Dhriti Banerjee

An annotated checklist of the family Sarcophagidae of modern India is provided, based primarily on extensive survey of relevant literature. A total of 137 species belonging to 19 genera are presented, of which 41 species are currently known exclusively from India. This checklist includes detailed information regarding the taxonomy, synonymy, nomenclature and geographical distribution of all the species. With numerous changes of taxonomic status, synonymies, new records and newly described species over the past decade, this work represents a first step towards a comprehensive systematic overview of the Indian flesh flies.

The family Chironomidae is a species-rich group of aquatic insects, yet the chironomid fauna of India remains poorly explored. This study contributes to the knowledge of Indian Chironomidae biodiversity by describing two new species of Olecryptotendipes Zorina, Olecryptotendipes fasciculus sp. nov. and Olecryptotendipes distentus sp. nov. expanding the number of species to nine. A morphology-based cladistic analysis was conducted to assess species relationships and evaluate the monophyly of Olecryptotendipes within the Harnischia complex, providing the first phylogenetic framework for the genus from India. Additionally, an updated key to all known global species of Olecryptotendipes is provided to facilitate future taxonomic identification.

Prior to this study, the narrow‐ridged finless porpoise ( Neophocaena asiaeorientalis ) had been extensively studied across East Asia, whereas the wide‐ridged finless porpoise ( Neophocaena phocaenoides ) remained comparatively poorly characterized throughout its broad geographic range, particularly in the Indian Ocean. This study addresses this gap through morphological, mitogenomic, and ecological analyses of an N. phocaenoides carcass from Kozhikode Beach, Arabian Sea, India. The specimen was identified as N. phocaenoides based on the absence of a dorsal fin, a broad dorsal ridge, a blunt beakless head, spade‐shaped teeth, and a short broad rostrum. The comparative analysis of Neophocaena revealed conserved vertebrate gene organization, A + T‐rich composition, diverse codon usage, strong purifying selection across all protein‐coding genes, and nucleotide variation in the control region. The overall mean interspecific genetic distance among Neophocaena species and subspecies was 0.005. The Bayesian phylogenetic analysis and haplotype network reconstruction revealed high haplotype diversity (Hd = 0.9957) and consistently clustered the newly generated mitogenome with the previously reported Arabian Sea sequence, forming a distinct lineage separated from the Pacific populations. Additionally, multiple species delimitation analyses recovered six Operational Taxonomic Units across geographic regions, although broader sampling is required to validate these patterns across the Indian Ocean. Furthermore, ensemble Species Distribution Modeling identified 378,540 km ² of suitable habitat, primarily driven by bathymetry (61.92%). While significant adequate habitats were identified in China, Indonesia, and the Arabian Sea, only 23.37% of these areas overlap with existing Marine Protected Areas and Important Marine Mammal Areas. Moreover, high anthropogenic pressure was detected in high‐suitability regions, particularly in the South China Sea and Persian/Arabian Gulf. These findings underscore the vulnerability of N. phocaenoides and support the need for adaptive, regionally coordinated conservation strategies aligned with Convention on Biological Diversity and IUCN‐Cetacean Specialist Group frameworks.

Owls (order Strigiformes) represent a highly specialized lineage of nocturnal raptors, within which the genus Strix (family Strigidae) comprises several widely distributed species despite the limited availability of comprehensive mitogenomic data. In this study, the complete mitogenome of the Mottled Wood-owl, Strix ocellata (Lesson, 1839), was characterized to investigate its genomic organization, structural features, and patterns of gene rearrangement. Furthermore, the phylogenetic position of S. ocellata was evaluated within the broader lineage of Strigiformes using concatenated mitochondrial protein-coding genes (PCGs), and among congeners using partial COI and Cytb genes. The circular mitogenome of S. ocellata was 19,135 bp in length and comprised the typical vertebrate mitochondrial complement of 13 PCGs, 22 transfer RNA genes (tRNAs), two ribosomal RNA genes (rRNAs), and two non-coding control regions (CRs). The selective pressure analyses revealed strong purifying selection acting across all PCGs, whereas codon usage analysis demonstrated biased synonymous codon preferences, with arginine, leucine, and serine representing the most abundant amino acids. The CR retained the three characteristic conserved domains, while variation in tandem repeat motifs suggested evolutionary divergence among the examined taxa. The phylogenetic inference based on complete mitogenome datasets strongly supported the monophyly of the genus Strix . Notably, S. ocellata occupied a putatively basal position relative to other Strix species based on both complete mitogenomes and partial mitochondrial markers. The comparative examination of mitochondrial gene arrangements revealed a largely conserved genomic architecture across Strigiformes, with observed transposition and duplication events involving ND6, Cytb, several tRNA genes, and the CRs. Collectively, this study provides the first mitogenomic characterization of S. ocellata as well as evolutionary relationships within Strix and the broader Strigiformes lineage. Nevertheless, these findings underscore the need for additional complete mitogenome sequences and whole-genome datasets from broader taxonomic and geographic sampling. Such expanded genomic resources will improve phylogenetic resolution and facilitate a more comprehensive understanding of the evolutionary history and diversification of this owl lineage.

A new species, Drawida incomparabilis Ahmed & Narayanan, sp. nov., is described from the specimens collected from the Western Ghats mountain chain of Keralam and Tamil Nadu states of Southern India. Drawida incomparabilis sp. nov., is a unique species, which is distinguishable from all known species of the genus Drawida by the presence of glandular prostate and posterior location of the gizzards (six to eight in segments 24–33). Furthermore, we also report the re-collection of D. loricata Gates, 1945 from Tamil Nadu State after 81 years since its first description.

Despite being considered one of the biodiversity hotspots, the mountainous region of Eastern Himalaya remains poorly studied due to difficult terrain, limited accessibility, and harsh climatic conditions. The present study used 50 camera traps for assessing the mammalian diversity in Tawang district of Arunachal Pradesh from September 2024 to June 2025. Among 50 camera traps, a single capture of the rare and elusive Clouded Leopard was recorded in a broadleaf forest at an elevation of 2,080 m on 28 January 2025, with additional records later obtained from two other camera locations in Tawang. This detection suggests a possible range extension of this globally vulnerable species in Tawang, Arunachal Pradesh, and corroborates earlier records from high-altitude areas of the state. Hence, the present study provides the baseline information on clouded leopard presence from the district. We suggest long-term monitoring and intensive camera trapping for the conservation and management of this threatened species.

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.

Camera trapping is widely used to study elusive and cryptic wild animals in the field of wildlife ecology. Although, primarily designed for mammals, yet camera traps have increasingly documented avifauna, offering valuable insights into species presence, behaviour and habitat use. However, such records are underreported, especially from the Himalayan regions. We report first camera trap record of the Indian Peafowl (Pavo cristatus), from the Kanchenjunga Biosphere Reserve (KBR), West Sikkim. Thereby, extending current knowledge on the species occurrence and camera trapping value for the avian documentation.

Twelve species of the genus Volucella are currently recognised from India, including the first records of V. inanoides Hervé-Bazin, 1923, and V. linearis Walker, 1852, from the country. Volucella xanthopygata Curran, 1928, is here synonymized with Volucella peleterii Macquart, 1834. Volucella signata Brunetti, 1923, previously listed as a valid species in Indian checklists, is also confirmed as a synonym of V. peleterii. Volucella kinnaurensis Sengupta, Naskar & Banerjee, 2023, is treated as a junior synonym of V. inanoides. Previous misidentifications of Volucella ruficauda Brunetti, 1907, from India and Pakistan are corrected to Volucella varipila Coe, 1964. A diagnosis and updated identification key to all Indian species are provided. High-quality images of newly collected specimens, including detailed microphotographs of terminalia, as well as type and non-type images where available, are presented to facilitate identification. These updates significantly refine the taxonomy and distributional knowledge of Indian Volucella species.