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Occurrence and Comparison of Jerdon's Gecko Hemidactylus

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Occurrence and Comparison of Jerdon's Gecko Hemidactylus JoTT COMMUNICATION 1(7): 366-369 Occurrence and comparison of Jerdon’s Gecko Hemidactylus subtriedrus Jerdon 1853 with Termite Hill Gecko Hemidactylus triedrus (Daudin 1802) from Ananthagiri Hills, northern Eastern Ghats, India S.M. Maqsood Javed 1, S. Saravanan 2, Farida Tampal 2 & C. Srinivasulu 3 1,2 World Wide Fund for Nature-India (WWF)- APSO, Ho. No. 818, Castle Hills, Road No. 2, Near NMDC, Vijayanagar Colony, Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh 500057, India 3 Wildlife Biology Section, Department of Zoology, University College of Science, Osmania University, Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh 500007, India Email: 1 [email protected] Date of online publication 26 July 2009 Abstract: Recent herpetological surveys in northern Eastern Ghats of Andhra Pradesh yielded ISSN 0974-7907 (online) | 0974-7893 (print) sightings of Jerdon’s Gecko Hemidactylus subtriedrus Jerdon 1853. Little is known about its distribution and taxonomic status. This species closely resembles the Termite Hill Gecko Editor: Aaron Bauer Hemidactylus triedrus (Daudin 1802) and it has often been taxonomically confused with it. Therefore, Manuscript details: through this communication we provide information on the occurrence of Jerdon’s Gecko along Ms # o2184 with details showing the level of resemblance and differences from Termite Hill Gecko. Received 24 March 2009 Final received 12 June 2009 Keywords: Ananthagiri Hills, Andhra Pradesh, Eastern Ghats, Hemidactylus subtriedrus, Finally accepted 13 July 2009 Hemidactylus triedrus. Citation: Javed, S.M.M., S. Saravanan, F. Tampal & C. Srinivasulu (2009). Occurrence Jerdons Gecko Hemidactylus subtriedrus Jerdon 1853 is one of the rare, endangered and comparison of Jerdon’s Gecko and endemic species of India (Molur & Walker 1998). Little is known about its distribution Hemidactylus subtriedrus Jerdon 1853 with Termite Hill Gecko Hemidactylus triedrus and taxonomic status (Smith 1935; Zug et al. 2007). This species closely resembles the (Daudin 1802) from Ananthagiri Hills, northern Termite Hill Gecko Hemidactylus triedrus (Daudin 1802) and it has often been taxonomically Eastern Ghats, India. Journal of Threatened confused with it. Recent herpetological surveys in northern Eastern Ghats of Andhra Taxa 1(7): 366-369. Pradesh yielded sightings of Jerdons Gecko in February 2009. Through this note, we Copyright: © S.M. Maqsood Javed, S. communicate the occurrence of Hemidactylus subtriedrus from a second location in Andhra Saravanan, Farida Tampal & C. Srinivasulu 2009. Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Pradesh after Jerdons discovery in 1853 from the Nellore District (type locality not Unported License. JoTT allows unrestricted use precise, but accepted as Nellore and Ellore in southern India, the regions adjoining the of this article in any medium for non-profit borders Nellore and Vellore districts of the Madras Presidency of British India). purposes, reproduction and distribution by pro- viding adequate credit to the authors and the The Ananthagiri Hill range is located in the northern parts of the Eastern Ghats in source of publication. Andhra Pradesh. It is an unbroken chain of rugged hills and plateaus that spreads over an area of about 300+ km2. The river Gosthani bisects the hill ranges. The Ananthagiri Author Details: See end of this article. Hills possess typical Southern tropical dry deciduous and Southern tropical moist Author Contribution: S.M.M. Javed, S. deciduous forest types intermingled with scrub (Champion & Seth 1968). The importance Saravanan conducted the field surveys; of this landscape has been recognized internationally with the Eastern Deccan Plateau C.Srinivasulu, S.M.M. Javed and F. Tampal wrote the paper. moist forests of northern Eastern Ghats being designated as a Global 200 Ecoregion (WWF 2007). The Ananthagiri Hills support a very high biodiversity. The flora is Acknowledgement: See end of this article. represented by mixture of moist and dry species like Adina cordifolia, Mallotus phillipensis, Pterocarpus marsupium, Terminalia tomentosa, Macaranga peltata, Chloroxylon swietenia, Tectona grandis, Anogeissus latifolia, Ficus benjamina, Ficus hispida, Butea monosperma, Bauhinia semla, Bauhinia racemosa, Bauhinia vahlii, with undergrowth consisting of Bambusa arundinacea, Helecteris isora, Grewia hirsuta, etc. The fauna includes highly threatened species like Panthera pardus, Melursus ursinus, Tetraceros quadricornis, Anthracoceros coronatus, etc. The overall climate of this region is hot and dry most of the year. Air temperature rises to a summer peak of 360C and dips to 50C in winter. The average rainfall is about 900-1500 mm per annum. World Wide Fund for Nature - India (WWF), Andhra Pradesh State Office in collaboration with Andhra Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation (APTDC) has initiated a six months (January to August 2009) survey-based biodiversity documentation project in APTDC Eco-tourism sites, which fall within the northern and central Eastern Ghats of Andhra Pradesh. The outcome of these surveys will be documented in the form of a biodiversity field guide for eco-tourism enthusiasts. WWF and APTDC consider that documenting our existing natural heritage is one of the effective methods for its sustainable conservation and management. During the first phase of a biodiversity survey at APTDC eco-tourism sites in the northern Eastern Ghats (Tyda, Borra, Ananthagiri and Araku Valley), we observed a few specimens of Jerdons Gecko OPEN ACCESS | FREE DOWNLOAD 366 Journal of Threatened Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | July 2009 | 1(7): 366-369 Jerdon’s Gecko and Termite Hill Gecko S.M.M. Javed et al. N © Javed UTTAR PRADESH Kanpur ? Image 2. Dorsal aspect of Hemidactylus subtriedrus adult in life CHHATTISGARH ORISSA Aurangabad ? Niyamgiri Hills Bastar MAHARASHTRA ANDHRA PRADESH Araku Valley Elluru ? © Javed Image 3. Dorsal aspect of Hemidactylus triedrus adult in life Nellore Vellore TAMIL NADU ? = Doubtful = Earlier studies Courtesy: Google Earth = Present study Image 1. Map showing eight distribution sites of Jerdon’s © Javed Gecko Hemidactylus subtriedrus Jerdon 1853 in six Indian states including Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, Orissa, Image 4. Dorsal aspect of Hemidactylus triedrus juvenile in life Tamil Nadu & Uttar Pradesh (not to scale) Hemidactylus subtriedrus Jerdon, 1853 in the Araku valley photography. The measurements (in mm) were taken with (18o20N & 82o50E) (Image 1). This species is restricted to Mitutoyo digital calipers (to the nearest 0.1mm): snout-vent eastern Andhra Pradesh along the coastal region. It closely length (SVL; from tip of snout to vent) = 60.10, trunk length resembles Hemidactylus triedrus (Daudin, 1802), which is a (TRL; distance from axilla to groin measured from posterior widely distributed species in central and western Andhra edge of forelimb insertion to anterior edge of hind limb Pradesh (restricted to Nallamalai Hills and plains of Deccan insertion) = 33.00, body width (BW; maximum width of body) plateau) and also in other parts of India, as well as Pakistan. = 11.78, crus length (CL; from base of heel to knee) = 6.6; tail An endemic subspecies, H. t. lankae, occurs in Sri Lanka. We length (TL; from vent to tip of tail) = 69.00, tail width (TW; provide photo vouchers of both species to show the level of measured at widest point of tail) = 4.45; head length (HL; resemblance as well as differences between the two (Images 2 distance between retroarticular process of jaw and snout-tip) & 3). = 12.60, head width (HW; maximum width of head) = 10.00, head height (HH; maximum height of head, from occiput to MATERIAL AND METHODS underside of jaws) = 7.09, forearm length (FL; from base of palm to elbow) = 4.22; orbital diameter (OD; greatest diameter We surveyed the study area for three days (between 16 and of orbit) = 3.00, nares to eye distance (NE; distance between 18 February 2009 from 2100 to 2300 hr). During the survey anteriormost point of eye and nostril) = 5.10, snout to eye two specimens were encountered and the photo voucher distance (SE; distance between anteriormost point of eye and (NHM.OU.REP.PV.1-2009) of one specimen has been tip of snout) = 6.15, eye to ear distance (EE; distance from deposited in the Natural History Museum of Osmania anterior edge of ear opening to posterior corner of eye) = University, Hyderabad, India. The specimen was captured and 4.78, internarial distance (IN; distance between nares) = 1.50, released after examination (not sexed), measurement and interorbital distance (IO; shortest distance between left and Journal of Threatened Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | July 2009 | 1(7): 366-369 367 10/10 Jerdon’s Gecko and Termite Hill Gecko S.M.M. Javed et al. © Javed 56© Javed Body and limbs moderate. Digits free, moderately dilated, inner well developed; infra-digital lamellae slightly oblique, 8 under the first digit, 12 under the forth. Upper surface of body covered with small flat granular scales, intermingled with large flat scales and large conical tubercles arranged in 16 to 20 more or less irregular longitudinal series. Abdominal scales large, smooth, rounded, imbricate. Tail rounded, feebly depressed, tapering, and covered above with irregular, small Image 5 - Lateral aspect of Hemidactylus subtriedrus head in as well as large, smooth imbricated scales and rings of large, life; Image 6 - Lateral aspect of Hemidactylus triedrus head in life conical, pointed, keeled tubercles, beneath with a median series of transversely dilated plates. Light pinkish brown above, generally with more or less defined
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