Short Note on the Occurrence of Madras Tree Shrew Anathana Ellioti (Waterhouse) (Scandentia: Tupaiidae) from Gujarat State, India
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Tropical Natural History 20(1): 111-115, April 2020 2020 by Chulalongkorn University Short Note On the Occurrence of Madras Tree Shrew Anathana ellioti (Waterhouse) (Scandentia: Tupaiidae) from Gujarat State, India KAUSHAL PATEL1, AGNEESHWAR VYAS2, VAIBHAV NAIK3 AND HARSHIL PATEL4* 107, Shiv Shakti Society, Deshra-Bhatha road, Bilimora-396321, Gujarat, INDIA 2North Dang Forest Division, Ahwa, 394710, Gujarat, INDIA 3Valsad Pardi, Gopi Street, Valsad–396001, INDIA 4Department of Biosciences, Veer Narmad South Gujarat University, Surat-395007, Gujarat, INDIA * Corresponding Author: Harshil Patel ([email protected]) Received: 15 March 2019; Accepted: 3 December 2019 The Madras Tree Shrew Anathana ellioti (see Table 1, Fig. 1B) which is in southern (Waterhouse 1850) (Fig. 1A), also known as Gujarat. In addition to this, Chakraborty & Indian Tree Shrew is a member of the Agarwal11 reported this species from Kheda Tupaiidae family; an Indian endemic small (Central Gujarat), Surendranagar and mammal widely distributed both in the dry Junagadh (Saurashtra) based on some old and moist deciduous forests peninsular grey literature11. Eight direct sighting India1,2, up to an altitude of 1400m ASL3. It records of the species were also observed is relatively a shy animal that gets disturbed from Purna Wildlife Sanctuary during by human presence. IUCN Red Data List biodiversity survey in 200312. Herein, we has uplifted the species as Least Concern are presenting recent records of the species (LC) from Near Threaten (NT) because the from Surat-Dangs, which confirms its species found locally common in presence in the Gujarat state. appropriate habitat and widely distributed4. Dangs is situated in the northern most It has decline recently due to threats such as; part of the Western Ghats and Surat forest is habitat loss due to plantations, denudation adjoining deciduous forest patch to Dangs for agriculture, small-scale logging, and district of Gujarat state. The Western Ghats clear-cutting, road kills, hunting and have been identified as a global biodiversity medicinal use by local tribes4,5. hotspot and an Endemic Bird Area13,14. This The species is reported from various landscape has two protected areas namely: locations in following states of India: Purna Wildlife sanctuary (160km2) and Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Jharkhand, Vansda National Park (24km2). The entire Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Orissa, Uttar forest area of the Vansda National Park is Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka5,6,7,8,9,10. the 3B/C2 Southern moist mixed deciduous But majority of these workers didn’t include forest, 5/E 9 dry bamboo brakes, 5/1S1 Gujarat state in the range of A. ellioti, tropical riverine forest15. despite of the type locality of A. ellioti wroughtoni race is Mandvi, Surat district TROPICAL NATURAL HISTORY. 20(1), APRIL 2020 112 FIGURE 1. A. Anathana ellioti from Dangs district, Gujarat; B. Recent records of A. ellioti from Gujarat, India (black star) with numbers indicates the presence location recorded by authors; C. A. ellioti in tree cavity at Malegaon village, Dangs, Gujarat; D. A. ellioti from DCF bunglow at Ahwa, Dangs, Gujarat The forest of Purna Wildlife Sanctuary forest15. Other than these protected areas, categorized into two main categories south varieties of habitats are found in the Surat Indian moist deciduous forests and southern and Dang district, e.g. open deciduous dry deciduous forest. Further classified forest, moist deciduous forest, agricultural under eight sub-types, i.e. 3B/C1a very field (both permanent and temporary), rocky moist teak forests, 3B/C1b moist teak uplands, upland grasslands15. Elevation forests, 3B/C1c slightly moist teak forest, height of Dang district is ~150 to 1000m als. 3B/C2 southern moist mixed deciduous Note on sightings: forest, 5A/C1b dry teak forests, 5A/C3 dry In afternoon at around 0230 on mixed deciduous forests, 5E9 dry bamboo November 8, 2015, while returning from the brakes, and 5/1S1 dry tropical reverie Mahal campsite (N 20.90, E 73.65) at North 113 PATEL ET AL. – ON THE OCCURRENCE OF MADRAS TREE SHREW IN INDIA TABLE 1. Races of Anathana ellioti (J. R. Ellerman & T. C. S. Morrison-Scott 1951). Sr Race Collection area/ Range Reference No. Locality 1 A. e. ellioti Waterhouse, Hills between Cuddapah Eastern Ghats and Shevaory 1850. Tupaia ellioti Waterhouse, P. 1850 and Nellore, Eastern hills, India. Z. S. 1849: 107, pl.Mamm.13. Ghats, India. 2 A. e. wroughtoni Lyon, 1913 Mandvi, near Bombay, Region of Satpura hills, and 1913. Anathana wroughtoni Lyon, India. Dangs, near Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus. 45:123. Bombay,Wastern India. 3 A. e. pallida Lyon, 1913 Munbhum, Bihar, India. Raipur in Central Provinces 1913. Anathana wroughtoni Lyon, north-eastwards as far as the Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus. 45:124. Ganges, India. Dangs, we found a small rodent-like animal In the afternoon of March 18, 2017, at crossing the road. On first encounter, it was around 1434 afternoon, this small mammal confusing with a young mongoose or a was sighted in the backyard of ACF squirrel without any stripe. It was our first bungalow (N 20.72, E 73.67) at Ahwa by encounter with Madras Tree shrew on the one of us (AV). The bungalow is situated at field and was for about 2 minutes in front of the fringe of reserved forest compartment no us. It was long snout, the rounded ears, RF-131. Initially, it appeared as if there is a body, limbs and bushy tail suggests a mongoose, or stripe less squirrel but close squirrel, and while in motion with a long observation of the animal with long snout body and the extended bushy tail, its indicated that it is a shrew. Later photographs behavior suggests that of a mongoose. The were taken to confirm the identity of the feet are like that of a squirrel and well fitted animal (Fig. 1A, 1D). It was observed for for climbing. There was an oblique pale few days that the animal was a frequent shoulder stripe. We were unable to take any visitor to the house to drink water from the photographic evidence because we didn’t pots kept of birds in summer. After onset on have a camera with us. Later on, we monsoon the animal was not sighted around confirmed the species with the help of the the bungalow. Further, the local forest staff book of Indian animals1. and watchmen informed us that the Madras On October 10, 2016, at around 0535 Tree Shrew is called as ‘Dhongiya’ in the evening, we were on a trail near Malegaon local dialect and is sighted in forests of village (N 20.59, E 73.75). While returning Dangs including Purna Wildlife Sanctuary12. from the trail, we found an animal On September 9, 2017, at around at movement inside a tree trunk cavity at about 0927 morning, we were on a bird watching 3 ft of height. By the close inspection, we trip; only three of us were there on a Deer found a small sized squirrel-like animal. An breeding center (N 20.88, E 73.66), Purna animal got disturbed by our presence and WLS. We were observing a mixed-species came out of the cavity, it immediately flock of Greater Racket-tailed Drongo moved away into bamboo patches. We were Dicrurus paradiseus, Black-hooded Oriole able to capture a photograph of the animal Oriolus xanthornus, Lesser Goldenback (Fig. 1C) which was later identified as Dinopium benghalense, Leaf Warbler Madras Tree shrew. Phylloscopus sp., Great Tit Parus major, TROPICAL NATURAL HISTORY. 20(1), APRIL 2020 114 Large Cuckooshrike Coracina macei, Jungle ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Babbler Turdoides striatus with a Madras tree Shrew A. ellioti (wroghtoni probably). We thank Gujarat Forest Department for This could be the first observation of mixed granting us necessary permits; Anand species foraging association with Madras Kumar (DCF) and Dr. Dhiraj Mittal (DCF) Tree Shrew and birds from mainland India. for their constant support and help with A similar observation was made of logistics. KP was supported by Mohamed Andaman Tree Shrew Tupaia nicobarica Bin Zayed species conservation fund with Greater Racket-tailed Drongo Dicrurus (152510567) and Idea Wild (equipment) paradiseus and sparrowhawks Accipiter sp. grant and; HP was supported by INSPIRE on great Nicobar island, India16. We were Fellowship (IF 130480) from the Department unable to take any photographic evidence. of Science and Technology (DST), New We repeatedly visited the same location, but Delhi, India. unable to make further observations. On October 23, 2017, at around 0215 LITERATURE CITED afternoon, on a forest trail near Ambapani village (N 20.95, E 73.50), we sighted an 1. Prater, S.H. 1971. The Book of Indian Animals. animal foraging on the ground in the dense BNHS-Oxford, Mumbai, 324pp.+xxiv. forest patch near a stream. We also sighted 2. Ellerman, J.R. and Morrison-Scott, T.C.S. this species from Vansda National Park, 1951. Checklist of Palaearctic and Indian Mammals 1758–1946. British Museum (Natural Navsari (N 20.75 E 73.48) on a couple of History) London. 810 pp. occasion while birding in February-April 3. Menon, V. (2003). A Field guide to Indian 2016. Mammals. Dorling Kindersley, New Delhi, Our sightings prove the existence of A. 200 pp. 4. Molur, S., Srinivasulu, C., Srinivasulu, B., ellioti from southern Gujarat. However, the Walker, S., Nameer, P.O. and Ravikumar, L. reports from central Gujarat and Saurashtra 2005. Status of South Asian Non-volant Small region needs further confirmation. Despite Mammals: Conservation Assessment and having two protected areas and good quality Management Plan (CAMP) Workshop Report. of deciduous forest in southern Gujarat, no Zoo Outreach Organization /CBSG-South Asia, Coimbatore, India, 618 pp. systematic studies have been conducted to 5. Karthikeyan, S. 1992. A Preliminary study of understand mammalian diversity and the Indian Tree Shrew at Yercaud, India.