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Reptile Rap Newsletter of the South Asian Reptile Network ISSN 2230-7079 No.12 | May 2011

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Reptile Rap Newsletter of the South Asian Reptile Network ISSN 2230-7079 No.12 | May 2011 Reptile Rap Newsletter of the South Asian Reptile Network ISSN 2230-7079 No.12 | May 2011 Contents First record of Yellow-spotted Wolf Snake Lycodon flavomaculatus (Wall, 1907) from Chirner Forest, Uran, Maharashtra -- Nitin S. Walmiki, Siddhesh Karangutkar, Aniket Jadhav, Siddharth Parab & N.S. Achyuthan, Pp. 2–3 Sighting of Slender Coral Snake Calliophis melanurus in Seshachalam Hills, Eastern Ghats, India: a new record -- M. Bubesh Guptha & M. Rajasekhar, Pp. 4–6 Chromogenicity in males during mating in Indian wall lizards Hemidactylus flaviviridis (Ruppell) -- Ranjeeta Chatterjee, Vaishali Bansod & K.K. Sharma, Pp. 6–8 Is it possible to create a safe habitat for muggers of Vishwamitri River, Gujarat State, India? -- Raju Vyas, Pp. 9–11 Date of publication: 09 May 2011 www.zoosprint.org/Newsletters/ReptileRap.htm OPEN ACCESS | FREE DOWNLOAD Reptile Rap is registered under Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License, which allows unrestricted use of articles in any medium for non-profit purposes, repro- duction and distribution by providing adequate credit to the authors and the source of publication. 1 REPTILE RAP #12, May 2011 First record of Yellow-spotted Wolf Snake days for further observation. Lycodon flavomaculatus (Wall, 1907) from During this observation period Chirner Forest, Uran, Maharashtra it fed on Brook’s House Gecko Hemidactylus brookii; the Nitin S. Walmiki 1, Siddhesh Karangutkar 2, Aniket snake was very calm, which 2 3 3 Jadhav , Siddharth Parab & N.S. Achyuthan is exactly opposite that of any 1,2 National Institute of Oceanography, Regional Centre, Lokhandawala Road, other wolf snake species. The Andheri (West), Mumbai, Maharashtra 400053 India specimen was then released 3 CON (Care of Nature), Veshvi, Chirner, Uran, Maharashtra, India at the same spot in Chirner Email: 1 [email protected] (corresponding author) Forest. The other specimen was not in a good condition; A rare snake species, a this was the first time that a it was found dead by the road Yellow-spotted Wolf Snake Yellow-spotted Wolf Snake side, so only the length was Lycodon flavomaculatus was was found in the area. measured (22cm). reported from Chirner Forest, One specimen was male, Lycodon flavomaculatus is Uran, Maharashtra. On 07 about 24.1cm long and a threatened species (Molur August 2010 two specimens of weighed 12.4g. This species & Walker 1998) it is slender- the snake were collected from of wolf snake was identified bodied, smooth scaled, with Chirner Forest in Uran Taluka, by the scale count method a flattened head slightly a historical place, known for (Table 1) and by external broader than the neck, a its famous Jungle Satyagraha appearance (Image 1) as in broad snout projects beyond movement on 25 September Maharashtra, yellow spotted lower jaw. Eye entirely black. 1930. Chirner, a protected forms of the barred wolf Glossy black above with forest situated (18050’48.40”N snake Lycodon striatus are series of small, bright yellow & 73003’36.14”E) around frequently mistaken for this spots along the vertebral 70km from Mumbai suburbs, species (Whitaker & Captain line. Arising from the spots is is a semievergreen forest with 2008). The specimen was a yellow or white band that a variety of herpetofauna, but then kept captive for two widens and becomes indistinct Image 1. Yellow-spotted Wolf Snake Lycodon flavomaculatus 2 REPTILE RAP #12, May 2011 Table 1. Scale count of Lycodon flavomaculatus Zoo Outreach Organisation & CBSG, India, Coimbatore, Scale Count India, 175pp. Scale skin 17:17:15 rows, smooth Nande, R. & S. Deshmukh Ventral 175 (2007). Snakes of Amravati Anal divided sub codal 58 paired District including Melghat, Maharashtra, with important Preocular 1 recrd of Indian Egg Eater, Postocular 2 Montane Triket and Indian Temporal 2+3 Smooth Snake, Zoo’s Print Supralabial 9 (3rd to 5th touching eye) Journal 22(12): 2920-2924. Loreal 1 (touches internasal) Vyas R. (2000). A review of reptile studies in Gujarat state, Zoo’s Print Journal 15(12): 386-390. on the sides. Lip scales are of Indian reptiles it comes Vyas, R. & K.B. Upadhaya white underneath (Whitaker & under VU (Vulnerable) species (2008). On the Occurrence of Captain 2008). (Molur & Walker 1998). Lycodon flavomaculatus Wall, This species is endemic to 1907 in Gujarat State, India. SAURIA, Berlin 30(1): 55-58. India and has been recorded References from only a few places in and Whitaker, R. & A. Captain (2008). Snakes of India - The around the Western Ghats of D’ Abreu, E.A. (1928). Record of Field Guide Snakes of India - Maharashtra namely, Nashik, Nagpur Museum No. VI. A list The Field Guide. Draco Books, Pune, Mulshi, Talegaon, of reptiles of central provinces. Chennai, Xiv+481pp. Deolali, Dharwad, Sangli, Govt. press, Nagpur, 1-13. Khaire N. (2008). A Guide to Buldhana and Oudh (Whitaker Acknowledgement the Snakes of Maharashtra & Captain 2008). D’Abreu Goa and Karnataka. United The authors want to thank the (1928) also mentioned a Multicolour Printer Pvt. Ltd., local people from Chirner, Raju record of this species from Pune, 80-81pp. Mumbaikar, Raja Patil (Members Buldhana, Maharashtra (old Molur, S. & S. Walker (eds.) of CON), and Vinayak Puranik for name Wall’s Wolf Snake), it (1998). Reptiles of India. their valuable field work with us. Biodiversity Conservation is also recorded from Melghat The authors are grateful to Dr. Prioritisation Project (BCPP) region (Nande & Deshmukh Vaishali Somani & Mr. Anil Kubal India, Endangered Species for their constant support and 2007) and Vadodara, Gujarat Project - Conservation motivation. State (Vyas 2000, 2008). Assessment and Management According to IUCN status Plan (C.A.M.P.) workshops. 3 REPTILE RAP #12, May 2011 Sighting of Slender Coral Snake Calliophis large chunk of dry deciduous melanurus in Seshachalam Hills, Eastern Red Sanders bearing forest, Ghats, India: a new record forming catchments to Swarnamukhi and Penna M. Bubesh Guptha 1 & M. Rajasekhar 2 rivers, both in Chittoor and Cuddapah districts. The 1 Wildlife Institute of India, Post Box ≠.18, Chandrabani, Dehradun, Uttarakhand 248001, India area also consists of natural 2 Department of Zoology, Sri Venkateswara University, Tirupati, Andhra grassland. The specimen Pradesh 517502, India Email: 1 [email protected] (corresponding author) was identified based on descriptions available in the literature (Smith 1943; Schulz The family Elapidae (Boie (Sharma 1971; Sanyal et al. 1996; Daniel 2002; Whitaker 1827) is represented by over 1993). & Captain 2004). 60 genera and 300 known With this background, we species distributed throughout report sighting Calliophis Description the tropical and subtropical melanurus in Andhra Pradesh The Slender Coral Snake regions. The snakes of this on the 17 November 2009 is light brown and to some family are further divided during our field surveys from extent speckled. Its head into six subfamilies namely 18 September 2009 to 25 and neck are black with two Bungarinae, Calliophinae, December 2009. We found the prominent yellow spots on Elapinae, Hydrophiinae, snake near the forest complex the top of the head. A shabby Laticaudinae and Maticorinae close to Kapilathreetham black ring is seen at both the (Mirza & Pal 2010). In the Temple, (13038’N & 79025’E) tail-base and tail-tip, each oriental region the elapids Chitoor District, Andhra scale speckled with brown are represented by 13 genera Pradesh (Image 1). This and the underside is coral red and 36 species (Whitaker reserved forest, forming part (Image 2). This can often & Captain 2004). Oriental of the Eastern Ghats, consists be confused with Dumeril’s coral snakes are included of unique flora and fauna. Black-headed Snake which in three genera namely The highly endangered flora has a pale yellow underside Calliophis, Hemibungarus like Cycas beddomei and and a much longer gradually and Sinomicrurus (Slowinski highly priced endemic species tapering tail. The underside et al. 2001). Calliophis like Pterocarpus santalinus of Calliophis melanurus is melanurus Shaw, 1802 is grow luxuriantly. The entire pinkish-red in colour (Image more widespread than all the sanctuary is an uninhabited 3). Its head is blunt and has other species of the genus occurring in peninsular India and Sri Lanka (Daniel 2002); Whitaker & Captain (2004) state that it probably occurs in most of peninsular India (except the extreme north- west), with definite records from Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Appd Nadu and West Bengal; there is a single record from Dhar, Madhya Pradesh (Vyas & 20000000 20000000 40000000 Miles Vyas 1981) and Nallamala, northern Andhra Pradesh Images 1. Area where Calliophis melanurus was sighted in Andhra Pradesh 4 REPTILE RAP #12, May 2011 the protection of habitat is an important aspect in the conservation of such species. Reference Daniel, J.C. (2002). The Book of Indian Reptiles and Amphibians. Bombay Natural History Society & Oxford University Press. Mumbai, viii+238pp. Mirza, Z. & S. Pal (2010). Notes on the effect of a bite from Image 2. Slender Coral Snake Calliophis melanurus. Calliophis melanurus Shaw, 1802 (Serpents: Elapidae Calliophinae). Reptile Rap the same width as that of the Also they are fine burrowers Newsletter of the South Asian neck. The scales are smooth in sandy soil and can lay Reptile Network 9(January): and faintly glossy. Its small motionless with just their head 7–8. eyes are entirely black. noticeable. In excitement, Molur, S. & S. Walker (eds.) (1998). Reptiles of India. The Slender Coral Snake they curl up their tails and Biodiversity Conservation is one of five Indian coral wave them, exhibiting the Prioritisation Project (BCPP) snakes, the other four being startling underside colours, India, Endangered Species hill forest species, which can thus taking attention away Project - Conservation be seen in the Western Ghats from the head. Assessment and Management and the Eastern Himalaya. Status: Rare. Species and Plan (C.A.M.P.) workshops. Zoo Outreach Organisation Mostly they are seen in litters, listed as Lower Risk-Near & CBSG, India, Coimbatore, burrows, and under sand in Threatened (Molur & Walker India, 175pp.
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