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Northeast Migrants in Delhi: Race, Refuge and Retail is an ethnographic study of migrants from India's north-east border region living and working in Delhi, the nation's capital. Northeast India borders China, the Himalayas, and Southeast Asia. Despite burgeoning interest in the region, little attention is given to the thousands of migrants leaving the region for Indian cities for refuge, work, and study. The stories of Northeast migrants reveal an everyday Northeast India rarely captured elsewhere and offer an alternative view of contemporary India. Northeast migrants covet the employment opportunities created by India's embrace of globalization; shopping malls, restaurants, and call centres. Yet Northeast migrants also experience high levels of racism, harassment, and violence. Far from simply victims of the city, Northeast migrants have created their own 'map' of Delhi, enabling a sense of belonging, albeit an uneasy one. Interdisciplinary in nature, this book will appeal to scholars of anthropology, urban studies, geography, migration, and Asian Studies.

We describe a new plexippine genus, , supported by phylogenomic data from ultraconserved elements (UCEs), Sanger sequences of four genes, and morphological evidence. The type species, (Caleb, Christudhas, Laltanpuii & Chitra, 2014), is transferred from , as is (Caleb, 2022), The phylogenomic data places among the plexippines near C.L. Koch, 1846 and Thorell, 1887, while the constrained four-gene phylogeny indicates that is distinct from . Additionally, we describe a new species,

The genus Bates, 1884 from China is revised. Sixteen species or subspecies of the genus are recognized (eight previously described and eight new): Gressitt, 1940 from northwestern to eastern China, Bi & Lin, from Hubei, Bi & Lin, from Anhui, Shanghai, and Zhejiang, Bi & Lin, from Xizang, Bi & Chen, from Yunnan, Holzschuh, 2010 from Gansu, Shaanxi, and Hubei, Holzschuh, 2010 from Shaanxi and Hubei, Bi & Chen, from Hubei, Bi & Chen, from Sichuan, Gressitt, 1942 from Sichuan, Chongqing, and Hubei, Bi & Lin, from Zhejiang, Anhui, Hunan, and Hubei, Pic, 1935 and Holzschuh, 2010 from Yunnan, Bi & Chen, from Hainan, Breuning, 1947 from Fujian, Zhejiang, Hubei, and Jiangxi, and Hayashi, 1974 from Taiwan. One new synonym, Pesarini & Sabbadini, 1997 = Gressitt, 1940 is proposed. Gressitt, 1951 from Taiwan is treated as a taxon of uncertain generic position. Bi & Lin, is considered to be the smallest cerambycid beetle known in China. Pic, 1935 and Holzschuh, 2010 are newly recorded from China. Illustrations of habitus, major diagnostic features, biological notes, a distributional map as well as an identification key are provided.

Rhagophthalmidae are a small beetle family known from the eastern Palaearctic and Oriental realms. Rhagophthalmidae are closely related to railroad worms (Phengodidae) and fireflies (Lampyridae) with which they share highly modified paedomorphic females and the ability to emit light. Currently, Rhagophthalmidae include 66 species classified in the following 12 genera: Bicladodrilus Pic, 1921 (two spp.), Bicladum Pic, 1921 (two spp.), Dioptoma Pascoe, 1860 (two spp.), Diplocladon Gorham, 1883 (two spp.), Dodecatoma Westwood, 1849 (eight spp.), Falsophrixothrix Pic, 1937 (six spp.), Haplocladon Gorham, 1883 (two spp.), Menghuoius Kawashima, 2000 (three spp.), Mimoochotyra Pic, 1937 (one sp.), Monodrilus Pic, 1921 (two spp. in two subgenera), Pseudothilmanus Pic, 1918 (two spp.), and Rhagophthalmus Motschulsky, 1854 (34 spp.). The replacement name Haplocladon gorhami Kundrata, nom. nov. is proposed for Diplocladon hasseltii Gorham, 1883b (described in subgenus Haplocladon) which is preoccupied by Diplocladon hasseltii Gorham, 1883a. The genus Reductodrilus Pic, 1943 is tentatively placed in Lampyridae: Ototretinae. Lectotypes are designated for Pseudothilmanus alatus Pic, 1918 and P. marginalis Pic, 1918. Interestingly, in the eastern part of their distribution, Rhagophthalmidae have remained within the boundaries of the Sunda Shelf and the Philippines demarcated by the Wallace Line, which separates the Oriental and Australasian realms. This study is intended to be a first step towards a comprehensive revision of the group on both genus and species levels. Additionally, critical problems and prospects for rhagophthalmid research are briefly discussed.

In this study, the moth genus Clethrorasa Hampson, 1908 is reviewed, and a new genus, Minclethrorasa gen. nov. with its type species, M. chinensis sp. nov. are described from southeastern China. A new synonymy is established for the species Clethrorasa tibetica Orhant, 2013 = Clethrorasa kossnerae Behounek, 1997, syn. nov. Additionally, Clethrorasa pilcheri (Hampson, 1896) is reported for the first time from China. The adult and genitalia characteristics of all species are illustrated, and a key is provided for identifying species of the two genera.

India and Sri Lanka are known to exhibit high levels of biological diversity with many endemic taxa, such as the enigmatic scorpion genus Charmus Karsch, 1879. Members of this genus are rarely encountered in the field and are also known to be morphologically very similar, which impedes their systematic assessment. Our dedicated efforts towards sampling the members of the genus resulted in the collection of important material, which allowed us to carry out a thorough systematic revision of the genus using an integrated taxonomic approach. We propose several taxonomic changes based on the results of a detailed morphological study supported by molecular data. Charmus indicus Hirst, 1915 is synonymized with Charmus laneus Karsch, 1879, owing to the lack of morphological differences and low genetic divergence between the two taxa. We designate a neotype for Charmus sinhagadensis Tikader and Bastawade, 1983, and describe a new species from Sirumalai (Tamil Nadu, India). Moreover, we provide the first molecular phylogeny of Charmus based on Cytochrome c Oxidase subunit I (COI), 16S rRNA (16S) and 28S rRNA (28S) genes. The phylogenetic position of the genus within the family Buthidae C. L. Koch, 1837 is also tested using an independent genome-wide dataset (Ultraconserved Elements). Topological congruence and discrepancies between the phylogenies generated with Sanger sequences and the Ultraconserved Elements are commented on, and the reliability of these datasets when evaluating phylogenetic relationships at different hierarchical levels is further discussed.

The species of the hoverfly genus Paramixogaster Brunetti, 1923 from the Oriental Region are revised. The resulting number of valid species is 15, of which the following four are described as new: P. halmaherensis Reemer, sp. nov. , P. jubata Reemer, sp. nov. , P. kodaiana Sankararaman & Reemer, sp. nov. , and P. sulawesiana Reemer, sp. nov. Three new synonymies are established: Paramicrodon decipiens de Meijere, 1917, syn. nov. is a junior synonym of Microdon vespiformis de Meijere, 1908; Paramixogaster wegneri Keiser, 1964, syn. nov. is a junior synonym of Ceratophya indica Doleschall, 1857; Microdon subpetiolatus Thompson, 2020, syn. nov. is a junior synonym of Microdon contractus Brunetti, 1923. Paramixogaster huoi Reemer, nom. nov. is introduced as a replacement name for P. trifasciatus Huo & Zhao, 2022, which is a primary homonym of P. trifasciatus Ssymank & Reemer, 2016. Neotypes are designated for Paramixogaster icariiformis Pendlebury, 1927 and Myxogaster variegata Sack, 1922, and a lectotype is designated for Microdon vespiformis de Meijere, 1908. An identification key to the species and diagnoses for all species are provided.

In the twenty-first century, debates on the future of books and print culture have intensified with the rise of digital technologies, and the contemporary art world has witnessed an explosion of interest in the book form. Amid this artistic and intellectual activity, there has been little scrutiny of book arts in South Asia and their particular ontologies, histories, and genealogies. This volume weaves together scholarly essays, original artistic projects, and works of creative nonfiction to trace a history of illustrated books in South Asia from 1100 CE to the present. From Nepalese palm-leaf manuscripts and imperial Mughal albums to lithographed cookbooks and mimeographed magazines, contributors examine a diverse range of materials rarely, if ever, studied together. Thematically organized, the chapters stage a critical dialogue between artists and scholars, emphasizing the visual, material, aesthetic, and phenomenological dimensions of books. Against narratives of the death of books in a digital age, this volume argues for the book as a vital form and dynamic practice. Written in a lucid and lively style, it will be of interest to scholars, curators, artists, critics, students, museum visitors, and readers of contemporary comics and graphic novels.

Blood eosinophils have become an invaluable tool in the assessment, management, and prognostication of patients with asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Historically, the understanding and application of blood eosinophil counts (BEC) have been primarily based on data from high-income countries, with limited information available from developing regions, including the Indian subcontinent. This study aims to assess the distribution and clinical relevance of BEC among patients with asthma and COPD as well as healthy volunteers across India, to determine if patterns observed in Western studies hold true in an Indian setting. A multi-centre cross-sectional study was conducted at 16 clinics across India. Participants included patients diagnosed with asthma or COPD and healthy volunteers who were identified from referrals to these clinics. Comprehensive data collection involved demographics, medication use, smoking status, and pre- and post-bronchodilator spirometry. All participants underwent a laboratory full blood count. The study comprised 4782 adults, including 1,332 patients with asthma (571 males, 761 females), 1,001 patients with COPD (691 males, 310 females), and 2,449 healthy volunteers (1,399 males, 1,050 females). Among patients with asthma, the mean BEC was higher at geometric mean 173.9 [156.2, 193.6]; patients with COPD had a mean BEC of 198.4 [178.6, 220.4] which was significantly higher than that of healthy volunteers (144.7 [134.5, 155.5]). The range of eosinophils in the contemporary Indian population aligns with data from Europe, affirming the validity of using BEC as a biomarker in obstructive lung disease within the Indian demographic. This insight challenges the prevailing assumption of distinct eosinophil count profiles in different geographical regions and underscores the global applicability of eosinophil-based management strategies for asthma and COPD.

Little is known about the life history, ecology, and distribution of the genus Allopaa (Dicroglossidae) and far less recent data are available about the larvae of this taxon. Here, we provide data on the larval stage of Allopaa hazarensis (Dubois & Khan, 1979) from northern Pakistan based on the examination of three tadpoles. Specimens were obtained from two sites in Buner, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, Pakistan. Morphological and genetic analysis (mtDNA and nDNA) confirmed the identity of the tadpoles as A. hazarensis . Tadpole characterizations were illustrated by detailed imagery. Basic measurements and details on oral apparatus provide relevant taxonomic characteristics to distinguish the tadpoles of this species from other spiny frogs. The illustration and description of the tadpole of A. hazarensis should facilitate the identification of this species in the field.