International Letters of Natural Sciences Vol. 26

Abstract: The practice of eating insects is known as entomophagy. Many animals, such as spiders, lizards and birds, are entomophagous, as are many insects. People throughout the world have been eating insects as a regular part of their diets for millennia. As people in rural areas suffer from under nutrition, especially protein-energy malnutrition (PEM) in Africa, Latin America and Asia, alternative nutritional food sources are needed. From ants to beetle larvae – eaten by tribes in Africa and Australia as part of their subsistence diets – to the popular, crispy-fried locusts and beetles enjoyed in Thailand, it is estimated that insect-eating is practised regularly by at least 2 billion people worldwide. More than 1900 insect species have been documented in literature as edible, most of them in tropical countries. The most commonly eaten insect groups are beetles, caterpillars, bees, wasps, ants, grasshoppers, locusts, crickets, cicadas, leaf and plant hoppers, scale insects and true bugs, termites, dragonflies and flies. The purpose of the present review is to determine the status of present research in the context of the potentiality of insects as alternative food source to cope up with the emerging problem of global food crisis

Abstract: An experimental study on Carica papaya leaves was carried out in Thermo gravimetric analyzer (TGA), Differential Thermal Analyzer (DTA) and Differential Scanning Calorimetric (DSC) analyzer to investigate the effects of reaction atmosphere on thermal chemical characteristics. Experimental results show that In DSC curve, Endothermic peak at 101 °C is attributed to dehydration/Water loss from surface and pores of the powder sample. Step at 215 °C is associated with second order phase transition such as Glass Transition and it should be further confirmed in second heating (During heat- cool- heat cycle). Endothermic peak at 336 °C is associated protease thermal decomposition /Beta Cyclodextrin breakdown. In the TGA Curve, The initial 4 % weight loss is due to water loss from surface/pores of powder sample. Second weight loss between 200-450 °C is associated to degradation of cellulose and hemicellulose.

Abstract: The present investigation was evaluating the potential antibacterial activity of three different extracts of the bark of Lannea coromandelica Linn. (LC) tree procured from Eastern India. Extraction of bark separation was carried out using aqueous, ethanol and a mixture of aqueous and ethanol. Microbiocides of all the extracts were separately evaluated against several microorganisms viz. Bacillus substilis, Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pyogenes, Pseudomonus aeruginosa, Escherichia coli and Serratia marcescens by agar diffusion technique. The Minimum Inhibition Concentration (MIC) of all the extracts was carried out by the serial dilution method. The results of MIC ranged from 12.5 to 150 mg/ml (all the three extracts). The concentration dependent (^**P < 0.01) potential antimicrobial activity was resulted and at the dose of 200 mg/ml, combined aqueous and ethanol extract of LC (LCAE + LCEE) gave significant results against gram positive bacteria where the maximum zone of inhibition was recorded against Streptococcus pyogenes (17.0± 0.05^**) followed by Straphyloccus aureus (13.6 ±0.05^**). Further, the same extract showed the maximum relative percentage inhibition against Straphyloccus aureus (178.64%) followed by Streptococcus pyogenes (143.42%). Such variation may be due to the effects of choice of solvent and the quantity of the extracted amount and also the geographical source of the plant part. These results represent scientific evidence to support the traditional medicinal uses of LC bark extracts and indicate a promising potential used against the treatment of infectious diseases caused by pathogenic bacteria and also provide scientific evidence for their efficacy to prepare the alternate newer medicine for antibiotics.

Abstract: Piper zeylanicum Miq. (Piperaceae) an endemic species of Sri Lanka is reported and described and illustrated as a new record for India from Nilgiri District of Tamil Nadu.

Abstract: The avifauna of Gulbarga city was studied for a period of one year. Gulbarga city has got one reservoirs in the heart of the city, the Shree Sharnabasveshwar Lake. The city has well protected by greenery, Gulbarga University Campus, Kapnoor (Industrial area). During the study of three different transects lines, 30 plants species and 42 birds species were observed, in which 35 are resident species, 6 winter migrant and 1 summer migrant respectively. Highest population of Cattle Egret (Bubulcus ibis) and Blue Rock Pigeon (Columba livia) was recorded in this study. The visitors include White-necked stork (Ciconia episcopus), Yellow Wagtail (Motacilla flava) which are found in the study area. According to status of birds maximum (average) numbers of birds were found in highly urbanized area when compared to industrial area, but species wise variation was high in low urbanized compared to that of highly urbanized area.

Abstract: The present study deals with the fish fauna of Kurikotta Bridge Bennithora River, Gulbarga district of Karnataka. The study was undertaken for a period of one year and monthly collections were made from April-2013 to March-2014, in four sites. The result of present study reveals the occurrence of seventeen (17) fish species belonging to five orders. The order Cypriniformes was dominant with nine (9) followed by order Siluriformes (4) Channiformes (2), Mastacembelidae and Osteoglossiformes each with one species.