AbstractChilopoda) is proposed. Terms are selected from the alternatives used in the English literature, preferring those most frequently used or those that have been introduced explicitly. A total of 330 terms are defined and illustrated, and another ca. 500 alternatives are listed.A common terminology for the external morphological characters of centipedes ( Chilopoda).This contribution is intended to propose a common terminology for the external morphological characters of centipedes , because they have been documented only recently, by histology and scanning electron microscopy, so that a consistent terminology is available , 2008. OWe considered all publications in English dealing with centipedes since PageBreakTo maximize future applicability, alternative criteria of selection have been discussed with authors who are either currently the most active centipede systematists publishing descriptions in English and/or have already addressed issues of terminology standardization. In order to identify and recommend a single term for each character, we applied the following criteria: (i) we selected a term already used in the literature, except when all alternatives are either ambiguous or inconsistent with other selected terms; (ii) among alternatives, we selected either the term used most frequently (by most authors and/or in most publications) or the one explicitly introduced and defined by an influential author; (iii) we applied minor emendations to selected terms  when necessary for consistency and uniformity. We refrained from revising the terminology based on homology hypotheses with other arthropods , becauseMajor anatomical differences exist between the six centipede orders, five extant - Scutigeromorpha, Lithobiomorpha, Craterostigmomorpha, Scolopendromorpha, and Geophilomorpha - and one extinct, Devonobiomorpha. Morphological and taxonomical investigations by different authors have sometimes been and still are limited to single orders, leading to different terminological traditions. While we propose a consistent terminology for the entire class, we specify the order(s) to which each term is applicable to facilitate usage by students interested in single orders; when no orders are specified, it is meant that the term is applicable to all orders; when an order is specified, it is meant that the term is applicable to at least some taxa in the order.After reviewing the relevant literature as explained above, we retrieved roughly 830 terms that apply to 330 anatomical features. By applying the criteria described above, we obtained the recommended terminology presented herein.PageBreakby a slash; listed alphabetically, without an implicit ranking). An alphabetical index of all recommended and synonymous terms is provided in the additional file: Analytical index. Abbreviations for orders are: Cra (Craterostigmomorpha), Dev (Devonobiomorpha), Geo (Geophilomorpha), Lit (Lithobiomorpha), Sco (Scolopendromorpha), and Scu (Scutigeromorpha).Terms for surface depressions and projections are provided in cephalic capsule: integument of the head to the exclusion of its appendages. cephalic plate:  dorsal side of the cephalic capsule. median sulcus:  mid-longitudinal sulcus on the anterior part of the cephalic capsule.  transverse suture: transverse suture on the anterior part of the dorsal side of the cephalic capsule.  anterior projection/projections of the transverse suture: [Scu] one of the paramedian sutures projecting anteriorly from the cephalic transverse suture. Fig. 3antennocellar suture/sutures:  one of the paired sutures on the antero-lateral parts of the cephalic capsule. antennal branch/branches of antennocellar suture:  part of the antennocellar suture, anterior to the cephalic transverse suture. Syn.: anterior portion/portions of antennocellar sutureocellar branch/branches of antennocellar suture:  part of the antennocellar suture, posterior to the cephalic transverse suture. Syn.: posterior portion/portions of antennocellar suture, posterior limb/limbs of  transverse suturefrontal plate: anterior part of the dorsal side of the cephalic capsule, delimited posteriorly by the cephalic transverse suture. ocellar area/areas:  one of the paired antero-lateral parts of the cephalic capsule, bearing compound eyes or ocelli when present, and delimited mesally by the antennocellar suture. compound eye/eyes: [Scu] faceted vision organ, composed of similar units known as ommatidia. Fig. 3ocellus/ocelli:  simple vision organ, appearing as a single convex lens. Fig. 5posterior ocellus/ocelli: [Lit] the most posterior ocellus on each side of the head. seriate ocellus/ocelli: [Lit] one of the ocelli other than the posterior ocellus. ocellar series/series: [Lit] one of the sub-horizontal rows in which the seriate ocelli can be arranged. Syn.: ocellar row/rowsposterosuperior ocellus/ocelli: [Lit] the most posterior ocellus of the most dorsal row of seriate ocelli. Fig. 5PageBreakPageBreakTömösváry’s organ/organs:  hygroreceptor sensory organ at the side of the head. paramedian suture/sutures: [Sco] one of the paired paramedian sutures on the cephalic plate. Fig. 6 paramedian sulcus/sulci:  one of the paired paramedian sulci on the posterior part of the cephalic plate.  marginal ridge:  narrow ridge along the lateral and posterior margins of the dorsal side of the cephalic capsule.  marginal sulcus/sulci:  sulcus between the marginal ridge and the remaining part of the dorsal side of the cephalic capsule. Fig. 1 lateral marginal interruption/interruptions : [Lit] notch on the lateral margins of the cephalic plate. basal plate/plates: [Sco] one of the paired sclerites at the posterior corners of the cephalic plate. Fig. 6 cephalic pleurite/pleurites:  one of the pleurites lateral to the clypeolabrum. transverse suture/sutures : [Geo] transverse suture on the cephalic pleurite. stilus/stili: [Geo] sclerotised ridge on the mesal margin of the cephalic pleurite. anterior incision/incisions (of stilus): [Geo] notch on the mesal side of the stilus. spiculum/spicula: [Geo] sclerotised, pointed projection on the anterior part of the cephalic pleurite. maxillary complex: whole of first and second maxillaeantenna/antennae: one of the paired most anterior appendages on the head. Fig. 1article/articles: one of the rigid sectors along the antenna.  scape/scapes: [Scu] set of the two most basal antennal articles. Fig. 10annulation/annulations: [Scu] short antennal article.  PageBreakPageBreakflagellum/flagella: [Scu] one of the sections along the antenna composed of annulations. node/nodes: [Scu] elongate antennal article between two flagella along the antenna. Fig. 11 first flagellum/flagella: [Scu] the most basal flagellum along the antenna. second flagellum/flagella: [Scu] the second flagellum along the antenna. third flagellum/flagella: [Scu] the third flagellum along the antenna. shaft organ/organs: [Scu] sensory organ on the first antennal articleclypeolabrum: antero-ventral part of the cephalic capsule, posterior to the antennae and between the cephalic pleurites. Fig. 7clypeus: sclerite on the antero-ventral part of the cephalic capsule, to the exclusion of the labrum. Fig. 12paraclypeal suture/sutures: one of the lateral margins of the clypeus. scute/scutes: area on the cuticle, corresponding to the external face of a single epithelial cell. areolate part: [Geo] anterior part of the clypeus that is evidently areolate.  plagula/plagulae: [Geo] one of the non-areolate areas on the posterior part of the clypeus. mid-longitudinal areolate strip: [Geo] mid-longitudinal areolate band separating two paired plagulae. clypeal insula/insulae: [Geo] non-areolate area inside the areolate part of the clypeus. Fig. 9clypeal area/areas: [Geo] small, subcircular, median area on the areolate part of the clypeus, with distinctly finer or indistinct areolation. clypeolabral suture: suture between clypeus and labrum. Fig. 12labrum: posterior part of the clypeolabrum, sometimes delimited from the clypeus by a suture. mid-piece: median sclerite of the labrum.  PageBreakintermediate part: [Geo] median part of the labrum, when not a sclerite distinct from the lateral parts.  mid-piece tooth: sclerotised tooth on the labral mid-piece. Fig. 13 side-piece/side-pieces: one of the paired lateral sclerites of the labrum.  lateral part/parts: [Geo] one of the paired lateral parts of the labrum, when not sclerites distinct from the intermediate part.  ala/alae: [Geo] one of the two sclerites composing the labral side-piece. Fig. 8 anterior ala/alae: [Geo] the anterior of the two sclerites composing the labral side-piece. Fig. 8 posterior ala/alae: [Geo] the posterior of the two sclerites composing the labral side-piece. Fig. 8 transverse thickened line/lines: [Geo] sclerotised ridge between the anterior and posterior ala of the labral side-piece. Fig. 8 median arc: [Geo] concave posterior margin of the labral intermediate part.  bristle/bristles: hair-like, sometimes branching, projection along the posterior margin of the labrum.  denticle/denticles: [Geo] subtriangular, flat projection along the posterior margin of the labrum.  tubercle/tubercles: [Geo] subconical, stout projection along the posterior margin of the labrum.  paralabial sclerite/sclerites:  one of the paired sclerites posterior to the clypeus and lateral to the labral side-pieces. tentorium/tentoria: Y-shaped sclerite whose three limbs are attached to the labral lateral parts, the cephalic pleurite, and the mandibular condyle, respectively. mandible/mandibles: one appendage of the first pair of the mouth-parts. Fig. 13mandibular condyle/condyles: condyle of the mandible serving the articulation with the tentorium. Fig. 15gnathal edge/edges: distal margin of the mandible. manubrium/manubria: slender projection of the mandible opposite to the gnathal edge with respect to the mandibular condyle. PageBreaktrunk/trunks: main part of the mandible, to the exclusion of the manubrium and the gnathal edge. (mandibular) cruciform suture/sutures: [Sco] pair of crossed sutures on the mandibular trunk. (mandibular) lamina/laminae manubrii: [Sco] part of the mandible between manubrium and cruciform suture. lamina/laminae triangularis/triangulares: [Sco] part of the mandible between the lamina manubrii and the lamina dentifera, opposite to the lamina condylifera with respect to the cruciform suture. lamina/laminae dentifera/dentiferae: [Sco] part of the mandible between apical ridge and cruciform suture. lamina/laminae condylifera/condyliferae: [Sco] part of the mandible between the lamina manubrii and the lamina dentifera, including the mandibular condyle and opposite to the lamina triangularis with respect to the cruciform suture. molar plate/plates: [Scu] sclerotised, flat area on the gnathal edgepulvillus/pulvilli: array of dense short scales on the dorsal end of the mandibular gnathal edge. acicula/aciculae: one of the slender long projections on the ventral end of the mandibular gnathal edge. (mandibular) pinnule/pinnules (of acicula): one of the branches of a mandibular aciculabranching bristle/bristles: [Lit] hair-like, branching projection fringing the mandibular teeth and aciculae(mandibular) accessory denticle/denticles:  one of the denticles arranged in rows on the mandibular teeth(mandibular) lamella/lamellae: one of the flat projections on the gnathal edge of the mandible. (mandibular) dentate lamella/lamellae: mandibular lamella bearing teeth. (mandibular) tooth/teeth: sclerotised, large, subconical, projection on a mandibular dentate lamella. Fig. 15(mandibular) tricuspid tooth/teeth: tooth with three tips on a dentate lamella. Fig. 16(mandibular) block/blocks: one of the sclerotised distinct parts of a dentate lamella, each bearing one or more teeth. Fig. 17(mandibular) pectinate lamella/lamellae:  mandibular lamella bearing poorly sclerotised, subcylindrical, slender projections. (mandibular) basal tooth/teeth: [Geo] subconical projection at the base of the first mandibular lamella(mandibular) PageBreakPageBreakfirst maxillae {plural only}: pair of appendages and associated basal sclerites between the mandibles and the second maxillae. sternite: most basal part of the coxosternite, associated with the first maxillae(first maxillary) coxa/coxae: part of the coxosternite corresponding to a coxa, of the first maxillae(first maxillary) coxosternite: entire sclerite corresponding to sternite and coxae of the first maxillae. (first maxillary) lateral incision: [Geo] notch on the lateral margin of the first maxillary coxosternite. (first maxillary) coxal projection/projections: one of the paired projections on the anterior margin of the first maxillary coxosternite, mesal to the telopodites. (first maxillary) telopodite/telopodites: one of the paired projections, usually articulated at the base, on the anterior margin of the first maxillary coxosternite, lateral to the coxal projections. (first maxillary) basal article/articles: the most basal article of the first maxillary telopodite. (first maxillary) distal article/articles: the most distal article of the first maxillary telopodite. (first maxillary) plumose bristle/bristles: [Lit] one of the feather-like projections on the distal article of the first maxillary telopodite. Fig. 21(first maxillary) pad/pads: [Sco] array of short, dense projections on the distal article of the first maxillary telopodite. Fig. 22(first maxillary) lappet/lappets: [Geo] projection on the lateral margin of the first maxillary coxosternite or telopodite. (first maxillary) coxosternal lappet/lappets: [Geo] lappet on the first maxillary coxosternite. (first maxillary) telopodital lappet/lappets: [Geo] lappet on the basal article of the first maxillary telopodite. (first maxillary) PageBreakPageBreaksecond maxillae {plural only}: pair of appendages and associated basal sclerite/s, posterior to the first maxillae. coxosternite: entire sclerite corresponding to sternite and coxae of the second maxillae. (second maxillary) isthmus: median part of the second maxillary coxosternite. Fig. 24(second maxillary) setigerous insula/insulae: [Geo] one of the nonareolate areas, bearing setae, inside the areolate part of the second maxillary coxosternite. Fig. 20(second maxillary) metameric pore/pores: one of the paired pores of the maxillary glands on the second maxillary coxosternite. foraminal process/processes: [Geo] marginal projection of the second maxillary coxosternite surrounding the metameric pore. Fig. 20statumen/statuminia: [Geo] sclerotised elongated ridge mesal to the metameric pore. parastatuminial suture/sutures: [Geo] suture along the statumen. circumforaminal ring/rings: [Geo] sclerotised ring partially surrounding the metameric poreinner process/processes (of second maxillary coxosternite): [Geo] one of the paired projections on the anterior margin of the second maxillary coxosternite, mesal to the telopodites. postmaxillary sclerite/sclerites:  one of the paired sclerites adjacent to the posterior corners of the second maxillary coxosternite. telopodite/telopodites: part of the appendage of the second maxillae, distal to the most basal articulation. (second maxillary) trochanter/trochanters: [Scu] first article of the second maxillary telopodite. Fig. 25(second maxillary) prefemur/prefemora: [Scu] second article of the second maxillary telopodite. Fig. 25(second maxillary) femur/femora: [Scu] third article of the second maxillary telopodite. Fig. 25(second maxillary) tibia/tibiae: [Scu] fourth article of the second maxillary telopodite. Fig. 25(second maxillary) tarsus/tarsi: [Scu] fifth article of the second maxillary telopodite. Fig. 25(second maxillary) PageBreakarticle/articles 1:  first article of the second maxillary telopodite. (second maxillary) article/articles 2:  second article of the second maxillary telopodite. (second maxillary) article/articles 3:  third article of the second maxillary telopodite. (second maxillary) plumose seta/setae: [Lit] one of the setae with apical branches, on article 3 of the second maxillary telopodite. Fig. 26(second maxillary) dorsal brush/brushes:  longitudinal row of hairs on article 3 of the second maxillary telopodite. (second maxillary) pretarsus/pretarsi:  terminal element articulated to the most distal article of the second maxillary telopodite. (second maxillary) claw/claws:  second maxillary pretarsus in shape of a claw. (second maxillary) digit/digits (of second maxillary claw):  one of the short projections on the second maxillary claw. Fig. 26comb/combs (of second maxillary claw):  row of projections along the margin of the second maxillary claw. filament/filaments (of second maxillary claw):  one of the slender projections of the comb of the second maxillary claw. Fig. 18forcipular segment: segment bearing the forcipules. forcipular pretergite:  short sclerite anterior to the forcipular tergite. forcipular tergite: main tergite of the forcipular segment. forcipular pleurite/pleurites: lateral sclerite of the forcipular segment. scapula/scapulae: [Geo] dorsal ridge of the forcipular pleurite. Fig. 27(forcipular) scapular point/points: [Geo] projecting anterior tip of the forcipular scapula. (forcipular) PageBreakcollar: [Lit] ventral transversal bridge connecting the forcipular pleurites. (forcipular) coxa/coxae: [Scu] one of the paired sclerites basal to the forcipules, bearing spine-bristles on the anterior margin. (forcipular) coxosternite:  entire sclerite corresponding to sternite and coxae of the forcipular segment. (forcipular) coxopleural suture/sutures: suture between the forcipular pleurite and the forcipular coxae or coxosternite. (forcipular) coxosternal condyle/condyles: condyle of the forcipular coxa or coxosternite serving the articulation with the trochanteroprefemur. cerrus/cerri: [Geo] one of the paired groups of setae on the dorsal side of the forcipular coxosternite.  condylar process/processes: [Geo] one of the paired projections of the forcipular coxosternite, close to the dorsal coxosternal condyles shoulder/shoulders (of forcipular coxosternite): [Lit] one of the paired obtuse projections on the anterior margin of the forcipular coxosternite. median diastema:  median concavity on the anterior margin of the forcipular coxosternite.  tooth/teeth:  sclerotised, short, subconical projection on the anterior margin of the forcipular coxosternite.  tooth-plate/tooth-plates:  one of the paired sclerotised, flat, teeth-bearing projections on the anterior margin of the forcipular coxosternite.  denticle/denticles: [Geo] one of the paired small, subconical projections on the anterior margin of the forcipular coxosternite.  porodont/porodonts: [Lit] one of the paired large setae usually placed lateral to the forcipular coxosternal teeth. porodont node/nodes: [Lit] basal structure from which the porodont arisesmedian cleft: [Lit] mid-longitudinal suture on the ventral side of the forcipular coxosternite.  chitin-line/chitin-lines: [Geo] one of the paired paramedian sclerotised narrow stripes on the ventral side of the forcipular coxosternite. PageBreakSyn.: chitinous line/lines, pleurogram/pleurograms,  (subcondylic) sclerotic line/linesPageBreakmedian embayment:  median notch at the posterior margin of the forcipular coxosternite.  forcipule/forcipules: telopodite of the forcipular segment. trochanteroprefemur/trochanteroprefemora: first article of the forcipule. (forcipular) trochanteral suture/sutures: trace of suture on the forcipular trochanteroprefemur. Fig. 29(forcipular) intermediate article/articles: one of the second and third articles of the forcipule. Syn.: intercalary article/articles, intermediate joint/joints(forcipular) femur/femora: second article of the forcipule. (forcipular) tibia/tibiae: third article of the forcipule. (forcipular) tarsus/tarsi: [Scu] fourth article of the forcipule. (forcipular) ungulum/ungula: [Scu] terminal articulated element of the forcipule. tarsungulum/tarsungula:  ultimate article of the forcipule. (forcipular) process/processes of (forcipular) tronchanteroprefemur:  large projection on the mesal side of the forcipular trochanteroprefemur. denticle/denticles: [Geo] small subconical projection on the mesal side of the forcipule. (forcipular) proximal denticle/denticles (of trochanteroprefemur): [Geo] the most basal of two denticles along the mesal side of the forcipular trochanteroprefemur. distal denticle/denticles (of trochanteroprefemur): [Geo] the most distal of two denticles along the mesal side of the forcipular trochanteroprefemur. Fig. 27basal denticle/denticles (of tarsungulum): [Geo] denticle at the base of the forcipular tarsungulum. spine comb/combs: [Scu] row of spines on the forcipular tarsus(forcipular) PageBreakleg-bearing segment/segments: segment of the trunk bearing paired walking appendages. tergite/tergites (of leg-bearing segment): sclerite on the dorsal side of a leg-bearing segment. stomatotergite/stomatotergites: [Scu] tergite bearing a stoma. Fig. 35stoma/stomata: [Scu] elongate opening of the respiratory organs on the posteromedian part of a stomatotergite. stoma-saddle/stoma-saddles: [Scu] domed region of the stomatotergite surrounding the stoma. margination/marginations (of tergite):  marginal ridge on a tergite. posterior triangular projection/projections (of tergite): [Lit] angulated projection on each posterior corner of a tergite. pretergite/pretergites:  anterior sclerite of the two dorsal sclerites of a leg-bearing segment. metatergite/metatergites:  posterior sclerite of the two dorsal sclerites of a leg-bearing segment. paramedian sulcus/sulci or suture/sutures (of tergite):  one of the paired paramedian longitudinal sutures or sulci on a tergite. transverse sulcus/sulci or suture/sutures (of tergite): [Sco] transverse suture or sulcus on the first trunk tergite. (anterior) cruciform suture/sutures (of tergite): [Sco] pair of crossed sutures on the first trunk tergite. Fig. 33oblique suture/sutures (of tergite): [Sco] one of the paired oblique sutures on some anterior trunk tergites. lateral longitudinal suture/sutures (of tergite): [Sco] one of the paired longitudinal sutures close to the lateral margins of a tergite. lateral crescentic sulcus/sulci (of tergite): [Sco] one of the paired curved, sublongitudinal sulci on a tergite. eupleurium/eupleuria: the whole of pleurites on a side of a leg-bearing segment. pleural membrane/membranes: arthrodial membrane between pleuritesparatergite/paratergites: [Geo] pleurite contiguous or almost contiguous to a tergite. Fig. 36intercalary paratergite/paratergites: [Geo] paratergite lateral to a pretergite. primary intercalary paratergite/paratergites: [Geo] the most mesal of two intercalary paratergites. secondary intercalary paratergite/paratergites: [Geo] the most distal of two intercalary paratergites. principal paratergite/paratergites: [Geo] paratergite lateral to a metatergite. scutellum/scutella:  pleurite in antero-ventral position with respect to the stigmatopleurite. spiracle/spiracles:  one of the paired openings of the tracheae on the lateral sides of a leg-bearing segment. stigmatopleurite/stigmatopleurites:  pleurite bearing a spiracle. catapleurite/catapleurites: pleurite between the scutellum and the coxa. eucoxa/eucoxae superior/superiores: [Lit] pleurite dorsal to the coxaeucoxa/eucoxae inferior/inferiores: [Lit] pleurite ventral to the coxapleurocoxa/pleurocoxae: [Geo] pleurite between coxa and metacoxasubcoxa/subcoxae:  pleurite anterior or posterior to the coxa. Syn.: subcoxal pleurite/pleuritesprocoxa/procoxae:  subcoxa anterior to the coxa. metacoxa/metacoxae:  subcoxa posterior to the coxa. sternite/sternites (of leg-bearing segment): sclerite on the ventral side of a leg-bearing segment. presternite/presternites:  anterior region of the single sternite of a leg-bearing segment, or anterior sclerite of the two ventral sclerites of a leg-bearing segment. metasternite/metasternites:  posterior region of the single sternite of a leg-bearing segment, or posterior sclerite of the two ventral sclerites of a leg-bearing segment. transverse sulcus/sulci (of sternite): [Sco] transverse sulcus on a sternite. median longitudinal sulcus/sulci (of sternite): [Sco] mid-longitudinal sulcus on a sternite. cruciform suture/sutures (of sternite): [Sco] the pair of transverse and median longitudinal sulci on a sternite. trigonal suture/sutures (of sternite): [Sco] pair of crossed sutures on the posterior part of the sternite. endosternite/endosternites:  posterior projection of a sternite, covered by the sternite of the following segment. carpophagus peg/pegs: [Geo] median projection on the posterior margin of a sternite, in the carpophagus-structure. carpophagus pit/pits: [Geo] median socket on the anterior margin of a sternite, in the carpophagus-structure. carpophagus-structure/carpophagus-structures: [Geo] whole of a carpophagus peg and the associated carpophagus pit. Fig. 37ventral pore/pores: [Geo] glandular pore on the ventral side of a leg-bearing segment. pore-field/pore-fields: [Geo] an area of clustered pores on the ventral side of a leg-bearing segment.  sternobothrium/sternobothria: [Geo] median horseshoe-like pit on the metasternite. Fig. 40transverse fossa/fossae (of sternite): [Geo] transverse, ellipical depression on some trunk sternites. fungiform fovea/foveae: [Geo] median T-like pit on the metasternitevirguliform fossa/fossae: [Geo] comma-like pit at each of the anterior corners of a sternite. lateral gutter/gutters (of sternite): [Geo] longitudinal groove along the lateral margin of a sternite. leg/legs: one of the paired appendages of the trunk to the exclusion of the forcipules and the gonopods. cursiped/cursipeds: [Lit] a leg of the pairs 1–13. tenaciped/tenacipeds: [Lit] a leg of the pairs 14–15. PageBreakarticle/articles: one of the articulated elements of a leg. (leg) coxa/coxae: the most basal article of a leg. Fig. 38(leg) trochanter/trochanters: small, basalmost article of a telopodite. Fig. 38(leg) prefemur/prefemora: second article of a telopodite. (leg) femur/femora: third article of a telopodite. Fig. 43(leg) tibia/tibiae: fourth article of a telopodite. (leg) tarsus/tarsi: fifth article of a telopodite, when ultimate. Fig. 43(leg) tarsal article/articles: one of the articles of a biarticulated region of the leg corresponding to the tarsus. Syn.: tarsalium/tarsalia, tarsomere/tarsomerestarsus/tarsi 1: the basal article of two tarsal articles. tarsus/tarsi 2: the distal article of two tarsal articles. annulation/annulations:  each part of a tarsal article, between two contiguous constrictions.  carina/carinae: [Scu] longitudinal ridge on a leg article. tarsal papilla/papillae: [Scu] relatively short, stout projection with a rounded tip, on the ventral side of tarsus 2. resilient sole-hair/sole-hairs: [Scu] one of the paired hairs thickened at the base, on the ventral side of the leg, originating near the posteromedian margin of each tarsal papilla. spur/spurs:  spur on legs. (leg) distal spinose projection/projections (of tibia): [Lit] spinous process at the distal end of the tibia of a leg. pectinal seta/setae: [Lit] one of the decumbent setae arranged in rows along the tarsal articles of legs. pecten/pectines: [Lit] row of pectinal setae.  pretarsus/pretarsi: apical element articulated at the tip of a leg. claw/claws: pretarsus in shape of a claw. PageBreakfundus/fundi (of claw): basal, swollen part of a claw. unguis/ungues proper: distal, slender part of a claw. accessory spine/spines: slender, pointed projection at the base of the claw. anterior accessory spine/spines: the anterior accessory spine of two of a claw. posterior accessory spine/spines: the posterior accessory spine of two of a claw. posteroventral spine/spines: [Lit] the largest of a pair of spines emerging on the ventro-posterior side at the base of a claw, close to the posterior accessory spine.  subsidiary spine/spines: [Lit] the smallest of a pair of spines emerging on the ventro-posterior side at the base of a claw, close to the posterior accessory spine.  fibulunguis/fibulungues: [Geo] pretarsus with a large projection flanking the unguis proper. penultimate leg/legs: leg of the penultimate pair. ultimate leg-bearing segment: leg-bearing segment bearing the ultimate pair of legs. ultimate pretergite: [Geo] pretergite of the ultimate leg-bearing segment. Fig. 50intercalary pleurite/pleurites: [Geo] pleurite contiguous to the ultimate pretergite. pleuropretergite: [Geo] entire sclerite corresponding to the ultimate pretergite and the two intercalary pleurites. Fig. 49(ultimate) tergite (or metatergite) of the ultimate leg-bearing segment: main tergite of the ultimate leg-bearing segment. ultimate presternite: [Geo] presternite of the ultimate leg-bearing segment. Fig. 51sternite (or metasternite) of the ultimate leg-bearing segment: main sternite of the ultimate leg-bearing segment. PageBreakPageBreakultimate leg/legs: one of the legs of the ultimate pair. coxopleuron/coxopleura:  basal element of the ultimate leg, corresponding to coxa and pleurites. coxopleural process/processes: [Sco] posterior process of the coxopleuron. spine/spines: [Sco] spine on the coxopleuron.  side spine/spines: [Sco] spine on the posterior margin of the coxopleuron mesal to the coxopleural process.  coxal pore/pores:  one of the pores of the coxal organs on posterior legs. macropore/macropores: [Geo] coxal pore that is distinctly larger than the other pores. Fig. 51gutter-like depression/depressions: [Lit] depressed area on the coxopleuron containing the openings of the coxal organs. Fig. 53 pit/pits: [Geo] pit on the coxopleuron, containing the openings of the coxal organs.  fossa/fossae: [Geo] longitudinal pouch close to the mesal margin of the coxopleuron, containing the openings of the coxal organs. Syn.:  cavity/cavities,  fossula/fossulae pore-field/pore-fields:  part of the surface of the coxa or coxopleuron of the ultimate legs containing the coxal pores.  prefemoral spine/spines: [Sco] spine on the prefemur of ultimate and/or penultimate legs. prefemoral (spinous) process/processes: [Sco] process, usually bearing spines, on the prefemur of the ultimate legs. corner spine/spines: [Sco] spine on the distal end, on the mesal side, of the prefemur of ultimate legs. saw tooth/teeth: [Sco] one of the bluntly pointed projections arranged in rows on the tibia and tarsus 1 of ultimate legs. ultimate pretarsus/pretarsi: pretarsus of the ultimate leg. Fig. 56PageBreakPageBreakpostpedal segments {plural only}: part of the trunk posterior to the ultimate leg-bearing segment. intermediate tergite: [Lit] tergite posterior to the tergite of the ultimate leg-bearing segment, corresponding to the intermediate sternite. intermediate sternite: sternite between the sternite or metasternite of the ultimate leg-bearing segment and the first genital sternite. Fig. 54intermediate pleurite/pleurites: [Geo] one of the two pleurites flanking the intermediate sternite. Fig. 54first genital tergite: [Lit] tergite posterior to the intermediate tergite, corresponding to the first genital sternite. Fig. 57first genital sternite: sternite between the intermediate sternite and the second genital sternite, usually associated with gonopods. first genital pleurite/pleurites: one of the two pleurites flanking the first genital sternite. first genital pleurosternite: entire sclerite corresponding to the first genital sternite and the relevant pleurites. Fig. 58first genital coxite/coxites: [Scu] one of the paired sclerites lateral to the first genital sternite. Fig. 59second genital sternite: sternite posterior to the first genital sternite. gonopod/gonopods: one of the paired appendages usually associated with the first or the second genital sternite. style/styles: [Scu] styliform male gonopod. Fig. 60 proarthron: [Scu] basal part of the complex of the paired female gonopods, composed of the basal contiguous parts of the basal articles of the gonopods. Fig. 59depression/depressions of proarthron: [Scu] one of the paired depressions on the proarthron. Fig. 59mesarthron: [Scu] median part of the complex of the paired female gonopods, composed of the distal separated parts of the basal articles of the gonopods. Fig. 59sinus of mesarthron: [Scu] concave median posterior margin of the mesarthron. Fig. 59metarthron: [Scu] terminal part of the complex of the paired female gonopods. Fig. 59syntelopodite: [Scu] coalescent pair of female gonopod telopodites. Fig. 59 first article/articles:  basal article of the gonopod.  telopodite/telopodites: [Lit] articles of the gonopod other than the first article. Fig. 61 third article/articles: [Lit] third article of the gonopod.  claw/claws: [Lit] apical claw of the female gonopod. Fig. 61 spur/spurs: [Lit] spur on the female gonopod.  plinth/plinths: [Lit] swollen projection bearing a gonopodal spur. Fig. 61 papilla/papillae: [Lit] relatively short, stout projection with a rounded tip, on the gonopod supplementary spur/spurs: [Lit] spur on the female gonopod other than those invariantly present lateral denticle/denticles : [Lit] one of the denticles on one or both sides of a gonopodal claw. gonopodal lamina: [Geo] entire median projection, corresponding to the paired female gonopods. penis: median projection bearing the male genital pore. postpedal tergite: the most posterior tergite of the trunk. lamina adanalis: [Sco] median dorsal flat projection on the posterior tip of the female body. lamina subanalis: [Sco] median ventral flat projection on the posterior tip of the female body. Fig. 63subanal plate/plates: [Scu] one of the paired ventrolateral sclerites in the telson. Fig. 59anogenital capsule: [Cra] terminal, capsule-like part of the trunk. anal pore/pores:  one of the pores of the anal organs, on the ventro-lateral sides of the telson. anal valve/valves: one of the paired rounded flat projections on the ventral side of the telson. Fig. 58Conventional abbreviations recommended for describing particular elements and patterns of elements are described below.Antennal articles in Geophilomorpha. Each article is indicated by a Roman number, from the most basal article (I) to the most distal one (XIV).PageBreakArrangement of ocelli in Lithobiomorpha. The number of ocelli in different rows are indicated from the most dorsal row to the most ventral row, separated by commas .Pattern of teeth on the anterior margin of the forcipular coxosternite in Lithobiomorpha and on the tooth-plates in Scolopendromorpha. The number of teeth is indicated for the right and the left side, separated by a plus [nright + nleft].Leg-bearing segments and pairs of legs. Each leg-bearing segment, or the corresponding pair of legs, is indicated by an Arabic number, from the most anterior one (1) to the most posterior one.Tergites and sternites of the leg-bearing segments. Each tergite and sternite is indicated by T and S respectively , followed by an Arabic number, from the most anterior ones (T1 and S1) to the most posterior ones.Arrangement of spurs on the legs in Lithobiomorpha  are indicated in parentheses. Spurs that could be present on one side only are marked by an asterisk. Additional spurs are indicated by the abbreviation of their position  typed as a superscript to the corresponding spur . Legs with the same plectrotaxy in both ventral and dorsal side can be indicated in distinct rows or in a single, common line. This convention was first proposed by Pattern of coxal pores on the legs in Lithobiomorpha. The number of coxal pores is indicated from anterior to posterior legs, without separation between the numbers […n13n14n15].


Following the publication of our article, an erroThe GenBank accession number was incorrectly stated as:EX721840Forward primer: CCCTGTGGAAGTGGCTGAAGReverse primer: CATCCAAGGGTCCGTATCTCTTThe correct GenBank accession number should be:EX722124 Forward primer: CGGTATCCTCAAGCCCAACA Reverse primer: GTCAGAGACTCGTGGTGCATCTWe apologise for any inconvenience this may have caused.


The SLE Subcommittee of the Childhood Arthritis and Rheumatology Research Alliance (CARRA) is developing standardized treatment plans for proliferative lupus nephritis (LN) in childhood-onset SLE (cSLE) which will serve as the basis for future comparative effectiveness studies. The Initial Delphi survey revealed wide variability in the treatment of LN in cSLE. This abstract decribes the process of developing standardized evidence-based induction treatment plans for LN in cSLE by using consensus methods.A consensus conference attended by 12 trainees and 42 voting members of the CARRA SLE Subcommittee was conducted to discuss the components of the LN treatment plan for which there was wide variability and poor agreement. After the face-to-face conference, a second online survey focusing on management aspects of the induction therapy for LN was sent to the 42 voting members of the SLE Subcommittee of CARRA to resolve remaining issues. Consensus was defined at 70%.[see Figure A] Consensus was attained on: a) inclusion and exclusion criteria; b) primary and secondary outcome measures; and c) time-points for assessing patient response. No consensus was reached on the following points: a) age cut-off for the definition of childhood-onset SLE; b) need for SLE-specific quality of life measure; and c) measures of adherence to be utilized. These are being addressed through subsequent surveys.At the conference, two immunosuppressive treatment options for the 6-month induction phase, cyclophosphamide and mycophenolate mofetil, were selected. Three steroid regimens  with corresponding tapering schedules were developed to reduce variability in steroid exposure Several important consensus points were achieved in the development of induction treatment plans for proliferative lupus nephritis in childhood-onset SLE. Further refinement of these treatment plans and development of plans for maintenance therapy are needed to allow their use in future studies aimed at optimizing therapy for lupus nephritis.Rina Mina: NIH, 2; Hermine Brunner: NIAMS-NIH, 2; Barbara Anne Eberhard: None; Marilynn G. Punaro: None; Stacy P. Ardoin: None; Marisa S. Klein-Gitelman: None; Linda Wagner-Weiner: None; Lakshmi N. Moorthy: None; Joyce J. Hsu: None; Eyal Muscal: None; Suhas M. Radhakrishna: None; Laura E. Schanberg: Pfizer Inc, 2; Carol A. Wallace: None; Norman T. Ilowite: None; Emily Von Scheven: None.


Following the publication of our article  we becamDMAJNCHD: Date of above (days elapsed from randomisation)DSIDED: Date of above (days elapsed from randomisation)DRSISCD: Date of above (days elapsed from randomisation)DRSHD: Date of above (days elapsed from randomisation)DRSUNKD: Date of above (days elapsed from randomisation)DPED: Date of above (days elapsed from randomisation)DALIVED: Date of above (days elapsed from randomisation)DDEADD: Date of above (days elapsed from randomisation)FLASTD: Date of last contact (days elapsed from randomisation)FDEADD: Date of death (days elapsed from randomisation)FU1_RECD: Date discharge form received (days elapsed from randomisation)FU2_DONE: Date 6 month follow-up done (days elapsed from randomisation)FU1_COMP: Date discharge form completed (days elapsed from randomisation).http://datashare.is.ed.ac.uk/). Both this corrected and the erroneous version of the dataset are available to allow comparison with any previous analyses of the data. The corrected submission states clearly that it supersedes an earlier one.These errors, that were introduced in the process of anonymisation, have now been corrected in the final, double checked version of the dataset, which is also available at the University of Edinburgh repository (see


The involvement of particulate matter (PM) in cardiorespiratory diseases is now established in developed countries whereas in developing areas such as Africa with a high level of specific pollution, PM pollution and its effects are poorly studied. Our objective was to characterize the biological reactivity of urban African aerosols on human bronchial epithelial cells in relation to PM physico-chemical properties to identify toxic sources.Size-speciated aerosol chemical composition was analyzed in Bamako  and Dakar  for Ultrafine UF, Fine F and Coarse C PM. PM reactivity was studied in human bronchial epithelial cells investigating six biomarkers (oxidative stress responsive genes and pro-inflammatory cytokines).PM mass concentrations were mainly distributed in coarse mode (60%) and were impressive in BK1 due to the desert dust event. BK2 and DK samples showed a high content of total carbon characteristic of urban areas. The DK sample had huge PAH quantities in bulk aerosol compared with BK that had more water soluble organic carbon and metals. Whatever the site, UF and F PM triggered the mRNA expression of the different biomarkers whereas coarse PM had little or no effect. The GM-CSF biomarker was the most discriminating and showed the strongest pro-inflammatory effect of BK2 PM. The analysis of gene expression signature and of their correlation with main PM compounds revealed that PM-induced responses are mainly related to organic compounds. The toxicity of African aerosols is carried by the finest PM as with Parisian aerosols, but when considering PM mass concentrations, the African population is more highly exposed to toxic particulate pollution than French population. Regarding the prevailing sources in each site, aerosol biological impacts are higher for incomplete combustion sources resulting from two-wheel vehicles and domestic fires than from diesel vehicles (Dakar). Desert dust events seem to produce fewer biological impacts than anthropogenic sources.Our study shows that combustion sources contribute to the high toxicity of F and UF PM of African urban aerosols, and underlines the importance of emission mitigation and the imperative need to evaluate and to regulate particulate pollution in Africa. A number of epidemiological studies have now established associations between exposure to particulate pollution and increased morbidity and mortality for respiratory and cardiovascular diseases . Toxicol2, SO2 and particles) observed in African cities being at same levels as in Asian megacities pyrene) with 14%. 85% of total PAH were heavy PAH (5–6 cycles). This distribution profile and especially the relative abundance of BghiP were typical of diesel exhaust sources fluoranthene; BghiP: Benzo[ghi]perylene; BK: Bamako; C: Coarse; CHR: Chrysene; COPD: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; CYP1A1: Cytochrome P450 1A1; DK: Dakar; ELISA: Enzyme linked immunosorbent assay; F: Fine; FLUA: Fluoranthene; GM-CSF: Granulocyte macrophage-colony stimulating factor; HO-1: Heme oxygenase 1; IARC: International agency for research on cancer; IL-6: Interleukin 6; IncdP: Indenopyrene; UV: Ultraviolet; IR: Infrared; NHBE: Normal human bronchial epithelial; NQO-1: NADPH quinine oxydoreductase 1; OC: Organic carbon; PCR: Polymerase chain reaction; PHE: Phenanthrene; PM: Particulate matter; POLCA: Pollution des capitales africaines; POM: Particulate organic matter; PYR: Pyrene; UF: Ultrafine; RPL-19: Ribosomal protein L19; TC: Total carbon; WSOC: Water soluble organic carbon; XME: Xenobiotic responsive element.The authors declare no conflict of interest.SV performed the biological analyses, interpreted the results and contributed to write the paper. CL designed the research and with EHTD performed field experiments, analyzed the data and drafted the paper. CGL designed the research and performed field experiments with EG. HC contributed to the interpretation of the data. EHTD, HC, NM, EGand AS performed the chemical analysis. AB provided advices for statistical analysis. ABS directed the joint project and contributed to write the paper. All authors read and approved the manuscript.Correlation coefficients (Pearson) between biomarker responses induced by Parisian PM exposure. Correlations were calculated with results of Val et al. [l et al.  for UF aClick here for file


There is an error in the author contributions. KMB should be listed in "wrote the paper" rather than DME. The correct author contributions are: Conceived and designed the experiments: KMB CLE DME. Performed the experiments: KMB JMT MDD. Analyzed the data: KMB. Contributed reagents/materials/analysis tools: KMB. Wrote the paper: KMB. Edited the manuscript: CLE DME.


In the Author Contributions statement, the last author (HRB) was incorrectly omitted from the list of those authors who wrote the paper. The Author Contributions statement should read: "Conceived and designed the experiments: RLK HRB BS. Performed the experiments: RLK CS MR BS. Analyzed the data: RLK AG. Contributed reagents/materials/analysis tools: CS MR JS RF RKW. Wrote the paper: RLK RKW CJ EB NT SEH HRB."


Bacillus licheniformis, an important industrial enzyme producer. Thereby, valuable insights which help to understand the complex interactions during such processes are provided.Industrial fermentations can generally be described as dynamic biotransformation processes in which microorganisms convert energy rich substrates into a desired product. The knowledge of active physiological pathways, reflected by corresponding gene activities, allows the identification of beneficial or disadvantageous performances of the microbial host. Whole transcriptome RNA-Seq is a powerful tool to accomplish in-depth quantification of these gene activities, since the low background noise and the absence of an upper limit of quantification allow the detection of transcripts with high dynamic ranges. Such data enable the identification of potential bottlenecks and futile energetic cycles, which in turn can lead to targets for rational approaches to productivity improvement. Here we present an overview of the dynamics of gene activity during an industrial-oriented fermentation process with B. licheniformis DSM13. Since a significant amount of genes in Bacillus strains are regulated posttranscriptionally, the generated data have been confirmed by 2D gel-based proteomics. Regulatory events affecting the coordinated activity of hundreds of genes have been analyzed. The data enabled the identification of genes involved in the adaptations to changing environmental conditions during the fermentation process. A special focus of the analyses was on genes contributing to central carbon metabolism, amino acid transport and metabolism, starvation and stress responses and protein secretion. Genes contributing to lantibiotics production and Tat-dependent protein secretion have been pointed out as potential optimization targets.Whole transcriptome RNA-Seq has been performed to study the gene expression at five selected growth stages of an industrial-oriented protease production process employing a germination deficient derivative of B. licheniformis to changing conditions over the course of a typical fermentation process in such extensive depth.The presented data give unprecedented insights into the complex adaptations of bacterial production strains to the changing physiological demands during an industrial-oriented fermentation. These are, to our knowledge, the first publicly available data that document quantifiable transcriptional responses of the commonly employed production strain  Bacillus subtilis group -1-propanesulfonate; CoA: Coenzyme A; Da: Dalton; DHAP: Dihydroxyacetone phosphate; DTT: Dithiothreitol; F6P: Fructose 6-phosphate; FBP: Fructose 1,6-bisphosphate; FDR: False Discovery Rate; g: Gravitational constant; G6P: Glucose 6-phosphate; GADP: Glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate; GDH: Glutamate dehydrogenase; GO: Genome ontology; GOGAT: Glutamate synthase; GS: Glutamine synthetase; H: Hours; H2O2: Hydrogen peroxide; HCl: Hydrogen chloride; IEF: Isoelectric focusing; IPG: Immobilized pH gradient; kVh: Kilovolt hour; M: Molar; m/z: Mass-to-charge ratio; MALDI: Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization; min: Minute; mL: Milliliter; mM: Millimolar; mm: Millimeter; NPKM: Nucleotide activity per kilobase of exon model per million mapped reads; Oxo: Oxoglutarate; P: Phosphate; PEP: Phosphoenolpyruvate; Pyr: Pyruvate; RK motif: Twin-arginine motif; RNA-Seq: RNA sequencing; Rrpm: Revolutions per minute; RR motif: Arginine-lysine motif; s: Second; S/N: Signal-to-noise ratio; SDS: Sodium dodecyl sulfate; SRP: Signal recognition particle; Tat: twin-arginine translocation; TAXI: TRAP-associated extracytoplasmic immunity protein; TCA: Tricarboxylic acid; TOF: Time-of-flight mass spectrometer; TRAP: Tripartite ATP-independent periplasmic dicarboxylate transporter; V: Volt; v/v: Volume per Volume; Vh: Volt hour; W: Watt; w/v: Weight per volume.The authors declare that they have no competing interests.SW performed the experiments, analyzed data and wrote paper, BV supervised proteomics experiments and analyzed data, DA performed mass spectrometry analyses, JB and SE provided industrial fermentation facilities and organized fermentation and sampling, MH granted access to facilities for proteome analysis, RD wrote paper and provided research facilities, HL wrote paper, designed research and analyzed data. All authors read and approved the final version of the manuscript.Figure S1: Protease production and process parameters. Figure S2: Proteome of the amino acid metabolism – Part I. Figure S3: Proteome of the amino acid metabolism – Part II. Figure S4: Amino acid transport. Figure S5: Proteome of the central carbon metabolism. Figure S6: Carbohydrate transport. Figure S7: Acetoin utilization operon acuABC. Figure S8: Most abundant proteins. Figure S9: Lichenicidin gene cluster. Figure S10: Cell envelope stress response. Figure S11: Sporulation. Figure S12: Iron starvation. Figure S13: Heat shock response. Figure S14: Phosphate stress response. Figure S15: Putative Tat signal peptide of Subtilisin Carlsberg.Click here for fileTable S1: k-means clustering of expression profiles. Table S2: GO term enrichment analysis of k-means clusters. Table S3: Proteome data.Click here for file


Please view Figure 2a in its original size here: The legend for Figure 4b refers to left and right panels rather than top and bottom panels. The correct legend for Figure 4b should read:The shapes of the binding pockets in the free and the antigen bound states: The top panel (apo form) and the bottom (METH complex) show identical cross sections. The entrance of the binding pocket is broader in apo structure, compared to the METH complex. Color code: Top panel: heavy chain -magenta and light chain -light pink. Bottom panel: heavy chain- blue light chain-light blue.


AbstractCheiloneurusflaccus  is reported from New Zealand for the first time. Cheiloneurusflaccus a distinctive species of encyrtid found widely in the New World, and also Australia Type status:Other material. Occurrence: recordedBy: Stephen Thorpe; individualCount: 2; sex: female; Location: country: New Zealand; verbatimLocality: Tamaki Campus of University of Auckland; verbatimLatitude: 36.88661S; verbatimLongitude: 174.85253E; Event: eventDate: 20 April 2013; Record Level: institutionCode: Auckland MuseumCheiloneurusflaccus, using the redescription by Cheiloneurusflaccus is a distinctive species, quite different to the two congeneric species already known from N.Z. The antenna, in particular, is distinctive, with the first segment of the funicle much longer than the pedicel  also occur on the campus. I recommend that Cheiloneurusflaccus be added to the New Zealand Organisms Register (NZOR) as exotic, present in the wild.On 20 April 2013, while looking for insects in swards of long grass on the Tamaki Campus of the University of Auckland, I noticed two specimens of an unusual looking encyrtid. I collected one of the two specimens (see Figs


There were errors in the Author Contributions section. The correct version of this section is available below.Conceived and designed the experiments: VA UV EK LKV. Performed the experiments: FBF MS EK LKV, Analyzed and interpreted the data: VA UV SG JH EK LKV. Contributed reagents/materials/analysis tools: MS JH EK. Wrote the paper: VA UV LKV EK. Rose the funding: VA EK.


Assam is very rich in plant biodiversity as well as in ethnic diversity and has a great traditional knowledge base in plant resources. It is inhabited by the largest number of tribes and they lead an intricate life totally dependent on forest plants. The Mising is the major section and second largest tribal community of Assam and have a rich tradition of religion and culture. Their religious practices and beliefs are based on supernaturalism. A study of the plants related to magico religious beliefs in Dobur Uie of Mising is carried out. The results revealed the use of 30 plants belonging to 23 families. All plant species are used both in religious purpose as well as in the treatment of different ailments. Details of the uses of plants and conservational practices employed in Dobur Uie are provided. Our findings on the use of plants in Dobur Uie ritual reflect that some plants are facing problems for survival and they need urgent conservation before their elimination. Because this elimination may threat the rich tradition of Mising culture. Most of the plants that are domesticated for different rituals are almost same in all Mising populated areas. Plants are used in many ways including worshipping gods and goddesses for the protection and betterment of human life. In every human society worship is performed with traditional rituals for well-being. Many tribal communities preserve this tradition through folklore and worship their deities right from the occasion of birth to mourning death. They perform specific worship with pressie offerings.In India various gods and goddesses are worshipped in different religions throughout the country. Various plant parts like bark, twigs, leaves flowers, fruits and seeds are offered to gods. There are many plants grown near the different religious institutions are regarded as sacred plants by different ethnic groups of the country. They preserve the plants by all means which are used in different rituals. At a time when ecological degradation and deforestation have been taking place at an alarming rate throughout the globe, in India thousands of pockets of natural vegetation scattered throughout the country are preserved almost in pristine condition -5. AlmosTribal folklore is rich in magico-religious beliefs and taboos. They believe that some gods and deities reside on the trees in the forest. If they do not show mark respect to them their full clan will be destroyed. So they preserve the plants which they regard sacred for social, cultural and religious purposes. Their taboos, festivals, rituals and other cultural aspects are closely associated with the surrounding vegetation preserved on religious ground. The fear of getting attacked by the forest spirits or getting cursed by the deities eventually makes the local communities to resort to worship the spirits and making sacrifices and offerings to pacify them. Although the taboos, self imposed restricted and extra care exhibited by the community have significantly contributed in preserving the religious plants intact and in good shape thereby conserving a whole range of biodiversity that is housed in it. There is an inextricable link between indigenous and biological diversity. All over the world the indigenous people have protected the biodiversity with which they have symbiotic relationship . It has Assam is situated in the North eastern region of India lying between 24°- 28° N and 90°- 96° E Figure . The entThe Misings are one of the tribal communities of Assam. By faith they are the worshippers of 'Dony'(The Sun) and 'Polo' (The Moon) Figure . They clPhragmites karka), a kind of wild reed, its stems and bamboo to indicate prohibition against the entry of the outsiders into the village. After the completion of the prohibitory indicators at the entry points they come back to the village and they form a group consisting of 20 members approximately and start visiting the house holds of the village. Usually the visit starts from the eastern corner of the village. The members of the visiting group carry rods, sticks etc.in their hands and enter the courtyard of the houses. On entering they shout "Ajenge! Ajenge!Bilangka"  and at the same time they strike the platforms, walls etc of the house with rods and sticks. On hearing this the house wife comes out with food materials (Ajenge dues)  - a type of wild fern, a 'Tabong' (Imperata cylindrica) - a sharp grass and a split bamboo are placed on the altar facing the rising sun. Then the sacrifices of the animals like pigs and fowls are done. The heads, wings, legs of the poultries are mounted on specially designed sticks and erected them on the side of altar  for Dobur ritual considering all relevant aspects and convenience. In early morning of the 'Dobur day' some selected male folks proceed to the main entry points of the village. There they erect some structure specially designed braided leaves of 'Piro' plant  Figure  like ricr Figure . Rice, AAreas analyzed: Research was carried out in these eight districts - Sonitpur, Lakhimpur, Dhemaji, Dibrugarh, Tinsukia, Sibsagar, Jorhat and Golaghat. These areas of Assam rich with traditional knowledge and a good vegetation cover were selected based on mopping up surveys during 2009-2010. The potential Mising areas were selected based on whether they still practice own social customs, beliefs, religious rites, taboos, totems, food habits, medicinal and agricultural practices, as it was observed that the utilization and conservation practices of the Mising tribes are intertwined with these. Also this kind of life style has created a proper understanding between them and nature, which has resulted in enormous amount of knowledge available with them. Exploration trips were conducted periodically and data on religious and conservation practices revealing information about their informal innovation were recorded with details. Initially, the stay in Mising areas was shorter periods, as the initial trips were aimed at establishing rapport with the Mising people. They will not pass the information to others so easily unless a cordial and social relationship with them is established. After making several trips to these areas good rapport could be established with them. Frequent field surveys were made. Headmen and Mibus of the hamlet were consulted to have easy access to the people and also to get uninhibited flow of information. Mising healers both men and women were invited for interview. They demonstrated about the different use of the medicinal plants : English; (Ass): Assamese; (Mis): Mising; (Nep): Nepali; (San): Sanskrit; (Hin): Hindi; (Ben): Bengali.Acorus calamus L.(Acoraceae)Vernacular names: Sweet flag (Eng), Bos(Ass); Alokoni (Mis); Bojho (Nep.) Bach: (Ben)Vacha (San)DCH 5063Description: A marshy, rhizomatous perennial herb.Parts used: RhizomeReligious virtue: People believe that spirits, devils cannot enter due to its odour. They put the rhizome at the four corners of the altar or at he entrance of the ritual site.Medicinal use: It cures bronchitis, rheumatic pain, diarrhoea, flatulence, Pneumonia and cough.Local status: RareAgeratum conyzoides L. (Asteraceae)Vernacular names: Eng: Goat weed; San: Visamustih; Hin: Visadodi; Ben: Uchunti; Ass, Mis: Gendelabon; Nep: Ilame jhar; Man: Khonjainapi DCH 5001Description: A hairy annual weed, 5 m-1 m tall; leaves opposite, hairy on both sides; margin toothed; flowers pale in heads.Parts used: The flowers, leaves, rootsReligious virtue: Flowers are used in the preparation of ApongMedicinal use: Infusion of roots is used as appetizer and ophthalmic; leaves are used to stop bleedingLocal status: AvailableAlpinia allughas (Retz.) Rosc. (Zingiberaceae)Vernacular names: Ass, Mis: Tora DCH 5006Description: Rhizomes tuberous, perennial, Leafy stem 1-2 meter highParts used: Leaf and rhizomeReligious virtue: The leaves of the plant are used as food wrappers or dishes in every Mising religious festival. The people regard the plant as sacred one.Medicinal use : Rhizomes are used in gout and colicLocal status: RareAlpinia malaccensis Rosc. (Zingiberaceae)Vernacular names.: Ass: Kaupat, Mis: Lisin DCH 5010Description: Rhizomes tuberous, perennial, Stems 1.5-3 meter highParts used: Leaf and rhizomeReligious virtue: Same as in A.allughasMedicinal use :Rhizomes are used for treatment of sores.Local status: RareAnanas comosus (L.) Merr. (Bromeliaceae)Vernacular names: Eng: Pineapple; San: Anamnasam; Hin: Ananas; Ben: Anaras; Ass: Matikathal; Nep: Bhui Katahar; Man: Keehom; Kar: Parokjongphong; Ngl: Yeangkong Peyong. Mis: Anaras DCH 5311.Description: A herbaceous perennial plant; leaves many, spirally arranged, linear-lanceolate, toothed on margins; inflorescence small, reddish, terminal, ovoid.Parts used:Tender leafReligious virtue: Tender leaf base is used in Apong preparationMedicinal use: Leaf base is crushed and the extract is given one time daily for amoebic dysentery and intestinal wormsLocal status: AvailableArtocarpus heterophyllus Lamk. (Moraceae)Vernacular names : Eng : Jack fruit; San : Panasah; Hin : Kathal; Ass, Mis : Kathal; Ben : Kathal; Nep : Katahar; Man : Theibong. DCH 6331Description : An evergreen tree, 18-25 m in height; leaves simple, alternate, coriaceous, entire, shiny; male flowers crowded on cylindrical receptacles; female flowers crowded on globose receptacles; fruits fleshy, many, oblong or round, covered with tubercles.Parts used : Roots, seeds.Religious virtue: Matured leaves are used in Apong preparation. Leaves are also used as dish in religious festivals.Medicinal use: Roots are used for diarrheaLocal status: AvailableAsparagus racemosus Willd (Liliaceae)Vernacular names:Eng: Wild Asparagus; San: Shatavari: Hin: Satawari;Nep: Kurilo, Mis: Otmul;Ass: Satmul; Ben: Satamuli; Man: Nunggarei. DCH 6019Description: A climbing slender plant with curved spines; leaves reduced to scales, leaf like cladodes succulent and green, flowers white in simple recemes; fruits three lobed, mature fruits are red in colour.Parts used: Tuberous roots, whole plantReligious virtue: In Lakhimpur district many people use whole plant near the entry of Dobur Uie venue. They believe that this plant will guard the people from the bad spirits.In Dhemaji district the tuberous roots are used in the preparation of Apong.Medicinal use: Root decoction is used as health tonic, it is diuretic, ophthalmic, galactagogue, aphrodisiac and carminative.Local status: Very rareBambusa tulda Roxb. (Poaceae)Vernacular names Jati banh (Ass); Peka (Hin); Taru Bans (Nep); Jati dibang (Mis)DCH 5054Description: Tufted bamboo reaching 30-50 meters in height.Parts used: Root, stem. leavesReligious virtue: Bamboo sticks and leaves are used in the main entrance of the Dobur Uie and in the four corners of the altar. The head and the feathers of the sacrificed chickens are hung on the bamboo sticks near the altar.Medicinal use : The decoction of roots taken internally to promote flow of urine.Local status: AvailableCentella asiatica (L.) Urban (Apiaceae)Hydrocotyle asiatica L.)Vernacular Names: Eng: Indian cassia lignea; San: Tamala patra; Hin: Tezpat; Ben: Tezpat; Ass, Mis: Tezpat; Nep: Tezpat; Man: Tezpat; Kar: Tezpat; Miz: Hnahrimtui DCH 6103Description: A small evergreen tree 4.5 m in height; leaves simple, opposite, lanceolate, glabrous, entire; flowers pale yellowish, in axillary panicle.Parts used: Leaves.Religious virtue: Leaves are used in Apong preparation and are offered in Ajenge DuesMedicinal use: The leaves are useful in gonorrhoea, rheumatism, diarrhea, enlargement of spleen and diabetes.Local status: RareClerodendrum colebrookianum Walp. (Verbenaceae)Vernacular names. Pakkom (Mis); Nephaphu (Ass) DCH 5019Description: Shrub with foetid smell; 1.5-2 meters high, Leaves ovate, Flowers white.Parts used: LeavesReligious virtue: The leaves of the 'Pakkom'are included in the Ajenge DuesMedicinal use: The leaves are used to kill the intestinal worms. Tender leaves are boiled and the soup is used for reducing blood pressure.Local status: AvailableDillenia indica L. (Dillenniaceae)Vernacular names. Elephant apple (Eng), Outenga (Ass): Sompa: (Mis), Nep: Chalta, Bhavya: (San) DCH 5013Description: A big tree; leave 10-15 cm broad, Flowers large, white, the fruits are used as vegetablesParts used: Sepal of the fruit.Religious virtue: The fruits are included in 'Ajenge Dues'. The sepals are sometimes used as 'Diya'or oil lamp Medicinal use: Fleshy calyx is used for stomach disorder. The jelly like pulp of the fruit is applied to scalp for curing dandruff and falling hairs.Local status: AvailableFicus racemosa L. (Moraceae)Vernacular names.: Eng:Cluster fig; Mis: Tajjig; San: Udumbarah); Ass: Jagnya dimaru); Nep: Dumri, Hin: Gular; Ben:Dumur DCH 5057Description: A middle sized deciduous tree, fruits are in large cluster on short leafless branches, leaves elliptic, ovate or ovate lanceolate.Parts used: Leaves, latexReligious virtue: The tender leaves are given in 'Ajenge Dues'. In all religious festivals of Mising people the leaves are used as the primary curry item.Medicinal use: The latex is used for piles and diarrhoea; Powdered dry leaves are mixed with honey and given in bilious affections.Local status: AvailableGomphostemma parviflora Wall. (Lamiaceae)Vernacular names: Ass, Mis: Bhedaitita DCH 6434Description: A stout undershrub with quadrangular stem covered with glandular hairs; leaves simple, opposite, short petioled; flowers zygomorphic, in axillary, double row of cymes, the pairs forming false whorls and are in sessile clusters round the stem, flowers fade yellow.Parts used: Leaves.Religious virtue: The tender leaves are used in Apong preparationMedicinal use: Leaves are used in Malaria.Local status: Very rareImperata cylindrica (L.) Raeusch. (Poaceae)Vernacular names: Eng: Thatch grass, San: Darbha, Mis: Kase, Tabong: Ass: Ulu kher: Nep: Siru: Hin, Ben: Ulu DCH 6336Description: Erect perennial grass, 1-2 meter in height. Leaf blades are very sharpParts used: Leaf and rootReligious virtue: The leaves are tied with fronds of Thelypteris multilineata at the south corner of the altar made for Dobur Uie. It symbolizes that no any other spirits can come and disturb people of the village.Medicinal use : Root is used for wounds and piles. It is anthelmintic. Decoction of root is taken in diarrhea and dysentery.Local status: AvailableKaempferia rotunda L. (Zingiberaceae)Vernacular names : Eng: Indian crocus; San: Bhumi champaka; Hin: Bhuichampa; Ben: Bhui champa; Ass: Bhumi champa; Nep: Bhuichampa; Man: Yai-Thamna-manbi; Kar: Michove; Miz: Tuktinpar DCH 5999Description: A small, erect plant with perennial rootstock and very short stem; leaves simple, erect, oblong or ovate-lanecolate, acuminate, variegated green above, tinged with purple below; flowers in crowded spikes fragrant, white, lip purple.Parts used: TubersReligious virtue: Tuber of the plant is used in Apong preparation. The Mising of Lakhimpur district believes that growing the plant brings peace in the family.Medicinal use: The tubers are used for wounds, ulcers, tumours, swellings and gastroenteritis.Local status: Very rareLeucas plukenetii (Roth) Spreng. (Lamiaceae)Vernacular names: Eng: Thumbe; San: Dronapuspi; Hin: Chota halkusa; Ben: Sada halkusa; Ass, Mis: Boga Doron; Nep: Dronapuspa; Man: Mayanglambum. DCH 6312Description: Small hairy, square stemmed, annual herb found in open fields and waste lands. The leavesof the plants are ovate-lanceolate, lobed, thin and hairy with a tapering base; flowers white, small, in dense terminal clusters, sessile.Parts used: Leaves.Religious virtue: The leaves are used in Apong preparation. It is not used by all MisingMedicinal use: The leaves are used as vegetables. Leaf juice is used in sinusitisLocal status: AvailableMicrosorum punctatum (L.) Copel (Polypodiaceae)Vernacular names: Eng: Climbing bird's nest fern, Ass: Kapau dhekia; Mis: Ising Okang DCH 6216Description: Terrestrial or epiphytic, Fronds sre sessile, leaf blades simple, reticulate venation, sori are irregularly scattered on the abaxial surface.Parts used: LeavesReligious virtue: Leaves are used in Apong preparation in Dhemaji and Lakhimpur district.Medicinal use: Leaf juice used as purgative, diuretic and healing wounds.Local status: RareMusa paradisiaca L. (Musaceae)Vernacular names. Ass: Kach kol; Nep: Kera, Hin: Kela; San: Kadali; Mis: Kopak. DCH 5091Description: Stoloniferous plant; leaves with sheathed petiole up to 9 meter long, flowers in a terminal spike.Parts used: Leaves, fruitsReligious virtue: Leaves and leaf sheaths are used as plates or dishes in the ritual. The materials required for observing Dobur Uie are kept in the leaf or leaf sheath dishes.Medicinal use: Fruits are used for chronic dysentery.Local status: AvailableNaravelia zeylanica (L.) DC. (Ranunculaceae)Vernacular names: San: Dhanavalli; Ben: Chagalbati; Ass: Goropchoi, Nep: Ras gagri; Meg: Jyrmailasam, Behalisham (Garo) DCH 6636Description: A woody stout climber; leaves opposite, 2-foliate, terminal leaflet ending in tendril, leaflets ovate-lanceolate;flowers yellow, in axillary and terminal panicles.Parts used: Leaf.Religious virtue: Leaves are used in Apong preparation. The Mising of Dhemaji believe that if they grow this plant inside their compound the bad spirits can not disturb them.Medicinal use: The leaves are anthelmintic; they are useful for wounds and ulcers.Local status: Very rareOldenlandia corymbosa L. (Rubiaceae)Vernacular names: Eng: Diamond flower; San: parapatah; Hin: Daman Pappar;Ass: Bonjaluk DCH 6212Description: A much spreading, annual herb, erect or spreading; leaves simple, opposite, sessile, flowers white, pedicelled, solitary.Parts used: whole plantReligious virtue: It is commonly used in Apong preparation. In Sibsagar district it is given in Ajenge Dues.Medicinal use: The plant is diuretic, stomachic, carminative and used as liver tonic. It is also used in jaundice.Local status: AvailableOryza sativa L. (Poaceae)Vernacular names: Eng: Rice; Ass:Dhan; Mis: Aam. DCH 6001Description: Annual cereal, Stem erect, cylindrical, hollow except in nodes, leaf blade long, lanceolate, acuminate, inflorescence is partly covered by leaf sheath, Spikelets are borne either singly or in cluster, flowers bracteates.Parts used : Seed, StrawReligious virtue: Rice is indispensable item in Apong preparation. Straw is burnt and used in 'Chhai Mod' (Ash liquor). The colour of commonly used Apong is white but the colour of 'Chhai Mod' is smoky in colour. Chhai Mod is prepared only in the special occasion or any religious festivals. Important guests are entertained by offering 'Chhai Mod'. The straws are also used to filter the Apong.Medicinal use: Rice-wash water (water used to wash rice before cooking) is used in diarrhea and dysenteryLocal status: AvailablePhragmites karka (Retz.) Trin.ex Steud. (Poaceae)Vernacular names.: Eng: Wild reed; Mis:Piro; Ass: Nal Khagari; Nep:Narkat; Ben: Khagra DCH 5066Description: Perennial, stem cylindrical, 2-3 meter high, leaves alternate, lanceolate.Parts used: whole plant, rootReligious virtue: The plant is mostly used by the Mising community in religious festivals like Dobur Uie and Ali Ai Ligang. In Dobur Uie four 'Piro' plants are transplanted at the four corners of the Dobur Uie altar' Mising regard this plant as the most sacred plant.Medicinal use: Roots are cooling, diuretic and very useful in Diabetes.Local status: RarePsidium guajava L. (Myrtaceae)Vernacular names: Eng: Guava tree; San: perala, Perukah; Hin: Amrud; Ben:Peyara; Ass: Madhuriam; Nep: Ambak; Man:Pungdol. DCH 6010Description: A small tree; leaves simple, opposite, elliptic-oblong, glabrous above; flowers white, fragrant, in axillary cymes.Parts used: Tender leaves.Religious virtue: It is very commonly used by the Mising in Apong preparation.Medicinal use: Tender leaves are used in Amoebic dysenteryLocal status: AvailablePueraria tuberose (Roxb.ex Willd.)DC (Papilionaceae)Vernacular names: Eng: Indian Kudzu; San: Vidari, Bhumi Kusmandah; Ass: Bhuin Komora; DCH 6455Description: A large, herbaceous twiner with very large tuberous roots; leaves 3 foliolate, leaflets broadly ovate; flowers blue or purplish blue, in raceme; fruits membranous, flat, jointed clothed with long, silky, bristly brown hairs.Parts used: Tuberous roots.Religious virtue: Tuberous roots are used in Apong preparationMedicinal use: Tubers are used for fever.Local status: Very rareSarcochlamys pulcherrima (Roxb.) Gaud. (Urticaceae)Vernacular names. Eng. Duggal fibre tree; Mis :Ombe; Ass: Mesaki DCH 5101Description:A small evergreen branched tree or large shrub upto a height 5 meter, Stem brownish, rough and warty, leaves in dense clusters at the apex of the branches, 12-20 cm long, dorsal surface shining green and ventral surface white.Parts used: LeavesReligious virtue: Mising people consider the plant as sacred plant. They make special food item from the tender leaves of the plant in any religious festivals, given in 'Ajeng Dues'.Medicinal use: Leaves are useful for diarrhea and dysentery, they are carminative and digestive.Local status: RareScoparia dulcis L. (Scrophulariaceae)Vernacular names: Eng: Sweet broomweed; Ass : Seni bon; Man : Maipuipin.DCH 6135Description: A much branched, herbaceous plant of about 70 cm height; leaves opposite, lanceolate, dentate, flower four lobed, white with staminal hair, fruit a dentate margined small globular capsule with free central placentation.Parts used : Leaves.Religious virtue: Leaves are used in Apong preparationMedicinal use: Leaves are used for fever, cough and diabetes.Local status: AvailableSpilanthes paniculata Wall.ex DC (Asteraceae)Vernacular names. Eng: Brazil cress, Toothache plant; Mis: Marsang; Ass: Jati malkathi DCH 5045Description: Herb upto 40 cm. in heght; leaves opposite, dentate, petiolate, elliptic-lanceolate; flowers in capitulum, yellow.Parts used: Whole plant, flowerReligious virtue: The plant is very popular among the Mising community; special food item is prepared from this plant in religious festival. The poor people offered this plant along with the 'Ajeng Dues' in Dobur UieMedicinal use: The inflorescence relives toothache, bronchial trouble and ulcers inside the mouth, it has strong local anaesthetization and also used for dysentery.Local status: AvailableThelypteris angustifolia (Willd.)Proctor (Thelypteridaceae)Vernacular names: Mis: Ruktak; Nep: Koche DCH 5111Description:Terrestral fern, Fronds large, pinnate, sessile, found in marshy place.Parts used: Whole plant, rhizomeReligious virtue: The entire plant is placed ine corneer of the altar. The tip of the plant and tip of the leaves of 'Piro' are tied together near the altar of the Dobur UieMedicinal use: Juice of the rhizome about four teaspoons three times a day given for indigestion or any stomach problem.Local status: RareZanthoxylum nitidum (Roxb.) DC (Rutaceae)Vernacular names: Eng: Toothache tree; San:Tumburuh; Hin: Tezbal; Ass: Tezmooi DCH 6020Description: A large, scandent, ever green shrub with prickles, shrubs or woody climbers, leaves compound, flowers yellow, fruits reddish, subglobose.Parts used: Leaf, stem barkReligious virtue: Leaves are used in Apong preparationMedicinal use: Stem bark is used for toothache or any gum problem, it is carminative and stomachic.Local status: Very rarePueraria tuberose, Zanthoxylum nitidum, Naravelia zeylanica, Gomphostemma parviflora, Asparagus racemosus, Kaempferia rotunda are not found easily in those areas where the research work has been carried out. Previously these plants were said to be found abundant but now they are in 'very rare' condition. In this way they categorized the plants in different status. They can easily identify the plants which are locally threatened or abundant, rare or very rare depending on the availability of the plants and accordingly they take special care to conserve such threatened species in their garden. So there is an urgent need of conservation of their rich traditional knowledge before their extinction. The old village heads or elderly persons of the research areas were interviewed. They expressed about their constrains for leaking out the information about the medicinal plants at the beginning but later on we somehow could motivate them and collected few information. They strongly believe that if they leak the information the efficacy of the drugs will be lost. If this trend continues their rich traditional knowledge will be lost along with their death. So the need of conservation of their knowledge is very essential. The status which they mentioned may not be applicable in other places. It is strictly confined to their areas only and therefore the word 'Local status' is mentioned. They collected many important plants from the forest and transplanted in the gardens. The authors personally visited some of their gardens and found some important plants like Pueraria tuberose, Zanthoxylum nitidum, Naravelia zeylanica, Gomphostemma parviflora, Asparagus racemosus, Kaempferia rotunda etc.Mising people have a rich tradition of religion and medicinal practices. They collect the plants from wild state and conserve them around their residences. They have good knowledge about the status of the plants. This knowledge has been acquired by their long experiences. They have been using the plants for different purposes since time immemorial. So they have good knowledge about the use and availability of the plants. Here the 'availability' means the 'status'of the plants. Some plants like Zanthoxylum nitidum, Asparagus racemosus, Sarcochlamys pulcherrima, Pueraria tuberose, Phragmites karka, Naravelia zeylanica, Gomphostemma parviflora, Ficus racemosa, Dillenia indica, Clerodendrum colebrookianum, Cinnamomum tamala, Acorus calamus, Alpinia malaccensis, Alpinia allughas have been domesticated. They sometimes sell the vegetable parts in the local market for their livelihood. These benefits coming out from the market will typically go to improving living standards of their families. This makes a clear link between conservation and development. Communities can contribute to biodiversityby collecting and propagating indigenous seeds, planting and tending both indigenous and plantation trees in their forests and their private farms and policing against illegal harvesting of animals and tree products. These plants seem to be threatened to get eliminated in their natural habitats due to the over exploitation. Because other tribal communities also collect the plants from the same source. So the domestication of these plants is a need for conservation. Keeping this in view the plants used in Dobur Uie, Apong preparation or vegetables are locally categorized in three divisions rare, very rare and available. Eight rare plants and six very rare plants have been identified to be used in Dobur Uie celebration. Very rare plants like Zanthoxylum nitidum, Pueraria tuberose, Naravelia zeylanica, Gomphostemma parviflora, Asparagus racemosus, Kaempferia rotunda and need urgent conservation for their sustainable use. The plants locally found and used in Dobur Uie in rare status are Thelypteris angustifolia, Sarcochlamys pulcherrima, Phragmites karka, Microsorum punctatum, Cinnamomum tamala, Alpinia allughas, Alpinia malaccensis and Acorus calamus. For different ritual purposes these religious plants are frequently used by the Mising people so the Mising people are trying their best to protect the plants in situ or ex situ condition from elimination. The rest 16 plants though are found locally available but due to lack of awareness of the people for sustainable use of the plants many such plants like Spilanthes paniculata, Clerodendrum colebrookianum, Dillenia indica, Centella asiatica though are found in available status but due to unsustainable use and over exploitation the number of these plants is decreasing gradually and therefore they need an urgent protection. As the Mising culture and plants have inseparable linkage so to protect the rich Mising culture the plants need to be conserved.In the Dobur Uie day the Mising people will take wild vegetables with their meal. In the previous day of the ritual the Mising women go to the forest for collecting wild vegetables for the next day. 20-30 varieties of wild vegetables were collected in the earlier time but this number comes down to 10-15 at present. On the other hand the alarming decrease of Apong plants from 50 to 10-15 is becoming a serious concern. As stated by the informants many plants got eliminated from the locality may be due to wanton felling of the trees or may be indiscriminate collection of the plants. Moreover other tribal people except the Mising also use the same plants for Apong preparation resulting over exploitation of these plants. The informants stated that if this trend of decreasing the number of plants used in different ritual practices continues then the situation of cultural threat may arise one day or other. This situation is found in all Mising populated areas undertaken for this study. In this paper altogether 30 plants under 23 families were discussed. Plants used for wild vegetables, Apong preparation and for Dobur Uie celebration are found in wild state and many of them like The strong motive behind observing Dobur Uie is the sense of fear or reverence shown by the Mising people towards god or deities. Be it a patch, a single or cluster of sacred trees a lot of conservation concern has been imbibed into the Mising communities. Irrespective of the motivating force behind conferring the sacred or religious status to a plant, it may be said that this process saves the plants from wanton felling. Through this project an attempt has also been made to make them aware of the status and sustainable use of the plants.A number of folk medicinal claims used by Mising people in Dobur Uie are reported in this communication. Among these, some interesting and new claims relate to the treatment of different ailments of human beings such as diarrhea, dysentery, malaria, indigestion, gastroenteritis, high blood pressure, intestinal worms etc. About 34 diseases have been described for the treatment of different ailments. Diarrhoea, dysentery, indigestion, flatulence, stomach problems, liver problems are found very common among the diseases. Information on the effectiveness to cure the ailments by using these species is based on continuous use by succeeding generations of Mising people. However these claims need to be further tested using standard scientific methodologies. Local names are given in different regional languages for the easy identification of the species.Gomphostemma parviflora, Clerodendrum colebrookianum, Ficus racemosa, Sarcochlamys pulcherrima etc. in their gardens for consumption and sale. These plants can help overcome the deficiency of nutritional constituents, especially in rural areas. It is important to promote consciousness about the food habits and accept wild food plants like the cultivated ones. Thus they become conscious about conserving their surrounding plant resources. Though the use of plants in Dobur Uie varies from place to place but some plants like Alpinia allughas, Alpinia malaccensis, Imperata cylindrica, Thelypteris angustifolia, Phragmites karka are found common to all places. We suggest that the traditional knowledge of the Mising people could provide useful information in finding new drugs that contribute to human welfare. So the most urgent need is to rescue and record the traditional knowledge on plants in the form of digitized database before its extinction.In the present study 30 plants belonging to 23 families have been identified as medicinal plants used by the Mising people of Assam in Dobur Uie ritual. These plants are used in the treatment of some very common ailments like diarrhea, dysentery, indigestion, flatulence, stomach problems, liver problems etc. All these diseases are water born and this can be explained that the water taken from ponds or from other free sources in rural areas are not hygienic and so the children are easily infected by these diseases. The Mising people believe that all big trees are abodes of gods and deities and therefore they are sacred and should not be harmed, they try to save these plants by all means This perception of nature plays a positive role on the protection of the vegetation around their dwelling places. That is why many scholars advocate that people living in modern society learn from the minority people to respect the environment rather than depredating it ,14,20,21Permission was granted by the Mising people shown in figures The authors declare that they have no competing interests.US conducted field survey, interviews with the healers, village heads, head of the religious institutions, elderly men and women. Herbarium specimens were identified and finalized with SP. SP helped to take the photographs and to collect and analyze data. Both the authors examined the manuscripts minutely and approved as final manuscript


There were errors in the Author Contributions. The correct contributions are: Conceived and designed the study: ST. Performed the study and contributed reagents/materials/analysis tools: ST MB GB. Analyzed the data: ST. Wrote the paper: ST GB.