Fauna of Conservation Area Series 13 FAUNA of ERAVIKULAM NATIONAL PARK Edited by The Director, Zoological Survey of India, Kolkata ZOOLOGICAL SURVEY OF INDIA KOLKATA CITATION Editor-Director 2002. Fauna qf Eravikulal11 National Park, Conservation Area Series 13 : 1-97 (Published-Director, Zoo1. Surv. India, Kolkata) Published: January. 2002 ISBN: 81-85874-59-X Project Coordinator Dr. C. Radhakrishnan Scientist-E Western Ghats Fiefd Research Station Zoological Survey of India, CaBeut © Govl. of India, 2002 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED • No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without the prior permission of the publisher. • This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade, be lent, re-sold, hired out or otherwise disposed of without. the publisher's consent, in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published. • The correct price of this publication is the price printed on this page. Any revised price indicated by a rubber stamp or by a sticker or by any other means is incorrect and should be unacceptable. PRICE Indian : Rs. 500.00 Foreign : $ 40 £ 30 Published at the Publication Division by the Director, Zoological Survey of India, 234/4, AJ.C. Bose Road. 2nd MSO Bui Iding. N izam PaJace (13th floor), Kolkata-700 020 after laser typesetting by ~ishnll Data Graphics, Park Street, Kolkata 700 017 and printed at East India Photo COlnposing Centre. Kolkata. Fauna of Eravikulam National Park Conservation Area Series No. 13 2002 1-97 CONTENTS 1. ERAVIKULAM NATIONAL PARK AN OVERVIEW C. Radhakrishnan ................................................................................................................ 1-6 2. INSECTA: ODONATA M. Prasad and P.P. Kulkarni ............................................................................................... 7-9 3. INSECTA: ORTHOPTERA M. S. Shishodia and P.P. Kulkarni ........................... ~ ..................................................... 11-15 4. INSECTA: HEMIPTERA (Aquatic ans Setniaquatic) G.Thirutnalai and R.M. Sharma ..................................................................................... 17-20 5. INSECTA: HYMENOPTERA: CHALCIDOIDEA P.M. Sureshan .................................................................................................................. 21-33 6. INSECTA: LEPIDOPTERA: RHOPALOCERA C. Radhakrishnan and R.M. Sharma ............................................................................... 35-40 7. INSECTA: DIPTERA : TEPHRIDAE C. Radhakrishnan ............................................................................................................ 41-44 8. ARANEAE: ARACHNIDA O.B. Bastwade ................................................................................................................. 45-47 9. GORDIOIDAE: NEMATOMORPHA C. Radhakrishnan .................................................................................................................. 49 10. MOLLUSCA S.G. Patil .......................................................................................................................... 51-52 ) O. ZOOCECIDIA (Plant Galls) R.M. Shartna .................................................................................................................... 53-55 10. PISCES K.C. Gopi and B.E. Yadav ............................................................................................. 57-62 24. AMPHIBIA C. Radhakrishnan ............................................................................................................ 63-66 25. REPTILIA M.S. Pradhan ................................................................................................................... 67-71 26. AVES V.J. Zacharia .................................................................................................................... 73-78 27. MAMMALIA M. S. Pradhan ................................ :................................................................................. 79-97 Zool. Surv. India Fauna oj' Eravikulam National Park, Conservation Area Series No. 13 : 1-6, 2002 FAUNA OF ERAVIKULAM NATIONAL PARK: AN. OVERVIEW C. Radhakrishnan Western Ghats Field Research Station, Zoological Survey ofIndia, Calicllt 673 002 INTRODUCTION The ghat section in the Idukki district constitutes numerous mountains of varied EravikulalTI National Park is the home of the configuration and associated uplands. These Nilgiri tahr, Helnitragus hylocrills (Ogilby), a mountains together with the sumlnit plateau form species of mountain goat restricted to the southern the High Range. The most prominent Western Ghats. This is the major protected area physiographic province in the state is the of high elevation Shola-grassland ecosystenl in highlands which is also the most prominent Kerala and perhaps the largest relatively orographic feature of the Peninsular India. The undisturbed high elevation ecosystem in the entire physiography of the High Range presents a Western Ghats. succession of lofty hills with an average elevation of 2000m separated by deep valleys and several The Eravikulam National Park was formerly small plateaus. The widest reach of the Western part of the land of the Kannan Devan Hills Ghats in the Kerala state is the High Range which produce COITIpany, at present of the Tata Tea, but also forms the highest reach. declared as a sanctuary in 1975 and later elevated to the status of a National Park in 1978, prilnarily The main part of the park cOlnprises of a high for the protection of the Nilgiri tahr.' But even rolling plateau with a base elevation of about earlier, in the Kannan Devan Hills in the lands 2000m which is roughly cut in half fr0111 north leased to J. D. Monroe by the Poonjar Raja in west to south east by the Turner's valley which 1877, the 77 sq. kIn. Eravikulanl plateau around has within the park a maximum depth of the Anamudi peak was set apart as a game reserve approximately 600m. The National Park area by the Kannan Devan Hills produce company for ranges in elevation fronl about 1000m to 2695m its population ofNilgiri tahr. The protection given above sea level at Anamudi, the highest point in to the plateau which was unsuitable for tea Peninsular India, south of the Himalaya. The planting by the company saved the most fringes of the plateau are generally precipitous enchanting landscape in the High Range and the and the park boundary is mostly coincident with world's largest population of the endangered the edge of the plateau. species of the mountain goat, the N i Igiri tahr. The wetlands and marshes falling within the PHYSIOGRAPHY valleys act as potential source of water for a number of perennial streams in the National Park. Located between 10 0 8'N IOu 19'N latitude They form the part of catchment for 'major rivers and 77°0'E 77°8'E longitude. the park occupies like Eravikulam. Chinnar and Pam bar which flow an area of about 112 sq. km in the High Range in Tamil Nadu. However, Periyar and Pambar of Western Ghats falling within the revenue (Amaravathy) rivers form the main drainage district of Idukki in the Kerala state. basins. Falllla o( COl1servatiol1 :Irea Series No. 13. Eraviklliam Nation" Park ERAVIKOLAM NATIONAL PARK~ LOCATIONAL DBTAILS Tamil Nadu Coimbatore Ponvar Hut •" . " .. .... '.'- ;} ai .,., : :;r Erav~~ula~,\ ~ Malal. ,"..:,. • • \ fA Eravikul~rn Hut ~.. t~ : ~ ". '< Hravikulam National Park -:.:" .~ Iddukki Dist. ~nacce5sible ..... '\ Pea\(, va) ley ... :' y.aguvarrai I ..... Estate Bhimanada Pond Umayamalai Trek on Foot E N P Border ~ State Border Map 1. Lra\'ikuluill National Park: Location details .., RADHAKRISHNAN Fauna of Eravikulam National Park: An Overview J Eravikufam. National Park Pule Bo<Jnd~ry (~ppro%.J _"" Tf~il ~ Slle~m.s A Pe~x (e/f:v~/jon in rMlftJ) o 1 .. m Map 2. Approximate boundary of Eravikululll National Park. from Ric~ 1986 4 Falllla of Conservation Area Series No. 13, Eraviklliam National Park VEGETATION a large extend regeneration of native species. That means, any daJnage inflicted on these wooded Four major types of vegetation are found areas would result in the disappearance of the within the Eravikulam National Park. They are shola vegetation to be followed by the spread of the southern tropical hi II forest, southern Inontane grasslands. Thus, ecologically, the habitat is wet temperate forest, southern montane wet scrub extremely fragile. and the southern 1110ntane wet grassland. However~ most of the area is covered by southern l110ntane wet grassland with small patches of 111<;>ntane wet BIOGEOGRAPHY temperate forests known as 'Sholas' confined to Peculiarities in the biogeography of the area the hill folds. The Sholas are considered to be a is closely correlated with the Inajor events of the relict of an evergreen forest clilllax now restricted geonlorphological evolution of the Peninsular to damper sites by the combined effects of fire, India and in particular with that of the Western frost, grazing, clearance for agriculture and Ghats. Biogeography of the Indian Peninsula and erosion of the soil. The ecosysten1 is considered its faunal peculiarities have been discussed in a polyclilnax w'jth the Shola-grassland, a detail by Mani (1974). The present day character semiclilnax. fauna of the Peninsula cOlnprises of the derivatives of the older Gondwanan fauna and the derivatives WEATHER of the relatively younger faunas differentiated The annual weather cycle of the area