The genus Svenzea Alvarez, van Soest & Rützler, 2002 is a widely distributed marine sponge group in the Caribbean and South Atlantic coralline areas, and even in the Indo-Pacific regions, with no previous records in the Eastern Tropical Pacific (ETP). Using a comprehensive taxonomic and molecular approach, a new species and the first record of a marine sponge from the genus Svenzea distributed in the ETP is described herein. S...

The Bamboo Pitviper, Trimeresurus ( Craspedocephalus ) gramineus , is the only pitviper species in Gujarat, India, where it reaches the northern limit of its range. It is recognized as a species of Least Concern based on IUCN Red List criteria, but critical aspects of its ecology, behaviour, and conservation status remain understudied. We conducted intermittent road-based visual encounter surveys along two forest roads in Guja...

Ecosystem-level estimates of estuarine macrobenthos functions are scarce in the literature, with most estimates conducted at small spatial scales. This study estimates two important functions (organic matter decomposition and bioturbation) performed by polychaetes across a tropical estuarine system. Bayesian generalized linear mixed models were used to estimate polychaete abundance throughout the system, combined with species-...

Benthic macroinvertebrates serve as effective bioindicators for assessing freshwater ecosystem integrity due to their differential sensitivity to pollution and habitat variability. This study evaluates spatial variation, taxonomic composition, and functional traits of macroinvertebrate communities in two artificial freshwater ponds located within the Botanical Garden of CMP Degree College (S1) and the University of Allahabad (...

In many animal species, males frequently have alternative reproductive tactics (ART) to maximise their reproductive success. These reproductive strategies or tactics are often characterised by differences in traits such as behaviour, physiology and morphology. However, there is very limited evidence for the occurrence of such tactics in Gobiidae. In this study, we investigated the population of Glossogobius callidus from artif...