मान्नार की खाडी और पाक खाडी में तिमियों का धंसन

कृपया पूरा लेखा पढ

Report on stranding of dolphins

A bottlenose dolphin of Tursiops spp. with a total length of 2.43 m and weighing 110 kg.was found washed ashore at Aricchalmunai, Dhanushkodi, on 17-12-2005. The carcass was in a decayed condition

Report on dugong strandings along Gulf of Mannar

A male seacow, Dugong dugon of 240 cm in total length and weighing 350 kg. was stranded dead on 20-03-2006 at Kundhukal seashore, along Gulf of Manna

Strandings of whales along Gulf of Mannar and Palk Bay

Whale strandings occurred frequently along the southeast coasts of India along Gulf of Mannar and Palk bay during Dec 2005 and August 2006

भारतीय तटों में प्रवाल विरंजन घटनाओं में समुद्री सतह तापमान की भूमिका

कृपया पूरा लेखा पढ

Species of a whale and an unknown fish sample identified using molecular taxonomy

Molecular genetics provides a powerful tool for conservation of species protected by international regulations or threatened by overexploitation. The present communication is the first report from India on the application of molecular tools for the accurate identification of a stranded whale in putrefied condition as it was impossible to identify the species status using conventional taxonomy and the carcass of an unknown animal devoid of its head and tail, collected from a fish market. Partial sequences of mtDNA control region and cytochrome b gene of the whale were generated and tested with BLAST search and DNA surveillance for molecular identification. It was identified as Bryde's whale (Balaenoptera edeni). Partial sequence of mtDNA cytochrome b gene of the unknown fish from the market was generated, tested with BLAST search and was identified as sword fish Xiphias gladius

The first sighting of Longman’s beaked whale, Indopacetus pacificus in the southern Bay of Bengal

Information on at-sea sightings of beaked wholes are rare from the Indian and Sri-Lankan waters because of the relative rarity of vessels working in deep oceans where these species are encountered. A recent survey onboard FORV ‘Sagar Sampada’ brought out the first confirmed sighting of live animals of Longman’s beaked whole. Indopacetus pacificus from the southern Bay of Bengal. The details of the sighting, illustrated with photographs are presented in this note

Species and sex of two baleen whales identified from their skin tissues using molecular approach

Molecular taxonomy technique based on phylogenetic reconstruction of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) sequences developed by CMFRI was successfully applied to ratify species identity of one beach cast baleen whale, which was in fairly fresh condition and unambiguously identify another one, which had decayed beyond recognition. Genomic DNA was extracted from their skin tissues and the mtDNA PCR products were cycle sequenced and species identity was confirmed using a dedicated portal for cetaceans, Witness for Whales (www.dna-surveillance. auckland.ac.nz) containing sequences from specimens of whales, dolphins and porpoises identified by expert taxonomists and Blast search of NCBI (www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/). The sequences were deposited in the GenBank under accession numbers EF057442, EF057443 & EF057444. One of the whales, measuring about 20 m in total length, was stranded on 17th July 2006 in Kundugal near Mandapam (Gulf Mannar) and was identified as a male blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus). The other, measuring about 12m in total length was stranded in the same area on 8th August 2006 and identified this species as Bryde’s whale (Balaenoptera edeni). Application of PCR-based gender identification method developed by CMFRI determined the sex of B. edeni as male and also ratified sex determination of B. musculus based on external genitals

Molecular Identification of Delphinids and Finless Porpoise (Cetacea) from the Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal

The exact number of extant delphinid species from seas around India is still debated and the lack of adequate field keys and reliable inventory has resulted in misidentification of several species. As a part of a project to develop a molecular taxonomy of cetaceans from this region, partial sequences of mtDNA cytochrome b were generated from accidentally caught/stranded delphinids and finless porpoise. Species were identified by phylogenetic reconstruction of sample sequences with the reference sequences available in portals GenBank (NCBI) and the web-based program DNA Surveillance. A comparison was made with the homologous sequences of corresponding species from other seas of the world. Our molecular investigations allowed us to identify five species of cetaceans from Indian coasts, including Delphinus capensis, previously reported as D. delphis. We detected unique haplotypes in Indo pacific humpbacked dolphin (Sousa chinensis; n = 2) and finless porpoise (Neophocaena phocaenoides; n = 12) from Indian coast. On the other hand, some haplotypes were shared with other regional populations in spinner dolphin (Stenella longirostris; n = 16) and bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops aduncus; n = 3). Common dolphins (Delphinus capensis; n = 2) had both unique and shared haplotypes including one highly divergent sequence

A note on cetacean distribution in the Indian EEZ and contiguous seas during 2003-07

Relatively little is known about the distribution of cetaceans in Indian seas due to lack of systematic surveys. For collecting data on species distribution, 35 opportunistic surveys were conducted onboard FORV Sagar Sampada between October 2003 and February 2007 in the Indian EEZ and contiguous seas. In 5,254 hours of sighting effort, a total of 473 cetacean records were made with 5,865 individuals. The occurrence of 10 species from three cetacean families was confirmed. The Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin was the most frequently sighted species, whereas the spinner dolphin was dominant in terms of abundance. Long-beaked common dolphins, Indo-Pacific hump-backed dolphin and sperm whales were also recorded at frequent intervals. Cetaceans were found to have a wide geographical distribution in the Indian EEZ and contiguous seas. High abundance and species richness were recorded in the Southeastern Arabian Sea and southern Sri Lankan waters. From the information collected during the present study, the platform of opportunity has proved to be a useful means for cetacean surve