Siddharth Kulkarni

Siddharth Kulkarni
Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Thiruvananthapuram · School of Biology

PhD

About

53
Publications
33,371
Reads
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500
Citations
Introduction
I'm amazed by the evolving biodiversity and its maintenance. As a model, I study arachnid evolution using advanced genomic and transcriptomic technology, in the hope of finding patterns and understanding the patterns of exceptions. Once a month, I engage with citizen scientists across Asia and help documenting spiders (e.g. SpiderIndia group on Facebook), a long-term initiative to document spiders from south Asia.
Skills and Expertise
Additional affiliations
June 2020 - August 2020
Smithsonian Institution
Position
  • PhD Student
November 2017 - November 2018
Smithsonian Institution
Position
  • Researcher
Description
  • Project: Target enrichment of ultra-conserved elements in Arachnida.
July 2017 - August 2017
Harvard University
Position
  • Visiting research student
Description
  • Project: Transcriptomics to investigate evolutionary history of Arachnida.
Education
August 2016 - December 2021
George Washington University
Field of study
  • Evolutionary Biology
July 2012 - June 2014
Yashavantrao Chavan Institute of Science, Satara, India.
Field of study
  • Zoology

Publications

Publications (53)
Article
Phylogenomic methods have proven useful for resolving deep nodes and recalcitrant groups in the spider tree of life. Across arachnids, transcriptomic approaches may generate thousands of loci, and target‐capture methods, using the previously designed arachnid‐specific probe‐set, can target a maximum of about 1,000 loci. Here, we develop a specializ...
Article
Full-text available
Genome-scale data sets are converging on robust, stable phylogenetic hypotheses for many lineages; however, some nodes have shown disagreement across classes of data. We use spiders (Araneae) as a system to identify the causes of incongruence in phylogenetic signal between three classes of data: exons (as in phylotranscriptomics), non-coding region...
Preprint
Full-text available
Asymmetrical rates of cladogenesis and extinction abound in the Tree of Life, resulting in numerous minute clades that are dwarfed by larger sister groups. Such taxa are commonly regarded as phylogenetic relicts or "living fossils" when they exhibit an ancient first appearance in the fossil record and prolonged external morphological stasis, partic...
Article
Full-text available
Advanced sequencing technologies have expedited resolving higher-level arthropod relationships. Yet, dark branches persist, principally among groups occurring in cryptic habitats. Among chelicerates, Solifugae (“camel spiders”) is the last order lacking a higher-level phylogeny and thus, historically characterized as “neglected [arachnid] cousins”....
Article
Full-text available
In the last decade and a half, advances in genetic sequencing technologies have revolutionized systematics, transforming the field from studying morphological characters or a few genetic markers, to genomic datasets in the phylogenomic era. A plethora of molecular phylogenetic studies on many taxonomic groups have come about, converging on, or refu...
Article
Within the arachnids, chromosome-level genome assemblies have greatly accelerated the understanding of gene family evolution and developmental genomics in key groups, such as spiders (Araneae), mites and ticks (Acariformes and Parasitiformes). Among other poorly studied arachnid orders that lack genome assemblies altogether are the clade Pedipalpi,...
Preprint
Full-text available
Background: Chelicerate evolution is contentiously debated, with recent studies challenging traditional phylogenetic hypotheses and scenarios of major evolutionary events, like terrestrialization. Sea spiders (Pycnogonida) represent the uncontested marine sister group of all other chelicerates, featuring a - likely plesiomorphic - indirect developm...
Preprint
Full-text available
Within the arachnids, chromosome-level genome assemblies have greatly accelerated the understanding of gene family evolution and developmental genomics in key groups, such as spiders (Araneae), mites and ticks (Acariformes and Parasitiformes). Among other poorly studied arachnid orders that lack genome assemblies altogether are the clade Pedipalpi,...
Article
Full-text available
The Palpimanidae are one of five extant Palpimanoidea families that occur mainly in South America and Africa, although there are lineages in Madagascar, islands of the Indian Ocean, and parts of Asia. Here we examine the role of plate tectonics in shaping the distribution of Palpimanidae. We perform molecular sequencing via target enrichment, which...
Article
Full-text available
India accommodates a huge diversity of plant and animal life across a variety of biomes. However, the degree of research, funding, and attention is asymmetric, largely focused on its charismatic vertebrates. Invertebrates, despite their megadiversity, are generally overlooked with some exceptions (for example, lepidoterans). One species-rich group,...
Article
Asymmetrical rates of cladogenesis and extinction abound in the Tree of Life, resulting in numerous minute clades that are dwarfed by larger sister groups. Such taxa are commonly regarded as phylogenetic relicts or "living fossils" when they exhibit an ancient first appearance in the fossil record and prolonged external morphological stasis, partic...
Article
Full-text available
We complement and expand the existing descriptions of the Australian araneid spider Paraplectanoides crassipes Keyserling, 1886, and provide the first detailed analysis of the male palpal homologies to include examination of the expanded organ and scanning electron micrographs of the palpal sclerites. We study the placement of Paraplectanoides and...
Article
The miniature orb weaving spiders (symphytognathoids) are a group of small spiders (< 2 mm), including the smallest adult spider Patu digua (0.37 mm in body length), that have been classified into five families. The species of one of its constituent lineages, the family Anapidae, build a remarkable diversity of webs (ranging from orbs to sheet webs...
Article
Full-text available
Animals use nests for various functions including laying eggs, raising young and gaining protection from predators. Social insect colonies provide rich microhabitats for various foreign inhabitants. Social spiders in the family Eresidae live in large, long-lasting colonies with a dense silken nest where spiders reside in complex capture webs. Socia...
Article
Biodiversity catalogs are an invaluable resource for biological research. Efforts to scientifically document biodiversity have not been evenly applied, either because of charisma or because of ease of study. Spiders are among the most precisely cataloged and diverse invertebrates, having surpassed 50,000 described species globally. The World Spider...
Preprint
Full-text available
In the last decade and a half, advances in genetic sequencing technologies have revolutionized systematics, transforming the field as studying morphological characters; a few genetic markers have given way to genomic data sets in the phylogenomic era. A plethora of molecular phylogenetic studies on many taxonomic groups have come about, converging...
Preprint
Full-text available
Considerable progress has been achieved in resolving higher-level relationships of Arthropoda in the past two decades, largely precipitated by advances in sequencing technology. Yet, dark branches persist in the arthropod tree of life, principally among groups that are difficult to collect, occur in cryptic habitats, or are characterized by minute...
Article
Full-text available
Taxonomic monographs synthesize biodiversity knowledge and document biodiversity change through recent and geological time for a particular organismal group, sometimes also incorporating cultural and place-based knowledge. They are a vehicle through which broader questions about ecological and evolutionary patterns and processes can be generated an...
Article
Full-text available
Hickmania troglodytes is an emblematic cave spider representing a monotypic cribellate spider genus. This is the only Australian lineage of Austrochilidae while the other members of the family are found in southern South America. In addition to being the largest spider in Tasmania, Hickmania is an oddity in Austrochilidae because this is the only l...
Article
We address the phylogenetic relationships of pimoid spiders (Pimoidae) using a standard target-gene approach with an extensive taxonomic sample, which includes representatives of the four currently recognized pimoid genera, 26 linyphiid genera, a sample of Physoglenidae, Cyatholipidae and one Tetragnathidae species. We test the monophyly of Pimoida...
Book
Full-text available
The largest compilation of spider genera from India and a must-have field guide for every biodiversity enthusiast and budding arachnologist. A field guide to the Spider Genera of India is an illustrative guide for 350 spider genera reported from India. This book is for all ages and experience levels, from children to adults and amateurs to experie...
Article
High throughput sequencing and phylogenomic analyses focusing on relationships among spiders have both reinforced and upturned long‐standing hypotheses. Likewise, the evolution of spider webs—perhaps their most emblematic attribute—is being understood in new ways. With a matrix including 272 spider species and close arachnid relatives, we analyze a...
Article
A new thread-legged assassin bug species, Myiophanes (Myiophanes) wygodzinskyi sp. nov. (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Reduviidae: Emesinae: Emesini), collected from Ravana Cave in Uva Province of Sri Lanka, is described. It is the largest species of the genus described so far.
Article
Full-text available
Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) is a pathogen killing amphibians worldwide. Its impact across much of Asia is poorly characterized. This study systematically surveyed amphibians for Bd across rocky plateaus in the northern section of the Western Ghats biodiversity hotspot, India, including the first surveys of the plateaus in the coastal region...
Data
S1 Supplementary material for: Thorpe et al. 2018. Climate structuring of Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis infection in the threatened amphibians of the northern Western Ghats, India Journal manuscript number: RSOS-170810
Article
Full-text available
The importance of patch quality for amphibians is frequently overlooked in distribution models. Here we demonstrate that it is highly important for the persistence of endemic and endangered amphibians found in the threatened and fragile ecosystems that are the rocky plateaus in Western Maharashtra, India. These plateaus are ferricretes of laterite...
Data
Breakdown of abundance data by taxa, site, eco-zone, year and day-night time survey. (DOCX)
Article
Full-text available
A characteristic new species Meotipa sahyadri n. sp. with tall and white translucent abdomen in females is described in detail based on morphology of both sexes, based on specimens collected from the Western Ghats of Maharashtra, Gujarat and Goa. The new species has epigynal projection which is known only in Meotipa picturata Simon, 1895, but diffe...
Article
Full-text available
Schroederia feana (Distant, 1902) is recorded for the first time from the present Indian Territory and redescribed based on male specimen from Assam, India. In addition, Prionolomia gigas Distant, 1879 is redescribed based on male and female specimens from the same locality.
Article
Full-text available
The third conference of the Asian Society of Arachnology was hosted by the Indian Society of Arachnology, in collaboration with J. D. Patil Sangludkar Mahavidyalaya, Daryapurand Satpuda Foundation at Hotel Gauri Inn, Amravati, Maharashtra, India. Some 126 participants from 20 countries registered for the conference. Joseph Koh was elected as the ne...
Article
Full-text available
A new cavernicolous, thread-legged assassin bug, Bagauda ernstmayri sp. nov. (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Reduviidae: Emesinae), collected from a cave near Satara, in the Western Ghats of Maharashtra, India, is described. Its interaction with the web of an uloborid spider Zosis geniculata (Olivier, 1789) (Araneae: Uloboridae) is discussed.
Article
Full-text available
A new species of the genus Pseudopoda is described from India: Pseudopoda ashcharya sp. n. Males are characterised by the absence of the conductor and females are unique within the genus in having the lateral lobes of their epigyne fused. The systematic relationship of the new species is discussed referring to its isolated occurrence in the Western...
Article
Full-text available
Background: While surveying bugs and spiders in the caves of Satara District, Maharashtra, one of us (SK) collected a thread-legged bug associated with a spider web. New information: A Sri Lankan Emesinae bug, Myiophanes greeni Distant (Heteroptera: Reduviidae: Emesinae) is reported for the first time from India. The species is redescribed with...
Article
Full-text available
Recent restrictions and regulations put on the animal dissections in academic curricula of life sciences at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels have met with a lot of criticism from researchers and university/college teachers. Substitution of invasive species for regulated dissections in the present curriculum can be a good strategy for both...
Article
Iodine gives a deep yellowish brown color in aqueous solution. As acetone is iodinated and Iodine is converted to iodide ion, this color slowly fades as iodine is consumed. Thus iodination of acetone can be investigated by the change in absorbance. In the present investigation, kinetics of this reaction has been studied colorimetrically. The ext...
Article
Full-text available
The jumping spider Siler semiglaucus (Simon, 1901) has been newly reported from India, based on specimens studied from South India. These spiders were observed feeding on all life stages of Technomyrmex ants.
Article
Full-text available
Description of Thomisus telanganaensis Pravalikha & Srinivasulu, 2015 based on two females and their interpretation as intraspecific variation, are likely to be distinct Thomisus species. Further, the proposed endemicity of poorly studied species Thomisus projectus Tikader, 1960 in Pravalikha & Srinivasulu (2015) is doubtful and based on distributi...
Article
The family Bithyniidae is represented in tropical Asia by the following genera, Bithynia, Digonistoma, Mysorella, Parabithynia, Emmericiopsis, Hydrobioides, Parafossarulus, Pseudovivipara, Sataria and Wattebladia (Dudgeon 1999; Pyron & Brown 2015).
Article
Full-text available
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...
Article
Full-text available
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...
Article
Full-text available
The tetragnathid spider Tylorida striata (Thorell, 1877) is redescribed on examination of its long unknown syntypes from Kendari, Southeast Sulawesi deposited in the Natural History Museum of Giacomo Doria, Genoa, Italy and additional material from Kendari and other Indonesian regions. Description of Tylorida stellimicans (Simon, 1885) mentions its...
Article
Full-text available
The male sex of Tylorida sataraensis Kulkarni, 2014 is described based on specimens from the type locality. The distinguishing characters from its closest species Tylorida ventralis (Thorell, 1877) are detailed. An interesting behaviour of going underwater by T. sataraensis, on disturbance is recorded and tested for significance. The surveys have s...
Article
Full-text available
A new species Tylorida sataraensis sp. Nov. is described from the northern Western Ghats based on female only. Its behaviour of holding under water in response to disturbance is discussed.
Article
Full-text available
First record of Poltys columnaris Thorell, 1890 (Araneae: Araneidae) from Western Ghats, India
Article
Analysis of water in 20 km radius around Lonand, India was analyzed for the pH, conductivity, soluble electrolytes like sodium, potassium, chlorides, calcium. The microbial investigation was done to see the safety of water. The present investigation provides the data for pH, conductance, hardness, Na+, K+, Cl-, Ca++ ions and microbiology including...

Questions

Questions (2)
Question
A huge proportion of fauna is unrecorded/ undescribed yet, mainly in invertebrates from tropical region. Hundreds of groups and individuals on Facebook, iNat, Flickr etc, have been photographing animals, some of which have not been recorded in the scientific publications.
While the names provided as identification to these images might not always be correct (as sampling is must for id in many groups), how are they contributing to biodiversity studies? 
Question
As a part of understanding distribution of spiders belonging to genus Tylorida with its taxonomic revision, I am trying to find researchers who would be interested to participate from Africa and Madagascar group of islands. 

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