Thangavel Kubendran

To date, six Ephemerellidae genera have been reported from India. Nymphal material from Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland form the bases for reporting three additional genera from India for the first time: Ephacerella Paclt 1994, Kangella Sartori 2004 and Notacanthella Jacobus & McCafferty 2008. Each taxon is illustrated in detail, and each is discussed in its systematic context.

Clypeocaenis malzacheri is known from nymphs and eggs from the Western Ghats (Kottagudi River, Kurangani, Theni district, Tamil Nadu), India. The unknown adult stage (male and female imagoes) is described herein based on our recent collection. A key to the imagoes of the genus Clypeocaenis in the Oriental region is also provided. Type locality and the map showing the localities are also provided.

A new record of the species Baetis (Rhodobaetis) oreophilus Kluge, 1982 is based on larvae collected from Lam stream, Pulwama district, Jammu & Kashmir. The species is reported for the first time from India, and re-described after four decades based on larval material. It is placed within the subgenus Rhodobaetis s.l. Jacob, 2003. A comparison table between closely related species of the subgenus and distribution map is also provided.

The present study provides an integrative taxonomic assessment of the burrowing mayfly family Ephemeridae (Ephemeroptera) from the Western Ghats, India, through a combination of morphological and molecular approaches. Four new species viz., Ephemera kapilaensis sp. nov., Ephemera kodai sp. nov., Ephemera kudremukha sp. nov., and Ephemera subramanyai sp. nov., are described based on both larval and imaginal characters. This work provides the first molecular characterization of Ephemera species from southern India and generates the first DNA barcodes for the subgenus Ephemera in this region. The finding highlights the importance of integrative taxonomy in resolving species boundaries and evolutionary relationships among Oriental Ephemera. Additionally, the study provides distributional data, habitat ecology of the new species, and an identification key to all known species of the Western Ghats.

We morphologically describe three new species of the subgenus Tenuibaetis Kang & Yang, 1994 based on larvae recently collected from streams and rivers in different states of North India. Baetis (Tenuibaetis) dzulekensis sp. nov. is characterized by labrum rounded, dorsal submarginal arc of setae composed with 1+5 simple setae; dorsal margin of forefemora with 24–25 long, stout, spatulate 2-channel setae. Baetis (Tenuibaetis) jhargramensis sp. nov. is characterized by submarginal arc of labrum with 1+6 simple setae; dorsal margin of forefemur with 20–21 long, stout, apically rounded 2-channel setae. B. (T.) reasiensis sp. nov. is characterized by labrum with dorsal submarginal arc of 1+7 simple setae; dorsal margin of forefemur with row of 22–23 long, stout, apically rounded 2-channel setae; claw with a row of 12 denticles. Additionally, we provide ecological notes on the streams and rivers where these species were collected. A comparison of the morphological characters of all known species of Tenuibaetis from India is also provided.

Two new species of the genus Thalerosphyrus are described based on larvae collected from India, viz., T. bengalensis Vasanth, Kubendran & Subramanian sp. nov. and T. sartorii Vasanth, Kubendran & Subramanian sp. nov., and these are described based on larvae collected from Tamil Nadu and West Bengal, India. The new species are closely related to T. flowersi and T. meghalayaensis and compared to all known species of the genus Thalerosphyrus from the Oriental region. These new species are strongly distinguished from T. flowersi, as demonstrated by clear photographs of the paratype specimen of the larva. A key to the known species of the genus Thalerosphyrus from India and a distribution map are provided.

We present the description of a new mayfly species, Platybaetis arunachalensis sp. nov., based on larval specimens collected from Arunachal Pradesh, India. Additionally, we provide the first complete description and a new record of Platybaetis uenoi Müller-Liebenau, 1980, based on recently collected larval specimens from Nagaland, India. This study includes taxonomic updates for the genus Platybaetis Müller-Liebenau, 1980 in India, along with a distribution map of Platybaetis species and ecological insights into their habitats. Our work enhances the understanding of Platybaetis diversity and distribution in India, contributing valuable information for future ecological and conservation studies.

A concise overview of the diversity and distribution of Ephemeroptera of Indian Himalaya, a global biodiversity hotspot, is presented. The current study summarizes the diversity and distribution of Ephemeroptera of the seven Himalayan states of India: Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Utter Pradesh, Sikkim, and Arunachal Pradesh. This study documents 10 families, 34 genera, 89 species. A total of 57 species are considered endemic to the region. The richest diversity is reported from the states of Himachal Pradesh and Arunachal Pradesh and the maximum diversity is seen within three families and three genera. Updated information on Ephemeroptera of the Himalaya parts of Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan and China is required to comprehensively understand the diversity and endemicity of the hotspot. Further, to advance our knowledge of Ephemeroptera of the region, a synthesis of the taxonomy of adults and larvae with description of all life history stages within a molecular phylogenetic framework is urgently required.

Baetis simplex Kapur and Kripalani, 1961 is redescribed taxonomically based on the freshly collected larval material from the North Western Himalaya of the Sainj Wildlife Sanctuary, Kullu Valley, Kullu, Himachal Pradesh. The distribution map of the Baetis simplex is also appended.

As part of ongoing exploration of the mayflies of streams and rivers of Indian Himalayan regions, we describe two new species of the genus Tenuibaetis based on recently collected materials from Western Himalaya viz., Tenuibaetis himani Kubendran, Vasanth & Subramanian sp. nov. and Tenuibaetis kangi Kubendran, Vasanth & Subramanian sp. nov. Additionally, two new records from Eastern Himalaya viz., T. arduus (Kang & Yang, 1994) and T. inornatus (Kang & Yang, 1994) are presented. The biological notes of the stream/rivers are appended. A key to the known Indian species of the genus Tenuibaetis and a distribution maps are provided.