Documenting the fauna of a small temporary pond from Pune, Maharashtra, India

Abstract

Most of the limnological studies in India have focussed on a few taxa of large, permanent water bodies, and pond ecosystems, and related temporary water bodies are neglected. We present here a faunal inventory, with representative photographs, for a single, small temporary pond, reporting over 125 species of strictly aquatic fauna and 25 species of associated fauna, even though we did not identify some groups such as Protozoa, Diptera and nymphs of Odonata, etc. The identified species belong to seven taxa of vertebrates and invertebrates together. Arthropoda and Rotifera were the most species rich groups, observed with 83 and 45 representatives, respectively. Coleoptera were the most numerous in terms of species number. Such a small water body holds some endemics as well as otherwise very rare animals and so deserves better attention. We also highlight the potential and importance of such habitats for research and conservation.

Taxonomy of freshwater sponges of Maharashtra, India, with illustrated descriptions and notes on ecology and habitats (Porifera: Spongillida: Spongillidae)

“…8D) and another picture of this sponge was published recently (see Fig. 4B in Kulkarni et al 2015). In the field, dried sponges of this species can be differentiated by their typical skeletal structure with considerable amount of membranous spongin and conspicuously ovoid gemmules, which are more oval in shape than those of any other sponge studied here.…”

“…2D): natural, large lotic water-bodies. [*reported earlier (Jakhalekar & Ghate 2013;Kulkarni et al 2015) The majority of the sponge collections were made between 2011 and 2015 from the shallow peripheral areas of the water-bodies. Dry seasons (summers) were mostly preferred for collections, as it was easier to collect the sponges from deeper zones of the water-beds by wading and the presence of mature gemmules in good number was also ensured.…”

“…A series of photographs of different growth forms of R. cerebellata is presented here (Figs 8K-M), and another picture of a live sponge of this species was published recently (see Fig. 4A in Kulkarni et al 2015).…”

Illustrated redescription of Haliplus (Liaphlus) arrowi Guignot, 1936 (Coleoptera: Haliplidae) from the Western Ghats, India, and notes on the closely related H. angustifrons Régimbart, 1892

“…angustifrons Régimbart, 1892 were the known species from the Maharashtra State (Vazirani 1984, Vondel 1993. However, recently H. arrowi was nominally reported for the first time from the State of Maharashtra (Kulkarni et al 2015). The study (Kulkarni et al 2015) represented the faunistics of a small temporary pond in Savitribai Phule Pune University campus, Pune in which H. arrowi was recorded from Maharashtra, for the first time.…”

“…However, recently H. arrowi was nominally reported for the first time from the State of Maharashtra (Kulkarni et al 2015). The study (Kulkarni et al 2015) represented the faunistics of a small temporary pond in Savitribai Phule Pune University campus, Pune in which H. arrowi was recorded from Maharashtra, for the first time. The distribution range of H. arrowi was thus extended westward from the type locality (Kolkata) of the species (type locality highlighted in the map, Figure 1).…”