A new frog species of the genus Microhyla (Anura, Microhylidae) is described from riparian mid-elevation (860 m asl) evergreen forest in Namdapha National Park, located in the eastern Himalayan state of Arunachal Pradesh, India. The new species can be morphologically distinguished from other congeners by a suite of characters such as adult size, dorsal and lateral colouration and markings, snout shape, foot webbing, and digit tip morphology. Phylogenetically, the new species is more closely related to some of the smallest known members of the genus. It forms a deeply divergent sister lineage to the clade containing members of the Microhyla zeylanica species group that are restricted to Peninsular India and Sri Lanka, and shows sequential relationship with Southeast Asian species M. superciliaris, followed by clade containing M. aurantiventris + M. butleri. The discovery indicates that novel taxa representing distinct evolutionary lineages still remain to be formally described in the genus Microhyla, especially from less explored regions such as the eastern Himalayan forests in Northeast India.
Foraging behaviour of the black-necked stork (BNS) Ephippiorhynchus asiaticus was studied in 1996 and 1997 in Dudwa National Park (DNP), Uttar Pradesh, India. The storks were observed using tactile and visual techniques to catch ®sh. Of the 929 ®sh seen caught in 2 years, 894 (96%) were caught by a tactile mode of feeding and the remaining 35 (4%) by a visual mode of feeding. The rate of foraging attempts by BNS¯uctuates with that of season in DNP and coincides with prey abundance. Immediately after the monsoon when the water level was high, BNS had to search for prey more often, as the prey became widespread. Whereas in summer when the water level decreased, the concentration of the ®sh was higher, which helps BNS to catch ®sh in quick succession. Prey behaviour and the condition of the wetland determined the selection of the tactile foraging technique among the BNS in DNP. The black-necked storks were more successful in the early hours of the day (06:00±10:00) and they were generally more successful or preferred to feed on medium-sized ®sh (i.e. 5±10 cm) in DNP. Prey pro®tability was highest for larger size ®sh and decreased as the prey size decreased. Principal component analysis showed that prey size, handling time of each prey, the month and water depth determined foraging success in 1996 and 1997.
The effect of water level changes and wading birds' abundance on the foraging behaviour of the blacknecked stork (BNS) Ephippiorhynchus asiaticus was studied from January 1995 to June 1997 in Dudwa National Park, Uttar Pradesh. Our observations indicate that BNS territoriality increased as food levels became depleted, resulting in increased rates of aggression towards intruders. Chasing or aggression was more intense during the early period (February and March) than the late period (April, May and June). Most of (> 50%) the aggressive encounters were observed between 0600 and 1000 h of the day. Seventeen species (including BNS) were observed interacting with BNS, throughout the study period. Most interactions were with the spoonbill, Platalea leucorodia (67.4%), followed by the whitenecked stork, Ciconia episcopus (16.6%). The distance (while foraging) between BNS and other wading birds varied significantly (P < 0.001) between years indicating that BNS and other water birds foraged at different water depths and thereby explored the wetlands fully. Spoonbills were chased often; the number varied from 1 to 43 birds. BNS occasionally accepted the presence of other wading birds, including spoonbills and started foraging amidst them. This led to successful foraging of BNS (solitary feeder). Other fish-eating bird species and their numbers also limited the food consumption of foraging BNS as they had to spend time chasing away the intruders. Availability of the preferred prey fish species, Heteropnestus fossilis, forced BNS to stay throughout the year in their respective territories. High (> 60 cm) water levels were not suitable for BNS even though the patch had high prey abundance.
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