Redescription of Acanthochitona mahensis Winckworth, 1927 (Polyplacophora, Acanthochitonidae) from Indian Coasts.

A redescription of the chiton species Acanthochitona mahensis collected from the type locality is provided and its holotype is studied. This species has been previously recorded from the coasts of India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Eritrea, and Jordan. It is compared with similar species (Acanthochitona biformis, A. jugotenuis, A. intermedia, A. leopoldi, A. penicillata and A. woodwardi). In India, the species has been reported from the mainland and Andaman Islands. New distributional records from the coast of India are also provided.

DNA barcodes for the pipefish genus Corythoichthys (Actinopterygii: Syngnathiformes) from the Indian Ocean provide insights into cryptic diversity.

The syngnathiform genus Corythoichthys comprises a group of taxonomically complex, tail-brooding (Syngnathinae) pipefishes widely distributed in the Indo-Pacific region. Due to the presence of overlapping interspecific morphological characters, reliable taxonomic information on Corythoichthys is still lacking. Using 52 CO1 sequences, including seven newly generated, a phylogenetic analysis was carried out to understand the genetic diversity, distribution and 'species groups' within the genus Corythoichthys. Species delimitation using Automatic Barcode Gap Discovery (ABGD) analysis confirmed the presence of 13 species which include 'species-complexes' previously considered as a single taxon. Our results revealed the presence of three species groups, 'C. amplexus', 'C. conspicillatus' and 'C. haematopterus' and four unidentified/undescribed species in the wider Indo-Pacific realm. Interestingly, 60 sequences and a mitogenome identified as Corythoichthys in GenBank are misidentified at the genus level. Based on our findings, we suggest that the taxonomy and systematics of Corythoichthys need to be re-examined and validated using integrative methods, and care should be taken while selecting specimens for genetic studies.

Phylogeny of the hillstream loach genus Mesonoemacheilus reveals widespread diversification through ancient drainage connections in the Western Ghats Biodiversity Hotspot.

Rivers draining the Western Ghats (WG) mountain ranges in peninsular India harbor an exceptionally diverse, unique and evolutionarily distinct assemblage of lower vertebrates with high levels of endemism, attributed to their evolution and potentially long history of isolation during the Late Cretaceous or Early Tertiary. A molecular phylogeny of hillstream loaches of the genus Mesonoemacheilus endemic to the WG revealed the presence of four clades which we designate as 'species groups'. A consensus of various species delimitation methods indicates the likelihood of 'at least' seven more undescribed species within Mesonoemacheilus. Molecular clock analysis dates the basal clade around 38 mya in the Paleogene, and subsequent diversification in the Neogene and Quaternary periods resulting in the current genetic diversity. Biogeographic analysis suggests that vicariance events which separated the rivers on either side of the two geological barriers/gaps, the Palghat and Shencottah, in the Neogene, as well as range contractions and cladogenetic events contributed to the current patterns of diversity and distribution of this genus. Our results also provide preliminary indications on the interconnections and faunal exchange between historical river drainages in the WG region.

Prevalence of skeletal tissue growth anomalies in a scleractinian coral: Turbinaria mesenterina of Malvan Marine Sanctuary, eastern Arabian Sea.

Skeletal tissue growth anomalies (STAs) of corals are capable of causing considerable degradation of reef health. This study is the first report of growth anomalies in Turbinaria corals and the first descriptive study of Indian corals. T. mesenterina colonies at 2 sites were affected by small, round to irregularly shaped growth anomalies. Prevalence of STAs was observed to be higher in T. mesenterina colonies with larger diameters. Prevalence of STAs on T. mesenterina was 71% at Site 1 and 40% at Site 2. Affected colonies were seen to be undergoing tissue damage and infiltration by filamentous algae. We describe the gross morphology of growth anomalies which can act as baseline data for growth anomalies from this region, but further investigation is needed to understand the form and etiology of this coral disease.