Singular fauna of Entomobryidae (Collembola) from “land of passes” in the Himalayas, India

Authors

  • Enrique Baquero Department of Environmental Biology, University of Navarra, 31008, Pamplona, Navarra, Spain
  • Gurupada Mandal Zoological Survey of India, Government of India, New Alipore, 700 053, Kolkata, India
  • Rafael Jordana Department of Environmental Biology, University of Navarra, 31008, Pamplona, Navarra, Spain

Keywords:

Ladakh, chaetotaxy, Entomobrya diskitensis sp. nov., E. ladakhi sp. nov., E. choudhurii sp. nov., E. mehtai sp. nov., Himalanura baijali sp. nov., Seira nidarensis sp. nov., S. hazrai sp. nov.

Abstract

The present study of collembolan fauna is based on collections made during Aug–Sep 2008 from Ladakh district of Jammu and Kashmir, India, as a part of the “Cold Desert Expedition” of Zoological Survey of India. Ladakh, which means “land of many passes”, is in northwestern India, bordering on China (Xinjiang and Tibet), and on its northwest it borders on Pakistan. The collembolans were collected from different parts of Ladakh district. The collections were mainly made through aspirators from leaf litter, mosses, under stones, a flower garden, agricultural fields, an embankment of a river, wetland and sand dunes. For the genera Corynothrix and Himalanura, an artic-alpine disjunction was found. Lepidocyrtus (Allocyrtus) lepidornatus was referred for a third time after 2 previous references from Philippines and Borneo. Seven new species belonging to Entomobryidae family are described: Entomobrya diskitensis sp. nov., E. ladakhi sp. nov., E. choudhurii sp. nov., E. mehtai sp. nov., Himalanura baijali sp. nov., Seira nidarensis sp. nov. and S. hazrai sp. nov.

 

El presente studio de fauna de colembolos esta basado en la recoleccion hecha a lo largo de los meses de agosto y septiembre de 2008, en Ladakh, distrito de Jammu y Kashmi, India. Este muestreo es parte de la “Cold Desert Expedition” del Zoological Survey de India. Ladakh significa “Tierra de muchos pasos”, y esta localizado en la parte noroccidental de la India, haciendo frontera con China (Tibet), y su parte mas occidental hace frontera con Pakistan. Los colembolos fueron recolectados en diferentes partes del distrito de Ladakh. El muestreo se realizo por medio de aspirador en el mantillo, musgos, bajo piedras, jardines, campos agricolas, orilla del rio, zonas humedas y dunas de arena. Para los generos Corynothrix e Himalanura se ha encontrado una disjuncion articoalpina. Lepidocyrtus (Allocyrtus) lepidornatus ha sido encontrado por tercera vez, despues de dos referencias previas de Filipinas y Borneo. Se describen siete nuevas especies de la familia Entomobryidae : Entomobrya diskitensis sp. nov., E. ladakhi sp. nov., E. choudhurii sp. nov., E. mehtai sp. nov., Himalanura baijali sp. nov., Seira nidarensis sp. nov. and S. hazrai sp. nov.


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Issue

Vol. 97, No. 4 (December 2014)

Section

Research Papers

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