We examined the distribution pattern, across-site similarities and zoogeographic affinities of amphibians and reptiles in the montane zones (> 900 m a.s.l.) of the Southern Eastern Ghats mountains in peninsular India. We deployed long-term field surveys in four select massifs namely Jawadi, Shevaroys, Kolli and Sirumalai and generated herpetofaunal species lists. Based solely on our species occ...

In the present paper, 46 plant species of angiosperms belonging to 19 genera of Euphorbiaceae that occur naturally in the Tirunelveli Hills of western Ghats, India, were chosen for study. It was found that the uses of Euphorbiaceous plants by the inhabitants of this region cover a number of broad categories including food, various kinds of poisons, medicines, sundry types of oils, waxes, rubber...

Pteroplistes Brunner von Wattenwyl, 1873 is an Indo-Malaysian cricket genus with only one species, P. platycleis Bolivar, 1899(1900) known from India. Here, we redescribe the genus Pteroplistes and P. platycleis and describe two new Indian species, Pteroplistes kervasae Jaiswara, n. sp. and Pteroplistes masinagudi Jaiswara, n. sp. from the Western Ghats, using morphology and genitalia. Identifi...

Two new species of Drawida Michaelsen, 1900, namely Drawida polydiverticulata Narayanan & Julka, sp. n. and Drawida thomasi Narayanan & Julka, sp. n., are described from material collected from the Indian state of Kerala, which lies in the Western Ghats biodiversity hotspot. Drawida elegans Rao, 1921, Drawida kanarensis Stephenson, 1917, Drawida modesta Rao, 1921, Drawida somavarpatana Rao, 192...

A new species of the huntsman spider genus Martensopoda Jäger, 2006, M. sanctor sp. nov., is described and illustrated from the southern Western Ghats of India. Detailed first description and illustration of the male of M. minuscula (Reimoser, 1934) with a redescription and illustration of its female are provided. The female of M. transversa Jäger, 2006 is redescribed and illustrated. An identi...

Thotteasivarajaniivar.anamalaianavar.nov., discovered from theAnamalaihills of Western Ghats, India is described and illustrated. The woody habit,comparatively less pubescent inflorescence flowers, glabrous stem, petiole fruits,highly reducedstaminodes, prominent bracts bracteolesetc. are some the characteristics that delimit thisvariety species proper.

Eugenia pachakumachiana Arum. & Murugan, a species from Megamalai Wildlife Sanctuary, southern Western Ghats of Tamil Nadu, India, and new to science is described illustrated. The compared with its closely allied rottleriana Wight Arn. incorporated into key Indian species.

Scrub typhus has been previously reported from north and eastern Indian states and areas such as Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Assam, Sikkim, and Darjeeling district of West Bengal. It has also been known to be endemic in some parts of South India (Eastern and Western Ghats). However, no cases have ever been reported from the southern districts of West Bengal. Here, we report five cases of scrub t...

A new species of the jumping spider genus Stenaelurillus Simon, 1886, Stenaelurillusalbus sp. n., is described from the Western Ghats of India, one of the biodiversity hotspots of the world. Detailed morphological descriptions, diagnostic features and illustrations of copulatory organs of both sexes are given. Detailed redescription, diagnosis and illustration of Stenaelurilluslesserti Reimoser...

A number of wild crops remain unexplored in this world and among them some have excellent medicinal and nutritional properties. India is a harbor of biodiversity in general and phytodiversity in particular. The plant diversity is distributed from the Western Ghats to Eastern Ghats, along with the North-Eastern region and from the Greater Himalayas to the plain of Ganga. Among these distributed ...