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The present study aims to survey the avifaunal diversity in some selected localities in and around Madurai City, Tamil Nadu during June 2021 to April 2022. Birds were surveyed using short-strip transects counts (SSCT) method. A total of 99 species of birds belonging to 44 families and 86 genera have been recorded in Madurai city, of which 78 species are resident, 14 species are migrant and 7 species are local migrants. The Ardeidae were the most prominent family with 11 species, and their relative diversity index was the highest (RDi = 11.11). Carnivores’ bird community was found to be dominant among foraging pattern. According to their frequency of occurrence, 57 species (57.57%) were very common, 30 (30.30%) common and 12 (12.12%) rare. IUCN threat categories classify four species as “Near Threatened” and 95 species as “Least Concern”. The present study reveals the highest birds species diversity (Shannon’s), richness (Margalef’s), and evenness (Pielou’s) indices were found in the Madakulam area when compared to that of other study areas. Based on the occurrence of bird species in ten different areas, we can conclude that the diversity and richness of bird species increases with increased vegetation areas and decrease with greater human disturbances. Additionally, researchers have reported that anthropogenic disruptions will reduce the diversity of bird species, as well as other issues such as habitat loss, overhunting, structural collisions, pollution, climate change etc.

A study of spider species diversity was conducted in some selected localities of in and around Madurai city from October 2019 to March 2020. A total of 29 species of spiders belonging to 22 genera from 6 families were identified from the study sites. Araneidae and Salticidae were found to be the most dominant family with species from 6 and 7 genera respectively. Based on guild structure analysis, Orb-web builders and stalkers were the most dominant feeding guilds. There were considerable disparities in spider species diversity and distribution across all study sites during the study period, with Vadipatti (23 species) having the highest spider species diversity and Kelavasal (7 species) having the lowest diversity. Spider species diversity (Shannon’s index), richness (Margalef’s index) and evenness (Pielou’s index) indices were higher on Vattipatti (2.23; 3.37; 0.46), and least in the Kelavasal (1.11; 1.06; 0.23). Among 29 species, Argiope anasuja, Cyrtophara cicatrosa, Cyrtophora citricola, Gasteracantha geminata and Myrmarachne bengalensis were the most dominant species in Vatipatti and Arasakulam due to the existence of their prey and diverse range of plants, which influenced that these species were more dominant. The present study revealed that spider diversity was higher in rural areas (Vatipatti and Arasakulam) with superior ecological settings, but lower in urban areas (Thiagarajar College campus and Kelavasal) with the most intact ecological environment

The present study was an attempt to understand the sexual dimor-phism of the integumentary scent glands of soft-furred field rat Millardia meltada from the perspectives of anatomy, morphology and histology with view to correlate with the sex-specific pheromones they produce. The scent gland of male is known as preputial gland, and female, the clitoral gland. The rats, that are agricultural pests were field caught, the glands of males and females of almost identical size were dissected out, and subjected to gravimetric, morphometric and histological analyses. Both glands are yellowish-brown, pear-shaped, and dorsoventrally compressed. The mean weight, length and width of preputial glands are significantly (p < 0.05) larger than that of the clitoral glands. The preputial gland is composed of sebaceous glandular lobules and apocrine glandular lobules whereas the clitoral gland is formed only of sebaceous glandular lobules. The sebaceous glandular lobules of both preputial and clitoral glands are filled with a wax-like material. Thus, the scent glands of the soft-furred male field rats exhibit sexual dimorphism in respect histoarchitecture of the glands and the nature of the secretory material. This sexual dimorphism of the scent glands may reflect control by male and female sex hormones impinging on specific roles as sex attractant pheromones.

Fishes counteract certain microbial attacks in water by producing antimicrobial proteins/peptides in their skin surface. The present study focused on screening the bactericidal activity of skin and skin mucus extracts of Catla catla and Channa striatus. The bactericidal activity was assessed against Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Proteus vulgaris, Aeromonas hydrophila, Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus coagulans by disc diffusion method. The minimal inhibitory concentration was also determined. Protein profiles in skin and skin mucus extracts were analyzed by SDS-PAGE. Samples from both fishes showed antibacterial activity. Detailed analysis of individual protein and peptide would throw light on their medicinal importance to be used against pathogenic microbes.

The study analysed the characteristics of articles published by the Indian Scientists in the field of Animal Behaviour, a total 10030 Publications retrieved from the Scopus online database were analysed. There were as many as 120 countries actively engaged research with Indian researchers, which produced 10,030 publications during the study period. The most productive and the highest number of Collaboration with the United States of America (844), followed by Next the UK with 253, Germany (184), Australia (114), Japan (111) and Saudi Arabia (107). Among these institutions, Panjab University, Punjab topped in the list with 431 publications (57 H-Index) followed by Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, Bangalore with 349 (34 H-index) publications and University Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences India with 332 publications (H-Index-23) and Banaras Hindu University with 304 Publications(38 H-Index). The most preferred journals were: Indian Journal of Experimental Biology topped in the list with 301(Cite Score-3.0, SJR-0.227 and SNIP-0.512) articles followed by PLOS ONE with 180(Cite Score-5.2, SJR-1.023 and SNIP-1.205) articles, Indian Journal Of Physiology And Pharmacology with 151 articles, European Journal Of Pharmacology 116(Cite Score-5.5, SJR-0.988 and SNIP-0.957) articles. However, the Indian based articles were kept rising from 1999 to 2020. The most prolific authors are: Kulkarini with 148 Publications from University Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences India, Chandigarh, India followed by Chopra (17), Gadagkar (60), Bhattacharya (57), Singh (48), Mahesh(47), Kokare (45), Kumar P. (44) and Archunan (43) and Kumar V. respectively. The study noted that Bharathidasan University faculty G. Archunan presence in top ten authors.

In view of the silent nature of estrus in buffalo, a noninvasive assay kit has long been felt necessary for easy and effective estrus detection. This study was designed to detect estrus in buffalo using a kit formulated in our laboratory based on pheromone compound. Group I: Urine samples collected at estrus phase and group II: randomly collected urine samples were subjected to the test using the kit. No colour developed (i.e., positive reaction) in estrus urine after adding the kit solution. By contrast, pale and/or dark pink colour developed (i.e., negative reaction) in urine from the proestrus and diestrus buffaloes, respectively. Field evaluation of the kit in groups I and II revealed that 60.87% and 71.43% of urine samples were correctly identified as estrus and nonestrus (i.e., proestrus and diestrus), respectively. Therefore, the first of its kind estrus detection kit formulated based on urinary pheromone can as well be used as a simple device to detect estrus in buffalo.

Preputial gland is one of the prime sources of pheromones in rats. The study on pheromone identification in preputial gland is well established in laboratory rat, house rat and voles. But the study was lacking in the preputial gland of bandicoot rats. Hence, the present investigation was aimed to identify the volatile and protein profiles of preputial gland of male bandicoot rat. Gas chromatography and mass spectrometry (GC-MS) profiles revealed the presence of 47 volatile compounds in the preputial gland. More specifically, the farnesol was found to be a major compound in the preputial gland which is consistent with previous reports in the preputial gland of few other rodents. The histoarchitecture results showed that the preputial gland of male exhibited more acini cells. The protein profiles of preputial gland showed 12 prominent bands in coomassie brilliant blue stained gel. The low molecular mass protein, 19 kDa has been identified as gamma-amino butyric acid type B receptor subunit I (GABAβ receptor) by MALDI-ToF analysis. Further, to the best our knowledge, this is the first time we explored the absence of alpha 2u globulin in the 19 kDa band of preputial gland of bandicoot rat. This is in contrast to the presence of alpha 2u globulin in the preputial gland of laboratory rat (Rattus norvegicus) as well as house rat (Rattus rattus). The present study concludes that among the volatiles and protein analysis performed in the preputial gland, farnesol appears to be a prominent compound and the GABAβ receptor protein was identified in 19 kDa band in bandicoot rats.

The determination of the reproductive status is one of the most important factors for effective wild life conservation and management, and effective use of assisted reproductive techniques like artificial insemination, in vitro fertilization/embryo transfer depends on the knowledge of the basic reproductive physiology. In this context the reproductive status of female blackbucks (Antelope cervicapra L.) was assessed by behaviour and determination, sex steroid hormones in faeces and urinary volatile compounds. The male and female blackbucks exhibited as many as 31 different reproductive/courtship behaviour patterns. Particularly, the males showed a more extensive repertoire: i.e. 23 behavioural patterns by territorial males, 11 by bachelor males and 4 by females. The behaviours such as, mounting, Flehmen, clockwise and anticlockwise movements were significantly higher in male blackbuck when exposed to estrus. By contrast, such courtship behaviours were completely absent in male when exposed to diestrus. It clearly indicates that, the estrus female produces specific chemical cues (pheromone) through urine, which would involve in attracting the conspecifics. In addition, the average faecal oestrogen concentration was significantly higher (p

For many different species of terrestrial mammals, the formation and maintenance of dominance hierarchies affects access to mates and other resources. In the Indian Blackbuck, Antilope cervicapra, an endangered species, social dominance is influenced by different factors, such as the frequency of an individual’s urine, fecal, preorbital and interdigital gland marking, displays of its aggressive behavior, and its circulating testosterone titer. Further, the appearance of specific volatile peaks in the pheromone sources during the formation of dominance hierarchy in dominant males may represent behaviorally important chemical signals. The identification of α2u-globulin (17 kDa polypeptides) in preorbital glandular secretion of Blackbuck provides circumstantial evidence of presence of pheromone binding protein in the gland. It is possible that this protein may carry the volatile ligand in male Blackbuck preorbital gland that affects scent marking in this species. This chapter provides a detailed account of the establishment and maintenance of the dominance hierarchy of Blackbucks and how fecal steroids and urinary and preorbital glandular pheromones may be involved.

Analyses the growth and development of pheromone biology research productivity in India in terms of publication output as reflected in Science Citation Index (SCI) for the period 1978---2008. It includes 330 publications from India, including 285 articles, 22 notes, 18 reviews, 4 letters and 1 conference paper, from 200 institutions. About 9.4 % of publications is contributed by Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur followed by Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Bombay (7.27 %). All the papers published by Indian researchers have appeared in journals with impact factors between 0.20 and 4.14. About 24.24 % of authors contributed single articles. The growth rate of publications varied from 0.30 to 9.09 % per year. The annual growth rate was highest in the year 2006 at 9.09 %. The study reveals that the output of pheromone biology research in India has gradually increased over the years.

Phytosynthesis of silver nanoparticles has attracted considerable attention due to their biocompatibility, low toxicity, cost-effectiveness and being a novel method has an eco-friendly approach. Biological activity of root extracts as well as synthesized silver nanoparticles of Catharanthus roseus were evaluated against larvae of Aedes aegyptiand Culex quinquefasciatus. The structure and proportion of the synthesized nanoparticles was defined by exploitation ultraviolet spectrophotometry, X-ray diffraction, fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy methods. Reduction of silver ions occurred when silver nitrate solution was treated with aqueous root extract at 60°C. Synthesized silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) were confirmed by analyzing the excitation of surface plasmon resonance (SPR) using UV-vis spectrophotometer at 423 nm. FTIR showed aliphatic amines and alkanes corresponding peaks to be presence of responsible compounds to produced nanoparticles in the reaction mixture. Spherical shaped and crystalline nature of particles was recorded under XRD analysis. Presence of silver metal and 35-55nm sized particles were recorded using EDAX and SEM respectively. Larvicidal activitywas observed after24 hrs of exposure to root extracts and synthesized silver nanoparticles. The highest larval mortality was observed in synthesized silver nanopartiucles against Aedes aegypti (LC50= 2.01 ± 0.34; LC90= 5.29 ± 0.07 at 5.0 mg(-1) concentration) and Culex quinquefasciatus (LC50= 1.18 ± 0.15; LC90= 2.55 ± 0.76 at 3.5 to 5.0 mgl(-1) concentration) respectively. The present study provides evidence that synthesized silver nanoparticles of Catharanthus roseus offer potential source for larvicidal activity againstthe larvae of both dengue and filariasis vectors.

The preorbital gland is a specialized dermal gland of antelopes which plays an important role in territorial marking behavior and pheromonal communication. To our knowledge, there is little information available on the role of preorbital gland marks in Indian antelopes (blackbucks). Males are seen averting the gland during behavioural display and territorial marking but the functional aspect of this gland has not been examined. Hence, the aim of this study was to describe the histomorphology of the preorbital gland in territorial and non-territorial male blackbucks to determine its morphology and secretory function. The results showed that the preorbital gland is composed of modified sebaceous and apocrine glands. The apocrine gland is lined by simple cuboidal epithelial cells; the serous parts of the secretory products are often seen in the apical portions of the cells. The myoepithelial cells contain actin filaments lying on the basal membranes of the apocrine gland. There are some considerable histological changes in the presence of the sebaceous and apocrine glands in territorial males in comparison to non-territorial males. The following histological changes associated with occurrence of the sebaceous and apocrine glands have been observed in territorial and non-territorial male blackbucks: (1) increase of size of sebaceous and apocrine glands and (2) increase in density of sebaceous and apocrine glands in territorial males compared to non-territorial males. It is suggested that the higher development (i.e., size) and density of sebaceous and apocrine glands in territorial males could depend on hormone production (i.e., testosterone). Based on the histological observation and the role of sebaceous and apocrine glands in the preorbital gland supported by literature, it is possible to conclude that both territorial and non-territorial blackbuck males may produce pheromonal substances through preorbital gland (secretion) for olfactory communication.

This study investigated behavioral activities (resting, moving, aggressive, social, and reproductive behavior) and fecal cortisol levels in 8 individually identified adult male blackbucks during periods of varying levels of zoo visitors (zero, low, high, and extremely high zoo visitor density). This study also elucidated whether zoo visitor density could disturb nonhuman animal welfare. This study analyzed fecal cortisol from the samples of blackbuck by radioimmunoassay and found significant differences (p < .05) for time the animals devoted to moving, resting, aggressive, reproductive, and social behavior on days with high and extremely high levels of zoo visitors. The ANOVA with Duncan's Multiple Range Test test showed that the fecal cortisol concentration was higher (p < .05) during the extremely high (137.30 ± 5.88 ng/g dry feces) and high (113.51 ± 3.70 ng/g dry feces) levels of zoo visitor density. The results of the study suggest that zoo visitor density affected behavior and adrenocortical secretion in Indian Blackbuck, and this may indicate an animal welfare problem.

Scent marking is a common behaviour among mammals, which involves the deposition of a pheromone, intended to elicit a response from conspecifics. The present study is aimed to establish the diurnal profile of the distribution of scent marking behaviour and its influence of the marker. The frequency of preorbital gland scent marking behaviour was observed in territorial and non-territorial male Indian blackbucks on 72 days, over a period of 18 weeks, starting data collection at 06.00 and continuing until the end of the photophase at about 16.00. An ANOVA with post hoc (DMRT) test was assessed to compare the frequency of preorbital gland scent marking at six 2-hour intervals using pooled data for territorial and non-territorial males. The result showed that the preorbital gland scent marking behaviour occurred significantly (P

In social insect, the perception of volatile molecules, odorants and releasing pheromones, is mediated via specialized olfactory organs is generally thought to be accomplished by odorant-binding proteins and pheromonecarrying proteins. These proteins play an important role in the solubilization, transport and deactivation of pheromones. In honeybee, the sting and mandibular glands are one of the major pheromonal sources and it is believed to contain volatile compounds and proteins (pheromone carrying or binding) for chemical communication. Therefore, the present investigation was carried out to identify the pheromones and proteins in sting and mandibular glands in adult worker bee, Apis cerana indica GC-MS and SDS-PAGE. Nearly twenty eight volatile compounds were identified in the sting and mandibular glands of the worker bee. Amongst, the 19 compounds were identified in the mandibular gland and 16 compounds in the sting. Amongst certain compounds peak appeared specific or common to particular glands. The present results suggest that glandular specific volatiles which may evoke the behaviourally important chemical signals in the Apis cerana indica. The present study revealed that the total content of protein was higher in the mandibular than sting gland. In fact, the protein profiles like 21.1, 25, 26, 29, 43, 61, 97.9 and 110 kDa have noted in the sting and mandibular glands. Among these fractions, the 43 and 26 kDa polypeptides appeared prominently in the sting and mandibular glands, respectively. Further, electophoretic profile showed 43 kDa mass protein intensity was relatively high in sting gland, whereas 26 kDa mass protein intensity was relatively higher in the mandibular gland. Based on the volatile identification and proteins in the sting and mandibular glands of worker bees supported by literature, it is concluded that the sting and mandibular gland-specific volatile compounds which may convey the specific information regarding the alarm or repellent forage-marking scent.

Species-specific chemical signals released through urine, sweat, saliva and feces are involved in communication between animals. Urinary biochemical constituents along with pheromones may contribute to variation across reproductive cycles and facilitate to estrus detection. Hence, the present study was designed to analyze such biochemical profiles, such as proteins, carbohydrates, lipids, fatty acids, in response with steroid hormones such as estradiol and progesterone. The experimental groups were normal, prepubertal, ovariectomized, and ovariectomized with estrogentreated female mice. In normal mice, the protein and lipid concentrations in urine were significantly higher in proestrus and estrus phases and the quantity of fatty acids was also comparatively higher in estrus. Furthermore, certain fatty acids, namely tridecanoic, palmitic and oleic acids, were present during proestrus and estrus phases, but were exclusively absent in ovariectomized mice. However, the carbohydrate level was equally maintained throughout the four phases of estrous cycle. For successful communication, higher concentrations of protein and specific fatty acids in estrus are directly involved. The significant increase in estradiol at estrus and progesterone at metestrus seems to be of greater importance in the expression pattern of biochemical constituents and may play a notable role in estrous cycle regulation. Thus, we conclude that the variations observed in the concentration of the biochemical constituents depend on the phase of the reproductive cycle as well as hormonal status of animals. The appearance of protein and specific fatty acids during estrus phase raises the possibility to use these as a urinary indicators for estrus detection.

In ungulates the process of chemical communication by urinary scent marking has been directly related to reproductive dominance, territorial defense and proximity to resources. The differences in the frequency of urine marking and chemical composition of urine of males Antelope cervicapra before, during and after the dominance hierarchy period were assessed. The variations in the urine marking and its chemical profiles of dominant males (n=9), bachelors (n=5) and sub-adult males (n=5) were compared to find out how the dominance hierarchy influences the confined blackbuck herd under semi-natural captive conditions. The frequency of urine marking is significantly higher (p

Visitors to zoos can be a source of potential disturbance and stress to some captive, nonhuman animals in the wild. To determine the influence of visitor presence on captive bison (Bos gaurus gaurus), the study analyzed the behavior of 4 individuals at the Arignar Anna Zoological Park, India. The study often observed the behavior of the animals on visitor-present days and on days when visitors were absent. In the presence of zoo visitors, the bison showed a higher level of intragroup aggression and moving behavior. In contrast, the bison rested more when no visitors were present. The results revealed that the presence of zoo visitors significantly influenced the behavior of captive bison and thereby may have affected their welfare.

REMARKS The whole mount preparation of one specimen collected from Rana liebigii, though apparently resembled Opisthioparorchis species, turned out to be different from the new species of the genus described above. In its general morphology (elongated body, oral sucker larger than the ventral sucker- almost double the size, vitellaria limited to only pretesticular zone and long club-shaped cirrus sac), the present specimens stands close to O. yunnanse Li, 1996, which was originally described from Rana spinosa from Yunnan Province, China. However, the only conspicuous deviation it shows from this species is the length of the oesophagus; in O. yunnanse the oesophagus is quite long, though short in the present form. However, considering that just one character i.e. length of the oesophagus, is not enough to erect a new species, the present form is considered representing O. yunnanse.