Contribution of Kodavas to the Indian Armed Forces

Identity is a dynamic phenomenon constructed as a collective product of the actions, interactions, cognition and self-cognizance of human beings. In exploring identity as a product of individual factors and contextual - historical factors embedded in a socio-political context, this paper focuses on the contribution of the Kodavas, a community who form a substantial minority in the Kodagu (Coorg) district of Karnataka to the Indian Armed Forces. Speaking a separate language, adhering to a clan-based social structure, following a belief system that is at substantial variance to other parts of the state, and at times even asserting a historical origin exterior to India, the group carries a larger number of markers that has led them to be regarded and portrayed as one of India’s groups of ‘internal exotics’. Based on literature, this paper aims to bring to light the historical relationship of this community with the Armed Forces. Further, the paper also initiates a discussion on the current status of military fervor among the Kodava youth and the necessary measures to be taken to uphold the warrior spirit of the Kodavas.

Phonognatha vicitra Sherriffs, 1928—a taxonomic misidentification of the orb-weaving spider Acusilas coccineus Simon, 1895 (Araneae, Araneidae)

The species described as Phonognatha vicitra Sherriffs, 1928 is the only representative of the genus Phonognatha Simon, 1894 in India (World Spider Catalog 2018). The type locality of this species was a coffee estate named Charlotte estate/division, which is located adjacent to the Cauvery River in the Siddapura/ Sidapur village in the Kodagu (Coorg) district of the southwest Indian state of Karnataka (Sherriffs 1928). The species is still known from its original description, which is based on seven female specimens, and its male genitalia remained unveiled. For redescribing this species, we had visited the Charlotte estate/division and collected topotype materials of P. vicitra. However, while examining the materials, we found that the specimens from the Charlotte estate/division indeed belong to the South East Asian orb-weaving spider genus Acusilas Simon, 1895, indicating that Sherriffs misplaced his species in Phonognatha. In the present paper, we propose to transfer P. vicitra to Acusilas and synonymise it with Acusilas coccineus Simon, 1895.

A Note on the Distribution of Syzygium neesianum Arn. (Myrtaceae) from India

Syzygium neesianum Arn., a Myrtaceous tree species is reported for the first time for Karnataka from South Canara and Coorg district. A brief description along with photo image of the herbarium specimenis provided herewith for further study.