000032   Sharma S K (Phulwari Wildlife Sanctuary, , Kota, Udaipur-307 025) : Nesting of dusky crag martin Ptyonoprogne concolor sykes on electric bulbs at Phulwari and Kumbhalgarh Wildlife sanctuaries, Rajasthan. Zoos Print J 2003, 18(10), 1236.

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000031   Sharma S K (Range Forest Officer (Wildlife), Phulwari Wildlife Sanctuary, Kotra-307 025, District Udaipur) : New record of Nervilia aragoana in Rajasthan. J Bombay Nat Hist Soc 2001, 98(3), 493.

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000030   Sharma S K (NO, , Phulwari Wildlife Sanctuary) : A note on the ectoparasitic ticks of reptiles from southern Rajasthan. J Bombay Nat Hist Soc 2001, 98(3), 455-6.

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000029   Sasikala K;Vajravelu E;Daniel P (Botanical Survey of India, , Southern Circle, Coimbatore-641 003) : Arisaema echinatum (Wall.) Schott - an addition to the Araceae of Peninsular India. J Bombay Nat Hist Soc 2001, 98(3), 495-7.

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000028   Ravindran P K;Nameer P O (NO, , Vallissery, P.O. Avinissery Thissur-680 313) : Grey-headed lapwing Vanellus cinereus (Blyth) (Family Charadriidae) in Kerala. J Bombay Nat Hist Soc 2001, 98(3), 450-1.

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000027   Pati B P (NO, , O/o Conservator of Forests, Wildlife Div Sasan, Gir, Saurashtra) : Malabar whistling-thrush Myiophonus horsfieldii in the Gir forests, Saurashtra, Gujarat. J Bombay Nat Hist Soc 2001, 98(3), 452.

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000026   Patel B H (NO, , 6, Patel Society, Vyayamshala Road, Lotia Bhagol, Anand-388001) : A preliminary list of spiders with descriptions of three new species from Parambikulam wildlife sanctuary, Kerala. Zoos Print J 2003, 18(10), 1207-12.

A preliminary survey of the spider fauna of Parambikulam Wildlife Sanctuary, Kerala, India was carried out in September 2001. A total of 91 species of spiders belonging to 53 genera distributed in 22 families were recorded from four sites within the Sanctuary. Out of these, Achaearanea globosa sp. nov. of Tharidiidae, Neoscona parambikulamensis sp. nov. of Araneidae and Strigoplus moluri sp. nov. of Thomisidae are described and illustrated as new to science. Along with this theraphosid spiders of four species of four different genera are also recorded.

14 illus, 1 table, 33 ref

000025   Mitra S (NO, , 32 A Hara Mohan Ghosh Lane, Kolkata-700085) : Gorals (Nemorhaedus goral hodgsoni) in Mahananda wildlife sanctuary, West Bengal, India. Zoos Print J 2003, 18(9), 1199-1201.

2 illus, 1 table, 10 ref

000024   Meena V (No.1 Ragavendra Apartments,) 4 Kandasamy Gramani Street, Chandrabagh A, , ) : The Malabar spiny dormouse Platacanthomys lasiurus in Mudumalai Wildlife Sanctuary, Tamil Nadu. J Bombay Nat Hist Soc 2001, 98(3), 438-9.

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000023   Mangalaraj Johnson J (80, Rajaram Salai, Kalaigner Karunanidhi Nagar, Tiruchirapalli-620 021, , ) : On little grebes Tachybaptus ruficollis breeding near K. Karunanidhi Nagar, Tiruchirapalli, Tamil Nadu. J Bombay Nat Hist Soc 2001, 98(3), 441-2.

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000022   Lucksom S Z (Environmental and Eco-Tourism Div, Forests, Environment & Wildlife Dep, Govt of Sikkim, Deorali-737 102) : Rediscovery of Hemiorchis pantlingi (Zingiberaceae) from Sikkim Himalaya. J Bombay Nat Hist Soc 2001, 98(3), 493-5.

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000021   Kulshreshtha M (NO, , Snehdeep' B-33 Sethi Colony, Jaipur-302 004) : Long-billed vulture Gyps indicus indicus nesting on trees in the Thar Desert, Rajasthan. J Bombay Nat Hist Soc 2001, 98(3), 446-50.

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000020   Krishna S N;Krishna S B (Biosciences Dep, Univ of Mysore, Hemagangothri, Hassan-573 220) : On the natural history of Bufo parietalis Boulenger, 1882, Amphibia: family Bufonidae. J Bombay Nat Hist Soc 2001, 98(3), 456-7.

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000019   Joshua J;Wesley sunderraj S F;Gokula V (Gujarat Institute of Desert Ecology, , Patwadi Naka, Bhuj (Kachchh), Gujarat-370 001) : Sighting of ortolan bunting Emberiza hortulana Linn. in Narayan Sarovar Sanctuary, Kachchh, Gujarat. J Bombay Nat Hist Soc 2001, 98(3), 453-4.

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000018   Jog M M;Marathe R R;Goel S S;Ranade S P; Kunte K K;Watve M G (Microbiology Dep, Abasaheb Garware College, Pune-411 004) : Sarcocystis infection in chital (Axis axis) and Dhole (Cuon alpinus) in two Indian protected areas. Zoos Print J 2003, 18(10), 1220-2.

A survey of faecally dispersed parasites in Mudumalai National Park and Wildlife Sanctuary and Tadoba National Park revealed that the Dhole or Indian Wild dog (Cuon alpinus) shed sporocysts of Sarcocystis sp consistently in large numbers. Post mortem examination of Chital, the major prey of Dhole, showed presence of sarcocysts in the heart and skeletal muscles. Circumstantial evidence points to a Chital-Dhole life-cycle for this species. Prevalence and intensities of infection of the two hosts in both the sanctuaries have been reported.

2 illus, 17 ref

000017   Haribal M (Boyce Thompson Institute, , Tower Road, Ithaca NY 14850, USA) : Over wintering population of Danaus (Salathura) genutia in Tiger valley in Sanjay Gandhi National Park, Mumbai, Maharashtra. J Bombay Nat Hist Soc 2001, 98(3), 469-73.

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000016   Guruswami V (Simpson Estate, Chennai-600 001, , ) : Iris coloration in the large egret Casmerodius albus and median egret Mesophoyx intermedia (Family Ardeidae). J Bombay Nat Hist Soc 2001, 98(3), 442-3.

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000015   Giri V;Hegde V (NO, , Bombay Natural History Society, Hornbill House, S.B. Singh Road, Salim Ali Chowk, Mumbai-400 023) : Occurrence of Cnemaspis kandiana (Kelaart), Family Gekkonidae, in Amboli, Maharashtra. J Bombay Nat Hist Soc 2001, 98(3), 454-5.

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000014   Ghate H V;Ranade S;Soman A;Kaur R;Marathe R; Mukherjee T K (Zoology Dep, Modern College, Pune-411 005) : Redescription of Amorphoscelis annulicornis Stal (Insecta: Mantodea) from Maharashatra. J Bombay Nat Hist Soc 2001, 98(3), 476-80.

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000013   Ghate H V;Ranade S;Kaur R;Marathe R (Zoology Dep, Modern Coll, Pune-411 005) : On Hestiasula brunneriana Saussure (Insecta: Mantodea) from Pune, Maharashatra. J Bombay Nat Hist Soc 2001, 98(3), 473-6.

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000012   Emiliyamma K G;Radhakrishnan C (Western Ghats Field Research Station, Zoological Survey of India, , Kozhikode-673 002) : Odonata (Insecta) of Indira Gandhi Wildlife Sanctuary and National Park, Tamil Nadu. Zoos Print J 2003, 18(11), 1264-6.

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000011   Ellis D H;Moon S L;Robinson J W (USGS Patuxent Wildlife Res Centre, , HCR 1 Box 4420, Oracle, AZ 85623) : Annual movements of a steppe eagle aquila nipalensis summerging in mongolia and wintering in Tibet. J Bombay Nat Hist Soc 2001, 98(3), 335-40.

An adult female steppe eagle (Aquila nipalensis Hodgson) was captured and fitted with a satellite transmitter in June 1995 in southeastern Mongolia. In fall, it traveled southwest towards India as expected, but stopped in southeastern Tibet and wintered in a restricted zone within the breeding range of the steppe eagle. In spring, the bird returned to the same area of Mongolia where it was captured. These observations, though derived from the movements of a single bird, suggest three things that are contrary to what is generally believed about steppe eagle biology. First, not all steppe eagles move to warmer climes in winter. Second, not all steppe eagles are nomadic in winter. Finally, because the bird wintered at the periphery of the steppe eagle breeding range in Tibet, perhaps birds that breed in this same area also winter there. If so, not all steppe eagles are migratory.

1 illus, 18 ref

000010   Deuti K (Zoological Survey of India, , Prani Vigyan Bhavan, 535, M-Block, New Alipore, Kolkata-700 053) : Breeding ecology of annandale's tree frog Chirixalus simus (Anura: Rhacophoridae) near Kolkata, West Bengal. J Bombay Nat Hist Soc 2001, 98(3), 341-6.

The breeding ecology of the annandale's tree (Chirixalus simus) was studied in a 340 sq. m marsh at Rajpur, West Bengal. The results showed that the species is an early breeder, breeding in the first month of monsoon. Most foam-nests are constructed on grass, in the first two weeks, 6-58 cm above standing water and contain 153-234 eggs. The size of the foam-nests depends on their position on the grass where the frogs mate. The nests are located 10-807 cm away from dry land. It has been speculated that different species of the genus show a preference for land over water for constructing foam-nests.

2 illus, 1 table, 7 ref

000009   Choudhury N K;Ahmed M F;Sengupta S (Zoology Dep, Arya Vidyapeeth Coll, Guwahati-781 016) : Distribution of Bufo stomaticus Lutken, Amphibia: family Bufonidae, in Assam, Northeast India. J Bombay Nat Hist Soc 2001, 98(3), 457-9.

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000008   Choudhury A (The Rhino Foundation for Nature in NE India, , C/o The Assam Co. Ltd., Bamunimaidam, Guwahati-781 021) : The wild elephant Elephas maximus in Mizoram. J Bombay Nat Hist Soc 2001, 98(3), 439-41.

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000007   Cherian P T;Rema Devi K;Indra T J (Southern Regional Station, Zoological Survey of India, 100, Santhome High Road, Chennai-600 023) : On Pseudosphromenus spp. (Pisces: Belontiidae) from South India with remarks on the authorship of P. dayi. J Bombay Nat Hist Soc 2001, 98(3), 461-4.

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000006   Chandrashekaran M K (Evolutionary and Organismal Biology Unit, Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Res, P.O. Box 6436, Jakkur, Bangalore-560 064) : The echolocating role of eyes in insectivorous bats. J Bombay Nat Hist Soc 2001, 98(3), 434-8.

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000005   Bora P D;Bordoloi S;Dutta A (Zoology Dep, Dhing Coll, Nagaon, Assam) : Taxonomic variation in Schistura vinciguerrae (Hora, 1935) from the Basistha river, a new record from Assam, India. J Bombay Nat Hist Soc 2001, 98(3), 459-61.

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000004   Bijukumar A;Sushama S (Zoology Dep, N.S.S. Coll, Ottapalam-679 103) : The fish fauna of Bharathapuzha river, Kerala. J Bombay Nat Hist Soc 2001, 98(3), 464-8.

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000003   Bharos A M K (NO, , B-101, Gayatrinagar, PO Shankernagar, Raipur-492 007) : Large grey babbler Turdoides malcolmi trapped for the table. J Bombay Nat Hist Soc 2001, 98(3), 452.

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000002   Banik S;Chakrabarti S (Fisheries & Limnology Res Unit Life Sci Dep, Tripura Univ, Agartala-799 004) : New record of Macrobrachium dayanum Henderson, 1893 from a freshwater ecosystem of Tripura, India. J Bombay Nat Hist Soc 2001, 98(3), 481-5.

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000001   Andheria A P (NO, , 2, Sagar Building, V.P. Road, Andheri, Mumbai-400 058) : Sighting of the black stork Ciconia nigra and lesser adjutant-stork Leptoptilos javanicus at Nagarhole National Park, Karnataka. J Bombay Nat Hist Soc 2001, 98(3), 443-6.

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016365   Vinayaka K S;Krishnamurthy Y L;Nayaka S (Studies in Applied Botany Dep, Kuvempu Univ, Shankaraghatta, Shimoga-577 451, Email: sanjeeva_n@yahoo.com) : Macrolichen flora of Bhadra Wildlife Sanctuary, Karnataka, India. Ann For 2010, 18(1), 81-90.

Deals with the documentation of diversity, distribution and ecology of 67 species of macrolichens from Bhadra Wildlife Sanctuary, Karnataka (India). The study area covers moist deciduous, dry deciduous, semi-evergreen and shola type of vegetation. The wildlife sanctuary covers a total area of 492 km², from which we have recorded 67 macrolichen species belonging to 24 genera and 10 families. Out of 67 species 57 are corticolous, seven are saxicolous and two are terricolous. Deciduous forest consisted of the maximum number of 52 species followed by evergreen with nine and shola forest is represented by six macrolichen species. The present study reveals two new records to Lichen flora of Karnataka. The result provides the baseline information regarding macrolichen diversity in Bhadra Wildlife Sanctuary.

2 tables, 19 ref

024762   Ramachandran A;Jayakumar S;Arockiasamy D I (Working Plan Division, Tamil Nadu For Dep, Tiruchirappalli, Tamil Nadu) : Need for reclassification of forest types in India using high-resolution satellite data and field study for better management. Indian For 2005, 131(1), 3-13.

Forests, one of the important natural resources on the earth surface fulfill all the needs of living beings on the earth. For effective management of forests, it is important to have information on recent status, composition and types. Champion an Seth system of classification of Indian forest types has been used as an authentic source of information since it has been released for all management purposes. However, one should remember that Champion and Seth classified the entire forests in India with limited technology, time and resources available with them. Hence there are certain forest areas where forest types are represented sporadically in the Champion and Seth system of classification. This classification naturlly will have several shortcomings since it is done on macro scale. Now we have newer technologies, facilities like Remote Sensing, GIS, GPS with which we can understand the forests at micro-level and consequently more fine classification system could be evolved to reclassify the Forests in India. Eastern Ghats of Tamil Nadu is one such forest region, which has been taken up in the present study for further refinement. Remote sensing technique has been utilized appropritely in the present study for classification of forests with detailed field survey. Area belong to each forest type have been calculated accurately. The result of this study emphasize that refinement of forest type in India is necessary for better management of forests.

2 tables, 11 ref

024761   Mishra R P (Indian Inst of For Mgmt, , Post Box No. 357, Nehru Nagar, Bhopal-462 003) : Home range and food habits of wild buffalo (Bubalus bubalis L.) in Udanti Wildlife Sanctoary, Raipur, Chhattisgarh. J trop For 2004, 20(1-2), 51-7.

Quality of habitat is mainly governed by the availability of fodder, water and shelter sources for the survival of the species. The paper describes home range and food habitat of wild buffalo surviving in Udanti wildlife sanctuary in central Indian region. Wild buffalo is a shy animal and spends maximum time in dense forests, particularly during the day. The observations were made mostly during the summer season, particularly on grasslands situated near the water bodies. Animals prefer grazing/browsing in the forest in comparison to the grassland. The peak grazing of animals was recorded at mid night during summer season and early in the morning during winter and rainy seasons.

3 tables, 5 ref

024760   Khaleel K M (P.G.Botany Dep, Sir Syed Coll, Taliparamba, Kerala) : Study of the quantitative structure of true mangroves present in the Mangal forests of Tellicherry, Pappinissery and Kunhimangalam of Kannur district. Indian For 2005, 131(1), 81-9.

The study aims to make a quantitative analysis of the different species present in three sample sites, viz., Tellicherry, Pappinissery and Kunhimangalam of Kannur District. It is observed that most of the Mangroves present in these regions is in the threat of destruction as they are under private ownership. Each sample plot is characterized by the presence of a particular dominant species and its combinations. Tellicherry is characterized by Avicennia-Sonneratia-Rhizophora combination, while Pappinissery has Kandelia-Avicennia-Aegiceras group and Kunhimangalam shows Excoecaria-Avicennia-Rhizophora-Bruguiera belt. Out of the 12 species of true Mangrove plants observed, 5 are in common occurrence in most of the places while 3 species are very rare. Abundant species diversity is found in the Kunhimangalam belt. 25 species of Mangrove associates are also observed in these regions.

3 illus, 3 tables, 3 ref

023751   Verma A P (Bot Dep, A.N. Coll Magadh Univ, Patna, Bihar) : Tsunami - its impact on biodiversity. Bionotes 2005, 7(2), 74.

023750   Thirumurugan R;Senthil Kumar K;Devaki K; Nazurllah Khan P (NO, Arignar Anna Zoological Park, Vandalur) : Heat stroke in a lioness (Panthera leo). Zoos Print J 2005, 20(4), 1850.

A case of heat stroke in a lioness and its successful treatment is reported.

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023749   Pandit B R;Patel D;Pandya U (Department of Life Sciences, Bhavnagar University, Bhavnagar, Gujarat) : Biodiversity measurement of Jessore sloth bear sanctuary. Nat Envir Pollut Technol 2005, 4(1), 113-18.

Paper deals with the biodiversity of Jassore Sloth Bear Sanctuary. The vegetation was arid to semiarid and dry deciduous, thorny scrub type. The prominent species were Zizyphus, Anogeissus, Butea and Prosopis. The climate of the area is semiarid where low rain fall and high temperature prevail, The results of biodiversity parameters were: Simpson's index - D(0.771), Simpson index of similarity 1-D (0.229), Simpson's reciprocal 1/D (1.297), Snanon-Weiner's index (28.478), and Evenness index E (11.019). There were 384 species belonging to 272 genera from 99 families of angiosperm, which can be further divided as dicotyledons (314 species of 221 genera from 90 families), Monocotyledons (70 species of 51 genera from 9 families), legumes (43 species belonging to 26 genera and 3 families; Mimosaceae, Papilionaceae, Caesalpinaceae) and nonleguminous plants (341 species belonging to 246 genera and 96 families). The highly diverse dicot families were Acanthaceae, Fabaceae, and Mimosadeae. The most diverse genera were Cassia, Indigofera, and Acaccia. In monocots, the most diverse families were Poaceae, Asteraceae, and Cyperaceae, and the genera were Cyperus, Commelina, and Cynodon. The ratio of monocotyledons to dicotyledons was 1:10 of families, 1:4.33 of genera, and 1:4.48 of species. The ratio of total number of genera to species was 1:1.41. The proportion of leguminous to non-leguminous plants was 1:32 of families, 1:9.46 of genera and 1:7.93 of species. Forty five species were found to fall in the IUCN category. Out of this 20 species were indeterminate, 15 were rare, 7 were vulnerable, 2 were threatened, and 1 was endangered. The species fall under threatened and endangered status were: Anogeissus sericea, Cassia holosericea, Indigofera cutchicum, Commiphora wightii, Sterculia urens, Tecomella undulata, Solarium albicaule and Phoenix sylvestris. The sanctuary harbours 28 species of grasses, 31 species of climbers, 193 herb species, 45 species of shrubs and 87 tree species.

7 tables, 18 ref

023748   Dharmarajan G;Raman M;John M C (Centre for Ecological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore-560 012) : Are worms affected by host ecology? A perspective from Mudumalai wildlife sanctuary, Southern India. J Bombay Nat Hist Soc 2004, 101(3), 399-402.

Interspecific comparisons of helminth loads, using helminth eggs per gram of faeces as an index, were done in the Mudumalai Wildlife Sanctuary between May and August, 1999. The host species sampled were chital (Axis axis), sambar (Cervus unicolor), gaur (Bos gaurus), elephant (Elephas maximus) and domestic cattle. Helminth distributions in all the species were highly over dispersed and except in the case of gaur the negative binomial distribution gave good fits to the observed data. In general, it was found that the elephant and gaur had higher loads than the cervids, probably due to their larger body size. Among the cervids, sambar had lower loads than chital probably because they are mixed feeders as opposed to chital, which are mainly grazers. Cattle had the highest loads and prevalence of parasites among all the species studied, probably due to the effects of domestication and poor hygiene. Helminth community structure and species diversity was related to the taxonomic distinctiveness of the host. It is thus likely that many interspecific differences in helminth loads can be explained by the existing hypotheses related to host ecology.

2 tables, 35 ref

023747   Anand S (Flamingo House Point Calimere Wildlife and Bird Sanctuary Kodiakkarai, , ) : Tsunami at Point Calimere Wildlife and bird Sanctuary, Nagapattinam district, Tamil Nadu. Bionotes 2005, 7(2), 73.

022714   Raghuram H;Marimuthu G (Anim Behaviour and Physiol Dep, Sch of Biol Sci Madurai Kamaraj Univ, Madurai-625 021, Email: gmari@sancharnet.in) : The discovery of echolocation. Resonance 2005, 10(2), 20-32.

Bats navigation without colliding with obstacles and hunt tiny mosquitoes in complete darkness remained unanswered for nearly 140 years after Lazzaro Spallanzani, who proposed a `sixth sense' for orientation. Donald Griffin solved the puzzle in 1938 with the help of world's first ultrasound microphone devised by the American physicist G W Pierce. Griffin called this sixth sense `echolocation', which enables bats and marine mammals such as whales, dolphins and porpoises to lead active lives under the cover of darkness. Article described the life of Donald Griffin and how he proved the existense of echolocation in bats.

1 table, 4 illus

022713   Karandikar A;Ghaskadbi S (Anim Sci Div, ARI, G.G. Agarkar Road, Pune-411 004) : Developmental alterations in chick embryo by β-microseminoprotein are closely associated with modulation of goosecoid and noggin expression. Curr Sci 2005, 88(3), 455-61.

β-Microseminoprotein (MSP)-induced enhancement of mesodermal structures in chick embryo is brought about through modulation of expression of Brachyury and is often associated with abnormal nervous system development. Study, further elucidate the mechanism of action of MSP, treatment with MSP leads to up-regulation of goosecoid and down-regulation of moggin in cultured chick embryos. These observations correlate well with stimulation of axis elongation and interference with meural tube pattern formation due to MSP. The results show that the molecular mechanism of action of MSP involves goosecoid and noggin, in addition to Brachyury, and further support our contention that MSP-related molecules play as important role in the embryonic development of chick.

3 illus, 29 ref

022712   Anil Kumar;Yadav S N P;Yadav D K (Dep of Zool, Magadh Univ, Bodh Gaya-824 234) : Vanishing mammals of Gautam Buddha Wildlife Sanctuary, Gaya (Bihar), India. Proc Zool Soc India 2004, 3(2), 83-8.

The paper provides useful information about mammalian fauna of the Gautam Buddha Wildlife Sanctuary (GBWS). The sanctuary is situated in Gaya district of Bihar State and it contains a number of mammalian species, most of them are threatened and rapidly vanishing in number like hog deer, jackal, wolf, wild dog, sloth bear, elephant, fox, wild pig, chinkara, hyaena, civet, barking deer, jungle cat, and few of them like tiger, leopard and four horned antelope have become very scarce. Of the reported mammals from the GBWS, 7 are placed under Schedule I and 17 are placed under Schedules II- IV of the Indian Wildife (Protection) Act, 1972. The paper also deals with causes of depletion of mammalian fauna of the GBWS.

13 ref

020650   Veeramani A;Krishnan P G;Bhardwaj A K;Pillai R;Joseph G K (Periyar Tiger Reserve, , Thekkady, Kerala) : Status and distribution of birds in Periyar Tiger Reserve, Kerala, India. Indian For 2005, 131(2), 143-62.

Ornithological survey in PTR was carried out for assessing the current status and distribution of bird species in the Tiger Reserve. Eleven blocks were selected for the ornithological survey and 187 bird species were recorded during the survey of which 4 species viz. Common green shank (Tringa nebularia), Malabar pied hornbill (Anthracoceros coronatus), Ashy-crowned sparrowlark (Eremopterix grisea) and Chestnut-bellied nuthatch (Sitta castanea) are new records to Periyar. In addition, the Spot-billed Pelican (Pelecanus philippensis), Phesant-tailed jacana (Hydrophasianus chirurgus), Purple heron (Ardea purpurea), Purple swamphen (Porphurio porphyrio), Western Reef egret (Egrita gularis), Oriental white ibis (Threskornis melanocephalus), Common teal (Anus crecca), Common moorhen (Gallinula chloropus) and Common coot (Fulica atra) were also recently sighted. This adds up to a total of 323 species of birds recorded from PTR. Sabarimala pilgrimage, raising of water level, sporadic forest fire and cattle grazing are some of the major threats to the bird population. Recommendations are given for addressing some of these issues.

5 illus, 1 table, 6 ref

020649   Srivastava S K (Dy Conservator of Forests, , Tamil Nadu) : Rare winged visitor (Black storks) sighted at Point Calimere. Indian For 2005, 131(2), 264.

020648   pandit B R;Patel D;Pandya U (Life Sci Dep, Bhavnagar Univ, Bhavnagar, Gujarat) : Biodiversity measurement of jessore sloth bear sanctuary. Nat Envir Pollut Technol 2005, 4(1), 113-18.

Paper deals with the biodiversity of Jassore Sloth Bear Sanctuary. The vegetation was arid to semiarid and dry deciduous, thorny scrub type. The prominent species were Zizyphus, Anogeissus, Butea and Prosopis. The climate of the area is semiarid where low rain fall and high temperature prevail. The results of biodiversity parameters were: Simpson's index - D (0.771), Simpson index of similarity 1-D (0.229), Simpson's reciprocal 1/D (1.297), Shanon Weiner's index (28.478), and Evenness index E (11.019). There were 384 species belonging to 272 genera from 99 families of angiosperm, which can be further divided as dicotyledons (314 species of 221 genera from 90 families), Monocotyledons (70 species of 51 genera from 9 families), legumes (43 species belonging to 26 genera and 3 families; Mimosaceae, Papilionacea, Caesalpinaceae) and nonleguminous plants (341 species belonging to 246 genera and 96 families). The most diverse genera were Cassia, Indigofera, and Acaccia. In monocots, the most diverse families were Poaceae, Asteraceae, and Cyperaceae, and the genera were Cyperus, Commelina, and Cynodon. The ratio of monocotyledons to dicotyledons was 1:10 of families, 1:4.33 of genera, and 1:4.48 of species. The ratio of total number of genra to species was 1:1.41. The proportion of leguminous to non-leguminous plants was 1:32 of families, 1:9.46 of genera and 1:7.93 of species. Forty five species were found to fall in the IUCN category.

7 tables, 18 ref

020647   Mukherjee S;Goyal S P (NO, Wildlife Institute of India, P.O. No. 18, Chandrabani, Dehra Dun-248 001, Email: shomitam@yahoo.com) : Determining the relationship between biomass consumed and scats produced in captive Asiatic Lions (Panthera leo persica) and Leopards (Panthera pardus). J Bombay Nat Hist Soc 2004, 101(2), 221-3.

Feeding trials on captive adult Asiatic Lion (Panthera leopersica) and Leopard (Pantherapardus)were conducted at the Sakharbaug zoo, Junagadh (India) to establish a relationship between the amount of food consumed and the scats produced. Lions (ave. body mass = 100 kg) and Leopards (ave. body mass = 50 kg) fed ad libitum on buffalo meat consumed an average of 6% and 8% of their total body mass respectively. Biomass ingested by Leopard was significantly correlated with the total dry weight of scats (p = 0.01,r² = 0.75), but not with the number of scats produced (r² = 0.028). However, a relationship was noted between the amount given and biomass consumed per scat (p = 0.04 r² = 0.53). For lions, no significant correlation was seen, either in the number of scats produced or the dry weight of scats with the amount consumed. Also, the biomass consumed per scat was not correlated with the amount given.

4 illus, 13 ref

020646   Mohan L;Sharma R M;Tak P C (Conservator for Forests, , Wildlife (South) Shimla, Himachal Pradesh) : Renuka wetland: A newfound abode for migratory birds in Himachal Pradesh. Indian For 2005, 131(2), 163-9.

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020645   Kotwal P C;Mishra R P (NO, Indian Institute of Forest Management (IIFM), Post Box No. 357, Nehru Nagar, Bhopal-462 003, Email: pckotwal@iifm.org) : Ecobiology of indian wild buffalo Bubalus arnee L. in Udanti wildlife sanctuary, Chhattisgarh, India. J Bombay Nat Hist Soc 2004, 101(2), 252-4.

Indian Wild Buffalo (Bubalus arnee L.) is an endangered species according to the criteria of the IUCN, categorized in Appendix III of CITES and in Schedule I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 of India. The studies were conducted in Udanti Wildlife Sanctuary, Chhattisgarh State, India. The species has been declared as the State animal of Chhattisgarh. The Sanctuary is a good habitat for Wild Buffalo, having easily available fodder, shelter and water. However, there are number of threats to the natural habitat from human habitation, agriculture, livestock grazing, forest fires and collection of forest products. To conserve the species and its potential good habitat in the Sanctuary, it is necessary to involve the concerned local people in the management of the area.

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