Description of a cryptic new species of Cnemaspis Strauch, 1887 (Squamata: Gekkonidae) from the Western Ghats of Kerala State of India.

We describe a cryptic new species of gecko of the genus Cnemaspis Strauch from the southern Western Ghats of Kerala. This medium-sized Cnemaspis species is differentiated from all other Indian congeners by a suite of the following distinct morphological characters: heterogeneous mid-dorsal scales, 6-7 supralabials; 113-120 paravertebral rows of tubercles; 71-85 mid-dorsal scales; absence of spine-like tubercles on flanks; subimbricate, smooth ventral scales; 135-140 mid-ventral scales; subdigital lamellae under fourth digit of manus 23-25; subdigital lamellae under fourth digit of pes 24-25; males with 7-8 precloacal pores; median row of subcaudals enlarged, smooth, a series of two large scales alternating, containing one divided scale; head and neck colouration brownish-yellow, consistent in adult males; adult females with orange coloured head and neck. Recent new descriptions of Cnemaspis species together with the present discovery show that the southern Western Ghats species have been overlooked by previous studies.

Human influence on sub-regional surface air temperature change over India.

Human activities have been implicated in the observed increase in Global Mean Surface Temperature. Over regional scales where climatic changes determine societal impacts and drive adaptation related decisions, detection and attribution (D&A) of climate change can be challenging due to the greater contribution of internal variability, greater uncertainty in regionally important forcings, greater errors in climate models, and larger observational uncertainty in many regions of the world. We examine the causes of annual and seasonal surface air temperature (TAS) changes over sub-regions (based on a demarcation of homogeneous temperature zones) of India using two observational datasets together with results from a multimodel archive of forced and unforced simulations.

Decahydroquinolines from the venom of a formicinae ant, Oecophylla smaragdina.

Ecologically significant species in controlling pests, Oecophylla smaragdina uses its venom to paralyze their prey and to communicate with their colony mates. But no significant analysis of the ant's venom gland secretions has been carried out hitherto. This study describes the identification of venom constituents of Oecophylla smaragdina using coupled gas chromatography and mass spectroscopy (GC-MS) analysis.

Studies on neutralizing effect of Ophiorrhiza mungos root extract against Daboia russelii venom.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: The folklore or traditional therapy in southern India widely utilizes a plethora of local herbs to treat the patients challenged with snake venom. Despite the widespread implementation of antisera therapy, the local population of the country still relies on this century's old medicinal formulas mainly due to the cost effectiveness, lesser side effects and also its cultural acceptability. The present study aims to validate the neutralizing ability of one such traditionally acclaimed antidote Ophiorrhiza mungos root extract against Russell's viper (Daboia russelii) venom in the early developing chick embryos.