Records of the Zoological Survey of India - A Journal of Indian Zoology

Gaurav Sharma ¹, M. Kamalakannan ¹, C. K. Manna ², Debashree Dam ¹

Affiliations
1 Zoological Survey of India, M-Block, Prani Vigyan Bhawan, New Alipore, Kolkata-700 053, IN
2 Department of Zoology, University of Kalyani, Kalyani-741235, West Bengal, IN

Abstract

The macroscopic and microscopic charactersof dorsal guard hairs of Sus scrofaLinnaeus, 1758 were examined using optical light and scanning electron microscopes for species identification. The hair of Sus scrofa is characterised by brown coat with tinged grey colour hairs, the profile is straight, thicker in diameter (109.4 ± 41.1μm) and have distinct microscopic characters such as irregular wave pattern and close margin of cuticular scales, unicellular regular and simple medulla, and circular shape. The micro and macroscopic characters of dorsal guard hairs can be used predator diet analysis as well as in forensic science as an appropriate reference for the species identification.

Keywords

Sus Scrofa, Tricho-Taxonomy, Dorsal Guard Hair, Morphological and Microscopic Characters.

Full Text

   

P. Girish Kumar ¹, Gaurav Sharma ¹

Affiliations
1 Zoological Survey of India, M-Block, New Alipore, Kolkata, West Bengal-700 053, IN

Abstract

The family Scoliidae is a group of solitary fossorial aculeate wasps commonly known as hairy wasps. Adults are usually black, commonly marked with yellow, white or red. Their wings are usually dark with metallic reflections. Vestiture varies from entirely black or black mixed with white to entirely golden or reddish. Body length may vary from 5 mm to 35 mm (rarely up to 50 mm). Sexual dimorphism is distinct. They are world wide in distribution but predominantly found in tropical region and consist of about 560 species, 220 subspecies distributed among 43 genera, 28 subgenera in two subfamilies: Proscoliinae and Scoliinae (Osten, 2005). The larvae of scoliid wasps are ectoparasitic on the larvae of Coleoptera, usually Scarabaeoidea but rarely Curculionoidea.

Full Text

   

P. Girish Kumar ¹, Gaurav Sharma ¹

Affiliations
1 Zoological Survey of India, M-Block, New Alipore, Kolkata, West Bengal-700 053, IN

Abstract

The Sunderbans area is composed of a group of Islands from the mouth of the river Hooghly on the west and extending up to the river Meghna in the east, covering North and South 24 Parganas districts of West Bengal in India and Khulna and Barishal districts in Bangladesh. It lies approximately 87°51′- 91°30′ east longitude and 21°31′- 22°30′ north latitude. It is considered as the largest single mangrove belt of the world, comprising an area of 9827 sq. km of which 4264 sq. km comes under India. In 1989, the Government of India declared the entire Indian Sunderbans (9630 sq. km; mangrove belt plus nearby villages) as Sunderbans Biosphere Reserve. Due to its unique ecosystem, it has also been declared a World Heritage site in 1989. It is the largest estuary delta in the world with extremely rich diversity of aquatic and terrestrial flora and fauna.

Full Text

   

P. Girish Kumar ¹, P. C. Mazumdar ¹, Gaurav Sharma ¹

Affiliations
1 Zoological Survey of India, M-Block, New Alipore, Kolkata, West Bengal-700053, IN

Abstract

Latrielle (1802) erected the genus Chlorion (Hymenoptera: Sphecidae) based on the type species Sphex lobatus Fabricius, 1775. This is a widely distributed genus all over the world except Australia and Europe (Bohart & Menke, 1976). Twenty species with additional three subspecies are recorded under this genus worldwide (Pulawski, 2009) of which three species namely Chlorion lobatum (Fabricius, 1775), C. regale Smith, 1873 and C. splendidum Fabricius, 1804 are recorded from the Indian subcontinent. In this paper, the genus Chlorion is reviewed with several new distributional records.

Full Text

   

P. Girish Kumar ¹, Gaurav Sharma ¹

Affiliations
1 Zoological Survey of India, M - Block, New Alipore, Kolkata, West Bengal-700 053, IN

Abstract

Spinola (1806) provided the name Rygchium which is an incorrect original spelling of Rhynchium Spinola based on the type species Rygchium europaeum Spinola, 1806. The genus Rhynchium Spinola is distributed at Australian, Ethiopian, Oriental and Palearctic Regions.

Full Text

   

Devi Shankar Suman ¹, Souvik De ¹, Gaurav Sharma ¹, Kailash Chandra ¹, Dhriti Banerjee ¹

Affiliations
1 Zoological Survey of India, Prani Vigyan Bhawan, Kolkata – 700053, West Bengal, IN

Abstract

The present study describes Culex (Culex) gaugleri sp. nov. (Diptera: Culicidae) from Kodaikanal, Tamil Nadu, India based on morphological characters and the DNA sequences, after comparing with other closely related species. The presence of banded and spotted wing classified Culex gaugleri sp. nov. in the Mimeticus subgroup of the genus, Culex Linnaeus. The diagnostic characters of C. gaugleri sp. nov. are include the furcation of vein M on the wing without a pale spot and the anterior surface of all tibia without the longitudinal pale stripes. Further, phyletic relationship based on the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase I (COI) gene indicates that C. gaugleri sp. nov. is closer to Culex jacksoni Edwards, 1934 compared to other species of the Mimeticus subgroup, i.e., Culex mimuloides Barraud, 1924, Culex mimeticus Noè, 1899 and Culex tsengi Lien, 1968. Similarly, mitochondrial 16s rRNA phylogeny includes both Cx. mimeticus and Cx. gaugleri in the same clade and separates from other mosquito species. These evidences suggest that Cx. gaugleri sp. nov. is a distinct species. Morphometric data generated on various attributes such as band length in wings are also significant in differentiating from other closely related species. Further studies on other life stages including eggs, larvae and pupae and vector bionomics are suggested.

Keywords

Molecular Phylogeny, Mosquito, New Species, Species Prevalence, Vectors

Full Text