FURTHER RECORDS OF THE SINDH AWL-HEADED SNAKE, Lytorhynchus paradoxus (GUNTHER, 1875), FROM INDIA WITH NOTES ON ITS HABITAT AND NATURAL HISTORY

This paper presents additional distributional records of the Sindh awl-headed snake Lytorhynchus paradoxus from India, along with scale counts, measurements and natural history observations of this poorly known species

A new species of Dravidogecko (Squamata: Gekkonidae) from the under-surveyed Periyar Plateau of the Southern Western Ghats in Peninsular India

We describe a new species of Dravidogecko from the poorly-inventoried Periyar Plateau of Southern Western Ghats, Peninsular India. The new species Dravidogecko beddomei sp. nov. is characterized by: precloacal-femoral pores 46‒52; scales across belly 31‒33; supralabials 9–11; infralabials 8–9; lamellae on digit IV of pes 10–11. Additionally, the new species is divergent (>13%) from its related congeners. Like its congeners, the new species is currently known only from its type locality and its vicinity – the Devar Malai, Kakki Reservoir – and Sivagiri Hills in the Periyar Plateau of Southern Western Ghats. This discovery further increases the list of new reptiles described from this under-studied massif in the Southern Western Ghats

A distinct new species of riparian rock-dwelling gecko (genus: Hemidactylus) from the southern Western Ghats

Srikanthan, Achyuthan N., Swamy, Priyanka, Mohan, Ashwini V., Pal, Saunak (2018): A distinct new species of riparian rock-dwelling gecko (genus: Hemidactylus) from the southern Western Ghats. Zootaxa 4434 (1): 141-157, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4434.1.

Reed bamboos drive skull shape evolution in bush frogs of the Western Ghats, Peninsular India

Abstract Reed bamboo is a major ecological and economic resource for many animals, including humans. Nonetheless, the influence of this plant's evolutionary role on the morphology of animal species remains unexplored. Here, we investigated the significance of bamboo habitats as ecological opportunities in shaping the skull morphology of bush frogs (Raorchestes) from the Western Ghats, Peninsular India. We applied a three‐dimensional (3D) geometric morphometric approach to capture the skull shape of 55 species of bush frogs. We visualized the skull shape variables in phylomorphospace with principal component analysis and performed phylogenetic generalized least‐squares analysis to assess the impact of cranial size (evolutionary allometry) and habitat (bamboo or non‐bamboo) on cranial shape. We quantified the morphological disparity between bamboo and non‐bamboo bush frogs' skull shape, and employed RRphylo, a phylogenetic ridge regression method, to access the evolutionary rate and rate shifts of skull shape change. The phylomorphospace delineated bamboo and non‐bamboo bush frogs. While cranial shape exhibited a significant but smaller association with size, its association with habitat type was non‐significant. We detected, however, significant differences in skull shape between the two frog groups, with bamboo frogs showing higher morphological disparity and a remarkable shift in the evolutionary rate of skull shape diversification. These findings underscore the role of reed bamboo in the evolution of skull shape in the radiation of frogs, endemic to the Western Ghats. We demonstrate that the association between the members of two distinct endemic clades (bamboo reeds and bamboo frogs) is the outcome of a deep‐time ecological opportunity that dates back to the Miocene

Discovery of a deeply divergent new lineage of vine snake (Colubridae: Ahaetuliinae: Proahaetulla gen. nov.) from the southern Western Ghats of Peninsular India with a revised key for Ahaetuliinae

The Western Ghats are well known as a biodiversity hotspot, but the full extent of its snake diversity is yet to be uncovered. Here, we describe a new genus and species of vine snake Proahaetulla antiqua gen. et sp. nov., from the Agasthyamalai hills in the southern Western Ghats. It was found to be a member of the Ahaetuliinae clade, which currently comprises the arboreal snake genera Ahaetulla, Dryophiops, Dendrelaphis and Chrysopelea, distributed in South and Southeast Asia. Proahaetulla shows a sister relationship with all currently known taxa belonging to the genus Ahaetulla, and shares ancestry with Dryophiops. In addition to its phylogenetic position and significant genetic divergence, this new taxon is also different in morphology from members of Ahaetuliinae in a combination of characters, having 12-13 partially serrated keels on the dorsal scale rows, 20 maxillary teeth and 3 postocular scales. Divergence dating reveals that the new genus is ancient, dating back to the Mid-Oligocene, and is one of the oldest persisting monotypic lineages of snakes in the Western Ghats. This discovery adds to the growing list of ancient lineages endemic to the Agasthyamalai hills and underscores the biogeographic significance of this isolated massif in the southern Western Ghats

Phylogenetic mapping of scale nanostructure diversity in snakes

Background: Many species of snakes exhibit epidermal surface nanostructures that form complex motifs conferring self-cleaning properties, and sometimes structural iridescence, to their skin. Results: Using confocal microscopy, we show that these specialised cells can be greatly elongated along their left-right axis and that different types of nanostructures are generated by cell borders and cell surface. To characterise the complexity and diversity of these surface gratings, we analysed scanning electron microscopy images of skin sheds from 353 species spanning 19 of the 26 families of snakes and characterised the observed nanostructures with four characters. The full character matrix, as well as one representative SEM image of each of the corresponding species, is available as a MySQL relational database at https://snake-nanogratings.lanevol.org. We then performed continuous-time Markov phylogenetic mapping on the snake phylogeny, providing an evolutionary dynamical estimate for the different types of nanostructures. These analyses suggest that the presence of cell border digitations is the ancestral state for snake skin nanostructures which was subsequently and independently lost in multiple lineages. Our analyses also indicate that cell shape and cell border shape are co-dependent characters whereas we did not find correlation between a simple life habit classification and any specific nanomorphological character. Conclusions: These results, compatible with the fact that multiple types of nanostructures can generate hydrophobicity, suggest that the diversity and complexity of snake skin surface nano-morphology are dominated by phylogenetic rather than habitat-specific functional constraints. The present descriptive study opens the perspective of investigating the cellular self-organisational cytoskeletal processes controlling the patterning of different skin surface nanostructures in snakes and lizards

Disentangling vines: a study of morphological crypsis and genetic divergence in vine snakes (Squamata: Colubridae: Ahaetulla) with the description of five new species from Peninsular India

Mallik, Ashok Kumar, Srikanthan, Achyuthan N., Pal, Saunak P., D'Souza, Princia Margaret, Shanker, Kartik, Ganesh, Sumaithangi Rajagopalan (2020): Disentangling vines: a study of morphological crypsis and genetic divergence in vine snakes (Squamata: Colubridae: Ahaetulla) with the description of five new species from Peninsular India. Zootaxa 4874 (1): 1-62, DOI: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4874.1.

Taxonomic revaluation of the Ahaetulla prasina (H. Boie in F. Boie, 1827) complex from Northeast India: resurrection and redescription of Ahaetulla flavescens (Wall, 1910) (Reptilia: Serpentes: Colubridae)

The taxonomic status of the nominal taxon Dryophis prasinus flavescens Wall, 1910 is reevaluated herein. Based on molecular data generated from fresh collections of Ahaetulla prasina (H. Boie in F. Boie, 1827) auctorum from Northeast India and, additionally, morphological data from museum specimens originating from the same areas, we resurrect this taxon as Ahaetulla flavescens (Wall, 1910) comb. nov. We clarify the status, identity and locations of its type specimens, rediscover, redescribe and illustrate those specimens and also designate a lectotype in order to effect a proper taxonomic redefinition of this nominal taxon. We provide further details on the morphology and diagnosis of this species and elucidate its phylogenetic position. We also provide a summary of the natural history and distribution of this species. Adding to the known cryptic diversity and genetic divergence within Southeast Asian populations, this work also hints at the need for a taxonomic revision of the A. prasina complex. This work complements a previous study on the A. prasina complex focusing on populations in Indonesia. Taken together, these two studies represent phylogenetic reconstructions from different populations of the A. prasina complex across its distribution range, on the Asian mainland and the surrounding islands

A molecular and morphological study of Otocryptis Wagler, 1830 (Squamata: Agamidae) reveals a new genus from the far south of the Western Ghats, Peninsular India

Srikanthan, Achyuthan N., Adhikari, Omkar Dilip, Ganesh, Sumaithangi Rajagopalan, Deuti, Kaushik, Das, Kalpana, Kulkarni, Vidisha M., Gowande, Gaurang G., Shanker, Kartik (2021): A molecular and morphological study of Otocryptis Wagler, 1830 (Squamata: Agamidae) reveals a new genus from the far south of the Western Ghats, Peninsular India. Zootaxa 5016 (2): 205-228, DOI: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5016.2.

Amphibia_New_India_SHL_Dryad

NEWICK-format string containing tree file resulting from ML analysis of the alignment and model file