Glyphochloa acuminata (Hack.) Clayton var. laevis (Poaceae): a new variety from central Western Ghats of Karnataka, India

This communication describes a new variety of Glyphochloa acuminata var. laevis from the lateritic plateau of central Western Ghats of Karnataka, southern India.

Observations on the flowering plant diversity of Madayippara, a southern Indian lateritic plateau from Kerala, India

Northern Kerala of southern India is characterized by widely spread lateritic plateaus which provide an extremely harsh physical environment for life leading to the development of specialized plant communities with a large number of endemic and habitat specific species. Madayippara, a midland lateritic plateau located in the Kannur District of northern Kerala is an icon of rich floristic diversity and endemism. The plateau forms a number of microhabitats due to the difference in geographic terrain and soil cover, thus forming a complex of habitats with diverse forms of plants, mainly ephemeral herbs. Out of the 636 flowering plant taxa recorded from the microhabitats of the plateau, within a limited area of 3.65km2, 160 (c. 25%) are endemics. Most of the endemic species occur in specialized microhabitats. The plateau is the type locality of 11 taxa. Lateritic plateaus of southern India, which are associated with characteristic and rich biodiversity, are now under varied types of anthropogenic threats such as large scale mining for bricks and clay, and they need urgent attention for conservation of the biodiversity.

Lepidagathis ananthapuramensis (Acanthaceae): a new species from the lateritic plateaus of Kerala, India

A new species of Lepidagathis from the lateritic plateau of Kasaragod district of Kerala, India, is described and illustrated as Lepidagathis ananthapuramensis sp. nov. The new species resembles L.keralensis but differs in having erect habit, hairy stem, roots borne only on the basal root stock , hairy veins of leaves, early blooming period, one-sided purplish brown long inflorescence,14–30 flowers per spike, four ovules in the ovary and 1–4 seeded capsule.

Annotated list of anurans from the lateritic plateau of western India with notes on malformations

Lateritic plateaus of India are geographically and ecologically complex plateaus that support endemic flora and fauna. However, despite their uniqueness they are termed as “wastelands”. The plateaus’ overall treeless structure makes them susceptible to developmental activities like infrastructure growth, waste dumping, and urbanization. This paper presents a list of anurans compiled from surveys carried out in the years between 2016 and 2018 in the town of Manipal, a predominant lateritic landscape on the west coast of India. The list comprises of 19 species belonging to five different families, includes notes on microhabitat structure and associated species. We also present descriptions of malformed frogs recorded during the surveys. The growing demands for urbanization, presence of malformed frogs, and habitat complexities that support species densities highlight the need to re-evaluate our understanding towards these plateaus. We express our concern towards the need for conservation of these lesser known amphibian habitats.  

Small Mammals of the Mitchell Plateau Region, Kimberley, Western-Australia

This paper presents the background for a series on the biology of small mammals in the Mitchell Plateau region, an area characterised by a wet-dry tropical climate. From June 1981 to December 1982, 19 species of small terrestrial mammals were captured at Mitchell Plateau. Of 17 species captured on eight mark-release grids, 13 clustered into four significant groups which reflected the major habitats of the region: (1) Sminthopsis virginiae, Leggadina sp. and Pseudomys nanus in riparian and plateau escarpment sites; (2) Phascogale tapoatafa, Trichosurus arnhemensis and Pseudomys laborifex in plateau open forest; (3) Conilurus penicillatus and Mesembriomys macrurus in open woodland and coastal mosaics; (4) the commoner species Dasyurus hallucatus, Isoodon macrourus, Melomys sp. cf. burtoni, Zyzomys argurus and S. woodwardi in an array of habitats. Rattus tunneyi, Pseudantechinus sp., Wyulda squamicaudata and Planigale maculata did not cluster significantly with other species. Two species, Pseudomys delicatulus and Mesembriomys gouldii, were represented by single specimens captured outside the capture-mark-release grids, in sandstone and plateau woodland respectively. Open forests, particularly on the lateritic plateau surfaces, had the richest and most diverse mammal assemblage over the entire study period. The vine thickets and sandstone contained relatively stable populations of fewer species, and several habitats had seasonally variable populations and species.