Journal Article

The biota of Siju Cave, Meghalaya, India: a comparison of biological records from 1922 and from 2019

Harries, D., Kharkongor, I.J. and Saikia, U.

Record Number:
5129
Year:
2020
Journal:
Cave and Karst Science
Pages:
119-130
Volume:
47
Abstract:
Siju Cave in the Garo Hills of Meghalaya, India was the subject of a meticulous and detailed biological survey in 1922. The cave was re-visited, and the biota documented in 2019. Observations made in 2019 were compared to those reported from 1922 and placed in context by comparisons to observations made in other Meghalayan caves. In many respects the biota resembled that recorded in 1922 but two key differences were noted. Firstly, in 2019 the bat population and the extent of the associated guano deposits were noted to be considerably reduced relative to those described from 1922. Correspondingly, the abundance of the guano-associated biota appeared considerably reduced from that of 1922. Secondly, in 2019 a distinctly troglomorphic cockroach was found to be abundant throughout the cave. This cockroach was eyeless, totally lacking in pigmentation and had pronounced elongate antennae. It is inconceivable that it would have been overlooked in 1922, so it can only be concluded that it was not then present in the accessible areas of the cave.
Times Cited:
1
Related Records:
Blair, K.G. (1924)
Coleoptera of the Siju Cave, Garo Hills, Assam. IV Histeridae, Hydrophilidae, Erotylidae, Lathridiidae, Tenebrionidae and Hylophilidae
Brunetti, E, (1924)
Diptera of the Siju Cave, Garo Hills, Assam. I Tipulidae, Tabanidae, Anthomyidae, Acalyptrate Muscidae and Phoridae
Cameron, M. (1924)
Coleoptera of the Siju Cave, Garo Hills, Assam. II New species of Staphylinidae
Carpenter, G.H. (1924)
Collembola of the Siju Cave, Garo Hills, Assam
Chopard, L. (1924)
On some cavernicolous Orthoptera and Dermaptera from Assam and Burma
Chopra, B. (1924)
Isopoda of the Siju Cave, Garo Hills, Assam
Edwards, F.W. (1924)
Diptera of the Siju Cave, Garo Hills, Assam. II Chironomidae
Fage, L. (1924)
Araneids from the Siju Cave, Garo Hills, Assam
Fletcher, T.B. (1924)
Lepidoptera of the Siju Cave, Garo Hills, Assam. I Pyralidae
Fleutiaux, E. (1924)
Coleoptera of the Siju Cave, Garo Hills, Assam. III Elateridae
Gravely, F.H. (1924)
Tartarides from the Siju Cave, Garo Hills, Assam. Records of the Indian Museum
Kemp, S. (1924)
Notes on the mammals of the Siju Cave, Garo Hills, Assam
Kemp, S. (1924)
Crustacea Decapoda of the Siju Cave, Garo Hills, Assam
Kemp, S. and China, W.E. (1924)
Rhynchota of the Siju Cave, Garo Hills, Assam
Lamb, C.G. (1924)
Diptera of the Siju Cave, Garo Hills, Assam. III Dolichopodidae
Meyrick, E. (1924)
Lepidoptera of the Siju Cave, Garo Hills, Assam. II Tineidae
Patton, W.S. (1924)
Diptera of the Siju Cave, Garo Hills, Assam. IV Nycteribiidae
Kemp, S. and Chopra, B. (1924)
The Siju Cave, Garo Hills, Assam
Roewer, C.F. (1924)
Opiliones aus der Siju-hohle in den Garo-Hills im Assam
Hora, S. L. (1924)
Fishes of the Siju Cave, Garo Hills, Assam
Rohwer, S.A. (1924)
Hymenoptera of the Siju Cave, Garo Hills, Assam. II Description of a new Braconid
Silvestri, F. (1924)
Myriapoda from the Siju Cave, Garo Hills, Assam
Stephenson, J. (1924)
Oligochaeta of the Siju Cave, Garo Hills, Assam.
Wheeler, W.M. (1924)
Hymenoptera of the Siju Cave, Garo Hills, Assam. I Triglyphothrix striatidens Emery as a cave ant
Andrewes, H.E. (1924)
Coleoptera of the Siju Cave, Garo Hills, Assam. I Carabidae
Annandale, N. and Chopra, B., (1924)
Molluscs of the Siju Cave, Garo Hills, Assam
Ochs, G. (1925)
Descriptions of new asiatic Gyrinidae
Hora, S. L. (1935)
Notes on fishes in the Indian Museum. Part 24. Loaches of the genus Nemacheilus from eastern Himalayas, with the description of a new species from Burma and Siam
Pillai, R. S. and Yazdani, G. M. (1977)
Ichthyo-fauna of the Garo Hills, Meghalaya (India)
Menon, A. G. K. (1987)
Noemacheilus sijuensis sp. nov
Kottelat, M. (1990)
New species and populations of cave nemacheilines in south and south-east Asia (Osteichthyes, Balitoridae)
Talwar, P. K. and Jhingran, A. G. (1992)
Nemacheilus sijuensis (Menon)
Brooks, S.J. and Smart, C.M. (1995)
Caving in the abode of the clouds. The caves and karst of Meghalaya, North East India
Sinha, Y.P. (1999)
Bats of the Siju Cave, South Garo Hills District, Meghalaya, India: taxonomy and bionomics
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Kottelat, M. (2012)
Conspectus cobitidum: An inventory of the loaches of the world (Teleostei: Cypriniformes: Cobitoidei)
Khynriam, D and Sen, N (2014)
Taxonomic Study on Nemacheiline Loaches of North East India
Absar, P.F., Mitra, S. and Kharkongor, I.J. (2017)
Teretamon spelaeum, a new species of freshwater crab (Crustacea: Decapoda: Potamidae) from a limestone cave in Meghalaya, India
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The biota of Siju Cave, Meghalaya, India: a comparison of biological records from 1922 and from 2019
Kosygin, L., Laskar, B.A. and Khynriam, D. (2023)
Cavefishes of Meghalaya
Marak, W.K. and Singh, Y.L. (2023)
Osteology of incomplete lateral lined schisturid loaches of Meghalaya: a comparative account
Kharkongor, I.J., Saikia, U., Khynriam, D. and Saikia, B. (2023)
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Sengupta, D., Dutt, S., Kharpran Daly, B.D. and Panda, S. (2024)
Development of Geopark for protecting karst region of Nongkhlieh Area, Meghalaya