country to two. A detailed species description, including male genitalia characteristics, is provided, along with an identification key to the Indian Scionomia species.
This research was carried out in the Pilibhit Tiger Reserve to investigate moth diversity, and it documented 75 species from 9 families. For nocturnal moths, light-trap methods were utilised, whereas diurnal species were sampled using line transects. The most species-rich families were Crambidae (42%), Erebidae (25%), and Geometridae (11%), followed by Noctuidae (9%), Limacodidae (5%), Thyrididae (3%), Uraniidae (3%), Pyralidae (1%), and Sphingidae (1%). These results show the region’s moth diversity as well as the reserve’s ecological importance.
The present study provides the first occurrence record of two fish species having elongate bodies, the Indian mud moray, Gymnothorax tile (Hamilton 1822) (Family Muraenidae) and the Gangetic swamp eel, Ophichthys cuchia (Hamilton 1822) (Family Synbranchidae), from the Chilika lagoon. This also evidenced the first occurrence of the genera Gymnothorax and Ophichthys in the lagoon. With this addition, the ichthyofaunal diversity of Chilika lagoon increases to 387 species. Detailed morphometric and meristic characteristics of both species are presented for correct identification.
In ongoing efforts to study and update the Trichoptera fauna of India, this research reports two new records for the genus Polyplectropus Ulmer, 1905, viz. Polyplectropus matadapaya Schmid, 1958 and Polyplectropus parakrama Schmid, 1958, both from Tamil Nadu, India. Both species have been collected from conservation areas. Line drawings of both species are given based on material collected from the geographical limits of India. With these additions, the genus is now represented by 11 species from India.
The Himalayan ecosystems remain relatively underexplored despite harbouring exceptionally high biodiversity. A systematic camera trap survey was conducted to assess the mammalian fauna across different elevations between September 2024 to March 2025 in the Pithoragarh district of Uttarakhand. During the survey, the first photographic evidence of the elusive stone marten (Martes foina) was captured at an elevation between 3500-4000 m, exploring its high elevational record in the district. Identified by its distinctive white throat patch, the Stone marten was detected in habitats dominated by Abies pindrow and Cedrus deodara in the study landscape. This new record highlights the value of systematic camera trap monitoring in remote landscapes for detecting elusive species and improving understanding of their distribution, ecological role, and conservation needs.
