Meiobenthic Diversity in Relation to Water Quality of Aamayizhanchan Canal of Thiruvananthapuram City, Kerala

Monitoring and assessment of meiobenthic fauna is essential to evaluate the health status of urban canals, especially those used as urban sewage discharge sites. An attempt was made to assess the diversity of meiobenthos of Aamayizhanchan Thodu, a freshwater first-order canal flowing through Thiruvananthapuram, the capital city of Kerala state, from January to April 2021. A total of 7 meiobenthic groups were identified, of which nematodes and foraminifera were registered from all stations with more abundance towards downstream reach. Ostracodes, oligochaetes, polychaetes, kinorynchs, and turbellarians are represented in the diversity and abundance of meiobenthos found higher in stations with higher salinity and from silty to sandy zones. Statistical analysis showed a significant (P<0.05) difference between stations in meiobenthic diversity and abundance. Despite the heavy effluent and municipal waste discharge to the canal, the meiobenthic diversity showed a significant relationship with water quality and canal water flow

Aquatic insects, a tool for monitoring the health of riverine ecosystem, a case study of Killiyar, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India

Aquatic insects are used as model organisms for assessing the health status of lenthic or lotic ecosystems. Biomonitoring using entomological indicators is one of the widely accepted tools to analyze the impacts of sewages in aquatic environment. The present study was aimed to assess the health status of a semi urban river system, Killiyar using entomological indicators. Season wise sampling of aquatic insects was done at four selected segments according to the rapid bioassessment protocol recommended by Environmental Protection Agency. The present study could identify 29 families of aquatic insects for screening the levels of pollution in Killiyar. Family Biotic Index (FBI) showed that there was a remarkable variation in water quality along the river. Hilsenhoff’s family biotic index obtained for river origin was in the range 4.40 - 5.02 indicating excellent water quality. High value of family biotic index, least occurrence of intolerant groups and dominance of tolerant taxa in the midstream and downstream segments showed that increased contamination of water by various sources. Immediate attention is needed to cease the degradation of this precious ecosystem.      Keywords: Aquatic insects, Biomonitoring, Family Biotic Index, Killiyar, Water pollutio

Food spectrum and dietary preferences of the Indian anchovy Stolephorus indicus (van Hasselt, 1823) from Thiruvananthapuram coast, Kerala

The food preferences of the Indian anchovy Stolephorus indicus (van Hasselt, 1823) along the Thiruvananthapuram coast of Kerala was studied for a period of one year from June 2013 to May 2014, dividing the entire period into three seasons as pre-monsoon, monsoon and post-monsoon. A total of 141 samples were collected and the gut contents were analysed. The principal food item was the crustaceans which included copepods, lucifers, mysids, Acetes and amphipods. The other preferred prey items were molluscs (bivalves and gastropods), small fishes, tintinnids and dinoflagellates. The gastrosomatic and stomach fullness indices revealed almost uniform feeding preferences with copepods being the preferred food item throughout the three seasons. Analysis of variance showed significant (p0.05) seasonal variation was observed in the gut contents of S. indicus. Analyses of the different prey indices [prey diversity index (H), niche width indices (B) and prey evenness indices (e)] of S. indicus for the three seasons indicated an almost uniform distribution of prey species throughout the study period which directly indicate the abundance of the prey items and indirectly indicate a stable potential fishery and ecosystem

Reproduction and metamorphosis in the Myristica Swamp tree frog, Mercurana myristicapalustris (Anura: Rhacophoridae)

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.The reproductive biology of the Myristica Swamp tree frog (Mercurana myristicapalustris), a monotypic rhacophorid frog endemic to the foothills of the Western Ghats mountains of India, has remained unknown since the description of the genus and species. We monitored individuals from parental generation amplexus to the completion of offspring generation tadpole metamorphosis. Surprisingly, our observations revealed that this species exhibits many previously unknown characteristics, including the first ever record of the female, and a diverse call repertoire, consisting of five different call types (the functions of which remain incompletely known). We were also able to determine that reproductive activity peaked during the late pre-monsoon season, that males engaged in intraspecific aggressive encounters to occupy and to defend desirable territories, and that oviposition took place in terrestrial nests made by females. Embryonic development in the unattended nest was followed by tadpole development, which concluded within 40 days. The specific breeding mode employed by Mercurana, which restricts its range to the endangered Myristica swamp ecosystem, likely renders it susceptible to multiple threats, which should be considered jointly in future conservation planning

Reproduction and metamorphosis in the Myristica Swamp tree frog, Mercurana myristicapalustris (Anura: Rhacophoridae)

The reproductive biology of the Myristica Swamp tree frog (Mercurana myristicapalustris), a monotypic rhacophorid frog endemic to the foothills of the Western Ghats mountains of India, has remained unknown since the description of the genus and species. We monitored individuals from parental generation amplexus to the completion of offspring generation tadpole metamorphosis. Surprisingly, our observations revealed that this species exhibits many previously unknown characteristics, including the first ever record of the female, and a diverse call repertoire, consisting of five different call types (the functions of which remain incompletely known). We were also able to determine that reproductive activity peaked during the late pre-monsoon season, that males engaged in intraspecific aggressive encounters to occupy and to defend desirable territories, and that oviposition took place in terrestrial nests made by females. Embryonic development in the unattended nest was followed by tadpole development, which concluded within 40 days. The specific breeding mode employed by Mercurana, which restricts its range to the endangered Myristica swamp ecosystem, likely renders it susceptible to multiple threats, which should be considered jointly in future conservation planning

Assessment of myofascial pain syndrome among married female healthcare workers: a cross sectional comparative study in a tertiary care centre

Background: Myofascial pain syndrome (MPS) is common among females between ages 20-40 years. Psychosomatic and mechanical reasons are attributed as causative factors. Female health care workers (FHW) in hospitals with rapid patient turn over are vulnerable to develop MPS. Our aim was to ascertain the prevalence of MPS in married FHW working in various departments of the hospital and its association with poor sleep and work stress. Methods: We selected married FHWs in 20-50 years age group and divided them into two groups, medical and paramedical (those involved directly and indirectly with patient care respectively). MPS was diagnosed after detailed personal interview and clinical examination. Sleep duration was divided into less than 5 hours and more than 5hours. Presence of work-related stress and other medical parameters were also recorded. Results: A total of 150 medical and 150 paramedical FHWs were included in the study. Overall prevalence of MPS among FHWs was 42%, of which, medical group was 32% and paramedical was 52%. The paramedical group showed significantly higher prevalence of MPS (p: 0.02). Sleep was less than 5 hours in 29.3% of medical FHW and 13.3% of paramedical. This difference didn’t show any association to MPS (p=0.8). 38% FHW perceived excessive work stress, 40% were paramedical and 36% were medical. This didn’t correlate with prevalence of MPS (p=0.2) among them. Conclusions: Paramedical FHW experienced more MPS than medical and it was more of mechanical type and not due to work stress or sleep deprivation

Robust estimation of bacterial cell count from optical density

Optical density (OD) is widely used to estimate the density of cells in liquid culture, but cannot be compared between instruments without a standardized calibration protocol and is challenging to relate to actual cell count. We address this with an interlaboratory study comparing three simple, low-cost, and highly accessible OD calibration protocols across 244 laboratories, applied to eight strains of constitutive GFP-expressing E. coli. Based on our results, we recommend calibrating OD to estimated cell count using serial dilution of silica microspheres, which produces highly precise calibration (95.5% of residuals <1.2-fold), is easily assessed for quality control, also assesses instrument effective linear range, and can be combined with fluorescence calibration to obtain units of Molecules of Equivalent Fluorescein (MEFL) per cell, allowing direct comparison and data fusion with flow cytometry measurements: in our study, fluorescence per cell measurements showed only a 1.07-fold mean difference between plate reader and flow cytometry data

A novel third species of the Western Ghats endemic genus Ghatixalus (Anura: Rhacophoridae), with description of its tadpole

Abraham, Robin Kurian, Mathew, Jobin K., Cyriac, Vivek Philip, Zachariah, Arun, Raju, David V., Zachariah, Anil (2015): A novel third species of the Western Ghats endemic genus Ghatixalus (Anura: Rhacophoridae), with description of its tadpole. Zootaxa 4048 (1): 101-113, DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4048.1.

Ghatixalus magnus Abraham, Mathew, Cyriac, Zachariah, Raju & Zachariah, 2015, sp. nov.

<i>Ghatixalus magnus</i> sp. nov. <p>(Figs. 2 C, 3, Tables 1 & 2)</p> <p> <i>Holotype:</i> TNHM (H) 15.5.20 /80, adult male (81.90 SVL), collected from near a forest stream, 10° 7'53.75"N, 76°59'57.20"E, at elevation 1440m ASL in Kadalar, Idukki district, Kerala, India by Anil Zachariah on 0 5 May 2015.</p> <p>For</p> <p> spp. <b>IFE</b> 16.78 15.32 9.62 8.32</p> <p> <i>Ghatixalus</i></p> <p>of</p> <p> <b>EN</b></p> <p> <b>EL</b></p> <p>8.16 8.12 7.61 7.34 6.9 4.46 3.83 4.84</p> <p> specimens <b>SL</b> 13.19 12.25 8.61 7.91</p> <p> male <b>HL</b> 27.84 25.34 15.76 13.9</p> <p> adult <b>HW</b> 31.02 28.53 17.82 15.32</p> <p>of)</p> <p> mm <b>SVL</b> 81.90 71.54 48.81 45.13</p> <p>in (</p> <p> measurements <b># Museum</b> H () TNHM / 80 15.5.20) (H TNHM / 81 14.8.01 TNHM () H / 12.6.18 68 (TNHM) H 67 / 12.6.18</p> <p> Morphometric <b>Sex</b> <i>magnus</i> M Holotype) M <i>magnus</i>) Paratype <i>asterops</i> M M</p> <p> <b>1.</b> ((</p> <p> <b>TABLE Species</b></p> <p> <i>Ghatixalus</i>. nov. sp <i>Ghatixalus</i>. sp. nov <i>Ghatixalus Ghatixalus variabilis</i> <b>TMW</b> 8.13 4.88 5.48</p> <p> <b>BW</b> 12.45 7.90 8.06</p> <p> <b>HW</b> 12.32 7.74 9.29.</p> <p> <b>SSD</b></p> <p>14.93 8.62 10.96</p> <p> methods <b>IOD</b> 5.79 3.09 5.20</p> <p>and</p> <p> Materials <b>END IND</b> 6.90 2.66 1.05 1.58 1.57 2.63</p> <p>see</p> <p>,</p> <p> abbreviations <b>NSD LTF</b> 4.17 3.42 2.19 1.32 3.23 1.74</p> <p>For</p> <p> spp.. <b>UTF</b> 3.34 2.82 3.13</p> <p> <i>Ghatixalus</i> <b>MTH</b> 13.21 5.73 9.29</p> <p> of) 39 <b>TMH</b> 8.13 4.75 6.16</p> <p>Stage</p> <p> (<b>EL</b> 1.88 1.72 1.84</p> <p> specimens <b>BH</b> 10.53 6.53 7.49</p> <p> tadpole <b>TAL</b> 48.01 31.75 34.96</p> <p>of)</p> <p>mm</p> <p>(</p> <p> in <b>BL</b></p> <p>21.48 15.63 16.87</p> <p> measurements <b>TL</b>. nov 69.70 47.38 51.00</p> <p> Morphometric <b>Species</b> sp <i>magnus</i>. <i>variabilis asterops</i></p> <p> <b>2</b></p> <p> <b>TABLE</b></p> <p> <b>.</b> <i>Ghatixalus Ghatixalus Ghatixalus Paratype:</i> TNHM (H) 14.8.01 /81, adult male (76.91 SVL), collected from near a forest stream, 10° 7'54.95"N, 76°59'57.89"E, at elevation 1409 m ASL in Kadalar, Idukki district, Kerala, India by Robin Abraham on 0 9 July 2014.</p> <p> <i>Diagnosis: Ghatixalus magnus</i> sp. nov. can be easily differentiated from its two congeners by the following combination of characters: adult male large, SVL 79.40 ± 1.0, N = 2 (vs. SVL 46.67± 2.0, N = 7 in <i>G. variabilis</i>; SVL 41.93 ± 2.0, N = 4 in <i>G. asterops</i>); eye to nostril distance subequal to eye diameter (vs. eye to nostril distance shorter than eye diameter in <i>G. variabilis</i> and <i>G. asterops</i>); anterio-ventral parts of thighs smooth and posteroventral regions of thighs areolate (vs. ventral surface of thighs areolate in both <i>G. variabilis</i> and <i>G. asterops</i>); and larger distance from tympanum to eye distance, TYE 2.57± 1.0 (vs. 1.23 in <i>G. variabilis</i>; 1.30 in <i>G. asterops</i>). <i>G. magnus</i> sp. nov also differs from <i>G. asterops</i> in that the supratympanic fold extends from the posterior corner of the eye to below the level of the forearm (vs. supratympanic fold extends from the posterior corner of the eye and ending just above the level of the forearm).</p> <p> <i>Description of Holotype:</i> A large-sized adult male, SVL 81.90 (Fig. 2 C, 3); head length (HL 27.84) slightly less than width (HW 31.02); snout acutely rounded in ventral aspect, rounded in lateral profile, greatly protruding; snout length (SL 13.19) greater than eye diameter (EL 8.16); canthus rostralis rounded, loreal region obtusely flat; nostrils closer to the tip of the snout than to front of eye; eye to nostril distance (EN 8.12) subequal to eye diameter; interorbital distance (IUE 11.38) greater than upper eyelid width (UEW 6.75); pupil oval, horizontal; tympanum distinct, rounded, TYD 4.75, 1.8 times larger than distance from tympanum to eye (TYE 2.57); supratympanic fold distinct, extending from behind the outer canthus to just below the level of the forearm; symphysial knob Wshaped; lanceolate tongue without lingual papilla; choanal opening oval; pair of vomerine ridges present, directed inwards with a gap between, bearing seven minute round teeth each, odontophores oblique and widely separated between choanae; vocal sac single, median and subgular.</p> <p>Forelimbs (FLL 19.67) shorter than hand (HAL 25.88); fingers with moderate lateral dermal fringe and bearing large truncate discs with distinct circum-marginal grooves; relative length of fingers: II<III<V<IV; tips of fingers enlarged with disks; subarticular tubercles prominent, rounded, and single on second subarticular tubercle on finger II, weakly developed; supranumerary tubercles present; palmar tubercle prominent, elongate; webbing between fingers prominent; male secondary sexual character: nuptial pads present on fingers II and III, more pronounced on finger III.</p> <p>Hind limbs long, thighs (TL 41.87) longer than shanks (SHL 39.84); toes long and fully webbed, webbing extending from the disk of toe V and reaching slightly above the distal subarticular tubercle of toe IV, and from the distal subarticular tubercle of toe IV to the disc of toe III; relative length of toes: I<II<III<V<IV; subarticular tubercles well developed, rounded, single on all toes; supernumerary tubercles present.</p> <p>Skin of dorsum smooth to shagreen; skin of snout, interorbital region and upper eyelids smooth; sides of head finely shagreen, posterior region of tympanum slightly granular; upper parts of flanks finely shagreen, lower parts slightly granular; dorsal parts of forelimbs and hindlimbs finely shagreen; throat, chest and belly areolate; posteroventral regions of thighs areolate, anterio-ventral parts of thighs smooth; ventral surface of shanks and tarsus smooth to granular.</p> <p> <i>Coloration of Holotype in Life:</i> Dorsum pale rusty-yellowish, reticulated with numerous small bright-yellow irregular blotches; lateral side chocolate brown with creamy reticulations and purplish-turquoise blotches on the groin; loreal region and tympanum pale yellow with a narrow bright yellow band on the canthus rostralis and the upper margin of the tympanic fold converging at the snout tip; iris purplish-grey, with numerous black venations; limbs rusty-yellow with dark brown cross-bands, fingers and toes with cross-bands, discs yellowish, posterior side of thigh brown without reticulation, but a few, scattered yellow blotches; venter dull creamy to grey white; foot and hand light turquoise blue, webbing bluish-brown.</p> <p> <i>Coloration of Holotype in Preservative:</i> Dorsum dark brown with dull-yellow irregular blotches; lateral sides dark brown with numerous irregular dull-yellow blotches which extend from behind the arms till the groin; tympanum yellowish-brown, upper eyelid grey; venter brownish-grey, lighter at the throat and chest, darkening towards the posterior; hands and feet pale blue.</p> <p> <i>Etymology:</i> The specific name is latin for 'great', alluding to its larger size as compared to its congeners.</p> <p> <i>Distribution and Natural History: Ghatixalus magnus</i> sp. nov. has been recorded in the highlands of the southern Western Ghats between the Palakkad Gap and the Shencottah Gap. We found this species in forest near hill streams in Valparai and Parambikulam (in the Anamalai Range), Kadalar (in the High Ranges), Upper Manalar (in the High Wavy Hills) and near Pandianthodu (in the Pandalam Hills) (Fig. 7). The species occurs in midmontane rainforests at elevations between 1350 to 1800 m ASL.</p> <p> <i>Tadpole description:</i> Three tadpoles at Stages 37–40 were collected from a rocky stream pool on 0 5 May 2015. Sample tissue from a tadpole was DNA sequenced and analyzed to determine its species status. Description is based on a single tadpole at Stage 38 (Fig. 4 E). The large exotrophic tadpole is depressed and is yellowish-brown, interspersed with golden iridophores, which occur as small specks on the body and as larger blotches on the tail. The ventral and ventrolateral body sides are pale yellowish-brown and less pigmented. Eyes are golden-brown and of moderate size, positioned dorsolaterally and directed more laterally than anteriorly, not visible in ventral view. Naris equidistant from both snout and eye. Spiracle sinistral, ventrolaterally positioned at midbody. Myotomes of the tail musculature are well developed. Tail fin high, pointed at the end. Upper fin higher than lower fin. Oral disc anteroventrally positioned, of oval shape in expanded state, and emarginated laterally. Numerous marginal papillae frame the oral disc ventrally and laterally, but absent on the upper labium. Small submarginal papillae cover the entire inner rim of oral disc. Upper jaw sheath narrow and stretched into a wide U-shaped arch, and lower jaw sheath is narrower and V-shaped. Labial tooth row formula (LTRF) is 10 (6-10)/10(10) (Fig. 5 C). In contrast, LTRF of both <i>G. variabilis</i> and <i>G. asterops</i> is 7(3-7)/6(1); this matches the old formula for <i>G. variabilis</i> (2:5+5/1+1:5) described by Annandale (1918). Advanced stages of development have been recorded as well (Fig. 6).</p>Published as part of <i>Abraham, Robin Kurian, Mathew, Jobin K., Cyriac, Vivek Philip, Zachariah, Arun, Raju, David V. & Zachariah, Anil, 2015, A novel third species of the Western Ghats endemic genus Ghatixalus (Anura: Rhacophoridae), with description of its tadpole, pp. 101-113 in Zootaxa 4048 (1)</i> on pages 103-110, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4048.1.6, <a href="http://zenodo.org/record/237236">http://zenodo.org/record/237236</a&gt