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Human–wildlife conflict has been documented to impact some communities heterogeneously, particularly along gender lines (e.g., women experiencing inequitably increased workloads and economic hardship, and decreased physical safety and psychological wellbeing), leading to different attitudes towards wildlife. Despite possible gendered discrepancies, women’s perceptions of conservation management are often insufficiently explored, leading to incomplete understandings of conservation dynamics, and unjust conservation policies. In an effort to investigate if and how perceptions of tiger reintroductions are disparate, we conducted focus group discussions with women and men living in and around Sariska Tiger Reserve in Rajasthan, India. Results demonstrate clear gendered delineations in perceptions, where male participants predominantly focused on economic and ecological benefits, and female participants highlighted threats to personal safety and hidden costs (e.g., potential abuse, dowry concerns). This research underscores the importance of documenting and understanding gendered perceptions of carnivores to achieve the broad community support necessary for successful reintroduction efforts worldwide. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s13280-021-01649-0.

Habitat for tigers and many carnivores is fragmented and degraded to an extent that the existing land base supporting discrete tiger populations is often inadequate to maintain viable populations. Using fine-scale location data of dispersing tigers, we studied their exploratory movements in Thailand’s Western Forest Complex (WEFCOM), where the last remaining viable tiger population in mainland Southeast Asia resides. We mapped 21,897 locations of three satellite-collared tigers as they made 11 forays from the vicinity of their natal areas in Huai Kha Khaeng Wildlife Sanctuary to four adjacent protected areas in WEFCOM and Myanmar. Our objectives were to describe (1) the spatial and temporal movements of dispersing tigers and (2) the quality of habitat moved through during dispersal and at the time they established a territory. We used the probability of tiger occupancy at hourly locations as a measure of quality of the habitat traversed by dispersing tigers, and we compared these probabilities of use to probabilities at hourly locations of resident, breeding females. Dispersal forays lasted 3 to 52 days and ranged from 29 to 301 km. During these forays, tigers explored areas where the probability of tiger habitat use ranged from 0.212 to 0.961. One dispersing female settled in a territory with a 0.721 probability of use in the range of use in the territories of 10 breeding females (p = 0.600–0.914). This study produced the first high temporal resolution data of tiger dispersal movements in a landscape where the occurrence and probability of use by tigers is known. These data also support modeling of dispersal and landscape resistance that provides critical information for managers seeking to increase connectivity and extent of tiger habitat.

The decreasing tiger population in the world ecosystem is a threat to nature conservation. Canine distemper virus (CDV) is a deadly virus found in the tiger worldwide, one of the vital causes of their extinction. This paper figure outs the influence of CDV on tiger populations. We have developed and studied a delayed eco-epidemiological tiger-dog/wild carnivores predator-prey model with CDV infection in tiger and dog/wild carnivores considering incubation delay $$\tau$$ for CDV infected dogs and wild carnivores. We studied the existence, boundedness, stability, and bifurcation of the solutions. Our analysis shows that the coexistence equilibrium is locally stable for all incubation delay $$\tau >\tau ^+$$ . The system switches its stability as incubation delay crosses its critical value $$\tau =\tau ^+$$ , perceives oscillations, and Hopf bifurcation occurs in the system for all $$\tau

Identifying species from various confiscated material is a prerequisite and of utmost importance to extend support to the law enforcement agencies in curbing illegal wildlife trade and prosecution of the cases in the court of law. Cranio and odontometric measurements have been used in developing characters for ascertaining species identity from the osteological specimens. In the present study, we established baseline data by measuring the cranial and odontometric variables in differentiating the skulls of three big cats of India, i.e. tiger, leopard and lion. The skulls of tigers were the largest and weighed heaviest among three felids and the lateral profiles revealed very sharp maxilla-naso-frontal suture angle. The skulls of lions were relatively intermediate in size having obtuse maxilla-naso-frontal suture angle with relatively rounded appearance. Leopard skulls were smallest having a prominent canine grooves and convex nasal profiles. The multivariate, principal component analysis using the selected cranio-mandibular measurement data successfully differentiated the three species. The findings of the present study will aid in forensic identification of the confiscated cranium/parts or tooth of these three big cats and open new avenues to examine the museum specimens with the reported cranio-mandibular measurements.

Maintaining landscape connectivity for large felids by preserving and restoring corridors between core habitats is crucial to their long-term conservation. Tiger, leopard, and clouded leopard populations occur in isolated habitat patches across the Dawna-Tanintharyi Landscape (DTL) of Kawthoolei (all Karen National Union administrative areas in Myanmar) and Thailand. We analyzed connectivity among 18 habitat patches in this transboundary region based on large felid presence and expert opinion of large felid dispersal requirements. Least-cost corridor and circuit theory analyses were used to identify corridors, determine corridor quality and their relative importance to connectivity in the landscape, and pinpoint bottlenecks to movement. Forty-eight corridors were identified. Lower resistances to dispersal were in forested montane areas. High-quality corridors remained in the northern DTL and south of Tanintharyi Nature Reserve in Kawthoolei based on cost-weighted distance to least-cost path ratio. Pairwise current pinch point analyses revealed a possible landscape level bottleneck to movement north of Thailand’s Western Forest Complex. Area corrected centrality scores indicated smaller habitat patches disproportionately contributed to landscape connectivity. The DTL may retain connectivity across the landscape if conservation actions are taken to protect integral habitats and corridors. Conservation efforts that expand the protected area network in Kawthoolei, either by increasing the size of current protected area habitats or by demarcating new protected areas in regions with confirmed felid presence, will aid DTL connectivity. The DTL should be managed to preserve connectivity on both sides of the border, entailing international governmental, indigenous community, and non-governmental collaboration.

The alarming loss of tiger (Panthera tigris) populations due to degrading habitat called for an international commitment to double the wild tiger population by 2022 (“Tx2” goal). In the present study, eighteen Priority Tiger Conservation Landscapes (PTCLs) distributed in India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal and Myanmar were identified to investigate the trends in deforestation and fragmentation in core forest area. We used multi-decadal remote sensing-based maps to assess the rate of deforestation from 1975 to 2016. The time-series analysis revealed that there is a low to moderate level of deforestation reported in PTCLs from 1975 to 2016. The Northern Forest Complex-Namdapha-Royal Manas and Tenasserims are the geographically larger landscapes of the eighteen PTCLs that show the relatively high annual rate of deforestation from 2005 to 2016 due to the practice of shifting cultivation. The Mann Kendall trend test has indicated a statistically significant decreasing trend in deforestation across the 18 PTCLs. Overall, a low level of forest fragmentation was found in core forest habitat in the landscapes from 1995 to 2016. The results indicate management has been effective in minimizing habitat loss. The study outcomes would lead to a holistic understanding at the landscape level for long-term conservation planning in PTCLs.

The Indian bison, commonly called gaur (Bos gaurus gaurus), is native to South and Southeast Asia. In all its distribution ranges, the conservation status of the gaur lies between “vulnerable” and “endangered”. In this study, we genotyped 70 free-ranging wild gaurs from the Melghat Tiger Reserve (MTR), one of the first nine tiger reserves created in 1972 for tiger conservation in India. Fourteen microsatellite loci were genotyped in DNA extracted from the dung samples. An observed average heterozygosity of 0.726, evidence of gene flow was observed in the wild gaur population sampled from 11 locations in MTR. The effective population size (Ne) was 52.7. Approximate Bayesian computation analysis revealed population decline in the wild gaur population with the rise of mature Indus civilization ~ 2880 years ago. The population decline intensified during the reign of the medieval Monarch, extending further with the arrival of the British ~ 250 years ago. Our analyses detect population recovery in the free-ranging gaur population of MTR around 66 years ago, a time period coinciding with the independence of India followed by the implementation of the Indian wildlife protection act in the year 1972. The genetic data were discussed in the background of anthropology, archaeology and history of the Indian subcontinent.

Conservation biologists have long debated the value of subspecies, which are morphologically and geographically identifiable but not necessarily evolutionarily distinctive. One example of a controversial subspecies is Cicindela formosa gibsoni, a tiger beetle that is nationally listed as threatened in Canada and whose taxonomic status is based primarily on its unique elytral (forewing) color pattern. To determine whether C. f. gibsoni represents one or more genetically distinctive units, we sampled 14 populations within or near this subspecies’ disjunct North American range and assessed their genetic differentiation from neighboring and phenotypically distinctive populations of C. f. formosa and C. f. fletcheri. Instead of clustering by color pattern, analyses of mitochondrial and nuclear markers recovered three geographically structured genetic groupings: a northern cluster from Canada, a southwestern cluster from northwestern Colorado, and a southeastern cluster of US populations east of the Continental Divide. These data, coupled with previously documented differences in larval morphology, suggest that populations of C. formosa in western Canada and northwestern Colorado may have independently evolved similar color patterns. Thus, we consider C. f. gibsoni to be endemic to Canada and describe the novel subspecies C. f. gaumeri ssp. nov. from northwestern Colorado. Both subspecies are evolutionarily significant units, and each deserves consideration for conservation listing. Collectively, our results reveal general congruence between mitochondrial and nuclear genetic data but conflict with color pattern, the conventional basis for subspecies designations in tiger beetles.

Currently, Tigers (the top predator of an ecosystem) are on the list of endangered species. Thus the need is to understand the tiger's population genomics to design their conservation strategies. We analyzed the molecular evolution of tiger diversity using NADH dehydrogenase subunit 4 (ND4), a significant electron transport chain component. We have analyzed nucleotide composition and distribution pattern of ND genes, molecular evolution, evolutionary conservation pattern and conserved blocks of NADH, phylogenomics of ND4, and estimating species divergence, etc., using different bioinformatics tools and software, and MATLAB programming and computing environment. The nucleotide composition and distribution pattern of ND genes in the tiger genome demonstrated an increase in the number of adenine (A) and a lower trend of A+T content in some place of the distribution analysis. However, the observed distributions were not significant (P > 0.05). Evolutionary conservation analysis showed three highly align blocks (186 to 198, 406 to 416, and 527 to 545). On mapping the molecular evolution of ND4 among model species (n = 30), we observed its presence in a broader range of species. ND4 based molecular evolution of tiger diversity and time divergence for a tiger (20 different other species) shows that genus Panthera originated more or less at a similar time. The nucleotide composition and nucleotide distribution pattern of tiger ND genes showed the evolutionary pattern and origin of tiger and Panthera lineage concerning the molecular clock, which will help to understand their adaptive evolution.

Determining the density trends of a guild of species can help illuminate their interactions, and the impacts that humans might have on them. We estimated the density trends from 2013 to 2017 of the clouded leopard Neofelis nebulosa, leopard cat Prionailurus bengalensis and marbled cat Pardofelis marmorata in Nam Et—Phou Louey National Park (NEPL), Laos, using camera trap data and spatial capture-recapture models. Mean (± SD) density estimates (individuals/100 km2) for all years were 1.77 ± 0.30 for clouded leopard, 1.50 ± 0.30 for leopard cat, and 3.80 ± 0.70 for marbled cat. There was a declining trend in density across the study years for all three species, with a ≥ 90% probability of decline for clouded leopard and leopard cat and an 83% probability of decline for marbled cat. There was no evidence that mesopredator release occurred as a result of tiger (Panthera tigris) and leopard (P. pardus) extirpations. We believe that snaring, the factor that led to the extirpation of tiger and leopard in NEPL, is now contributing to the decline of smaller felids, to an extent that over-rides any potential effects of mesopredator release on their densities and interactions. We recommend that the NEPL managers implement a more systematic and intensified snare removal program, in concert with extensive community outreach and engagement of local people to prevent the setting of snares. These actions might be the only hope for saving the remaining members of the felid community in NEPL.

This study provides the first standardized global microsatellite database for a shark species, the tiger shark (Galeocerdo cuvier). Genotyping of reference individuals was used to develop and apply a calibration key for data from eight microsatellite loci data produced by three different laboratories, thereby allowing merging of genotypes into a single dataset. The unified data helped to elucidate the global population structure of the species and provided improved statistical power, through allowing a higher number of samples per location compared to the original studies from which the samples were obtained. Pairwise FST estimates and PCA plots showed significant genetic differentiation between Atlantic and Indo-Pacific samples, confirming previous findings by identifying the presence of a strong genetic break between tiger sharks inhabiting the two ocean basins. In turn, the standardized database (n = 799) also allowed archived historical samples to be genotyped and assigned back to their population (ocean basin) of origin. We demonstrate how calibration tests in population structure studies using microsatellite data is important as it simply provides more data to single studies. Importance factors for successful assignment analysis is discussed, as well as how the possibility of assigning historical samples of unknown origin back to the population, increases sample value. Our results demonstrate that global calibration of microsatellite and other genetic datasets can improve the statistical power and resolution of population structure analysis; an approach applicable not only when working with highly mobile globally distributed species such as the tiger shark, but with any species for which multiple genetic datasets exist.

The zoos manage small populations of endangered big cat species like tiger, lion, and leopard for display, research, and conservation breeding. Genetic management of these populations is essential to ensure long term survival and conservation utility. Here we propose a simple and cost effective microsatellite based protocol for the genetic management of captive big cats. We sampled 36 big cat individuals from Seoul Grand Park Zoo (Republic of Korea) and amplified 33 published microsatellite loci. Overall, allelic richness and gene diversity was found highest for leopards, followed by lions and tigers. Twelve of the thirty-three markers showed a high degree of polymorphism across all target species. These microsatellites provide a high degree of discrimination for tiger (1.45 × 10−8), lion (1.54 × 10−10), and leopard (1.88 × 10−12) and thus can be adopted for the genetic characterization of big cats in accredited zoos globally. During captive breeding, zoo authorities rely on pedigree records maintained in studbooks to ensure mating of genetically fit unrelated individuals. Several studies have reported errors in studbook records of big cat species. Microsatellites are simple and cost effective tool for DNA fingerprinting, estimation of genetic diversity, and paternity assessment. Our unified microsatellite panel (12-plex) for big cats is efficient and can easily be adopted by zoo authorities for regular population management.

The article was published with several textual and typographical errors introduced during proofing.

Accurate species and sex identification of non-invasive and forensic samples of the tiger and leopard is still confusing when using the allele-specific methods. We designed allele-specific methods with penultimate nucleotide mismatch in a nested manner for the exact identification and double-checking of forensic samples. The mismatch design is a novel concept in species and sex identification, making the allele-specific targeting precise. We developed three sets of markers, a 365 bp outer and a 98 bp inner marker for nested tiger species identification assay, 136 bp leopard specific marker, and carnivore sex identification markers. We validated the method with tissue/blood forensic samples of various felids and herbivorous available in our lab and on known fecal samples from Vandalur Zoo. We also collected 37 scat samples at diverse stages of deterioration from the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve, Tamil Nadu, India. The 365 bp targeted markers resulted in 70.2% (n = 22; 22/37) amplification success, while the 98 bp FAM-labelled marker amplified 89% (n = 33; 33/37) scat samples independently. The 136 bp leopard markers answered four scat samples (11%) unrequited by the tiger specific markers. We evaluated species and the sex identification with these markers in another 190 non-invasive samples provided by the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve authorities. Among which 56.3% (n = 107) of samples were recognized as tiger (64 male and 43 female) and 38.9% (n = 74) as leopard (41 male and 33 female). The method supersedes any other previous methods in this regard by its high accuracy and simplicity.

The negative effects of roads on wildlife populations are a growing concern. Movement corridors and road-kill data are typically used to prioritize road segments for mitigation measures. Some research suggests that locations where animals move across roads following corridors coincide with locations where they are often killed by vehicles. Other research indicates that corridors and road-kill rarely occur in the same locations. We compared movement corridor and road mortality models as means of prioritizing road segments for mitigation for five species of felids in Brazil: tiger cats (Leopardus tigrinus and Leopardus guttulus were analyzed together), ocelot (Leopardus pardalis), jaguarundi (Herpailurus yagouaroundi), and puma (Puma concolor). We used occurrence data for each species and applied circuit theory to identify potential movement corridors crossed by roads. We used road-kill records for each species and applied maximum entropy to determine where mortality was most likely to occur on roads. Our findings suggest that movement corridors and high road mortality are not spatially associated. We suggest that differences in the behavioral state of the individuals in the species occurrence and road-kill data may explain these results. We recommend that the road segments for which the results from the two methods agree (~5300 km for all studied species combined at 95th percentile) should be high-priority candidates for mitigation together with road segments identified by at least one method in areas where felids occur in low population densities or are threatened by isolation effects.

International conservation presents a unique challenge for American conservation agencies, demanding unique policy tools. To encourage American citizens to support overseas conservation, the Fish and Wildlife Service, the United States Postal Service, and environmental non-governmental organizations collaborated to create the Save Vanishing Species Stamp, a semipostal stamp featuring a tiger. In doing this, these actors relied on the flagship species approach, wherein a charismatic species attracts attention and support for ecological protection. The “Tiger Stamp” has been on sale since 2011, but its effectiveness as a policy tool is uncertain. In this paper, we discuss the Tiger Stamp and analyze its effectiveness from several angles. The stamp’s impact on species conservation is uncertain and its sales have been lower than those of past semipostal stamps, but this should be understood in the context of nationwide decline in traditional postal activities and the hortatory effect of the stamp beyond its economic effects. We conclude that the stamp is, on balance, a valuable policy tool, and should be continued.

While global mammalian diversity is collapsing due to increased poaching and habitat loss, evidence-based conservation in protected areas is often regarded as a panacea. Tiger reserves in India set an example, where annual camera trap monitoring is conducted for understanding the trends in the tiger population. However, less is known about other co-predators and their prey species that occur in the same area. The fundamental hindrance being the absence of individual pelage pattern within these species (i.e. unique pattern on the body), as well as the absence of species-specific monitoring. As a result, there is a demand in techniques that can avail maximum biodiversity information from the existing monitoring protocols. Here, we conducted camera trapping in Periyar Tiger Reserve to evaluate spatiotemporal overlaps within different carnivores, and between prey-predators. Camera trapping was conducted at high resolution (2 km2) for 30 days at 253 locations that yielded 6092 photographs of 18 mammals. Their temporal overlap was estimated using ‘overlap’ R package, while the spatial association was estimated using ‘co-occur’ package. Three large-ranging top predators (tiger, leopard and dhole) were found to have activity peaks segregated temporally. Relationship of these predators with their prey species highlighted the role of body sizes, where largest predator (tiger) had higher overlap with large-bodied prey (gaur and sambar), while small-bodied predator (leopard and dhole) overlapped small-bodied prey (barking deer and wild pig). Results highlight the importance of large-sized prey in conserving the tiger densities of this region. However, selectively conserving only large-bodied prey can have repercussions on other sympatric carnivores, who require different body-sized prey species. Our results have implications for all protected areas in the tropical developing countries, which are mostly smaller in area with species-centered conservation agenda. We highlight the importance of considering species-specific carrying capacity of all co-predators in the region, to optimally conserve the prey-base through habitat restoration, so as to maximize biodiversity conservation within a limited area.

There are more captive tigers in the United States than there are wild tigers in the entire world. Many animals under human care engage in problem behaviors such as excessive grooming and aggression, although the origin of these behaviors is typically unknown. Environmental enrichment may mitigate these issues in captive animals of all kinds. In order to individualize enrichment experiences, the current study used a free-operant assessment procedure to establish a menu of most preferred play items and scents among 7 Bengal tigers (Panthera tigris tigris) housed at a sanctuary in southwest Missouri. Each tiger was tested 3 times with scents (cinnamon and Calvin Klein Obsession perfume) and play items (boxes, balls, leaves, and pumpkins). The importance of rigorous assessment of presumed reinforcers among captive wild animals, as well as the difficulty of effectively assessing tigers while ensuring the safety of both the participants and researchers, is discussed.

Arthropods are the foremost speciose and abundant macroscopical fauna on the earth and are quintessential members of terrestrial and non-marine aquatic systems. Total ecosystem services provided by insects embody pollination, decomposition and soil formation, biological management, and population regulation of other animals. Orthoptera is usually thought to be a larger group in most terrestrial environments. These insects feed on all kinds of herbs and sometimes cause economic harm. In this research, we investigated the diversity and distributional pattern of Orthoptera fauna in Nagarhole tiger reserve, Hunsur, Karnataka, India. Nagarhole tiger reserve is the important biodiversity hotspot in Karnataka. Totally 42 species belonging to 32 genera under 14 sub families and four families were recorded. Statistical tools PAST (Ver. v2.02) were employed to find the species diversity, richness and evenness were calculated. The habitus photographs are provided for the first time.

The lecithin (LST) requirements for young and adult crustaceans have been investigated, and little information is available for early life stages. Therefore, our study aimed to determine the best Artemia enrichment levels with soy lecithin as a means of maintaining better survival, growth rate, and total length during the early stages (mysis 1 to post-larva 7) of the green tiger shrimp, Penaeus semisulcatus. Artemia enrichment at five different lecithin levels (0, 1, 2, 3, and 4% soy lecithin) was carried out by aeration. At the end of the experiment, survival and total length were clearly affected by the enrichment process. The larvae grown from M1 to PL1 or to PL7 displayed higher survival (93.1–93.3% at PL1 or 83.9–84.1% at PL7) in LST2–3 compared with those fed the CT or LST1 treatments. The largest larval total length (TL) at PL1 (5.93–6.04 mm TL) or PL7 (8.99–9.06 mm TL) was observed in shrimp fed the LST2–4 treatments. Daily growth rates of the PLs (0.50–0.51 mm/day TL) fed the LST2–4-enriched groups were also significantly greater than those of the CT group. In general, growth, total length, and survival of shrimp PL-fed Artemia enriched with 2, 3, or 4% LST did not differ significantly from each other, but did perform significantly better than those fed the CT or LST1 treatments. Consequently, this study confirms that if lecithin is desired to be evaluated and used according to its field of activity and Artemia enriched with 2–3% LST for 24 h, it can effectively improve the total length and survival of the early stages of P. semisulcatus and 4% LST can positively affect growth rate and whole-body fatty acid composition especially DHA.

Several indigenous tribes around the world derive spiritual value from revering fauna and flora species. Species conservation is not a prime objective of such traditions but can be an unintended consequence. Conventional species conservation practices ignore this spiritual value and tribes are often evicted from protected areas. We use the existence value framework to develop a coupled ecological-economic model of the use and non-use, existence values of wildlife for a tribe that derives spiritual value from a wildlife population. We calibrate the model for the Biligiri Rangaswamy Temple (BRT) Tiger Reserve in India with the resident Soligas tribe who consider tigers as sacred and back out an existence value of tigers in this reserve from a tribe manager’s perspective. The model ascertains tiger population dynamics under several management scenarios. Steady-state convergence is observed under secure property rights for the Soligas. Scenarios in which they are evicted from the BRT reserve and lose their property rights yields localized tiger extinction. Finally, we generate a marginal existence value function and discuss the potential for using existence value estimates in guiding conservation policy.

The paper explored the level of forest disturbance in the Sariska Tiger Reserve (STR) of Indian tropical forest. We acquired single scene image of Landsat-5 (1989) and Landsat-8 (2015) for the analysis. Disturbance map was produced using fragmentation and canopy density models. The map was categorized into high, moderate, low, and undisturbed forest tracts. Spatiotemporal analysis of forest disturbance (1989–2015) revealed that highly disturbed tracts experienced a decrease of 43%, while medium and low disturbed tracts showed an increase of 57% and 30%, respectively. Undisturbed forest tracts witnessed decrease mainly due to a decrease in very high canopy density and increase in forest fragmentation. Within cores I, II and III of STR, undisturbed forest tracts in core I have significantly declined due to increased anthropogenic activities. Thus, the study calls for immediate attention to check forest disturbance in core I of STR. Though the government has initiated relocation program of the villages and restoration of the STR, the execution process has still a long way to achieve the goal. The methodology adopted in this study can effectively be utilized for assessing the forest disturbance tracts at spatial scales.

The present study analyzed precipitation and temperature trends of 45 years (1971–2015) over two protected areas (Kanha Tiger Reserve representing Sal forest and Satpura Tiger Reserve representing Teak forest) in Central India. The specific trends (decadal, annual, and seasonal) are calculated from various available data sources (IMD, REMO, and Station) which are at different horizontal resolutions. The non-parametric Mann–Kendall test statistic and Sen’s estimate methods are used to detect the presence and quantum of a trend. The results indicate significant decrease in post-monsoon and winter precipitation and an increasing significant temperature trend (Tmean, Tmax, Tmin) at seasonal, annual, and decadal scale, with a maximum increase during post-monsoon. Also, the last decade (2001–2010) was warmer than the previous three decades. The presence of break points and structural changes in climatic variables are analyzed using OLS-CUSUM and MOSUM tests available in “strucchange” package in R. A structural change in precipitation was observed only in REMO dataset over Satpura Tiger Reserve, whereas significant structural change in temperature was observed in REMO dataset over both the regions. These findings are useful for assessing precipitation and temperature trends in protected areas. In particular, it can aid in understanding the impact of climate change on forest/species. On comparative analysis among different data sources at varying resolutions, the study recommends the use of finer resolution datasets for regional/micro-scale studies for formulating and planning effective adaptation strategies.

Insects live in a dangerous world and may fall prey to a wide variety of predators, encompassing multiple taxa. As a result, selection may favour defences that are effective against multiple predator types, or target-specific defences that can reduce predation risk from particular groups of predators. Given the variation in sensory systems and hunting tactics, in particular between vertebrate and invertebrate predators, it is not always clear whether defences, such as chemical defences, that are effective against one group will be so against another. Despite this, the majority of research to date has focused on the role of a single predator species when considering the evolution of defended prey. Here we test the effectiveness of the chemical defences of the wood tiger moth, a species previously shown to have defensive chemicals targeted towards ants, against a common invertebrate predator: spiders. We presented both live moths and artificial prey containing their defensive fluids to female Trichonephila senegalensis and recorded their reactions. We found that neither of the moth’s two defensive fluids were able to repel the spiders, and confirmed that methoxypyrazines, a major component of the defences of both the wood tiger moth and many insect species, are ineffective against web-building spiders. Our results highlight the variability between predator taxa in their susceptibility to chemical defences, which can in part explain the vast variation in these chemicals seen in insects, and the existence of multiple defences in a single species.

In ornamental aquaculture, the traits related with beauty are an important factor in the economy and their inclusion in the genetic improvement program is essential. However, in some species, it is difficult to define which traits are important in this sense. The objective of this study was to know the producers’, traders’, and aquarists’ interests of morphometric characteristics associated with the esthetic of Puntius tetrazona for a genetic improvement program. The information was generated from surveys considering aquarists, traders, and producers. The design of the questionnaires consisted of sets of questions according to the type of information that we wanted to obtain: demographic, specific to each actor, and esthetic preferences; the last was a common section for the three actors. The last one is supported by five sets of morphotypes based on the morphometric characteristics with a major contribution to variability in Puntius tetrazona. For the analysis of the preferences of each population for every group of morphotypes, an accumulated ordinal model was utilized. The perception of beauty is not affected by demographic traits. And the morphotypes with a higher preference for inclusion in a selection program to esthetic traits in P. tetrazona would be a short caudal peduncle, medium-length caudal fin, anal fin that is short proximal long and long distal long, wide body marks, and dorsal fin that is 25% gray. For the implementation of genetic improvement programs, it will be important to take into account the differences in interests at two points within the production chain, the needs of the producer and those of the aquarists.

Testes of the tiger pufferfish Takifugu rubripes are a delicacy in Japan, and selective breeding for a male precocious phenotype, i.e., with early initiation of testes development, is desirable. However, it is unknown if precocious gonad development in this species is under genetic control. Here, we investigated genetic involvement in precociousness by using progeny tests with sires from two cultured populations, including a family line anecdotally known for its precociousness, and a wild population. Progeny derived from the “precocious” line consistently had greater testes weight than that from the other lines, even after accounting for effects of body weight, which indicates that precociousness is truly heritable. We also compared chronological changes in plasma steroid hormones between progenies sired by males from the precocious line and a wild population, and found that the precocious family line had higher levels of plasma estradiol-17β (E2) prior to the initiation of testicular development. Our findings suggest that selective breeding for testes precociousness in the tiger pufferfish is feasible, and that plasma E2 may be an indicator of this phenotype, which would allow for phenotype evaluation without the need to sacrifice specimens.

Conservation of the Amur leopards in the wild is essential to maintain the genetic diversity among them and is also essential because they are the rarest of all the wild cats surviving in Earth. It has been found that the co-existence of tigers could have turned into the most dominant threat, thus also making the anthropogenic threat and the resultant inbreeding rank next to it. A more effective conservation could be ensured by re-introducing the Amur leopards from both ex situ and in situ sources into a new locality that meets all the required and favourable conditions. Such a place has to be chosen in such a manner that it fulfils all the following conditions such as by (a) belonging to a forest area, (b) being within the limits of average annual temperature and elevation similar to those that had existed in their original habitats, (c) having water bodies within the reach, (d) having the least possible degree of anthropogenic threats, (e) not having a co-existing tiger population, and (f) having their respective area measurements to be greater than the average home range of a leopard’s family during its lifetime. After filtering the entire forest land of both Russia, China, and North Korea, it was combinedly found that there are seven boundaries in Russia and North Korea that met all the conditions mentioned above. Hence, these boundaries could preferably be chosen for the future re-introduction of the Amur leopards to protect it from the danger of extinction.

Poaching is the most direct threat to the persistence of Amur tigers. However, little empirical evidence exists about the modus operandi of the offenders associated with this wildlife crime. Crime science can aid conservation efforts by identifying the patterns and opportunity structures that facilitate poaching. By employing semi-structured interviews and participants observation with those directly involved in the poaching and trafficking of Amur tigers in the Russian Far East (RFE), this article utilizes crime script analysis to break down this criminal event into a process of sequential acts. By using this framework, it is possible account for the decisions made and actions taken by offenders before, during and after a tiger poaching event, with the goal of identifying weak points in the chain of actions to develop targeted intervention strategies. Findings indicate poaching is facilitated by the ability to acquire a firearm, presence of roads that enable access to remote forest regions, availability of specific types of tools/equipment, including heat vision googles or a spotlight and a 4 × 4 car, and a culture that fosters corruption. This crime script analysis elucidates possible intervention points, which are discussed alongside each step in the poaching process.

Myrmoteras scabrum Moffett, 1985 is located again in Western Ghats. The species was described based upon a single specimen collected from Cannanore District of Western Ghats by Moffett (Bull Mus Comp Zool 151(1):1–53, 1985) Only the second known specimen of this species from Thanikuddy region of Periyar Tiger reserve is discovered here. Auto-montage images of the species are provided herewith along with notes on its biology.

The population sizes of tiger beetles are known to display fluctuations in response to several microclimatic and soil parameters. In this study, analytical models were developed using negative binomial regression to describe the effects of weather and soil parameters on the population count of selected tiger beetle species. The tiger beetle species Hypaetha biramosa was selected to represent the coastal habitats and Ifasina labioaenea represented crop cultivated habitats. Population sizes for each tiger beetle species were estimated by taking counts maximum of two times a month using visual encounter surveys. Three sites were selected for each species. At each site, weather and soil parameters were measured. Based on the statistical models, an increase in wind speed was associated significantly with the decline in the counts of H. biramosa in the study sites. Solar radiation and soil electric conductivity were associated with an increase in the count of H. biramosa. An increase in the soil salinity and air temperature was associated positively with the increase of the counts of I. labioaenea in the study sites. The understanding of the effects of these parameters can be used to design better monitoring and conservation plans for Sri Lankan tiger beetles.

Researchers question official figures showing a sharp rise in the tiger population, and the country’s plans to protect the species. Researchers question official figures showing a sharp rise in the tiger population, and the country’s plans to protect the species.

Sharks are commonly listed as predators of the large ocean sunfishes (genera Mola and Masturus), yet documented shark predation events on adult sunfish are exceedingly infrequent in the literature. Here we recount two Australian observations of tiger shark (Galeocerdo cuvier) predation on sunfish of ca. 1.3 and 2 m total length, respectively. The attacks demonstrate that tiger sharks are both able and willing to predate on large sunfish; however, based on a paucity of sunfish remains in tiger shark stomach analyses, and a lack of reports of the common sunfish parasite Molicola horridus in tiger sharks, these observations likely represent opportunistic predation events. The seemingly limited interactions may reflect differing habitat use by sunfish and tiger sharks within their overlapping distribution ranges, alternatively, large sunfish may comprise low quality or undesired prey for tiger sharks. Further, despite indications of prey debilitation during both accounts, the attacks likely represent indiscriminate tiger shark feeding events with no particular prey handling strategy.

Tiger populations in Nepal increased from 121 in 2009 to around 235 in 2018 (Jaznkya 2018). If this trend continues, Nepal could be the first country to double its national tiger population under the T × 2 goal of doubling the world’s tiger population by 2022 set at the World Tiger Submit in 2010 in St Petersburg, Russia. Despite some doubts in the number of tigers estimated and criticism with the questionable census method (Dixit 2018; Karanth et al. 2011), the reported increase brings optimism for the future of this endangered species, and for Nepal’s conservation success. Changes in tiger conservation policies and programmes, the establishment of a new protected area, control of illegal hunting and poaching, and increased private funding and capacity building are regarded as major contributing factors for the increase in the tiger population (Karki et al. 2011; GON 2013; Dixit 2018). Despite this success, the challenges of tiger conservation in Nepal have increased considerably even in the face of increased tiger mortality which exacerbates the problem.

The tiger pufferfish Takifugu rubripes is one of the most valuable aquaculture species in Japan. In this study, we investigated the genetic variation in resistance to heterobothriosis caused by a host-specific monogenean parasite, Heterobothrium okamotoi, in the tiger pufferfish, and examined the possibility of selective breeding for enhancing resistance traits. A total of 299 tiger pufferfish produced from ten males and one female caught from the wild were experimentally exposed to oncomiracidia of H. okamotoi. The number of parasites on the gills at 3 weeks post-infection ranged from 0 to 68, with great variation observed both within and between families. The estimated heritability for parasite density was small, but significantly different from zero (H2 = 0.098; 95% confidence interval: 0.025–0.201). Although we may have sampled a limited fraction of the genetic variance as the number of families was small, the results suggest that there are genetic components that affect heterobothriosis resistance in the species. A positive phenotypic correlation was observed between parasite count and standard length (r = 0.66). Further investigation of the genetic correlation between the two traits using larger families is needed to assess the impacts of selective breeding on heterobothriosis resistance in this species.

Using animals and their products to treat patients suffering from a range of health conditions has a long history and is still common in many parts of the world. We investigated such zootherapeutic uses among two tribes who inhabit different areas of North-East India: the Tangsa and the Wancho. Overexploitation of the animals they use, however, could endanger some species’ survival and create imbalances in the ecosystem that ultimately could affect humans and animals of the region. In order to find solutions how humans and animals can continue to coexist harmoniously, it is essential to know which species and their products are sought after by the local healers. We found that the Tangsa make greater use of animals than Wancho and use predominantly a variety of mammals (47%) followed by birds (16%) of the 55 species of animals considered therapeutic by them. The Wancho informed us of using 20 species, of which birds and their products account for 37%, while mammals and insects feature in 26% and 21%, respectively. In both tribes, the remainder are distributed across different animal taxa. To treat ailments and diseases like joint, bone and muscle pains, Tangsa prefer to use the body fats of tiger, civet, hornbill, eagle and python. Wancho do not use any animal fats very often and prefer animal parts and marrow to be given to a sick person in cooked or roasted form. The bile of bears is used by both Tangsa and Wancho in that it is supposed to ameliorate pain-causing conditions such as stomach, head and toothaches and to reduce labour pains. The use of leeches to remove blood clots and the consumption of earthworms to ward off malaria has been recorded only from the Wancho, while Tangsa treat malaria sufferers with tortoise carapace extracts. The use of the flesh of roasted bat wings fed to children older than 4 years of age to stop bed-wetting seems unique to the Tangsa. Being aware of such folk medicinal traditions is important not just with regard to safeguarding the animal resource, but also in connection with the introduction of possible alternative treatment methods not involving animal zootherapies.

Large carnivores have been declining due to a combination of factors including habitat loss and fragmentation, prey loss, and direct persecution. Tiger Panthera tigris and dhole Cuon alpinus are endangered and emblematic of problems facing large carnivores globally. We estimated tiger density, dhole occupancy and prey availability within the Dong Phayayen - Khao Yai Forest Complex, a World Heritage Area in Thailand that has potential as a ’recovery site’ for both species. Camera traps were set near bait stations designed for bear monitoring. A Bayesian spatial capture-recapture approach was used to estimate tiger density and occupancy of dhole and their prey. Camera traps were deployed in two areas, Khao Yai (78 locations, December 2009–May 2011 ) and Dong Phayayen (45 locations, December 2012–August 2014). Tiger was not detected in Khao Yai. We detected 9 tigers (2 male, 4 females, and 3 unknown sex) in Dong Phayayen. Tiger density was 2.1 (95% CI 0.5–5.3) individuals per 100km2 based on an individual heterogeneity model. Dhole occupancy was higher in Khao Yai (64%) than Dong Phayayen (55%). Prey occupancy was 9–53% higher in Dong Phayayen. Wild pig Sus scrofa had the highest occupancy rates, followed by gaur Bos gaurus, sambar Rusa unicolor and muntjac Muntiacus muntjac, respectively. Although Dong Phayayen’s tiger density was lower compared to populations estimated in some better-known protected areas, our data suggest it has potential as a regional tiger (and perhaps dhole) recovery site. However, Dong Phayayen, like many sites in the region, faces significant threats from wildlife hunting and rosewood (Dalbergia spp.) poaching that need to be addressed urgently if this small population is going to survive even the near term.

Genome editing technology is becoming increasingly accepted as a way to improve traits in marine fish aquaculture. In fish, microinjection is a major method for introducing RNA or protein into eggs for genome editing; however, this method has not yet been established in aquaculture fish. We successfully established microinjection methods achieving high survival rates for tiger pufferfish and red sea bream by optimizing the following three parameters: (1) the soaking solution of fertilized eggs during microinjection, (2) the elapsed time from in vitro fertilization to microinjection, (3) the elapsed time from stripping to microinjection. In tiger pufferfish, Iwamatsu solution or diluted sea water is effective as the soaking solution. In vitro fertilization can be performed at intervals of 15 min from fertilization until 2.5 h after stripping. Similarly, in red sea bream, Leibovitz’s L-15 medium or Iwamatsu solution is effective as the soaking solution and in vitro fertilization can be performed at intervals of 10 min from fertilization until 2.5 h after stripping. We anticipate our findings will contribute to effectively establish genome edited aquaculture breeds.

Dispersal from one population to another is crucial for meta-population stability and survival. Long-distance dispersal events have been widely documented in male tigers (Panthera tigris), but similar events in female tigers are less known. We opportunistically recorded a long-distance dispersal event that ended with the establishment of a new home-range for a radio-collared sub-adult female tiger in central India. We analysed the animal’s movement patterns during the dispersal event and the subsequent home-range establishment. The average minimum distance and the average minimum daily displacements were 11.4 km and 4.5 km respectively. The total linear and cumulative displacements were 99.1 km and 340.2 km respectively, undertaken over 78 days. Using a Brownian bridge movement model, we showed that the tiger was not moving in a linear path, but showed exploratory movement. During this dispersal event, the tiger traversed an area of 2082 km2 (95% UD), including 19 distinct ‘stepping-stone’ habitat patches. Combining the Ornstein–Uhlenbeck movement behaviour model and an autocorrelated kernel density estimation model, we identified a newly established home range of 40.3 km2 at the end of the dispersal event. Our results describe the longest known female tiger dispersal event, highlighting the possibility that natural dispersal of female tigers can provide an additional option to assisted translocations for the species range expansion. This is relevant in current scenarios where tiger habitats remain fragmented and tiger population numbers are recovering due to effective in situ conservation efforts.

Forest fires are one of the most common natural hazards that occur in the Western Ghats region. There are many protected areas in this part of the Western Ghats; therefore, fire can pose a serious threat to habitats and wildlife. In the past, fires have also affected the Parambikulam Tiger Reserve. The objectives of this study are to demarcate the fire risk zones using GIS techniques and to evaluate the influence of each factor on fire initiation. The following factors are selected for the analysis: land cover types, slope angle, aspect, topographic wetness index, distance from the settlement, distance from the road, distance from the tourist spot, and distance from the anti-poaching camp shed. The analytical hierarchy process method is used to determine the weights, and the ArcGIS and ERDAS Imagine software tools are used to create the fire risk zone map. The area of the prepared map is divided into the following five risk zones: very low, low, moderate, high, and very high. The risk zone map has been validated using fire incidence data for the period from 2002 to 2020 collected from the forest fire portal of the Forest Survey of India. It was found that 71% of fire incidences fall in high-risk and very high–risk zones of the prepared map. The validation using the receiver operating characteristic curve analysis, with an area under ROC curve value of 0.795, confirms the prediction accuracy of the risk zone map. The prepared fire risk zone map will help the planners, officials of the forest, and the disaster management departments to take appropriate mitigation measures in order to prevent future fires and thereby protect the valuable forest resources.

Against the backdrop of the almost total failure of conventional physical fences to prevent deaths due to human-elephant conflict and elephant-train collision, management of the problem requires novel approaches. The elephant is a giant and intelligent animal, who, as has been observed through experience, cannot be effectively confined to an area by physical barriers, most of which are built without even considering long-established elephant passes. Instead, human habitats and facilities, including highways, should be pre-planned following an overall strategy to suitably assign natural resources to each party such that natural habitats are disturbed as little as possible. Hence, we envisage the need for a virtual elephant fence as part of the aforesaid strategy to warn elephants that a certain area is not appropriate for them to be present in or best for the safety of the herd. The present study involved in-depth experimentation to investigate the effects of multiple stimuli on real elephants based on the known elephant responses to such stimuli. The proposed system is an autonomous system that detects the presence of elephants, generates alarms for concerned parties, and coordinatively and tactically repels the animals back to safer areas. Experiment results indicated that the sound of a drone and the sound of tiger growls can both exert a strong deterrent effect on elephants. The sound of bees and the low-frequency burst yielded similar results in terms of encounter and withdrawal reactions. The resulting insights may lay a foundation for a novel approach toward the management of human-elephant conflict and elephant-train collisions.

Forest fires constitute a foremost environmental calamity that distresses the sustainability of the forest. The main source of degradation of Jharkhand forests are forest fires conquered by forest species of Sal and Bamboo. Palamau Tiger Reserve in Jharkhand state, India, is becoming more susceptible to forest fire due to anthropogenic disturbance coupled with speedy upsurge in population. In this study, forest fire risk in PTR was evaluated based on various fire inducing factors, viz., forest fuel, settlements, roads, bare soil index, elevation slope and aspect. Geoinformatics based multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) through method of AHP (analytic hierarchy process) used to extract forest fire risk map in five classes: Very low risk, low risk, moderate risk, high risk and very high risk. The results obtained showed that about 180 km2 (14.85%) falls under very low fire risk zone, 234 km2 (19.30%) falls in low fire risk zone, 269.73 km2 (22.16%) falls under moderate fire risk zone, 299.36 km2 (24.59%) falls under high fire risk zone and 232.56 km2 (19.10%) falls in very high fire risk zone. Forest fire risk map was validated from historical fire incidents observed through field data, MODIS and SNPP-VIIRS satellite products. The results showed that the geoinformatics based forest fire risk zones delineated through MCDA-AHP method are in good agreement with historical forest fire occurrences, henceforth may be utilised for fire planning for mitigation in forest areas.

Background A large number of animal species are susceptible to Leishmania infantum (Kinetoplastida, Trypanosomatidae) in endemic areas, including domestic and wild felids such as tigers (Panthera tigris). Knowledge on the infection of this endangered species is still at its infancy, and therefore this study aims to identify clinical presentation and clinicopathological findings of tigers naturally infected by L. infantum. Results Tigers either L. infantum-positive (group A) or -negative (group B) were apparently healthy or presented visceral leishmaniasis unrelated conditions, except for one animal in which a large non-healing cutaneous lesion was observed. However, histological exam and immunohistochemistry carried out on the lesion excluded the presence of L. infantum amastigotes. Biochemical analysis showed that the average concentration of total proteins, globulins and haptoglobin were significantly higher (p p = 0.01 and p = 0.02, respectively), while the albumin/globulin ratio significantly lower (p = 0.05) in group A compared with group B. The biochemical alterations were partially confirmed by the serum protein electrophoresis results revealing a significant increase in the total protein value (p = 0.01) and hypergammaglobulinemia (p = 0.03) but an unmodified albumin/globulin ratio in group A. Conclusions In this study tigers infected by L. infantum have shown to be mainly asymptomatic. The absence of clinical signs may lead veterinarians to overlook leishmaniasis in animals kept in captivity. Therefore, diagnostic and screening tests as serology should be part of routinely surveillance programs to be performed on tigers in zoological gardens located in endemic areas. Though only few protein-related laboratory abnormalities were recorded in infected animals, they could provide diagnostic clues for a first suspicion of L. infantum infection in tigers. Indeed, considering the high risk of zoonotic transmission in heavily frequented environment as zoos, a prompt diagnosis of L. infantum infection is of pivotal importance.

Background Tropical forests have been experiencing remarkable rates of transformation over the past century as they are getting degraded or decimated to a great extent by anthropogenic activities. This study aims at investigating the long-term forest cover transformation in Palamau Tiger Reserve (PTR), Jharkhand, India, using Landsat TM, ETM+, and OLI satellite images during 1975–2015. The forest cover was delineated utilizing various keys of visual interpretation techniques. Results The forest cover was primarily decreased in the north-eastern and north-western parts in PTR. In order to identify the anthropogenic disturbance in the forest reserve, human settlement density was mapped using high-resolution Google Earth imagery. The results showed a positive correlation between human population density and settlement density. Five major affected sites with an outer buffer of 2 km were demarcated in order to deduce the anthropogenic influences in major non-forested sites in PTR. It was observed that the forest change was maximum at site 3 (Ranidah, area 61.06 km2, − 6.47% change) followed by site 2 (Saidup, area 124.38 km2, − 7.65% change), where settlement units were also high (2638 and 2621 settlement units, respectively). At site 1 (Barkheta, area 81.59 km2), − 1.99% change was observed, and at site 4 (Samadh Tola, area 9.15 km2), 1.03% change was observed having moderate settlement units (2422 and 1892 settlement units, respectively). Areas with the low level of human settlements (1038 settlement units) observed the least change, i.e., at site 5 (Netarhat, area 48.52 km2), 0.58% change was observed mainly during the years. Conclusions The forest cover exhibited an overall decrease of 14.55 km2 (− 1.34% change) with episodic variation during 1975–2015 in PTR, Eastern India. A significant forest disturbance occurred primarily in the north-eastern and north-western parts of PTR along the forest fringe due to the high population and settlement density. The study highlighted the potential use of freely available multi-temporal satellite observations in forest management.

Agonistic encounters among carnivores can be potentially avoided or minimized by shifts in daily activity patterns. Here, we investigated the temporal ecology of mesocarnivores which co-occur in a semiarid area where top predators are virtually absent. More specifically, we (i) describe the daily activity patterns of six mesocarnivore species, (ii) evaluate possible seasonal changes in their daily activity patterns, (iii) examine patterns of temporal overlap among mesocarnivores, and (iv) test the overlap in daily activity between mesocarnivores and their potential prey. Using camera-trapping data (13,976 camera-days) and circular and overlapping analyses, we studied six out of the seven mesocarnivore species recorded. Striped hog-nosed skunk and the crab-eating raccoon were nocturnal, crab-eating fox and northern tiger cat were nocturnal-crepuscular, ocelot was mainly nocturnal, and jaguarundi was diurnal. With the exception of jaguarundi, we fail to find strong temporal segregation among mesocarnivore and interspecific interactions did not vary seasonally, but we observed separation in their activity peaks and significant difference in their activity distributions. This partial temporal segregation can potentially contribute to interspecific coexistence, reducing the chances of interspecific killing, mainly in relation to the dominant species (ocelot). Mesocarnivores did not exhibit a significant synchrony of their activity with any of the preys evaluated, with the exception of jaguarundi, which significantly overlapped its distribution of activity with some preys. Temporal segregation contributes, but does not seem to be the only mechanism behind the coexistence of mesocarnivores in Caatinga dry forest; thus, other strategies such as spatial and dietary segregation should be considered.

Background Wild Amur tigers are a sparsely populated species, and the conservation of this species is of great concern worldwide, but as an important health risk factor, parasite infection in them is not fully understanding. Results In this study, sixty-two faecal samples were collected to investigate the frequency and infection intensity of Toxocara cati and Toxascaris leonina in wild Amur tigers. The T. cati and T. leonina eggs were preliminary identified by microscopy, and confirmed by molecular techniques. Infection intensity was determined by the modified McMaster technique. Phylogenetic trees demonstrated that T. cati of wild Amur tiger had a closer relationship with which of other wild felines than that of domestic cats. T. leonina of Amur tiger and other felines clustered into one clade, showing a closer relationship than canines. The average frequency of T. cati was 77.42% (48/62), and the frequency in 2016 (100%) were higher than those in 2013 (P = 0.051, P = 0.079, T. cati ranged from 316.6 n/g to 1084.1 n/g. For T. leonina, only three samples presented eggs when the saturated sodium chloride floating method was performed, indicating that the frequency is 4.83% (3/62). Unfortunately, the egg number in faecal smears is lower than the detective limitation, so the infection intensity of T. leonina is missed. Conclusions This study demonstrated that ascarids are broadly prevalent, and T. cati is a dominant parasite species in the wild Amur tiger population.

The tiger frog Hoplobatrachus rugulosus (Wiegmann 1834) is a large robust dicroglossid frog widely distributed in southern China, Malaysia, Myanmar, Vietnam and Thailand. The escaped bred tiger frog introduced from Thailand hybridized with Chinese native population may have affected the genetic diversity of local Chinese tiger frogs. However, previous microsatellite loci of this species do not offer enough information to construct the genetic map. Here, we reported 33 new microsatellite loci from transcriptome sequencing for H. rugulosus. Alleles ranged between 1 and 10 per locus and only one locus (HRT001) was monomorphic. The polymorphic information content, observed and expected heterozygosity were 0–0.794, 0–0.969 and 0–0.831, respectively. None of the loci was observed in linkage disequilibrium and two loci (HRT023 and HRT068) deviated from Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium after Bonferroni correction for multiple tests. These transcriptome-derived microsatellite markers will be used to study the genetic divergence and construct the genetic map in H. rugulosus.

Asiatic wild dog (Cuon alpinus) or dhole is an endangered canid with fragmented distribution in South, East and Southeast Asia. The remaining populations of this species face severe conservation challenges from anthropogenic interventions, but only limited information is available at population and demography levels. Here, we describe the novel molecular approaches for unambiguous species and sex identification from noninvasively collected dhole samples. We successfully tested these assays on 130 field-collected dhole faecal samples from the Vidarbha part of central Indian tiger landscape that resulted in 97 and 77% successrates in species and sex identification, respectively. These accurate, fast and cheap molecular approaches prove the efficacy of such methods in gathering ecological data from this elusive, endangered canid and show their application in generating population level information from noninvasive samples.

The biological species concept depends on mechanisms isolating reproduction to taxonomically define a species and to explain the disadvantages, and subsequent lack, of hybridization. In co-occurring tiger beetles (Carabidae: Cicindelinae), these between-species barriers are not readily apparent. To understand the characteristics potentially responsible for this isolation, we conducted behavioral and morphological experiments with two pairs of tiger beetle species. Choice trials showed males use visual cues to trigger the pursuit of potential mates and prefer females who appear similar in color. Geometric morphometric techniques allowed us to quantify shape differences in the mandibles of all four species. Previously, it was proposed that the mandible-coupling sulcus pairing acted as a lock-and-key mechanism to provide feedback necessary for species recognition. Our results, however, suggest that although there are significant differences in shape, these differences do not provide any feedback to the male or enhance his ability to retain his grasp on the female. Taken together, these findings suggest that vision, rather than the traditional mandibular lock-and-key hypothesis, may play a key role in reproductive isolation for co-occurring tiger beetle species.