Taxonomy, population status and ecology of Indian desert monitor lizard Varanus griseus koniecznyi Mertens 1954 in the Thar desert of Rajasthan.

Among monitor lizards of the family Varanidae, Indian desert monitor lizard Varanus griseus koniecznyi Mertens 1954 is one of the lesser-known species globally and due to lack of data on this species it is so far not evaluated by IUCN and excluded from the latest assessment of monitor lizards of Southeast Asia and Indo-Australian Archipelago. The present study was undertaken from January 2013 to June 2017 to fill this gap during which taxonomic evaluation along with an assessment of population and ecology of this species was carried out in the Thar desert of Rajasthan (TDR). The study brought into knowledge many morphological variations along with intraspecific variations of scale microstructure of this lizard. The population density was found to be highest in the Jaisalmer (0.102/ha) district of western Rajasthan, followed by Bikaner (0.08/ha) and Sikar (0.077/ha) districts. The overall population was quite low (0.068/ha) in the area. The study further revealed the species is habitat specialist and lives in a narrow range of habitats and microhabitats, and hence, the species may not adapt to the rapidly changing environment in the TDR. Their activity was found to be highest between 9ndash;12 hrs followed by 12-15 hrs and foraging was found to be their predominant activity followed by resting and feeding. In the absence of any detailed study on this species, the study points towards immediate conservation efforts for the species in its current distribution. Baseline data generated through this study will no doubt help to safeguard the species in the TDR and further research on this species in the future.

Description of a new genus and five new species of tube-dwelling spider family Segestriidae (Araneae: Synspermiata) from Odisha, India.

The six-eyed spider family Segestriidae is poorly documented from India, with only five species belonging to two genera. Here we describe a new genus, Indoseges gen. nov. with five new spp. viz. I. malkhangiri sp. nov., I. sushildutta sp. nov., I. chilika sp. nov., I. narayani sp. nov. and I. satkosia sp. nov. from Odisha. The first two spp. are described based on both male and female specimens and the rest on females only. The new genus resembles the genus Ariadna Audouin, 1826; still, males differ with respect to first leg spines, shape and position of apophysis and in the palp structure, and females having distinct spination in palp tarsi and femur of first two legs, and in the genitalia structure. Along with a distribution map of the Segestriids of India this paper also provides natural history information about the new genus, a discussion on its relationship with Ariadna, and the putative synapomorphies that define its placement in the subfamily Ariadninae.

Three new species of Idiops Perty, 1833 (Araneae: Idiopidae) from India.

Three new species of the front-eyed trapdoor genus Idiops, viz., Idiops joida sp. nov. from the Western Ghats of Karnataka, I. mettupalayam sp. nov. from the foothills of the Western Ghats in Tamil Nadu and I. oriya sp. nov. from Odhisa, are described. Natural history information for all these species is provided as is an identification key to Idiops species from South and Southeast Asia.