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Type: Species

  • Wildlife Conservation Efforts

    Species in news: Himalayan Serow

    Species | Enviro & Biodiversity | Mains Paper 3: Conservation, Environmental Pollution & Degradation, Eia

    Note4Students

    From UPSC perspective, the following things are important:

    Prelims level: Himalayan Serow

    Mains level: NA

    A Himalayan Serow has been sighted for the first time in the Himalayan cold desert region.

    Try this MCQ:

    Q.In which one of the following State, the Rupi Bhaba Wildlife Sanctuary is located?

    (a) Himachal Pradesh

    (b) Manipur

    (c) Meghalaya

    (d) Uttarakhand

    Himalayan Serow

    • Himalayan Serow resembles a cross between a goat, a donkey, a cow, and a pig.
    • They are herbivores and are typically found at altitudes between 2,000 metres and 4,000 metres (6,500 to 13,000 feet).
    • They are known to be found in eastern, central, and western Himalayas, but not in the Trans Himalayan region.
    • They are a medium-sized mammal with a large head, thick neck, short limbs, long, mule-like ears, and a coat of dark hair.
    • There are several species of Serow s, and all of them are found in Asia.

    Its’ conservation status

    • According to the IUCN, Himalayan Serow s have experienced significant declines in population size, range size and habitat in the last decade, and this is expected to continue due to intensive human impact.
    • Previously assessed as ‘near threatened’, the Himalayan Serow is now been categorised as ‘vulnerable’ in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
    • It is listed under Schedule I of The Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, which provides absolute protection.

    What is so unusual this time?

    • The animal was spotted by locals and wildlife officials at a riverside rocky wall near Hurling village in Spiti, Himachal Pradesh.
    • This is the first recorded human sighting of the Serow in Himachal Pradesh.
    • Serow s are generally not found at this altitude, and never before has a Serow been seen in the Himalayan cold desert.
    • Wildlife officials believe this particular animal may have strayed into the Spiti valley from the Rupi Bhaba Wildlife Sanctuary in adjoining Kinnaur.

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  • New Species of Plants and Animals Discovered

    Species in news: Myristica Swamp Treefrog

    Species | Enviro & Biodiversity | Mains Paper 3: Awareness in various sc and tech fields

    Note4Students

    From UPSC perspective, the following things are important:

    Prelims level: Myristica Swamp Treefrog

    Mains level: Western Ghats and its biodiversity richness

    Myristica swamp treefrog, a rare arboreal (living on trees) species endemic to the Western Ghats has been recorded for the first time in Kerala’s Thrissur district.

    Again, a stand-alone peculiar species is in the news. Make a special note here. Usually, note the species and its habitat location (IUCN status if available), in the purview of a generic prelims question.

    Myristica Swamp Treefrog

    • It bears the scientific name Mercurana myristicapalustris.
    • The frog was first spotted in 2013 in the Myristica swamps of Arippa, near the Kulathupuzha Reserve Forest, in the western foothills of Agasthyamalai, in Kollam district.
    • Unlike the Myristica swamp treefrog found in the foothills of the Agasthyamalai, these frogs were found to be active throughout June and early July.

    Unique traits

    • These frogs are rare and elusive for the reason that they are arboreal and active only for a few weeks during their breeding season.
    • During this season, there is a large aggregation of males that descend from the high canopy of the trees.
    • The breeding season, unlike for other frogs, starts in the pre-monsoon season (May) and ends before the monsoon becomes fully active in June.
    • Before the end of the breeding season, the female frogs along with their male counterparts descend on the forest floor. The female digs the mud and lays eggs in shallow burrows in mud.
    • After breeding and egg-laying, they retreat back to the high canopies of the tree and remain elusive till next breeding season.

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  • Innovations in Biotechnology and Medical Sciences

    Zebrafish and its heart regeneration capacity

    Prelims OnlySpecies | Science Tech | Mains Paper 3: Awareness in various sc and tech fields

    Note4Students

    From UPSC perspective, the following things are important:

    Prelims level: Zebrafish

    Mains level: Not Much

    Indian scientists have used the Zebrafish model and identified its genes that can promote heart regeneration.

    Try this PYQ:

    Q.With reference to India’s Biodiversity, Ceylon frogmouth, Coppersmith Barbet, Gray-chinned minivet and White-throated redstart are-

    (a) Birds

    (b) Primates

    (c) Reptiles

    (d) Amphibians

    Zebrafish

    • Zebrafish is a small (2-3 cm long) freshwater fish found in the tropical and subtropical regions.
    • The fish is native to South Asia’s Indo-Gangetic plains, where they are mostly found in the paddy fields and even in stagnant water and streams.
    • The fish become adults at three months and survive 2-3 years in a laboratory condition.
    • Its unique characteristics lie in its transparency during its embryonic stages, allowing observing all organs, including beating heart and blood circulation.

    Ability to heal their heart

    • The ability of Zebrafish to heal their heart after injury makes them an attractive model to investigate mechanisms governing the regenerative process.
    • Researchers worldwide are actively working to understand the mechanism behind the heart regeneration in Zebrafish for the last two decades.
    • Years of efforts have helped them identify the cellular communication network factor 2a (ccn2a), a gene that can promote heart regeneration by enhancing cardiomyocyte proliferation.
    • They have also observed that this gene resolves the transient collagenous fibrotic scar resulting in faster regeneration.

    Significance for humans

    • Cardiovascular diseases are the number 1 cause of deaths globally, taking an estimated 17.9 million lives each year, according to the World Health Organisation.
    • Humans cannot regenerate their hearts upon myocardial damage and a person who suffered a heart attack cannot functionally heal the damaged heart muscle, resulting in reduced pumping efficiency.
    • While on the other hand, this unique fish has the full potential to regenerate its heart and restore its function after injury.
    • Till now, there is no treatment available to restore the damaged heart function in humans. Hence scientists have sought to decode the heart regeneration processes using this model animal.

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  • New Species of Plants and Animals Discovered

    Species in news: Meghalaya’s Glowing Mushrooms

    Species | Enviro & Biodiversity | Mains Paper 3: Conservation, Environmental Pollution & Degradation, Eia

    Note4Students

    From UPSC perspective, the following things are important:

    Prelims level: Bioluminescence

    Mains level: Eastern Himalayas and its biodiversity

    A mushroom documentation project in the forests of Northeast India has discovered a bioluminescent — or light-emitting — variety of mushroom.

    Try this PYQ:

    Q.Lichens, which are capable of initiating ecological succession even on a bare rock, are actually a symbiotic association of:

    (a) Algae and bacteria

    (b) Algae and fungi

    (c) Bacteria and fungi

    (d) Fungi and mosses

    Roridomyces phyllostachydis

    • The new species was first sighted near a stream in Meghalaya’s Mawlynnong in East Khasi Hills district and later at Krang Shuri in West Jaintia Hills district.
    • It is now one among the 97 known species of bioluminescent fungi in the world.

    Bioluminescence in fungi

    • Bioluminescence is the property of a living organism to produce and emit light.
    • Bioluminescent organisms are usually found in ocean environments, but they are also found in terrestrial environments.
    • The colour of the light emitted by the organism depends on its chemical properties.
    • In the case of fungi, the luminescence comes from the enzyme, luciferase.
    • The green light emits when luciferans is catalysed by the enzyme luciferase, in the presence of oxygen.

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  • New Species of Plants and Animals Discovered

    Species in news: Rohanixalus -the frogs of the new genus

    Species | Enviro & Biodiversity | Mains Paper 3: Conservation, Environmental Pollution & Degradation, Eia

    Note4Students

    From UPSC perspective, the following things are important:

    Prelims level: Genus Rohanixalus

    Mains level: Eastern Himalayas and its biodiversity

    Indian researchers have discovered a genus of tree frog found in the Andaman Islands and the northeast.

    A stand-alone species being mentioned in the news for the first time find their way into the prelims. Make special note here. Usually, note the species and its habitat location (IUCN status if available), in the purview of a generic prelims question.

    Genus Rohanixalus

    • Named after Sri Lankan taxonomist Rohan Pethiyagoda, the frogs of the new genus Rohanixalus are characterised by a rather small and slender body (size about 2 to 3 cm long).
    • It has a pair of contrastingly coloured lateral lines on either side of the body, minute brown speckles scattered throughout the upper body surfaces, and light green coloured eggs laid in arboreal bubble-nests.
    • Based on DNA studies, the new genus is also revealed to be a distinct evolutionary lineage from all previously known tree frog genera.
    • It is the 20th recognised genus of the family Rhacophoridae that comprises 422 known Old World tree frog species found in Asia and Africa.

    Sub-species of this frog

    • There are eight frog species in this genus Rohanixalus.
    • They are known to inhabit forested as well as human-dominated landscapes right from the northeast to Myanmar, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia, up to southern China.

    Unique features of this genus

    • The genus has several unique behavioural traits including maternal egg attendance where the female (mother) attends the egg clutches until hatching and assists in the release of the tadpoles into the water.
    • During the first three days after egg-laying, the female sits over the eggs and produces a gelatinous secretion with which she glazes the egg mass through the clock-wise movement of her legs.
    • This behaviour provides necessary moisture to the eggs laid on exposed leaf surfaces and protects them from insect predation.

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  • New Species of Plants and Animals Discovered

    Species in news: Echinops Sahyadricus

    Species | Enviro & Biodiversity | Mains Paper 3: Conservation, Environmental Pollution & Degradation, Eia

    Note4Students

    From UPSC perspective, the following things are important:

    Prelims level: Echinops Sahyadricus

    Mains level: Not Much

    Researchers have discovered a new species of Echinops Sahyadricus (Sahyadri Globe Thistle) from the Rajgad Fort in the Sahyadri Mountains.

    Echinops Sahyadricus

    • Echinops is a genus of about 130 species of flowering plants found in tropical and North Africa, the Mediterranean basin and West Asia, extending eastwards to China and Japan.
    • The highest number of taxa (76) is concentrated in the Iranian plateau. Five species are found in India including two in Maharashtra.
    • The new species is unique because of the size of its composite inflorescence which measures up to 9 cm in diameter that is relatively large compared to other Echinops species found around the world.
    • It grows vegetative on open grassy slopes of mountains in four months of monsoon and blooms in November. Fruiting can be seen in December.

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  • Wildlife Conservation Efforts

    Species in news: Himalayan Brown Bear

    Species | Enviro & Biodiversity | Mains Paper 3: Conservation, Environmental Pollution & Degradation, Eia

    Note4Students

    From UPSC perspective, the following things are important:

    Prelims level: Himalayan Brown Bear

    Mains level: Not Much

    A recent study has predicted massive habitat decline for the Himalayan brown bear (Ursus arctos isabellinus) by 2050 due to climate change.

    Try this PYQ:

    Q. The Himalayan Range is very rich in species diversity. Which one among the following is the most appropriate reason for this phenomenon?

    (a) It has a high rainfall that supports luxuriant vegetative growth.

    (b) It is a confluence of different bio-geographical zones.

    (c) Exotic and invasive species have not been invasive species have not been introduced in this region.

    (d) It has less human interference.

    Himalayan Brown Bear

    • The Himalayan brown bear is one of the largest carnivores in the highlands of Himalayas.
    • It occupies the higher reaches of the Himalayas in remote, mountainous areas of Pakistan and India, in small and isolated populations, and is extremely rare in many of its ranges.
    • While the brown bear as a species is classified as Least Concern by the IUCN, this subspecies is highly endangered and populations are dwindling.
    • It is ‘Endangered’ in the Himalayas and Critically Endangered in the Hindu Kush.

    What did the study say?

    • The study carried out in the western Himalayas by scientists of Zoological Survey of India, predicted a massive decline of about 73% of the bear’s habitat by the year 2050.
    • These losses in habitat will also result in loss of habitat from 13 protected areas (PAs), and eight of them will become completely uninhabitable by the year 2050, followed by loss of connectivity in the majority of PAs.
    • The study highlights for the need to adopt preemptive spatial planning of PAs in the Himalayan region for the long-term viability of the species.

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  • New Species of Plants and Animals Discovered

    ZSI lists Skinks of India

    Species | Enviro & Biodiversity | Mains Paper 3: Conservation, Environmental Pollution & Degradation, Eia

    Note4Students

    From UPSC perspective, the following things are important:

    Prelims level: Skinks

    Mains level: NA

    Celebrating skinks, Zoological Survey of India has listed 62 species.

    Try this PYQ:

    Q.With reference to India’s Biodiversity, Ceylon frogmouth, Coppersmith barbet, Gray-chinned minivet and White-throated redstart are-

    (a) Birds

    (b) Primates

    (c) Reptiles

    (d) Amphibians

    What are Skinks?

    • Skinks are lizards belonging to the family Scincidae, a family in the infraorder Scincomorpha.
    • With long bodies, relatively small or no legs, no pronounced neck and glossy scales, skinks are common reptiles around homes.
    • Although they are common reptiles and have a prominent role in maintaining ecosystems, not much is known about their breeding habits, and ecology because identification of the species can be confusing.

    Certain notions about them

    • Skinks are highly alert, agile and fast-moving and actively forage for a variety of insects and small invertebrates.
    • The reduced limbs of certain skink species or the complete lack of them make their slithering movements resemble those of snakes, leading people to have the incorrect notion that they are venomous.
    • This results in several of these harmless creatures being killed.

    ZSI study on Skinks

    • A recent publication by the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) reveals that India is home to 62 species of skinks and says about 57% of all the skinks found in India (33 species) are endemic.
    • Sepsophis (with one species)and Barkudia (with two species) are limbless skinks found in the hills and coastal plains of the eastern coast.
    • Barkudia insularisis believed to be found only in the Barkud Island in Chilka lake in Odisha. Barkudia melanosticta is endemic to Visakhapatnam.
    • Sepsophis punctatus is endemic to the northern part of Eastern Ghats.
    • Five species of Kaestlea (blue-tailed ground skinks) are endemic to the Western Ghats and four species of Ristella (Cat skinks) also endemic to the southern part of Western Ghats.

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  • New Species of Plants and Animals Discovered

    Species in news: Aenigmachanna Gollum

    Species | Enviro & Biodiversity | Mains Paper 3: Conservation, Environmental Pollution & Degradation, Eia

    Note4Students

    From UPSC perspective, the following things are important:

    Prelims level: Aenigmachanna Gollum

    Mains level: NA

    Scientists have discovered a new family of bony fish from the Western Ghats and named it Aenigmachannidae.

    A stand-alone species being mentioned in the news for the first time (and that too from Southern India) find their way into the prelims. Make special note here. Usually, note the species and its habitat location (IUCN status if available), in the purview of a generic prelims question.

    Aenigmachannidae

    • Aenigmachanna Gollum has a surprisingly large number of primitive characters, and detailed molecular phylogenetic analyses including of its Mitochondrial DNA suggested an ancient separation from Channidae.
    • Many such species were earlier found in the aquifers of Kerala.
    • Many of these species are blind, pigment-less, and have peculiar morphological characters that are otherwise not seen in species occurring in surface waters.

    Significance of the discovery

    • The presence of two unique endemic families of freshwater fish in a small region like Kerala is unparalleled and indicates the exceptional diversity and endemicity of fishes in this part of the world.
    • The members of Aenigmachannidae are “living fossils” and comprise an ancient Gondwanan lineage that survived the break-up of the supercontinent and the northward drift of the Indian subcontinent.

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  • Wildlife Conservation Efforts

    3 contenders for National Butterfly Status

    Prelims OnlySpecies | Enviro & Biodiversity | Mains Paper 3: Conservation, Environmental Pollution & Degradation, Eia

    Note4Students

    From UPSC perspective, the following things are important:

    Prelims level: National butterflies

    Mains level: Not Much

    A citizen poll to identify the national butterfly concluded with three species garnering the highest number of votes.

    Try this PYQ:

    Q.With reference to India’s Biodiversity, Ceylon frogmouth, Coppersmith barbet, Gray-chinned minivet and White-throated redstart are-
    (a) Birds
    (b) Primates
    (c) Reptiles
    (d) Amphibians

    Which are the three species?

    (1) Indian Jezebel

    • Blessed with a vibrant colour pattern, including vermilion (Haldi – kumkum), the Indian Jezebel (or Common Jezebel) is known to deter its predators with its flashy wing colours.
    • Regarded as soldiers of farmers, they also prey on parasites that infest fruit-bearing plants.
    • Widely distributed, the species can be spotted in gardens and other lightly wooded areas.

    (2) Krishna Peacock

    • It is a flagship species for biodiversity and conservation, generally found in large numbers in the Himalayas.
    • Possessing a peculiarly large swallowtail, its iridescent green scales diffract light to coat itself in radiance.

    (3) Orange Oakleaf

    • It is commonly known as ‘dead leaf’ for its ability to camouflage as a dry autumn leaf while striking a stationary pose with its wings closed.
    • The masquerade enables the species to prevent it from being devoured by birds in the moist forests of the northern Western Ghats, central, northern and northeastern parts of India where they are generally found.
    • Besides, the Oakleaf is also known to exhibit polyphenism as it assumes specific colour and size during dry and wet seasons.

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