On Daphniopsis Tibetana Sars, 1903 (Cladocera) Collected from a High Altitude Himalayan Lake, India

4 Pages·2000·2.2 MB·

by  K Venkataraman

MISCELLANEOUS NOTES
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS May 12, 1999 PRASHANTHMOHANRAJ
We thank Dr. A.K. Bandyopadhyay, K. VEENAKUMARI
Director, C.A.R.I. for encouragement and Drs. Central Agricultural Research Institute
R.G. Booth and D. MacFarlane of the Port Blair 744 103,
International Institute of Entomology, London, Andaman and Nicobar Islands,
for identification. India.
26. ON DAPHNIOPSIS TIBETANA SARS, 1903, (CLADOCERA) COLLECTED
FROMAHIGHALTITUDEHIMALAYANLAKE,INDIA
{With seven text-figures)
FourspeciesofthegenusDaphniopsishave Description
so farbeendescribed, viz. D. pusilla, D. studeri
,
D. tibetana all by Sars (1903) and D. australis Daphniopsis tibetana Sars 1903
by Sergeev and Williams (1985). All the four Daphniopsis tibetana Sars 1903. Acad.
species occur in saline water, among which Asci. St. Petersb. 8 p. 171.
D. tibetana is found in high altitude Himalayan DaphniopsistibetanaBrehm& Woltereck,
saline lakes inIndia,Nepal,TibetandMongolia. 1939. Int. Rev. ges. Hydrobiol. 1-19.
After the original description ofD. tibetana by Female: Body size 2.62 mm; Body width
Sars (1903) from Tibet, Brehm and Woltereck 1.65 mm. Head wide and depressed, slightly
(1939) recorded the same species as Daphnia produced near eye and ventral edge slightly
tibetana from Panggong Tso in Ladakh. The concave. Rostrum prominent and blunt. Fornix
present report is a record ofthis species after a extending in front and evenly arched. Eye
gap offive decades. A detailed description, and moderately large, irregularly shaped, ocellus
new morphological characters have been given, rounded and relatively large.
basedonafewsamplescollectedfromPanggong Carapace without dorsal carina or a
TsoLake. posteriorspineandnotdenticulate. Bodyslightly
A few samples collected during one ofthe compressedandoval, dorsalandventralmargins
regular trips to high altitude Himalayan lakes evenly arched (Fig. 1). Postero-ventral margin
by the Zoological Survey of India, Solan, at with numerous submarginal spines. In adult
Panggong Tso lake on August 23, 1998, were females, carapace slightly larger than wide.
sent to the author for identification. The sample Antennules small, immovable, not projecting
consists of thousands of adult female beyond rostrum, with terminal sensory papillae
Daphniopsis tibetana, as well as Cyclops and subterminal seta. Antennae large, setal
ladacanuslfi) and Gammarus pulex{?). The formula(0-0-1-3/1-1-3). Hepaticcaecalargeand
materials used in this study include mature coiled as in other daphnids. Trunk limb 2 (Figs.
females as well as different pre-adult instars 2-6): externalbranchofendopoditebearingthree
sorted from the collections. The lake Panggong slightly chitinised, subequal setae (Figs. 2, 6)
Tso is in the Ladakh district of the western gnathobase 18 setae, (Fig. 2) with a second seta
Himalayan region, at an altitude of4241 m. It is differentinstructure(Figs. 3,4)fromthesensory
an oligotrophic saline lake (pH 9.35). Other papillaofgnathobase(Fig. 5).Postabdomen(Fig.
physico-chemical parameters were not recorded 7) tapering distally, dorsal margin sinuate with
due to bad weather conditions. 10-12 anal denticles. Ventral margin of the
162 JOURNAL, BOMBAYNATURAL HISTORYSOCIETY. 97(!) APR. 2000
MISCELLANEOUSNOTES
Fig. 1-5: 1. Dciphniopsistibetana: female - lateral view; 2- Trunk limb II, 3-4. Second seta ofgnathobase,
5. Sensory papilla ofgnathobase.
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MISCELLANEOUS NOTES
JOURNAL BOMBAYNATURAL HISTORYSOCIETY. 97(1) APR. 2000
,
MISCELLANEOUS NOTES
postabdomenwithaseriesofsmallspines. Claws Velde(1977)whosurveyedthesamearea, could
withproximalandmiddlecombsoflateralsetae. notcollectD. tibetanafromNepal.Theephippial
Abdominal process long. morphologicalstudiesconductedbyKokkinnand
Males: Not found in the present study. Williams (1987) found six morphotypes among
Remarks: Michael & Sharma (1988), the species of Daphniopsis in the salt lakes of
while compiling the Fauna ofIndia, Cladocera, Australia.However, inIndianosuchstudieshave
described Daphniopsis tibetana from the been undertaken due to the remoteness of the
literature only since no material was available habitat where D. tibetana is found.
to them. However, Chiang and Du (1979)
described D. tibetana from China with a Acknowledgements
maximum adult size of2.30-2.90 mm, which is
slightly larger than the present record of 2.62 I thank Dr. J.R.B. Alfred, Director
mm. Sergeev and Williams (1985) separated Zoological Survey ofIndia for sending the lake
D. australis, a new species, from D. pusilla in collections to me foridentification and facilities
Australian salt lakes based on the trunk limb toconductthisstudy. IthankShnA. Sivakumar,
morphology,withabodysizeofl.82±0.36mm, TechnicalAssistant, ICMAMProject, MBS,ZSI
which is relatively smaller than D. tibetana in for typing the manuscript.
this sturdy. Loffler (1969) studied the general
limnology of24 high altitude lakes ofKhumbu August 6, 1998 K.VENKATARAMAN
area, Nepal and recorded three species of Marine Biological Station,
Cladocera among which D. tibetana is one. A Zoological Survey ofIndia,
decade after the visit of Loffler, Swar and 100, Santhome High Road,
Fernando(1979)recorded D. tibetanaalongwith Chennai 600 028,
22 other species of Cladocera from Pokhara TamilNadu,
Valley, Nepal. However, Dumont and Van der India.
Refer iNCES
Brehm,V. &R.Woltereck(1939): DieDaphnidender Loffler, H. (1969): High altitude lakes in Mt. Everest
Yale-NorthIndiaExpedition.Int.Rev.ges.Hydrobiol. region. Verb. Internal. Verein.Linmol. 17: 373-385.
48: 159-172. Michael, R.G. & B.K. Sharma (1988): Fauna ofIndia,
Chiang,S. &N. Du(1979): FaunaofSinica:Crustacea, Cladocera.(ed.)TheDirector,Zoological Surveyof
Cladocera,SciencePress,AcademiaSinica,Peking, India, Calcutta. 262pp.
297pp. Sars, G.O. (1903): On theCrustacean FaunaofCentral
Dumont, H.J. & 1. Van der Velde (1977): Reporton a Asia. Part II. CladoceraAnn. Mus. Zool. Acad. Sci.
collection ofCladocera and Copepoda from Nepal. St. Petersb. 8: 157-194.
Hydrobiologia53(1): 55-65. Sergeev,V.&W.D.Williams(1985):Daphniopsisaustralis
Kokkinn, M.J. & N.D. Williams (1987): Is ephippial sp. nov. (Crustacea : Cladocera),afurtherdaphniid in
morphology a useful taxonomic descriptor in the Australiansaltlakes.Hydrobiologia 120: 1 19-128.
Cladocera? An examination based on a study of Swar, D.B. & C.H. Fernando (1979): Cladocera from
Daphniopsis from Australian salt lakes Pokhara Valley, Nepal with notes on distribution.
Hydrobiologia145: 67-73. Hydrobiologia66 113-128.
:
27.INDIGOFERAMYSORENSISROTTLEREXDC. (LEGUMINOSAE PAPILIONOIDEAE)
:
-ANENDEMIC SPECIES OFPENINSULARINDIA FROM WEST BENGAL
During a plant collection tour in Uttar branched, erect, sticky, villous undershrub were
Dinajpur District, West Bengal, specimens ofa collected fromthe deforesteddry sandy areas of
JOURNAL, BOMBAYNATURAL HISTORYSOCIETY, 97(1), APR. 2000 165