Comparative analysis of bacterial diversity in accumulated snow and exposed sediments across Antarctic Islands.

The Antarctic continent hosts exceptional niches, making it an ideal environment for studying polyextremophilic microorganisms. These organisms are uniquely shaped by the geographic niches and variations in soil types. Here we present, a culture-independent approach using DNA metabarcoding to assess the bacterial communities associated with accumulated snow and exposed sediments across different Antarctic islands situated in the Larsemann Hills, Antarctica.

Molecular phylogenetic investigations of Triops granarius (Lucas, 1864 (Branchiopoda: Notostraca) from the type locality of the former Apus orientalis Tiwari, 1952 and three other localities in the Western Ghats of India.

We investigated the phylogenetic position of Triops granarius populations from four localities in the Western Ghats using partial sequences of three mitochondrial genes (COI, 12S rRNA and 16S rRNA) publicly available on the GenBank database. One of these localities, Panchgani, is particularly important since it is the type locality of the former Apus orientalis which is currently treated as a junior synonym of T. granarius.

Ontogenetic trajectory and allometry of Diplonychus rusticus (Fabricius), an Oriental aquatic bug (Hemiptera: Belostomatidae) from the Western Ghats of India.

Despite being one of the dominant groups in freshwater ecosystems, morphological and ontogenetic studies on aquatic Hemiptera have received little attention in the Oriental region. We present the ontogenetic trajectory and allometry of the widespread Oriental belostomatid species, Diplonychus rusticus (Fabricius) for the first time. We have measured nine different morphological variables throughout the growth of the bug using both field captured and laboratory reared specimens.

Delimiting the distribution range of Indirana leithii (Boulenger, 1888) (Anura: Ranixalidae), an endemic threatened anuran of the Western Ghats, based on molecular and morphological analysis.

Indirana leithii (Boulenger, 1888) (Anura: Ranixalidae) is a frog species endemic to the Western Ghats and is categorized as Vulnerable according to IUCN red list. This species is currently considered to be widespread over the entire Western Ghats. Our study based on molecular data (using DNA sequence fragments of the mitochondrial 12S rRNA and 16S rRNA genes and the nuclear rhodopsin gene), morphological analysis of topotypic material as well as material collected from a wide range within the northern Western Ghats, suggests that the species has instead a restricted range in the state of Maharashtra.