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Journal of Threatened Taxa Building evidence for conservaton globally www.threatenedtaxa.org ISSN 0974-7907 (Online) | ISSN 0974-7893 (Print)

Communication Breeding behaviour of the Coromandel Marsh Dart (Zygoptera: : Ceriagrion coromandelianum (Fabricius)) in central India

Nilesh R. Thaokar, Payal R. Verma & Raymond J. Andrew

26 March 2018 | Vol. 10 | No. 3 | Pages: 11443-11449 10.11609/jot.3537.10.3.11443-11449

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Journal of Threatened Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | 26 March 2018 | 10(3): 11443–11449

Breeding behaviour of the Coromandel Marsh Dart

Damselfly (Zygoptera: Coenagrionidae: Ceriagrion Communication coromandelianum (Fabricius)) in central India ISSN 0974-7907 (Online) ISSN 0974-7893 (Print) Nilesh R. Thaokar 1, Payal R. Verma 2 & Raymond J. Andrew 3 OPEN ACCESS 1,2,3 Centre for Higher Learning and Research in Zoology, Hislop College, Civil lines, Nagpur, Maharashtra 440001, India [email protected], [email protected], [email protected] (corresponding author)

Abstract: Ceriagrion coromandelianum (Fabricius) is one of the most common damselfies in the Indian subcontnent. It fies among bushes and breeds in stagnant pools, small garden tanks, tubs and ornamental cement ponds containing submerged and/or foatng vegetaton. The ovipositon behaviour of C. coromandelianum was observed at the botanical garden of Hislop College, Nagpur, India, where small underground cement tubs are utlized to grow macrophytes. C. coromandelianum displays a refned hierarchy of preferences for ovipositon and chooses foatng leaves of Nymphaea nouchali (69%) over Lemna paucicostata (23%) and submerged Hydrilla vertcillata (8%). In an uninterrupted ovipositon bout, the female deposits 283 eggs in 16 rows (N=5) on the under surface of the N. nouchali leaf. The tny leaves of L. paucicostata holds 7.8 eggs in 4.8 rows (N=10). In H. vertcillata, the internode region of the stem can house 25.4 eggs (N=10). One or two eggs are also found neatly inserted in the thin leaf base of H. vertcillata. Decaying plant material is never used for ovipositon. The present investgaton also clearly demonstrates that the choice of ovipositon substrate not only depends upon the presence of aquatc species in the water body but also on the spatal locaton of the ovipositon site.

Keywords: Egg, endophytc, Hydrilla vertcillata, Lemna paucicostata, Nymphaea nouchali, Nagpur, ovipositon

DOI: htp://doi.org/10.11609/jot.3537.10.3.11443-11449

Editor: K.A. Subramanian, Zoological Survey of India, Chennai, India. Date of publicaton: 26 March 2018 (online & print)

Manuscript details: Ms # 3537 | Received 03 June 2017 | Final received 08 March 2018 | Finally accepted 13 March t2018

Citaton: Thaokar, N..R., P.R. Verma & R.J. Andrew (2018). Breeding behaviour of the Coromandel Marsh Dart Damselfy (Zygoptera: Coenagrionidae: Ceriagrion coromandelianum (Fabricius)) in central India. Journal of Threatened Taxa 10(3): 11443–11449; htp://doi.org/10.11609/jot.3537.10.3.11443-11449

Copyright: © Thaokar et al. 2018. Creatve Commons Atributon 4.0 Internatonal License. JoTT allows unrestricted use of this artcle in any medium, reproducton and distributon by providing adequate credit to the authors and the source of publicaton.

Funding: Self-funded.

Competng interests: The authors declare no competng interests.

Author Details: Dr. R.J. Andrew, A merit topper in MSc, completed his MPhil, and Ph.D., from Nagpur University using dragonfy as his research subject. He has been studying various physiological, morphological, ethological and ecological aspects of dragonfies of Central India since last 30 years and has more than 90 research papers to his credit. Presently, he is the Patron of the South Asian Council of Odonatology and is serving as the Director of the P.G. Dept. of Zoology, and Vice Principal, Hislop College, Nagpur. He has published two books on Odonates and has organized one Internatonal, two South Asian, fve Natonal and two State level Symposia. In 2002 he was awarded the “Outstanding teachers Award” where as in 2016, he was awarded the “Best Researcher “by the RTM Nagpur University. Dr. Payal R. Verma is actvely engaged in research in the area of Odonatology. She has completed her PhD from Rashtrasant Tukadoji Maharaj Nagpur University. She is teaching as an Adhoc lecturer at the Post Graduate Department of Zoology. She has published 11 papers in Natonal & two papers in Internatonal journals, and atended several conferences, seminar and workshops. Dr. Nilesh R. Thaokar completed his PhD from Nagpur University and is presently teaching at the Post Graduate Department of Zoology as an Adhoc lecturer. He has published 10 papers in Natonal & two papers in Internatonal journals, and atended several conferences, seminar and workshops.

Author Contributon: NRT and PRV contributed in feld work and documentaton of the ovipositon behaviour. RJA set up the project and evaluated the fndings.

Acknowledgements: We thank the Principal Dr. Ms. D. R. Christan and Management of Hislop College, Nagpur for providing us laboratory facilites.

11443 Breeding behaviour of Coromandel Marsh Dart Damselfy Thaokar et al.

INTRODUCTION MATERIAL AND METHODS

Habitat selecton for ovipositon is a vital and complex Site: The observaton and collecton for the present behavior undertaken by odonates, afer the terminaton work was carried out at the botanical garden of Hislop of copulaton. Ovipositon takes place either in water College, Nagpur, (21.160N & 79.030E) where small (aquatc), on foatng plant material (epiphytc), or inside underground cement tubs/tanks are used to grow plant tssue (endophytc). For damselfies, choice of macrophytes (Image 1). There is a large circular tub ovipositng material primarily depends upon “the inital (diameter 105cm) surrounded by six smaller circular tubs preference” which is a suitable place both, for landing (diameter 42cm), followed by a row of three rectangular and easy depositon of egg in the plant tssue (Waage cement containers (84cm x 47cm). Height of the tubs 1987; Martens 1992, 1993, 1994, 1996, 2001). Highly varies between two to three feet. Two rectangular stenotopic species oviposit in one or very few species tubs contain foatng L. paucicostata and submerged of plant while eurytopic species may exhibit distnct H. vertcillata while the small circular tubs contain preferences and oviposit in a wide variety of plants H. vertcillata. The single large circular tub contains (Martens 1996). Some odonate species of temperate foatng N. nouchali, small patches of L. paucicostata regions show preferences in selectng plant species or and submerged H. vertcillata (Image 2). The botom of even parts/region of plants for ovipositon (Martens the tubs comprise mud, debris and decaying leaves. C. 1992; Wildermuth 1993; Grunert 1995). coromandelianum is found ovipositng in these tanks all Previously we found that the Coromandel Marsh around the year (except from December to February). Dart Damselfy Ceriagrion coromandelianum (Fabricius, The plant material were collected afer the female had 1798) selects specifc laminar region of the leaf of completed egg depositon and taken to the laboratory for water lily, Nymphaea nouchali f. for ovipositon and investgaton under stereoscope binocular microscope. also reported the existence of a direct co-relaton between the choice of leaf lamina region and the day of ovipositon (Andrew et al. 2011a). In this damselfy, RESULTS we also studied and evaluated the process of contact guarding ovipositon with reference to the male in Ceriagrion coromandelianum is one of the most sentnel positon (Andrew et al. 2011b). In contnuaton common damselfies in the Indian subcontnen­ t. The with the study of the reproductve biology of this male is bright yellow with olivaceous and pale greenish species, the present paper describes the ovipositon of yellow eyes. The females are initally as bright as the Ceriagrion coromandelianum with reference to choice, males but with maturity turn dull yellow to light brown. inserton and depositon of egg in the aquatc plants The intensity of dullness increases with maturity. It Nymphaea nouchali Burm, f., Hydrilla vertcillata (L.f.) fies among bushes and breeds in stagnant pools and Royde and Lemna paucicostata Hegelm. 6746. small garden tanks, tubs and ornamental cement ponds

Image 1. The study site: water tubs at Botanical garden of Hislop College, Nagpur.

11444 Journal of Threatened Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | 26 March 2018 | 10(3): 11443–11449

Breeding behaviour of Coromandel Marsh Dart Damselfy Thaokar et al.

Table 1. Ceriagrion coromandelianum - number of ovipositng females on diferent plants over 20 days.

Days N. nouchali L. paucicostata H. vertcillata

1 4 1 0

2 7 3 1

3 5 3 2

4 6 2 0

5 6 0 0

6 8 0 0

7 5 0 0

8 4 4 1 Figure 1. Ceriagrion coromandelianum - graphical representaton of 9 6 4 2 ovipositon on diferent plants.

10 4 2 0

11 4 2 1 12 9 3 1 in it. The female never uses decaying plant material for 13 3 3 2 ovipositon. 14 3 2 1 Experiments were conducted by placing plastc

15 5 0 0 leaf models of Nymphaea in a plastc water tub to

16 6 1 0 understand the behaviour of ovipositon. The tandem pair readily setled on the plastc leaf and the female 17 3 2 0 started probing the under-surface of the artfcial leaf 18 3 1 0 with the ovipositor, but afer hectc probing (168 Sec, 19 5 0 0 Max-225; Min.- 15, N=5), the tandem pair lef the site 20 3 1 1 (Image 2). To understand the order of preference for TOTAL 99 34 12 ovipositon substrate by C. coromandelianum the data % 69 23 8 of 20 days (when maximum number of ovipositon was Mean 4.95 1.7 0.6 notced) was evaluated. C. coromandelianum displays a SD 2.06 1.41 0.75 refned hierarchy of preference for ovipositon substrate SE 0.38 0.30 0.16 and chooses foatng leaves of N. nouchali (69%) over L. paucicostata (23%) and submerged H. vertcillata (8%) (Table 1, Fig. 1). containing foatng and/or submerged vegetaton. Females visit the waters only for reproducton but the Ovipositon in Nymphaea nouchali males can be spoted at all tmes around the shrubs near Leaves of Nymphaea nouchali form a perfect landing the ovipositng site. site for C. coromandelianum and provide a large surface For ovipositon, the tandem pair of C. area for ovipositon (Image 3). In an uninterrupted coromandelianum fies towards the tubs and alights ovipositon bout, the female deposits 288 eggs (Max on a foatng substrate (N. nouchali, H. vertcillata, L. 322; Min 243; N=5) in 19 rows along the undersurface paucicostata). The female starts probing the underside of the leaf (Image 3). The eggs are mostly arranged with the ovipositor located at the terminal tp of the in slightly concentric rows and the distance between abdomen. Initally, the female evaluates the under- two eggs is about 689.4±26.5 µm (Max 1230µm; Min surface of the substrate by feeling and testng the plant 230µm; N=100). The distance between two rows is material with the stylus of her ovipositor. If she fnds 2.4±0.3 mm (Max 3.32mm; Min 1.6mm; N=5). Graphic that the substrate is not suitable for ovipositon, she representaton by plotng the trend line of second order repositons herself by moving a few inches along the rim polynomial shows that maximum number of eggs are of the leaf lamina (in case of N. nouchali) or relocates laid in the middle row (Table 2, Fig. 2). to a diferent site, not more than 5cm (in case of H. vertcillata and L. paucicostata) away. Once setled, Ovipositon in Lemna paucicostata she begins to perforate the plant tssue with her saber The puncture mark of the ovipositor of C. shaped sharp ovipositor valvules and starts laying eggs coromandelianum can be easily observed on the

Journal of Threatened Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | 26 March 2018 | 10(3): 11443–11449 11445 Breeding behaviour of Coromandel Marsh Dart Damselfy Thaokar et al.

Table 2. Ceriagrion coromandelianum - row wise number of eggs deposited in one bout of ovipositon on the leaf of Nymphaea nouchali.

Row Ovipositng female

1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th Total

1 10 14 7 8 7 46

2 11 27 16 10 12 76

3 15 25 25 22 26 113

4 18 42 14 13 15 102

5 9 38 34 11 14 106

6 17 19 7 10 7 60

7 11 30 16 16 15 88 Figure 2. Ceriagrion coromandelianum - the average number of 8 13 8 25 17 18 81 eggs per row laid in the leaf lamina of Nymphaea nouchali. 9 18 10 14 33 34 109

10 13 24 34 34 38 143

11 14 7 10 7 43 81 Table 3. Number of eggs deposited by Ceriagrion coromandelianum in the leaves of Lemna paucicostata. 12 17 12 42 14 23 108

13 15 15 26 12 21 89 Leaf Row Total % 14 21 6 18 39 - 84 1 2 3 4 5 6

15 17 - 12 26 - 55 1 3 6 7 7 4 3 30 08

16 11 - 7 18 - 36 2 9 7 11 7 2 - 36 9.5

17 7 - 4 19 - 30 3 3 3 11 10 7 - 34 09

18 6 - 8 17 - 31 4 5 8 14 13 7 - 47 12.4

19 - - 3 - - 3 5 3 9 7 13 9 - 41 10.8

Total 243 277 322 326 273 1441 6 4 5 8 8 11 - 36 9.5

% 16.9 19.3 22.3 22.6 18.9 100 7 3 5 12 13 7 - 40 10.6

SD 4.12 11.5 11.18 9.34 11.45 35.46 8 8 11 12 7 - - 38 10

SE 0.97 2.71 2.63 2.20 2.70 3.36 9 7 8 12 9 - - 36 9.5 10 8 14 6 11 - - 39 10.3 reddish-brown undersurface of L. paucicostata (Image Total 377 100 4). Carefully peeling the leaf under the microscope reveals that the tny leaf of L. paucicostata holds 37.8 eggs in 4.8 rows (Max 47; Min 30; N=10) (Table 3). The distance between two eggs is 182±20.6 µm and the distance between the two rows is 1610±70 µm (Max 1800µm; Min 1610µm; N=20). The statstcal analysis of the data by plotng the trend line of second order polynomial reveals that the maximum numbers of eggs are laid in the middle rows (Fig. 3).

Ovipositon in Hydrilla vertcillata In H. vertcillata, the internode region of the stem is used for ovipositon. Each internode region can house 25.4 eggs of C. coromandelianum (Max 33; Min 14; N=10) (Table 4). The eggs are arranged mostly in two Figure 3. Ceriagrion coromandelianum - the average number of to four longitudinal rows. There is a gap of 71.6±12.7 eggs per row laid in the leaf lamina of Lemna paucicostata. µm between the eggs. The rows are at a distance of 847.6±52 µm (Max 980µm; Min 670µm). Sometmes oblique or overlapping rows of eggs are also found in

11446 Journal of Threatened Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | 26 March 2018 | 10(3): 11443–11449 Breeding behaviour of Coromandel Marsh Dart Damselfy Thaokar et al.

Table. 4. Number of eggs deposited by Ceriagrion coromandelianum in the internode of Hydrilla vertcillata.

Sno 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Total Mean SD SE

Number of eggs 14 32 17 29 27 30 33 18 24 30 254 25.4 6.8 2.3

a b c

Image 2. Ceriagrion coromandelianum trying to setle and oviposit in artfcial plastc leaf of Nymphaea. The experimental tub (a). Tandem pair landing on the leaf (b) and female trying to insert eggs along the under-surface of the plastc leaf (c).

a b c

Image 3. Ceriagrion coromandelianum ovipositng on leaf of Nymphaea nouchali (a,b). Rows of eggs inserted in the leaves (c) (photographed under dissectng microscope). the internode region. Rarely, one or two eggs are found dislodges herself from the tandem and fies away into neatly inserted in the very thin leaf base of the plant the surrounding shrubs or darts away up to a diferent (Image 5). site. At tmes, the tandem couple exhibits the ritual of At tmes, the female sitng on N. nouchali dips the ‘water-touching’ afer completng ovipositon, i.e., the abdomen in water and the ovipositor encounters the pair in tandem fies over the water body, and then the underlying H. vertcillata. She ensures the suitability female dips her abdominal tp in the water and then the of H. vertcillata plant by probing it with the ovipositor pair fies away among the surrounding bushes. The male and starts depositng eggs in it. This has been tested by is reluctant to leave the female and tries to either re- deliberately placing or removing H. vertcillata below N. copulate or force her to re-oviposit by leading her back nouchali during ovipositon. If H. vertcillata is removed, to water. Sometmes, the female releases herself from the female explores the surrounding areas with the the male afer restng in tandem for 2–7 minutes. The ovipositor without moving from her positon and begins released female is at tmes followed by other males but ovipositng in N. nouchali, and, if H. vertcillata is placed she quickly darts away from the ovipositng site. between the ovipositor and N. nouchali leaf, the female easily switches and starts ovipositng in H. vertcillata. Afer a complete duraton of ovipositon, the female

Journal of Threatened Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | 26 March 2018 | 10(3): 11443–11449 11447

Breeding behaviour of Coromandel Marsh Dart Damselfy Thaokar et al.

a b c

Image 4. Ceriagrion coromandelianum ovipositng in Lemna paucicostata (a). Puncture ovipositon marks on the reddish-brown under-sur- face of the leaf (b). Eggs placed in ters in the leaf lamina (c)

a b c

Image 5. Ceriagrion coromandelianum ovipositng in Hydrilla vertcillata (a) Oviposited eggs in the internode region of the stem of H. vert- cillata (b) (the apical brown region of the egg can be clearly demarcated while a semi transparent frst instar larva clings to the plant). Single egg neatly placed in the leaf base (c).

DISCUSSION and bushes. Aeshna viridis used leaves of Stratotes aloides while Coenagrion mercuriale, mostly used In Ceriagrion coromandelianum, the selecton the aquatc Berula erecta (Matushkina & Gorb 2002). of the landing site for ovipositon is visual. This was Matushkina & Lambret (2011) observed that before demonstrated by the experiment of using plastc models insertng her ovipositor in the plant, the damselfy of Nymphaea leaves as site for ovipositon, where the macrostgma, touches the plant tssue six tmes before female readily alighted on the artfcial leaf and started ovipositng. These touches may provide informaton to feel the under-surface of this leaf for ovipositon. leading to a choice of inserton site. The damselfy Since the plastc was harder (than aquatc vegetaton) Platycnemis pennipes oviposit in at least 25 species of the female could not penetrate the ovipositor and lay plants but while ovipositng into the fowering stem eggs. Once the female dips the abdomen inside water, of Nuphar lutea, it also exhibits similar hierarchy of it is the ovipositor which determines the choice of the preferences in which the age of stems, colour, size inserton site, which can either be the landing substrate and associaton with a foatng leaf are taken into (N. nouchali), or the underlying H. vertcillata as consideraton (Martens 1996; Corbet 1999). demonstrated in the experiment of removing or placing In India, Srivastava & Babu (1985) found that C. H. vertcillata below the landing substance. coromandelianum prefers the aquatc plant Salvinia Matushkina & Gorb (2007) found that coenagrionids over Azolla and never oviposits in Spirodela polyrhiza, and platycnemidid damselfies predominantly choose Trapa natans, Eichhornia crassipes, Lemna microphylla tssues of Nymphaeaceae for ovipositon, while lestds and Nelumbo sp. or dead or decaying leaves at Sagar, mostly laid eggs in coastal plants. Lestes temporalis and Madhya Pradesh. Prasad (1990) found that it oviposits Chalcolestes spp. oviposit into woody branches of trees in all aquatc plants at Kolkata, West Bengal while

11448 Journal of Threatened Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | 26 March 2018 | 10(3): 11443–11449 Breeding behaviour of Coromandel Marsh Dart Damselfy Thaokar et al.

Sharma (2009) reported that it prefers H. vertcillata Martens, A. (1994). Field experiments on aggregaton behaviour and and Polygonum barbatum over other aquatc plants ovipositon in Coenagrion puella (L.) (Zygoptera: Coenagrionidae). Advances in Odonatology 6: 49–58. at Hoshiarpur, Punjab. In the present study we have Martens, A. (1996). ‘Die Federlibellen Europas’ (Neue Brehm-Bucherei notceably demonstrated the C. coromandelianum Bd. 626, Westrap Wissenschafen, Magdeburg). Martens, A. (2001). Inital preferences of ovipositon site: displays a refned hierarchy of preferences for discriminaton between living and dead plant material in Sympecma ovipositon and chooses foatng leaves of N. nouchali fusca and Coenagrion caerulescens (: Coenagrionidae). over L. paucicostata and submerged H. vertcillata. The European Journal of Entomology 98: 121–123. Matushkina, N.A. & S.N. Gorb (2002). Stylus of the odonate endophytc present investgaton clearly demonstrates that the ovipositor: a mechanosensory organ controlling egg positoning. choice of ovipositon substrate not only depends upon Journal of Physiology 48: 213–219; htp://doi.org/10.1016/ the presence of aquatc species in the water body but S0022-1910(01)00166-4 Matushkina, N.A. & S.N. Gorb (2007). Mechanical propertes of the also on the spatal locaton of the ovipositon site. endophytc ovipositor in damselfies (Zygoptera, Odonata) and their ovipositon substrates. Zoology 110: 167–175; htp://doi. org/10.1016/j.zool.2006.11.003 Matushkina, N.A. & P.H. Lambret (2011). Ovipositor morphology REFERENCES and egg laying behaviour in the dragonfy Lestes macrostgma (Zygoptera: Lestdae). Internatonal Journal of Odonatology 14: 69– Andrew, R.J., N. Thaokar & A.A. Dhamani (2011a). Ovipositon and 82; htp://doi.org/10.1080/13887890.2011.568190 details of egg shell fne structure in Ceriagrion coromandelianum. Prasad, M. (1990). Reproductve behaviour of Ceriagrion Odonatologica 40: 169–178. coromandelianum (Fabricius) and Pseudagrion rubriceps Selys Andrew, R.J., N. Thaokar & A.A. Dhamani (2011b). Sentnel positon (Zygoptera: Coenagrionidae). Annals of Entomology 8: 35–38. of the male during ovipositon in the damselfy Ceriagrion Sharma, G. (2009). Life history and reproductve behaviour of coromandelianum (Fabricius) (Insecta: Odonata). Hexapoda 18(1): Ceriagrion coromandelianum (Fabricius) (Odonata: Insecta). Annals 24–32. of Forestry 17: 298–310. Corbet, P.S. (1999). Dragonfies - Behaviour and Ecology of Dragonfies. Srivastava, B.K. & B.S. Babu (1985). Reproductve behaviour Harley Books (B.H. Harley and A. Harley Ltd.), Great Horkesley, of Ceriagrion coromandelianum (Fabricius) (Zygoptera: England, 829pp. Coenagrionidae). Proceedings of the First Indian Symposium of Grunert, H. (1995). Eiablageverhalten und Substratnutzung von Odonatology 209–216pp. Erythromma najas (Odonata, Coenagrionidae). Braunschweiger, Waage, J.K. (1987). Choice and utlizaton of ovipositon sites by female Naturkundliche Schrifen 4: 769–794. Calopteryx maculata (Odonata: Calopterygidae). Behavioral Ecology Martens, A. (1992). Egg depositon rates and duraton of ovipositon and Sociobiology 20: 439–446. in Platycnemis pennipes (Pallas) (Insecta, Odonata). Hydrobiologia Wildermuth, H. (1993). Habitat selecton and ovipositon site 230: 63–70. recogniton by the dragonfy Aeshna juncea (L.): an experimental Martens, A. (1993). Infuence of conspecifcs and plant structures approach in natural habitats (Anisoptera: Aeshnidae). Odonatologica on ovipositon site selecton in Pyrrhosoma nymphula (Sulzer) 22: 27–44. (Zygoptera, Coenagrionidae). Odonatologica 22: 487–494.

Threatened Taxa

Journal of Threatened Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | 26 March 2018 | 10(3): 11443–11449 11449 OPEN ACCESS The Journal of Threatened Taxa is dedicated to building evidence for conservaton globally by publishing peer-reviewed artcles online every month at a reasonably rapid rate at www.threatenedtaxa.org. All artcles published in JoTT are registered under Creatve Commons Atributon 4.0 Internatonal License unless otherwise mentoned. JoTT allows unrestricted use of artcles in any medium, reproducton, and distributon by providing adequate credit to the authors and the source of publicaton.

ISSN 0974-7907 (Online); ISSN 0974-7893 (Print)

March 2018 | Vol. 10 | No. 3 | Pages: 11361–11494 Date of Publicaton: 26 March 2018 (Online & Print) www.threatenedtaxa.org DOI: 10.11609/jot.2018.10.3.11361-11494

Communicatons Short Communicatons

The status of Nepal’s mammals A Babbler’s tale: assessing the distributon of Turdoides striata -- Rajan Amin, Hem Sagar Baral, Babu Ram Lamichhane, Laxman Prasad (Dumont, 1823) (Aves: Passeriformes: Leiothrichidae) in India Poudyal, Samantha Lee, Shant Raj Jnawali, Krishna Prasad Acharya, Gopal -- Nishikant Gupta & Gautam Talukdar, Pp. 11450–11453 Prasad Upadhyaya, Megh Bahadur Pandey, Rinjan Shrestha, Dipesh Joshi, Janine Grifths, Ambika Prasad Khatwada & Naresh Subedi, Extension in its distributon range and a new record for the cicada Pp. 11361–11378 genus Salvazana Distant, 1913 (Hemiptera: Cicadidae: Cryptotympanii) from India The bat fauna (Mammalia: Chiroptera) of the United Arab Emirates: a -- Sudhanya Ray Hajong & Rodeson Thangkiew, Pp. 11454–11458 review of published records and museum specimens with conservaton notes Umbrella Starwort Stellaria umbellata Turcz. (Caryophyllaceae): a new -- J. Judas, Gabor Csorba & Petr Benda, Pp. 11379–11390 record to the fora of the western Himalaya, India -- Satsh Chandra & D.S. Rawat, Pp. 11459–11463 Investgatng Sri Lanka’s human-monkey confict and developing a strategy to mitgate the problem First record of fungus Cryptomarasmius T.S. Jenkinson & Desjardin -- Surendranie Judith Cabral, Tharaka Prasad, Thulmini Pubudika (Physalacriaceae: Agaricales: Basidiomycota) from India Deeyagoda, Sanjaya Nuwan Weerakkody, Ashwika Nadarajah & -- Arun Kumar Duta & Krishnendu Acharya, Pp. 11464–11469 Rasanayagam Rudran, Pp. 11391–11398 Foliicolous fungi on medicinal plants in Thiruvananthapuram District, A checklist of bird communites In Tamhini Wildlife Sanctuary, the Kerala, India northern Western Ghats, Maharashtra, India -- A. Sabeena, V.B. Hosagoudar & V. Divaharan, Pp. 11470–11479 -- Dhananjay Chavan Vinayak & Subhash Vithal Mali, Pp. 11399–11409

Spatal and temporal paterns of stork sightngs (Aves: Ciconiidae) in Notes Natonal Chambal Sanctuary of Gangetc River system -- R.K. Sharma & L.A.K. Singh, Pp. 11410–11415 Pternopetalum latpinnulatum (Apiaceae), a new record for the fora of India The Red-headed Falcon Falco chicquera Daudin, 1800 (Aves: -- Licha Jeri, Nazir Ahmad Bhat & Yogendra Kumar, Pp. 11480–11483 Falconiformes: Falconidae) breeding on Palmyra Palm at Bahour Lake, Puducherry (Pondicherry), India Five new additons to the grass fora of Tripura State, India -- Raveendran Lekshmi & Surendhar Boobalan, Pp. 11416–11422 -- Sampa Ghosh & Debjyot Bhatacharyya, Pp. 11484–11492

Fish diversity and the conservaton status of a wetland of Cooch Behar District, West Bengal, India Response -- Ram Krishna Das, Pp. 11423–11431 A preliminary but incomplete checklist of Gujarat spiders Seasonal distributon and abundance of earthworms (Annelida: -- R.V. Vyas & B.M. Parasharya, Pp. 11493–11494 Oligochaeta) in relaton to the edaphic factors around Udupi Power Corporaton Limited (UPCL), Udupi District, southwestern coast of India -- T.S. Harish Kumar, M. Siddaraju, C.H. Krishna Bhat & K.S. Sreepada, Pp. Miscellaneous 11432–11442 Natonal Biodiversity Authority Breeding behaviour of the Coromandel Marsh Dart Damselfy (Zygoptera: Coenagrionidae: Ceriagrion coromandelianum (Fabricius)) in central India Nilesh R. Thaokar, Payal R. Verma & Raymond J. Andrew, Pp. 11443– 11449

Threatened Taxa