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Reptile Rap Newsletter of the South Asian Reptile Network No.10, June 2010

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Reptile Rap Newsletter of the South Asian Reptile Network No.10, June 2010 Reptile Rap Newsletter of the South Asian Reptile Network No.10, June 2010 Contents New locality record of Hemidactylus gracilis Blanford, 1870 (Squamata: Sauria: Gekkonidae) from Nashik District, Maharashtra -- Zeeshan A. Mirza & Rajesh Sanap. Pp. 2-3 Record of Lygosoma albopunctata Gray, 1846 from Vansda forest and comments on its distribution in Gujarat State -- Raju Vyas, Pp. 4-5 First locality record of Chrysopelea ornata Shaw, 1802 from Kheonae Wildlife Sanctuary, Dewas, Madhya Pradesh -- Mukesh Ingle, Pp. 5-6 Distribution of Elachistodon westermanni in Gujarat -- Raju Vyas, Pp. 7-8 Additional records of the Keeled Rock Gecko Cyrtopodion scabrum (Heyden, 1827) from Kachchh District, Gujarat, India -- Manojkumar Pardeshi, V. Vijay kumar & Sanjay K. Das, Pp. 9-10 The records of Beddome’s Cat Snakes (Boiga beddomei) from Purna Wildlife Sanctuary, Gujarat State, India -- Raju Vyas & Saurabh R. Desai, Pp. 10-13 Habituation and a typical feeding habit of Bengal Monitor Lizard Varanus bengalensis (Schneider) in Vallabh Vidyanagar, Gujarat -- Hiren Soni & M.S. Bushra Jarulla, Pp. 13-15 Observations on feeding behavior of a wild population of Marsh Crocodile in Baghdarrah Lake, Udaipur, Rajasthan -- Chhaya Bhatnagar & Meenakshi Mahur, Pp. 16-18 Spirurid infestation in Green Keelback Macropisthodon plumbicolor : a case study -- Pranav Pandit, Jaydev Page, M.W. Kahsnis & Aditya Ponkshe, P. 19. Ninety-six young ones born to Russell’s Viper Daboia russelii -- Bilal Habib & Bharat Cheda, Pp. 20-21 A report on the unusual body weight of a hatchling Python molurus molurus -- C. Ramesh & S. Bhupathy, Pp. 22-23 Artificial incubation, hatching and release of the Indian Rock Python Python molurus (Linnaeus, 1758), in Nilambur, Kerala -- P. Balakrishnan, T.V. Sajeev & T.N. Bindu, Pp. 24-27 OPEN ACCESS | FREE DOWNLOAD Dead King Cobra Ophiophagus hannah Reptile Rap is registered under Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License, found near Srikakulam in northern coastal which allows unrestricted use of articles in any medium for non-profit purposes, repro- Andhra Pradesh duction and distribution by providing adequate credit to the authors and the source of -- K.L.N Murthy & K.V Ramana Murthy, Pp.27-28 publication. Common Sand Boa -- R. Alexandar & J. Jayakumar, P. 28 1 REPTILE RAP #10, June 2010 New locality record of Hemidactylus specimens were found in a gracilis Blanford, 1870 (Squamata: dry and degraded habitat with Sauria: Gekkonidae) from Nashik District, patches of thorny shrubs. The Maharashtra geckos were sympatrically found with Hemidactylus Zeeshan A. Mirza 1 & Rajesh Sanap 2 cf. brookii, Europis sp. and Hottentotta tamulus. 1 1-13 Shiv Colony, Marol Police Camp, Andheri (East), Mumbai, Maharashtra 400059, India Hemidactylus gracilis 2 D-5/ 2, Marol Police Camp, M.M. Road, Andheri (East), Mumbai, is reported to occur in Maharashtra 400059, India Email: 1 [email protected], 2 [email protected] Maharashtra at Mahavali, 1 The Slender Gecko, Hemidactylus gracilis is a nocturnal, medium sized (37mm snout to vent length; 2 Smith 1935) terrestrial gecko 3 belonging to the Tropical Asian Clade with H. reticulates, H. Images 1-3. Hemidactylus gracilis 1 - Dorso lateral aspect; 2 - Dorsal aspect showing tubercles; albofasciata and H. fasciatus 3 - Precloacal Pore; being close relatives (Bauer et al. 2008). This species from under a rock at 1257hr Poona District; Wai and Alandi, was described by Blanford in a small village near Sinnar Satara District; Chanda and based on four collected (19057’15”N & 74001’39”E) Berar, Bilimora, as well as specimens, two each from “S. (Images 1-3). One of the in Chhattisgarh at Raipur E. Berar [Yavatmal District, specimens was collected as and in Andhra Pradesh at northeastern Maharashtra] voucher and is deposited in Nagarjunkonda Hill, Nalgonda and Raipur [Raipur District, the collection of the Bombay District (Tikader & Sharma Chhattisgarh (previously a Natural History Society (BNHS 1992; Sharma 2002). Later, part of Madhya Pradesh)]” 1930). The measurements Murthy (1990) summarized (Bauer et al. 2005). and pholidosis of the specimen the distribution of this species During a study of are provided in Table 1. Other by state, including Gujarat reptiles of Nashik District, the characters and coloration in its range. Vyas (2000a & second author (RS) found two match with the description 2000b) included H. gracilis specimens of Hemidactylus provided by Smith (1935) and in the review of reptiles of gracilis on 29 November 2008 Bauer et al. (2005). Both the Gujarat but the authority 2 REPTILE RAP #10, June 2010 Table 1. Mensual and meristic data for Hemidactylus gracilis from Sharma, R.C. (2002). The Fauna Nashik District, Maharashtra. All mensural data in mm. of India and the Adjacent Hemidactylus gracilis Countries. Reptilia, Volume II Parameters BNHS 1930 Sauria. Zoological Survey of Sex Male India, Kolkata. xxv+430pp. Snout to Vent length 32.42 Smith, M.A. (1935). The Fauna Tail length 1.04* of British India, Including Axial to Groin length 15.98 Ceylon and Burma. Reptilia Head length 5.20 and Amphibia. Vol. II.– Sauria. Head Width 4.70 Taylor and Francis, London, Head Depth 4.02 xiii+440 pp, 2 folding maps, Maximum Eye Diameter 2.68 1pl. Distance from posterior border of orbit to anterior margin 4.74 Tikader B.K. & R.C. Sharma of ear (1992). Handbook Indian Distance from anterior border of orbit to tip of snout 4.54 lizards. Zoological Survey of Precloacal Pores 6 India, Calcutta, xv+250pp, 42 Supralabials Left/ Right 8/8 pl. Infralabials Left/ Right 6/6 Vyas, R. 2000a. Comments Lamellae under First Toe 5 on “A synopsis of reptiles of Lamellae under Fourth Toe 6 Gujarat, India”. Hamadryad * - Tail broken 25: 203- 207. Vyas, R. (2000b). A review of cited by him (Gleadow 1887) References the reptile studies in Gujarat was incorrect as pointed by state. Zoos’ Print Journal Bauer et al. (2005). Recently, Bauer, A.M., V. Giri, S. 15(12): 386-390. Bauer et al. (2005) reported Kehimkar & I. Agarwal this species from Chatushringi (2005). Notes on Acknowledgement Hill, Pune, Maharashtra. Hemidactylus gracilis Blanford The authors would like to The present locality in 1870, a poorly known Indian thank Varad Giri for his comments Nashik extends the gecko’s gecko. Gekko 4(2): 2–7. and help. They would also like to known range (from Pune) Bauer, A.M., V. Giri, E. thank Jackin Kedia for recording to ca. 158km in airline Greenbaum, T.R. Jackmsn, the coordinates distance. The distribution of M.S. Dharne & Y.S. Hemidactylus gracilis remains Shouche (2008). On the poorly known (Bauer et al. systematics of the gekkonid 2005) and in this respect the genus Teratolepis Günther, report of the occurrence of this 1869: another one bites the species from Nashik District is dust. Hamadryad 32: 13–27. noteworthy. It is possible that Gleadow, F. (1887). this species might also occurs Description of a new lizard in northern Maharashtra but from the “Dangs”. Journal of more intensive surveys are the Bombay Natural History needed to prove this as the Society 2: 49-51. northern and central part Murthy, T.S.N. (1990). A Field of Maharashtra still remains Book of Lizards of India. poorly explored in terms of its Records of Zoological Survey reptilian fauna. of India, Occasional Papers 115: 1-122. 3 REPTILE RAP #10, June 2010 Record of Lygosoma albopunctata Gray, 1846 found under decayed leaf litter from Vansda forest and comments on its and dead barks of trees. The distribution in Gujarat State species is uncommon in the area in comparison to other Raju Vyas two species of supple skink, L puncatata and L. guentheri. 505, Krishnadeep Tower, Mission Road, Fatehgunj, Vadodara, Gujarat 390002, India Undigested state of Email: [email protected] a skink specimen was found in the gut-contents of Cattle Egret (Bubulcu ibis) during the The White-spotted Navsari District. The locality is ‘Ecology Study: Birds Central Supple Skink Lygosoma part of the Western Ghats and Gujarat’. Such gut-contents albopunctata (Gray, 1846) has moist deciduous forest on were collected from ‘mix egret is one of the common skinks the border of Vansda National nesting colony of Karamsad and is widely distributed Park (VNP). Town, Anand District. This in India (Madhya Pradesh, During the ‘Biodiversity is a clear indication of the Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, study of Vansda National fact that the species inhabits Kerala, Bihar, Jharkhand, Park’, Vyas (2004) was able to Anand District (previously a Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, record 41 species of reptiles part of Kheda District) and Orissa, Assam and West of 31 genera belonging to supports the earlier record Bengal) and Nepal (Royal eleven different families. of species from Khambhat Chitwan National Park) (Smith The L. albopunctata is not by Gayen (1999). Present 1935; Tikader & Sharma mentioned in the list of VNP information on the species 1992; Sharma 2002). and similarly the species is indicates that it inhabits A few earlier published not listed in herpetofauna various types of habitat and records show that the species of southern Gujarat (Daniel is widely distributed in the is also distributed in a few & Shull 1963). The present entire state. districts of Gujarat, including record of the species from Ahmedabad (Acharya 1949), VNP is the first record from References Gir Forest (Bhatt et al. 1999) the area and from southern and Kheda (Gayen 1999). Gujarat. Acharya, H.N. (1949). List of During the The Vansda National reptiles from Gujarat state. herpetofaunal exploration of Park is located between Prakurti 8: 156-178. (In southern Gujarat, a few adult 20051’16’’-21021’22”N & Gujarati) specimens of the supple-skink 73020’30”-73031’20”E in Bhatt, K., R. Vyas & M. Singh were collected from Navsari Navsari District. The area (1999). Herpetofauna of Gir District. On examination two of the park has hilly terrain protected area.
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