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opencc-by-4.0Nov 2020View details →

Thermometry and microstructural analysis imply protracted extensional exhumation of the Tso Morari UHP nappe, northwestern Himalaya: implications for models of UHP exhumation

Documenting the processes that facilitate exhumation of ultra-high pressure (UHP) rocks at convergent margins is critical for understanding orogen dynamics. Here, we present structural and temperature data from the Himalayan UHP Tso Morari nappe (TMN) and overlying nappes, which we integrate with published pressure-temperature-time constraints to refine interpretations for their structural evolution and exhumation history. Our data indicate that the 5.5 km-thick TMN is the upper portion of a penetratively deformed ductile slab, which was extruded via distributed, pure shear-dominated, top-down-to-east shearing. Strain in the TMN is recorded by high-strength quartz fabrics (density norms between 1.74-2.86) and finite strain data that define 63% transport-parallel lengthening and 46% transport-normal shortening. The TMN attained peak temperatures of ~500-600°C, which decrease in the overlying Tetraogal and Mata nappes to ~150-300°C, defining a field gradient as steep as 67°C/km. Within the overlying nappes, quartz fabric strength decreases (density norms between 1.14-1.21) and transport-parallel lengthening and transport-normal shortening decrease to 14% and 18%, respectively. When combined with published 40Ar/39Ar thermochronometry, quartz fabric deformation temperatures as low as ~330°C indicate that the top-to-east shearing that exhumed the TMN continued until ~30 Ma. Peak temperatures constrain the maximum depth of the overlying Mata nappe to 12.5-17.5 km; when combined with published fission-track thermochronometry, this provides further support that the TMN was not underplated at upper-crustal levels until ~30 Ma. The long-duration, convergence-subnormal shearing that exhumed the TMN outlasted rapid India-Asia convergence by ~15 Myr and may be the consequence of strain partitioning during oblique convergence.

opennotspecifiedDec 2020View details →

FIGURES 24–27 in Further notes on the flower chafer genus Platysodes Westwood, 1873 (Coleoptera Scarabaeidae: Cetoniinae) with description of a new species from Himalaya

FIGURES 24–27. Habitus of Platysodes Westwood, 1873 species in oblique view. 24, P. sabatinellii Qiu & Xu, new species (CKSJ); 25, P. formosanus Kobayashi, 1990 (slightly greasy, CKSJ); 26, P. jansoni Arrow, 1910 (CKSJ); 27, P. verlorenii Westwood, 1873 (greasy, CKSJ).

opennotspecifiedDec 2020View details →

FIGURES 18–23 in Further notes on the flower chafer genus Platysodes Westwood, 1873 (Coleoptera Scarabaeidae: Cetoniinae) with description of a new species from Himalaya

FIGURES 18–23. Specimens of Platysodes verlorenii Westwood, 1873. 18–22, variability of maculae of elytron: 18, one indistinct macula (slightly greasy, BMNH); 19, macula absent (CKSJ); 20, two indistinct maculae (slightly greasy, CKSJ); 21, two distinct maculae (NHMB); 22, three distinct maculae (CKSJ). 23, distal declivity of elytra (MNHN). Red arrows emphasize the tomentose maculae.

opennotspecifiedDec 2020View details →

FIGURES 1–8 in Further notes on the flower chafer genus Platysodes Westwood, 1873 (Coleoptera Scarabaeidae: Cetoniinae) with description of a new species from Himalaya

FIGURES 1–8. Type specimens of Platysodes sabatinellii Qiu & Xu, new species. 1–3, holotype (BMNH): 1, dorsal view; 2, ventral view; 3, oblique view. 4–5, parameres of paratype in lateral and apical view (Darjeeling, NHMB; provided by Guido Sabatinelli). 6, paratype (CKSJ). 7–8, allotype (MNHN): 7, dorsal view; 8, distal declivity of elytra. Red arrows emphasize the matt area.

opencc-by-4.0Jan 2021View details →

Eocene Metamorphism and Anatexis in the Kathmandu Klippe, central Nepal: Implications for early crustal thickening and initial rise of the Himalaya

Rock samples were collected in Kathmandu Nepal in summer of 2016 and 2017. The monazite trace elements and ages data were analyzed at the Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences by Gautam Prashad Khanal and Jia-Min Wang in 2019.

FIGURE 2 in Description of two new species of ants of the genus Myrmecina Curtis, 1829 (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Myrmicinae) from the Eastern Himalayas

FIGURE 2. Myrmecina bawai sp. nov. worker, holotype; A) Head in full face view; B) Body in dorsal view; C) Body in profile view.

FIGURE 5 in Description of two new species of ants of the genus Myrmecina Curtis, 1829 (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Myrmicinae) from the Eastern Himalayas

FIGURE 5. Myrmecina reticulata sp. nov. worker, holotype; A) Clypeus and mandible; B) Mesosoma in dorsal view; C) Denticle on propodeal dorsum, propodeal spine, petiole and postpetiole in profile view; D) First gastral tergum in dorsal view.

FIGURE 1 in Description of two new species of ants of the genus Myrmecina Curtis, 1829 (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Myrmicinae) from the Eastern Himalayas

FIGURE 1. Myrmecina species distribution in India; A) Number of Myrmecina species by state; B) Type localities of the new species in Mizoram, Northeast India.

FIGURE 4 in Description of two new species of ants of the genus Myrmecina Curtis, 1829 (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Myrmicinae) from the Eastern Himalayas

FIGURE 4. Myrmecina reticulata sp. nov. worker, holotype; A) Head in full face view.; B) Body in dorsal view; C) Body in profile view.

FIGURE 3 in Description of two new species of ants of the genus Myrmecina Curtis, 1829 (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Myrmicinae) from the Eastern Himalayas

FIGURE 3. Myrmecina bawai sp. nov. worker, holotype; A) Clypeus and mandibles; B) Mesosoma in dorsal view; C) Denticle on propodeal dorsum, propodeal spine, petiole and postpetiole in profile view; D) First gastral tergum in dorsal view.

opencc-zeroDec 2010View details →

Data from: A genetic discontinuity in root-nodulating bacteria of cultivated pea in the Indian trans-Himalayas

Evolutionary relationships of 120 root-nodulating bacteria isolated from the nodules of Pisum sativum cultivated at 22 different locations of the trans-Himalayan valleys of Lahaul and Spiti in the state of Himachal Pradesh of India were studied using 16S rRNA gene PCR-RFLP, ERIC-PCR, sequencing of 16S rRNA, atpD, recA, nodC and nifH genes, carbon-source utilization pattern (BIOLOG™), and whole-cell fatty acid profiling. The results demonstrated that all isolates belonged to Rhizobium leguminosarum symbiovar viciae (Rlv). Isolates from the two valleys were clearly separated on the basis of ERIC fingerprints, carbon-source utilization pattern, and whole-cell fatty acid methyl esters. Phylogenetic analysis of atpD, recA, nodC and nifH genes revealed a common Rlv sublineage in Spiti valley. Lahaul valley isolates were represented by 3 sequence types of atpD and recA genes, and four sequence types of nodC and nifH genes. Genotypes from the two valleys were completely distinct, except for two Lahaul isolates that shared nodC and nifH sequences with Spiti isolates but were otherwise more similar to other Lahaul isolates. Isolates from the two highest Spiti valley sites (above 4000m) had a distinctive whole-cell fatty acid profile. Spiti valley isolates are closely related to Rlv sublineages from Xinjiang and Shanxi provinces in China, while Lahaul valley isolates resemble cosmopolitan strains of the western world. The high mountain pass between these valleys represents a boundary between two distinct microbial populations.

opencc-zeroAug 2019View details →

Data from: Snakehead (Teleostei: Channidae) diversity and the Eastern Himalaya biodiversity hotspot

The collision of Indian and Eurasian landmasses in the Cenozoic was a decisive factor in shaping biodiversity patterns in Southern and Southeastern Asia. While most studies thus far have focused on the biotic interchange between India and Eurasia and evolutionary diversification on or around the Tibetan Plateau little attention has been paid to the biodiversity build-up in the Eastern Himalaya biodiversity hotspot (EHH) which harbours over 540 freshwater fish species with a high degree of endemicity. An important component of the regional ichthyofauna are snakeheads fishes of the family Channidae comprising throughout their African-Asian distribution 47 valid species, but a poorly known species-level diversity. In order to evaluate channid intrarelationships and biogeography a temporal and geographical framework of channid evolution in conjunction with a critical reevaluation of the channid fossil record is warranted. Based on molecular data, we provide a comprehensive species-level phylogeny based on 223 channid individuals belonging to 37 species and one additional currently undescribed species. The first split within channids separates the African genus Parachanna from the Asian genus Channa which can be divided into eight distinct species groups (C. micropeltes, C. lucius , C. asiatica, C. argus, C. marulius, C. striata, C. punctata and C. gachua species groups). Large intraspecific divergences were observed within several species and potentially indicate additional species-level diversity. Almost 40% of the channid species are narrow-range endemics belonging to the C. gachua species group. These are found in the EHH making this area an outstanding hotspot for endemic channid diversity. The large majority of the EHH endemics are restricted to the southern foothills of the Eastern Himalaya and the Shillong-Mikir Hills Plateau, areas west of the Indo-Burman Ranges. Our results reveal complex and difficult to interpret biogeographic patterns indicating that both vicariance and dispersal events have potentially been responsible in shaping current distribution patterns in Asian channids. We recognize †Parachanna fayumensis as the oldest reliable channid fossil, and argue that the three oldest so-called channid fossils (i.e., †Eochanna chlorakkiensis, †Anchichanna kuldanensis, and †Ophiocephalus lydekkeri) lack clear diagnostic features that would allow them to be unequivocally placed within Channidae.

opencc-zeroDec 2012View details →

Data from: Flower colour and phylogeny along an altitudinal gradient in the Himalaya of Nepal

1. Both the phylogenetic structure and trait composition of flowering plant communities may be expected to change with altitude. In particular, floral colours are thought to vary with altitude because Hymenoptera typically decline in importance as pollinators while Diptera and Lepidoptera become more important at higher elevations. Thus, ecological filtering among elevation zones and competitive processes among co-occurring species within zones could influence the floral chromatic cues present at low and high elevations. 2. We collected data from 107 species of native flowering plants in the Himalaya mountains of central Nepal over an elevation range of 900-4100 m, which includes habitat ranging from subtropical to subalpine within a relatively small geographical area. 3. There was significant phylogenetic clustering in the communities as a result of monocots, particularly orchids, which were found overwhelmingly at lower elevations. Phylogenetic signal for floral colours indicated that related species had colours that were more disparate than expected under Brownian motion evolution. Floral colours were significantly more diverse in the higher elevation subalpine zone than in the subtropical zone. However, the chromatic cues at both elevations were consistent with the hue discrimination abilities of the trichromatic hymenopteran visual system. 4. Synthesis. Flower colour is not highly differentiated between subtropical and subalpine vegetation due to differences in the available orders of insect pollinators, or by the rate or direction of color evolution in the lineages composing the two communities. Differences in colour diversity between zones may reflect differences in the ecologically available morphospace based on pollinator species richness and the constancy of their foraging behaviour. The chromatic signals present in Nepali species are similar to the signals found in insect-pollinated floras of other regions of the world.

opencc-zeroDec 2015View details →

Data from: Genetics, morphology and ecology reveal a cryptic pika lineage in the Sikkim Himalaya

Asian pika species are morphologically ∼similar and have overlapping ranges. This leads to uncertainty and species misidentification in the field. Phylogenetic analyses of such misidentified samples leads to taxonomic ambiguity. The ecology of many pika species remains understudied, particularly in the Himalaya, where sympatric species could be separated by elevation and/or substrate. We sampled, measured, and acquired genetic data from pikas in the Sikkim Himalaya. Our analyses revealed a cryptic lineage, Ochotona sikimaria, previously reported as a subspecies of O. thibetana. The results support the elevation of this lineage to the species level, as it is genetically divergent from O. thibetana, as well as sister species, O. cansus (endemic to central China) and O. curzoniae (endemic to the Tibetan plateau). The Sikkim lineage diverged from its sister species' about 1.7–0.8 myr ago, coincident with uplift events in the Himalaya. Our results add to the recent spate of cryptic diversity identified from the eastern Himalaya and highlight the need for further study within the Ochotonidae.

opencc-zeroDec 2016View details →

Data from: Assessing changes in distribution of the endangered snow leopard Panthera uncia and its wild prey over 2 decades in the Indian Himalaya through interview-based occupancy surveys

Understanding species distributions, patterns of change and threats can form the basis for assessing the conservation status of elusive species that are difficult to survey. The snow leopard Panthera uncia is the top predator of the Central and South Asian mountains. Knowledge of the distribution and status of this elusive felid and its wild prey is limited. Using recall-based key-informant interviews we estimated site use by snow leopards and their primary wild prey, blue sheep Pseudois nayaur and Asiatic ibex Capra sibirica, across two time periods (past: 1985–1992; recent: 2008–2012) in the state of Himachal Pradesh, India. We also conducted a threat assessment for the recent period. Probability of site use was similar across the two time periods for snow leopards, blue sheep and ibex, whereas for wild prey (blue sheep and ibex combined) overall there was an 8% contraction. Although our surveys were conducted in areas within the presumed distribution range of the snow leopard, we found snow leopards were using only 75% of the area (14,616 km2). Blue sheep and ibex had distinct distribution ranges. Snow leopards and their wild prey were not restricted to protected areas, which encompassed only 17% of their distribution within the study area. Migratory livestock grazing was pervasive across ibex distribution range and was the most widespread and serious conservation threat. Depredation by free-ranging dogs, and illegal hunting and wildlife trade were the other severe threats. Our results underscore the importance of community-based, landscape-scale conservation approaches and caution against reliance on geophysical and opinion-based distribution maps that have been used to estimate national and global snow leopard ranges.

FIGURES 62–66 in Studies on water mites (Acari, Hydrachnidia) from the Himalayas, I. The water mite genus Feltria Koenike, with descriptions of eight new species

FIGURES 62–66. Feltria gereckei sp. nov., male holotype: 62 = idiosoma, dorsal view; 63 = idiosoma, ventral view; 64 = palp, lateral view; 65 = palp, medial view; 66 = III-L-5/6. Scale Bars = 100µm.

FIGURES 50–55 in Studies on water mites (Acari, Hydrachnidia) from the Himalayas, I. The water mite genus Feltria Koenike, with descriptions of eight new species

FIGURES 50–55. Feltria balneatoris sp. nov., male (50–53 = holotype, 54–55 = paratype): 50 = idiosoma, dorsal view; 51 = idiosoma, ventral view; 52-53 = III-L-5/6; 54 = palp, lateral view; 55 = III-L-5/6. Scale Bars = 100µm.

FIGURES 48–49 in Studies on water mites (Acari, Hydrachnidia) from the Himalayas, I. The water mite genus Feltria Koenike, with descriptions of eight new species

FIGURES 48–49. Feltria kulluis sp. nov., female: 44 = idiosoma, dorsal view; 45 = idiosoma, ventral view. Scale Bars = 100µm.

FIGURES 30–34 in Studies on water mites (Acari, Hydrachnidia) from the Himalayas, I. The water mite genus Feltria Koenike, with descriptions of eight new species

FIGURES 30–34. Feltria schwoerbeli sp. nov., male, Darjeeling: 30–31 = idiosoma, dorsal view; 32 = idiosoma, dorsal view; 33 = palp, lateral view; 34 = palp (P-1 missing), medial view. Scale Bars = 100µm.

FIGURES 25–29 in Studies on water mites (Acari, Hydrachnidia) from the Himalayas, I. The water mite genus Feltria Koenike, with descriptions of eight new species

FIGURES 25–29. Feltria schwoerbeli sp. nov., IND' 95/219 (25–28 = male, 29 = female): 25 = idiosoma, dorsal view; 26 = idiosoma, ventral view; 27 = III-L-5/6 (without claws); 28 = III-L-6 (without claws), posterior view; 29 = idiosoma, ventral view. Scale Bars = 100µm.