• Abstract and Figures
• Public Full-text

pp.110–131 Asiatic Herpetological Research, Vol. 11 2008 The Herpetofauna of Nallamala Hills, Eastern Ghats, India: An Annotated Checklist, With Remarks on Nomenclature, Taxonomy, Habitat Use, Adaptive Types and Biogeography C. SRINIVASULU1 AND INDRANEIL DAS2,* 1Wildlife Biology Section, Department of Zoology, Osmania University, Hyderabad 500 007, Andhra Pradesh, India, 2Institute of Biodiversity and Environmental Conservation, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak, 94300 Kota Samarahan, Sarawak, Malaysia. *Corresponding author E-mail: [email protected]; [email protected] Abstract.- We present an inventory of the herpetofauna of the Nallamala Hills, Eastern Ghats, south-eastern India. The fauna, as currently known, includes 20 species of amphibians belonging to 14 genera in six families and 64 species of reptiles belonging to 42 genera in 15 families. Divided in habitat types, the herpetofauna can be classified into species tolerant of disturbed habitats; exclusively scrub species (and for reptiles, from rocky biotopes); scrub and bor- dering agricultural fields; and exclusively mesic forest species. For one species, lack of ecological information pre- cludes its allocation to a specific habitat category. Significant diversity of squamates (including gekkonids, scincids, and colubrids) are known from these ranges, several of which endemic or largely restricted to scrub forests of Peninsular India. Mesic forests remain poorly explored, and support hitherto undescribed species among the herpeto- fauna. Adaptations seen amongst the herpetofauna of the Nallamala Hills include a diversity of dietary and habitat types, including, among amphibians, ant specialists; predators of small vertebrates; folivores; fossorial; terrestrial; aquatic or aquatic-margin; and arboreal forms. Amongst reptiles, adaptive types includes ant- and worm-eaters; pred- ator of crop pests; predator of small or medium-sized vertebrate prey; egg-predators; fish-eaters; frog- and toad- eaters; and one near-exclusive snake-eater. In terms of habitat usage, reptiles exceed amphibians in species richness, on account of their greater capacity of surviving in relatively arid regions. The Eastern Ghats contributes significantly to both species richness and endemicity of the Indian region, includ- ing representatives of endemic genera and species. Nonetheless, these hills continue to receive less attention for con- servation compared to the relatively better-known Western Ghats. Keywords.- Amphibians, reptiles, biodiversity, ecology, Nallamala Hills, Eastern Ghats, India. Introduction vegetation types known from the Eastern Ghats, includ- ing dry deciduous, moist deciduous, dry evergreen, Nallamala Hills (14º 26' – 16º 31' N and 78º 30' – 80º 10' riverine and scrub forest (see R. K. Rao, 1998; R. S. E) are a group of low hill ranges with an average altitude Rao, 1998). Dry deciduous forests are dominant. of ca. 500 m in the central Eastern Ghats complex in the Common species found here include Antidesma acidum, state of Andhra Pradesh, south-eastern India (Fig. 1). Canthium parviflorum, Cerisoides turgida, Cissus palli- From the Palnad Basin in the north to the Tirupati Basin da, Cochlospermum religiosum, Colebrookea oppositi- in the south, the Nallamala Hills runs for a distance of folia, Dalbergia lanceolaris, Dalbergia paniculatum, ca. 430 km with an average width of 30 km (Anon, Diospyros melanoxylon, Ehretai laevis, Lagerstroemia 1965; Srinivasulu and Nagulu, 2002). An unbroken parviflora, Pterocarpus marsupium, Syzygium alterni- chain of rugged hills with precipitous cliffs covering an folium, and Tamilnadia uliginosa. A forest type with area of ca. 7,640 km2, it encompasses six districts Boswellia serrata and Chloroxylon swietenia as the (Nalgonda, Mahbubnagar, Kurnool, Cuddapah, dominant species occurs near Chalama, a Terminalia Prakasam and Guntur) in Andhra Pradesh State. coriacea and Anogeisus latifolia type occur in eastern Running parallel to it in the south-eastern side is the Nallamala, a Phoenix type with Phoenix loureivie as the Balapalli and Palakonda Ranges, while on the western dominant species forming a pure stand on rocky substra- side, towards the north, are the Erramala Range. The ta occur between Ramannapenta and Gundla vegetation is typically of the southern tropical dry decid- Brahmeshwaram Metta Wildlife Sanctuary (GBM). uous and southern tropical moist deciduous forest types Moist deciduous forests are restricted to sheltered sites intermingled with scrub (Champion and Seth, 1968), with high rainfall such as GBM, upper Ahobilam and although the Nallamalas show representatives of many Iskagundam; common species include: Careya arborea, © 2008 by Asiatic Herpetological Research 2008 Asiatic Herpetological Research, Vol. 11 111 70 O 80 O 90 O 17 O Northern River Krishna 30 O Nallamala Hills INDIA Mācherla 20 O Andhra Lingāl Amrābād Pradesh Chilakaluripet 10 O Kolhāpur Srīsailam Srīgiripādu 16 O 400 Km River Krishna Central Nallamala Markāpur 80 O Velugodu Hills Cumbum Nandyāl Ongole Andhra Pradesh Giddalūr • Hyderabad Bay of Āllagadda Bengal O River Krishna Southern 15 Nallamala Hills Nallamala Proddatūr 14 O Hills Bay of Bengal Cuddapah Nellore 100 Km 100 Km 14 O 78 O 79 O 80 O Figure 1. Maps showing the location of the Nallamala Hills, Andhra Pradesh, south-eastern India. On top left, map of India, showing Andhra Pradesh State; on bottom left, map of Andhra Pradesh, showing location of Nallamala Hills; and on right, the Nallamala Hills, with localities mentioned in the text. Dillenia pentagyna, Ficus hispida, Barleria strigosa, The Nallamala Hill Range has been conveniently Adiantum lunulatum, Oroxylona indicum, Trema orien- divided into three zones (Fig. 1): i.) the Northern talis and Pimpinella wallichiana. The Nallamalas are Nallamala Hills (the expanse of hill ranges between the home to many endemic species of Eastern Ghats includ- Palnad Basin and the River Krishna that flows approxi- ing: Andrographis nallamalayana, Ericaulon lushing- mately 130 km through the hills); ii.) the Central tonii, Dicliptera beddomei, Premna hamiltonii, Nallamala Hills (the expanse of hill ranges between the Euphorbia linearifolia var. nallamalayana, River Krishna and the British railway track between Rostellularia vahlii, Andrographis beddomei, Nandyal and Guntur passing through Chalama, Bogada, Rostellularia vahlii var. rupicola, Boswellia ovalifoliata, and Diguvametta); and iii.) the Southern Nallamala Hills Cycas beddomei, Chaemaesyce linearifolia, (the expanse of hills between the British railway track Chaemaesyce senguptae, Crotalaria madurensis, and the Tirupati basin near Rajampet (14º 11' N and 79º Crotalaria paniculata nagarjunakondensis, Indigofera 10' E). Two contiguous protected areas, the barberi, Pterocarpus santalinus, Albizia sikharamensis, Nagarjunasagar Srisailam Tiger Reserve and the Gundla and Eriolaena lushingtonii. Pterocarpus marsupium and Brahmeshwaram Metta Wildlife Sanctuary (with a col- Cycas beddomii are well known endemics. Another lective area of 4,762 km2) have been set aside to con- interesting feature of the flora is the exhibition of gigan- serve the rich biodiversity of this tract. tism as exemplified by the shrubby climber Marsdenia The first of the faunal surveys conducted in the tenacissima, the leaves of which measure up to 32 cm. Nallamala Hills dates back to 1930 when the ornitholo- Other climbers such as Bauhinia vahlii and Enteda gist, Sálim Ali (1896–1987), of the Bombay Natural pursetha are dominant over other vegetation. The cli- History Society, collected bird specimens from mate is generally hot and dry with temperatures rising Mannanur and Farahabad on the Amrabad Plateau in the up to 43–45°C during May and dropping to 8–12°C in Northern Nallamala Hills during the Hyderabad State December. The Nallamala Hills receive on an average Ornithological Survey (see Lozupone et al., 2004, for a 900–1,000 mm rainfall annually. gazetteer of localities; Srinivasulu and Nagulu, 2002). 112 Asiatic Herpetological Research, Vol. 11 2008 Subsequently, the Zoological Survey of India conducted Brahmeshwaram Metta Wildlife Sanctuary in the two faunistic surveys to collect vertebrate fauna in the Central Nallamala Hills, between 1998 and 2000. vicinity of the area in the Northern Nallamala Hills that Observations on the herpetofaunal diversity made dur- was to be submerged due to the construction of the ing these two studies between 1995 and 2000 have been Nagarjunasagar Dam on River Krishna. Between 1980 listed in an unpublished document (Srinivasulu, 2001a). to present date many surveys and other studies (Agrawal The Andhra Pradesh Forest Department, in collaboration and Bhattacharyya, 1976; Bhushan 1986, 1994;Murthy, with Department of Botany, Sri Krishnadevaraya 1968, 1986; Nagulu et al., 1998; Rao et al., 1997; Rao et University, Anantapur (for flora) and Department of al. 1999; Rao et al., 2005; Rao et al., 2004a,b,c,d; Reddy Zoology, Osmania University, Hyderabad (for fauna) et al., 2004; Sharma, 1969, 1971, 1976; Srinivasulu and initiated All Taxa Biodiversity Inventorization Project in Nagulu, 2002; Srinivasulu and Rao, 1999; Srinivasulu 2001 (Rao et al., 2004e) in which the first author was and Rao, 2000; Srinivasulu, 2001b, 2002, 2003) have involved. Voucher specimens of amphibians and reptiles been conducted documenting the faunal elements found collected during this project have been deposited in the in the Nallamala Hills. State Forest Department’s Eco-Resource Monitoring Lab, located in Sunnipenta, Kurnool

Load more

  22

Copy Link