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New genus of tarantulas recorded in Kerala
Recent floods could have affected survival of rare spiders, claims arachnologist
Kerala is home to around six species of large, hairy spiders called tarantulas. But a four-year Statewide survey by a team from Kuravilangad’s Deva Matha College now shows that Kerala may be home to more than 11 species of these often iridescently-coloured arachnids.
New genus and species
The research project, for which a team led by Sunil K. Jose (assistant professor at Deva Matha College) surveyed several districts including Kasaragod, Kollam and Ernakulam for tarantulas, has identified four genus of the large spiders (Sahydroaraneus, Chilobrachys, Neoheterophrictus and Thrigmopoeus) that have not been recorded in the State before.
For instance, the team recorded Chilobrachys fimbiratus (also called the Indian violet spider, which is endemic to the Western Ghats of Karnataka and Maharashtra) in Kasaragod district.
Similarly, they spotted the Rameshwaram Parachute Spider (Poecilotheria hanumavilasumica) which has so far been recorded only from Tamil Nadu’s Ramanathapuram district (found only on the Rameshwaram Island and Mandapam area here) from Chinnar in Kerala. This tarantula has been classified as critically endangered by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature’s Red List. Totally, tarantulas from seven genus have now been recorded in the State.
The range extensions of the genus and species had been described in the report submitted to the University Grants Commission, which funded the work that focused on studying spiders belonging to the family Theraphosidae, said Dr. Jose. He also presented the results at the recently-concluded international conference of the Asian Society of Arachnology at Bangkok, Thailand.
Kerala floods
While deforestation was one of the threats that the forest-dwelling tarantulas faced along the Western Ghats, the recent floods that Kerala witnessed could have affected the species in those areas too, said Dr. Jose.
“All tarantulas seen in Kerala except those in the genus Poecilotheria [tiger spiders] live in burrows in the ground. These would have become submerged during the floods,” he said.
Yet another threat that tarantulas face is collection for the illegal pet trade across the world. Kerala’s colourful tarantulas belonging to the genus Poecilotheria and Haploclastus were collected illegally and were available for sale on the internet for as high as $275, he added.
Tarantulas are a group of large, hairy spiders that can live up to 10 to 20 years.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities / by Staff Reporter / Kochi – December 04th, 2018
Tiffany Brar of Jyothirgamaya Foundation gets Mindtree Helen Keller Award
She was among 12 persons who were presented with the award during a programme conducted at the India International Centre Auditorium in Delhi, on the eve of World Disability Day.
Thiruvananthapuram :
City-based NGO Jyothirgamaya Foundation’s Tiffany Brar was presented with the 19th National Centre for Promotion of Employment for Disabled People (NCPEDP)’s Mindtree Helen Keller Award. She was among 12 persons who were presented with the award during a programme conducted at the India International Centre Auditorium in Delhi, on the eve of World Disability Day. According to the organisers, the awardees were selected for their initiatives in promoting employment opportunities for persons with disabilities.
Speaking on the occasion, Arman Ali, executive director, NCPEDP, said, “Tiffany’s Jyothirgamaya Foundation, which empowers the blind not only in her state of Kerala but also across the country had till date trained more than 300 blind people in activities of daily living, mobility, the realms of access technology and interpersonal skills.”
He further appreciated the efforts made by Tiffany during the floods. “Despite being visually challenged she was in the forefront in collecting basic materials for the relief camps in Wayanad.” Talking on the occasion, Tiffany thanked NCPEDP for the award and said, “Jyothirgamaya Foundation was initially started as a mobile school on a small basis. We have come a long way since and we will strive to achieve our goal of providing employment and inclusion to people with disability.” The event was also attended by Minister of State for Human Resource Development Satya Pal Singh.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Thiruvananthapuram / by Express News Service / December 04th, 2018
IIT Palakkad joins hands with UST Global
For the joint R&D, the students will work at UST Global’s Infinity LabsTM for three to six months across the company’s various locations in India.
Thiruvananthapuram :
UST Global has partnered with the Indian Institute of Palakkad (IIT Palakkad) to conduct joint R&D in technologies like AI/ML and Brain-Machine Interface, internship and job placement for the students. For the joint R&D, the students will work at UST Global’s Infinity LabsTM for three to six months across the company’s various locations in India.
“This will offer a platform to the B.Tech students for joint R&D on new-age technologies. We are certain this will help the students get the right exposure to kick-start their career in technology,” said Alexander Varghese, chief administrative officer and country head of UST Global.
“It will not only help our undergraduate students get exposure to the latest know-how in the industry but also enable in technological innovations that answer real-world problems and address future needs of industry.
The internship experience will help them prepare well for taking up challenging industry problems in their future career,” said Vinod A Prasad, dean of Industry Collaboration and Sponsored Research, IIT-PKD.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Thiruvananthapuram / by Express News Service / December 05th, 2018