Herpetofauna of Shuklaphanta National Park, Nepal
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
PLATINUM The Journal of Threatened Taxa (JoTT) is dedicated to building evidence for conservaton globally by publishing peer-reviewed artcles OPEN ACCESS online every month at a reasonably rapid rate at www.threatenedtaxa.org. All artcles published in JoTT are registered under Creatve Commons Atributon 4.0 Internatonal License unless otherwise mentoned. JoTT allows unrestricted use, reproducton, and distributon of artcles in any medium by providing adequate credit to the author(s) and the source of publicaton. Journal of Threatened Taxa Building evidence for conservaton globally www.threatenedtaxa.org ISSN 0974-7907 (Online) | ISSN 0974-7893 (Print) Communication Herpetofauna of Shuklaphanta National Park, Nepal Yam Bahadur Rawat, Santosh Bhatarai, Laxman Prasad Poudyal & Naresh Subedi 26 April 2020 | Vol. 12 | No. 5 | Pages: 15587–15611 DOI: 10.11609/jot.5611.12.5.15587-15611 For Focus, Scope, Aims, Policies, and Guidelines visit htps://threatenedtaxa.org/index.php/JoTT/about/editorialPolicies#custom-0 For Artcle Submission Guidelines, visit htps://threatenedtaxa.org/index.php/JoTT/about/submissions#onlineSubmissions For Policies against Scientfc Misconduct, visit htps://threatenedtaxa.org/index.php/JoTT/about/editorialPolicies#custom-2 For reprints, contact <[email protected]> The opinions expressed by the authors do not refect the views of the Journal of Threatened Taxa, Wildlife Informaton Liaison Development Society, Zoo Outreach Organizaton, or any of the partners. The journal, the publisher, the host, and the part- Publisher & Host ners are not responsible for the accuracy of the politcal boundaries shown in the maps by the authors. Member Threatened Taxa Journal of Threatened Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | 26 April 2020 | 12(5): 15587–15611 ISSN 0974-7907 (Online) | ISSN 0974-7893 (Print) PLATINUM OPEN ACCESS DOI: htps://doi.org/10.11609/jot.5611.12.5.15587-15611 #5611 | Received 10 December 2019 | Final received 31 March 2020 | Finally accepted 05 April 2020 C o m Herpetofauna of Shuklaphanta Natonal Park, Nepal m u n Yam Bahadur Rawat 1 , Santosh Bhatarai 2 , Laxman Prasad Poudyal 3 & Naresh Subedi 4 i c a 1,3 Department of Natonal Parks and Wildlife Conservaton, Shuklaphanta Natonal Park, Kanchanpur, Nepal. t 2 Natonal Trust for Nature Conservaton-Biodiversity Conservaton Center, Ratnanagar-06, Chitwan 44204, Nepal. i 4 Natonal Trust for Nature Conservaton, Khumaltar, Lalitpur, P.O.Box 3712, Nepal. o 1 [email protected], 2 [email protected] (corresponding author), 3 [email protected] , [email protected] n Abstract: We present 71 herpetofauna species in Shuklaphanta Natonal Park (ShNP) and its bufer zone based on feld surveys, rescue records, photo, and literature records. The list comprises 15 currently known species of amphibians and 56 species of reptles. We recorded Laudanka Vine Snake Ahaetulla laudankia as a new species record for Nepal. Likewise, four frog species, namely, Uperodon globulossus, Polypedates taeniatus, Hoplobatrachus crassus, and Minervarya peirrei; and one skink, Sphaenomorphus maculatus; one agamid, Laudakia tuberculata; one turtle, Pangshura tentoria circumdata; and 10 snakes, Eryx conicus, E. johnii, Coelognathus helena, C. radiatus, Chrysopelea ornata, Dendrelaphis trists, Lycodon striatus, Oligodon arnensis, Psammophis cf condanarus, and Ophiophagus hannah are new records for ShNP. Unregulated and illegal collecton, road mortality, intentonal killing are the observed threats to the herpetofauna. Our aim of this study is to compile species richness and advocate for more rigorous inventories in future providing updated informaton of herpetofauna of ShNP. Keywords: Ahaetulla laudankia, amphibians, new records, reptles, Terai-Arc Landscape. Editor: Karan Bahadur Shah, Budhanilakantha Municipality, Hatgaunda, Nepal. Date of publicaton: 26 April 2020 (online & print) Citaton: Rawat, Y.B., S. Bhatarai, L.P. Poudyal & N. Subedi (2020). Herpetofauna of Shuklaphanta Natonal Park, Nepal. Journal of Threatened Taxa 12(5): 15587–15611. htps://doi.org/10.11609/jot.5611.12.5.15587-15611 Copyright: © Rawat et al. 2020. Creatve Commons Atributon 4.0 Internatonal License. JoTT allows unrestricted use, reproducton, and distributon of this artcle in any medium by providing adequate credit to the author(s) and the source of publicaton. Funding: Natonal Trust for Nature Conservaton. Competng interests: The authors declare no competng interests. Author details: Yam Bahadur Rawat is a graduate from Insttute of Forestry, Pokhara Campus, and currently working as a Park Ranger at Shuklaphanta Natonal Park, Nepal. His research interest includes documentaton, biology and conservaton status of wildlife especially herpetofauna. Santosh Bhattarai works as Conservaton Ofcer at Natonal Trust for Nature Conservaton (NTNC) based at Biodiversity Conservaton Center (BCC), Chitwan. He is focused on herpetofauna researh and conservaton in Nepal. Laxman Prasad Poudyal holds an MSc in Natural Resource Management and Rural Development. He currently heads the Shuklaphanta Natonal Park where he had worked as a Park Ranger during 1994–1998. Naresh Subedi is a Conservaton Program Manager at Natonal Trust for Nature Conservaton (NTNC). He primarily designs and oversees all conservaton projects for Terai Protected Areas in Nepal. Author contributon: All authors have made equal contributons. YBR and SB collected and compiled feld data; SB wrote the manuscript; SB, LPP, YBR and NS reviewed and approved the fnal draf. Acknowledgements: We would like to thank the Department of Natonal Parks and Wildlife Conservaton and Shuklaphanta Natonal Park for the facilitaton for management and conservaton. The present paper is an ofshoot of regular ant-poaching operaton and wildlife monitoring work, camera trapping, and occupancy survey for large carnivores. We are grateful to the Natonal Trust for Nature Conservaton and NTNC-Shuklaphanta Conservaton Program for providing funding and logistcs support during wildlife monitoring and ant-poaching support to ShNP. We would like to thank Sujan Khanal, Dr. Bhola Nath Dhakal and Himalayan Map House for map preparaton; Utam Kumar Chaudhary, Prayash KC, Puran Dev Mishra, Anil Rasaili, Dharmajeet Saud, Gyanendra Bahadur Shah, Janaki Bhandari, Kaviraj Bohara, Hemraj Pant, Durbes Singh Thakur, Bibek Chaudhary, Harindra Thakur, Raju Bohara and all the stafs of the ShNP and Sudeep Raj Niroula, Dev Raj Joshi and all stafs of NTNC-Shuklaphanta Conservaton Program for their support during the entre feld work. We would also like to thank Karan Bahadur Shah for reviewing our manuscript. 15587 J TT Herpetofauna of Shuklaphanta NP Rawat et al. INTRODUCTION MATERIALS AND METHODS Protected area systems (PAs) are treated as Study Area conservaton tools for the protecton of habitat and The Shuklaphanta Natonal Park (ShNP) (80.095– species (Geldmann et al. 2013) and have been established 80.361 0N, 28.763–29.047 0E), was established in 1976 for the conservaton of ecosystems, consttuent species, as a Royal Shuklaphanta Wildlife Reserve and accorded and services provided by them (Campos & Nepstad to a natonal park in 2017; it covers 305km2 with open 2006; Dudley 2008). Several PAs in Nepal have been grasslands, river beds, and mixed forests (Figure 1). The successful in achieving internatonal conservaton targets bufer zone of the park was declared with an additonal such as Aichi Biodiversity Targets. The success of the area of 243.5km2 in 2004 (Poudyal & Chaudhary 2019). PAs in Nepal is primarily measured by increment to the The climate of ShNP is subtropical with an average charismatc species. Hence, management interventons maximum temperature of 370C and the average minimum inside the PAs have been prioritzed only for species such of 70C. Annual rainfall may range over 2,016mm (DNPWC as Tiger Panthera tgris, Greater One-horned Rhinoceros 2003). Rhinoceros unicornis, Asian Elephant Elephas maximus, The park is connected to the Pilibhit Tiger Reserve and Snow Leopard Panthera uncia. Protected areas in India, and Dudhwa Tiger Reserve towards the south- with such charismatc species are considered higher east via Laljhadi forest corridor and to Nandhaur Wildlife conservaton value while taxa like amphibians and reptles Sanctuary in India towards the north-west via Boom- even within the same PAs are dubbed as low priority Brahmadev forest corridor and Mahakali River. The species (Bhatarai et al. 2017a). The Gharial, however, aquatc and terrestrial habitats of ShNP contain more is the only reptle which has gained conservaton focus than 665 plant species belonging to 438 genera and 118 in Nepal (Acharya et al. 2017; Bhatarai et al. 2018a) and families (DNPWC 2003). none of the amphibians have been accorded with the The ShNP comprises the Terai, Bhabar, and Chure/ highest degree of protecton under Natonal Parks and Sivaliks, and its vegetaton can be broadly classifed Wildlife Conservaton Act, 1973 of Nepal. into forests, grassland, and aquatc habitat (wetlands). Shuklaphanta Natonal Park (ShNP) is located in the Although several variatons in species associaton may southwestern corner of lowland (known as Terai) Nepal. lead to formaton of many forest types, they are primarily The Terai is the most productve fertle land with the grouped into Sal forest and deciduous riverine forest. highest succession rate of plant communites that govern The vegetaton is dominated by Sal Shorea robusta and the dispersal and dynamics of faunal species. The change includes other associated plants such as Terminalia in