Two new species and two new records of Onychiurinae (Collembola, Onychiuridae) from the Nilgiris, India.

Four species of Onychiurinae are reported from the Nilgiris, Western Ghats, southern India, including two new species, Thalassaphorura udagaiensis sp. nov. and Protaphorura sholai sp.

The tide of tiger poaching in India is rising! An investigation of the intertwined facts with a focus on conservation.

Unlabelled: Poaching and illegal trafficking are major threats to biodiversity, especially when endangered felids are concerned. Tigers are iconic animals, and there is huge demand for their body parts both in the national and international illegal markets. India forms the largest tiger conservation unit in the world and poaching is at its peak even though there are stringent laws and strict enforcement.

Arab-Indian -530 ß-distal promoter haplotype and sickle/Hb D heterozygosis in Badagas of Nilgiris: is it suggestive of Harappan origin?

Origin and ancestry of the Badagas of Nilgiris, an indigenous community of Nilgiris, Tamil Nadu in India, is a controversial topic. During our massive screening for haemoglobinopathies among Badagas, we identified a rare south Indian haemoglobin variant, the haemoglobin D (Hb D) Punjab (HBB: c.364G>C; rs33946267).

Simple Nested Allele-Specific approach with penultimate mismatch for precise species and sex identification of tiger and leopard.

Accurate species and sex identification of non-invasive and forensic samples of the tiger and leopard is still confusing when using the allele-specific methods. We designed allele-specific methods with penultimate nucleotide mismatch in a nested manner for the exact identification and double-checking of forensic samples. The mismatch design is a novel concept in species and sex identification, making the allele-specific targeting precise.

Habitat suitability model of endangered and the probable consequences of global warming.

Salim Ali's fruit bat, is a monotypic endangered fruit bat endemic to Western Ghats (WG) with an ambiguous distribution. The distribution range, habitat suitability, and biology of this species are still uncertain. Endemic species inhabiting the high elevation of  WG like are threatened due to climatic change and seeks urgent management interventions.

Refutation of media reports on introduction of the red bellied piranha and potential impacts on aquatic biodiversity in India.

The presence of a new, potentially deadly exotic fish resembling the Red Bellied Piranha, was reported in India by print media from various aquatic resources. These reports raised dramatic concerns over public health issues and threats to the aquatic biodiversity of India. Considering the potential severity of the issue and concerns raised by the media, we undertook a study to evaluate the reliability of identification reports of the suspected fish, any relationships to other species of piranha and to address any possible threats to the aquatic biodiversity of India.