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New Site Records and Updated Distribution of Treutler's Gecko

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New Site Records and Updated Distribution of Treutler's Gecko Herpetology Notes, volume 7: 679-682 (2014) (published online on 17 November 2014) New site records and updated distribution of Treutler’s gecko Hemidactylus treutleri Mahony, 2009 (Sauria; Gekkonidae) from peninsular India Chelmala Srinivasulu1*, Gandla Chethan Kumar2 and Bhargavi Srinivasulu3 The gekkonid lizard genus Hemidactylus is one of site records – Dakkal Gutta, Yellareddypally village the most speciose genus in the family, with at least 124 in Nizamabad District (Baburao and Kumar, 2014) species described. Of these, at least 26 species occur in and Peddagattu village, Nalgonda District (Narayana, India (Utez and Hosek 2013; Mirza and Sanap, 2014). Surender and Rao, 2014) in Telangana, India have been Herpetofaunal surveys carried out in the recent past presented. have resulted in the detection of Hemidactylus species In the current note, we focus on the distribution hitherto unknown from the country, and have extended of H. treutleri. So far, this species has been recorded the distribution ranges of several taxa on the mainland from most of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, and one (Srinivasulu and Das, 2008; Ganesh and Chandramouli, locality in Odisha (Srinivasulu and Srinivasulu, 2013). 2009; Agarwal, Giri and Bauer, 2011; Mirza and Sanap, We have studied the distribution of Hemidactylus 2014). Treutler’s gecko Hemidactylus treutleri Mahony, species in peninsular India and based on distribution 2009 (Fig. 1) was discovered and described recently data originating from extensive field surveys conducted from the outer stone wall of Golconda Fort, Hyderabad, Telangana, India (Mahony, 2009). Other than the type locality this species was observed southwards in Rishi Valley near Madanapalle in Chittoor District, Andhra Pradesh (Sreekar, Deodhar and Kulkarni, 2010) and many locations in districts of Guntur, Krishna, Prakasam, Kurnool and Anantapur in Andhra Pradesh, Nalgonda, Medak, Karimnagar, Adilabad and Mahbubnagar in Telangana (until recently Telangana was part of Andhra Pradesh), and Parelakhemundi, Gajapati District, Odisha (Srinivasulu and Srinivasulu, 2013). Recently, two more 1,2 Natural History Museum and Wildlife Biology and Taxonomy Lab, Department of Zoology, University College of Science, Osmania University, Hyderabad, Telangana 500 007, India. 1,3 Systematics, Ecology & Conservation Laboratory, Zoo Outreach Organization (ZOO), 96 Kumudham Nagar, Vilankurichi Road, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu 641035, India. 3 Biodiversity Research and Conservation Society, 303 Orchid, Sri Sai Nagar Colony, Kanajiguda, Secunderabad, Figure 1. Treutler’s Gecko Hemidactylus treutleri Mahony, Telangana 500 015, India. 2009 from Elgandal Fort, Karimnagar district, Telangana, * Corresponding author; e-mail: [email protected] India. 680 Chelmala Srinivasulu et al. Figure 2. Localities from where the Treutler’s Gecko Hemidactylus treutleri Mahony, 2009 is known (black circles) including the new records (red circles) from Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and Karnataka, India. between January 2009 and August 2014, we report Srinivasulu, 2013), two localities in Karnataka State a total of 20 additional site records from Telangana, (Vouchers examined: NHM.OU.REP.23.2014, Female, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and Karnataka, providing Raichur Fort, Raichur District, Karnataka, C. Srinivasulu an updated distribution of H. treutleri (Fig. 2, Table & Tariq A. Shah, 12.01.2014; NHM.OU.REP.30.2014, 1). Most new records are roughly contiguous with Male, Urrugattu, Maliabad, Raichur District, Karnataka, one another, forming relatively compact distribution, C. Srinivasulu & B. Srinivasulu, 16.01.2014), and one excepting the Odisha record which needs further study from Andhra Pradesh State (Vouchers examined: NHM. to ascertain whether it is a disjunct population due to OU.REP.8.2009, Male, Jaggayapet, Krishna District, real gap or an artefact of collecting. Andhra Pradesh, R. Sreekar & M. Seetharamaraju, Hemidactylus treutleri has been long confused with 11.01.2009). The vouchers specimens have been a similar looking ‘rock-dwelling morphotype’ of deposited in the collection of the Natural History Hemidactylus cf. brookii (Mahony 2009; 2011). We Museum of Osmania University, Department of based our identification of observed specimens that Zoology, Osmania University, Hyderabad, Telangana, were not collected on the characteristic ‘I-shaped’ white India. These vouchers were identified by a combination or paler vertebral markings and six row of prominent of characters such as the snout to vent length, dorsal tubercles on the first segment of tail. We collected pholidosis, and the number of femoral pores (7 on each vouchers from three localities in Telangana State side) separated by a distinct diastema (Mahony 2009; (including the type locality Golconda Fort, Hyderabad) 2011). Excluding four site records reported by Mahony (Vouchers examined: NHM.OU.REP.20.2013, Male, (2009), Sreekar, Deodhar and Kulkarni (2010), Baburao Golconda Fort, Hyderabad, Telangana, G. Chethan and Kumar (2014) and Narayana, Surender and Rao Kumar, 13.06.2013; NHM.OU.REP.37.2014, (2014), we report 20 new localities (Table 1) for H. Male, Elgandal Fort, Karimnagar, Telangana, G. treutleri. Chethan Kumar & G. Devender, 24.03.2014; NHM. This species is currently known from many localities OU.REP.40.2014, Female, Shanigaram (Kothathumu), and may have a wider range than is currently recognized. Medak District, Telangana, G. Chethan Kumar & C. It occurs at elevations between 350 and 720 m asl New site records and updated distribution of Hemidactylus treutleri from India 681 Table 1. Occurrence locations of Treutler’s Gecko Hemidactylus treutleri Mahony, 2009 in India. Locality Coordinates Reference Andhra Pradesh Dornala, Prakasam District 15.92N, 79.09E Present study Guntur, Guntur District 16.29N, 80.43E Present study Jaggayapet, Krishna District 16.86N, 80.08E Present study Kurnool, Kurnool District 15.76N, 78.18E Present study Macherla, Guntur District 16.47N, 79.44E Present study Nandikotkur, Kurnool District 15.85N, 78.26E Present study Rishi Valley, Chittoor District 13.63N, 78.45E Sreekar et al. (2010) Karnataka Raichur Fort, Raichur District 16.20N, 77.36E Present study Urugutta, Raichur District 16.15N, 77.36E Present study Odisha Parelakhemundi, Gajapati District 18.77N, 84.09E Present study Telangana Bibinagar, Nalgonda District 17.47N, 78.78E Present study Dakkalgutta, Nizamabad District 18.56N, 78.30E Baburao & Kumar (2014) Devarkonda, Nalgonda District 16.69N, 78.92E Present study Elgandal Fort, Karimnagar District 18.42N, 79.04E Present study Gadwal, Mahbubnagar District 16.23N, 77.80E Present study GolcondaGolkonda Fort, Hyderabad District 17.40N, 78.46E Mahony (2009) Jadcherla, Mahbubnagar District 16.77N, 78.13E Present study Jagatiyal, Karimnagar District 18.79N, 78.91E Present study Medak, Medak District 18.05N, 78.26E Present study Nalgonda, Nalgonda District 17.05N, 79.26E Present study Peddagattu, Nalgonda District 16.60N, 79.23E Narayana et al. (2014) Shanigaram, Karimnagar District 18.17N, 79.02E Present study Siddipet, Medak District 18.10N, 78.84E Present study Utnoor, Adilabad District 19.37N, 78.78E Present study (Srinivasulu and Srinivasulu, 2013). Hemidactylus comments on the draft, and the Head, Department of Zoology, treutleri occurs in a variety of habitat types ranging Osmania University, Hyderabad, for providing necessary from dry deciduous and secondary forests, to areas of facilities. We acknowledge DST-SERB, New Delhi and UGC, New Delhi for research grants. human habitation, where it is sometimes found within buildings. Most sightings were made in boulder-hills References and dilapidated forts. Individuals were observed to be rupicolous in suitable habitats, hiding in crevices during Agarwal, I., Giri, V.B., Bauer, A.M. (2011): A new cryptic rock- the day. It is nocturnal and feeds predominantly on dwelling Hemidactylus (Squamata: Gekkonidae) from south India. Zootaxa 2765: 21-37. insects and other small invertebrates. We have observed Baburao, G., Krishna Kumar, B.M. (2014): New locality record that stone quarrying is a potential threat to the species of Treutler’s gecko Hemidactylus treutleri Mahony, 2009 in in some parts of its range. At the type locality, where Andhra Pradesh, India. Herpetology Notes 7: 241-243. a historic fort exists, renovation work that fills in Mahony, S. (2009): A new species of gecko of the genus crevices this lizard uses for shelter, and clearance of the Hemidactylus (Reptilia: Gekkonidae) from Andhra Pradesh, surrounding scrub represent localized threats. India. Russian Journal of Herpetology 16: 27-34. Mahony, S. (2011): Taxonomic revision of Hemidactylus brookii Gray: a re-examination of the type series and some Asian Acknowledgements. We thank Dr. Stephen Mahony, University synonyms, and a discussion of the obscure species Hemidactylus College of Dublin, UK and University of Delhi, India, and Dr. subtriedrus Jerdon (Reptilia: Gekkonidae). Zootaxa 3042: 37- Aaron Bauer, Villanova University, USA for their advice and 67. 682 Chelmala Srinivasulu et al. Mirza, Z.A., Sanap, R.V. (2014): A new cryptic species of gecko of the genus Hemidactylus Oken, 1817 (Reptilia: Gekkonidae) from Southern India. Taprobanica 6: 12-20. Narayana, B.L., Surender, G., Rao, V.V. (2014): Hemidactylus treutleri from Eastern Ghats, Andhra Pradesh, India. Taprobanica 6: 55. Sreekar, R., Deodhar, S., Kulkarni, Y. (2010): Predation on Hemidactylus treutleri (Squamata: Gekkonidae) by the peninsular rock agama Psammophilus dorsalis (Squamata: Agamidae) in Rishi Valley, Andhra Pradesh, India. Herpetology Notes 3: 33-35. Srinivasulu, C., Das, I. (2008): The herpetofauna of Nallamala Hills, Eastern Ghats, India: an annotated checklist, with remarks on nomenclature, taxonomy, habitat use, adaptive types and biogeography. Asiatic Herpetological Research 11: 110-131. Srinivasulu, C., Srinivasulu, B. (2013): Hemidactylus treutleri. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2014.2. <www. iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 13 June 2014. Uetz, P., Hošek, J. (2013): The Reptile Database <http://www. reptile-database.org>, accessed on 23 April, 2014. Accepted by Diogo Provete; Managing Editor: Wouter Beukema.
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