Diversity pattern of butterfly communities (Lepidoptera) in different habitat types of Nahan, Himachal Pradesh, India

Diversity and similarity of butterfly communities were assessed in three different habitat types in the mountains of Nahan, Himachal Pradesh, from May 2012 to April 2013. A total of 75 species and five families were reported. Proportion of species was highest in deciduous dry forest (49%), followed by Shorea (Saal) forest (34%), and Pinus (Cheer) forest (17%). Family Pieridae was dominant followed by Nymphalidae in all three habitat types. Cluster analysis revealed that Cheer forest stood out clearly from Dry and Saal forest which represents the different species composition. We found significant differences in butterfly diversity in the three forest types based on Shannon index, Simpson dominance index, and Buzas & Gibson’s evenness. These differences may be attributable to variations in host and nectar plant distribution. Of the habitats surveyed, dry deciduous forest appeared to be the most suitable for butterfly conservation.

A new genus and species of pinworm (Nematoda, Oxyuridae) from the gray mouse opossum, Tlacuatzin canescens

Tlacuatzoxyuris simpsoni n. gen. n. sp. is described from the cecum of the gray opossum, Tlacuatzin canescens, a species endemic to the deciduous dry forest of Mexico. The digestive tracts of four specimens were examined for parasites; three of these were archived in the American Museum of Natural History and one was a live capture. Relative to the other four monotypic genera of pinworms known to infect opossums, the new genus is diagnosed on the basis of a round cephalic plate with a semicircular stoma surrounded by a rim. In addition, males feature a prominent cephalic vesicle not fully developed in females, accounting for sexual dimorphism. The new species includes small worms that feature a conspicuous, not reticulated cephalic vesicle and semicircular stoma and lateral alae with two crests. In addition, the postcloacal cuticle of males features a small area with ornamentation between cloaca and submedial papillae. Finally, both spicule and gubernaculum are relatively short. Although the eggs of Tlacuatzoxyuris n. gen. are unknown, the conspicuous differences in traits used in the diagnosis of genera prompted us to propose a new genus for the new species. This is the first species of Oxyuridae reported in mouse opossums outside South America, and the fifth species of the family occurring in didelphimorph marsupials. This is an example of the usefulness of documenting the diversity of parasites associated with this unique clade of mammals through the examination of preserved tissues.

A new species of cryptically coloured day gecko (Phelsuma) from the Tsingy de Bemaraha National Park in western Madagascar

Phelsuma borai sp. nov. (Squamata: Gekkonidae) is described from the Tsingy de Bemaraha National Park, a deciduous dry forest on a karstic limestone massif in western Madagascar. The new species, known from a single specimen only, has a greyish-brown ground colouration and the ability of remarkable colour change. In terms of colouration and morphology it most closely resembles Phelsuma mutabilis, which might occur in sympatry, but differs by scalation, colouration and strong genetic divergence.