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Stomach Contents of the Indian Pangolin Manis Crassicaudata (Mammalia: Pholidota: Manidae) in Tropical Forests of Southern India

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Stomach Contents of the Indian Pangolin Manis Crassicaudata (Mammalia: Pholidota: Manidae) in Tropical Forests of Southern India OPEN ACCESS The Journal of Threatened Taxa fs dedfcated to bufldfng evfdence for conservafon globally by publfshfng peer-revfewed arfcles onlfne every month at a reasonably rapfd rate at www.threatenedtaxa.org . All arfcles publfshed fn JoTT are regfstered under Creafve Commons Atrfbufon 4.0 Internafonal Lfcense unless otherwfse menfoned. JoTT allows unrestrfcted use of arfcles fn any medfum, reproducfon, and dfstrfbufon by provfdfng adequate credft to the authors and the source of publfcafon. Journal of Threatened Taxa Bufldfng evfdence for conservafon globally www.threatenedtaxa.org ISSN 0974-7907 (Onlfne) | ISSN 0974-7893 (Prfnt) Note Stomach contents of the Indfan Pangolfn Manfs crassfcaudata (Mammalfa: Pholfdota: Manfdae) fn tropfcal forests of southern Indfa Mohanarangan Ashokkumar, Dfpfka Valsarajan, M. Arjun Suresh, Anuraj R. Kafmal & George Chandy 26 May 2017 | Vol. 9| No. 5 | Pp. 10246–10248 10.11609/jot. 2873 .9. 5.10246-10248 For Focus, Scope, Afms, Polfcfes and Gufdelfnes vfsft htp://threatenedtaxa.org/About_JoTT For Arfcle Submfssfon Gufdelfnes vfsft htp://threatenedtaxa.org/Submfssfon_Gufdelfnes For Polfcfes agafnst Scfenffc Mfsconduct vfsft htp://threatenedtaxa.org/JoTT_Polfcy_agafnst_Scfenffc_Mfsconduct For reprfnts contact <[email protected]> Publfsher/Host Partner Threatened Taxa Journal of Threatened Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | 26 May 2017 | 9(5): 10246–10248 Note Pangolins are scaly anteaters and Stomach contents of the are unique in being the world’s only Indian Pangolin Manis crassicaudata true scaly mammals, distributed in (Mammalia: Pholidota: Manidae) ISSN 0974-7907 (Online) Asia and Africa. Of the eight species in tropical forests of southern India ISSN 0974-7893 (Print) of pangolin, four species are found in Asia, the Chinese Pangolin Manis Mohanarangan Ashokkumar 1, Dipika Valsarajan 2, OPEN ACCESS pentadactyla, Indian Pangolin M. M. Arjun Suresh 3, Anuraj R. Kaimal 4 & George Chandy crassicaudata, Sunda Pangolin M. 5 javanica and the Philippine Pangolin 1,4,5 M. culionensis Senior Research Scholar, Center for Wildlife Studies, Kerala . The Indian Pangolin Veterinary and Animal Sciences University, Pookode, Wayanad, (hereafter referred to as Pangolin) is distributed in South Kerala 673576, India Asia from the northeast and southeast of Pakistan, 2 Veterinary Officer, Pilikula Biological Park, Mangalore, Karnataka 575028, India throughout the Indian sub-continent including Sri Lanka 3 Department of Genomic science, School of biological Sciences, and east to southern Nepal. It was found throughout Central University of Kerala, Padannakad P.O., Kasargod, Bangladesh historically, but there are no records Kerala 671314, India 1 [email protected] (corresponding author), currently and their presence is uncertain in Western 2 [email protected], 3 [email protected], China (Schlitter 2005; Baillie et al. 2014). They occupy 4 [email protected], 5 [email protected] diverse habitats ranging from tropical and sub-tropical forests to dry woodlands and savannah regions, as well as human modified habitats such as coconut and rubber plantations. Though they are distributed in diverse of ants and termites. Although there are many species habitats, their population status is unknown. of ants, they prefer only a few species of ants that Pangolins are predominantly nocturnal although constitute the major proportion of their diet (Stewart they have also been known to be active during the et al. 1999; Mahmood et al. 2013; Pieterson et al. daytime. Occurring at low densities, their solitary, 2015). For example, fecal examination of pangolins nocturnal and elusive behaviour make them difficult to in Pakistan revealed that it composed of only ant study (Prater 1971). Pangolin plays a vital role in the species Camponotus confucii, Camponotus compressus ecosystem and agricultural areas by consuming insects whereas termites were not recorded (Mahmood et al. (feeding on ants, termites and fossorial creatures) 2013). Stewart et al. (1999) reported that six species that cause considerable damage to agricultural crops of ants contributed to the diet of Pangolins, but only (d’aularie & d’aularie 1983). one species, Anoplolepis custodiens, constituted 77% Pangolin’s limbs are powerful and are tipped with of the overall diet. The stomach content analysis from sharp, clawed digits used for digging into ant hills and the Nilgiris revealed presence of black ants, beetle wing termite mounds (Atkins 2004). Pangolin’s diet consists sheath, remains of cockroaches and skins of worms DOI: http://doi.org/10.11609/jott.2873.9.5.10246-10248 | ZooBank: urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:3B4BDDF8-4C79-4372-890A-B22E4127A6DF Editor: Dan Challender, University of Kent, Canterbury, UK. Date of publication: 26 May 2017 (online & print) Manuscript details: Ms # 2873 | Received 24 June 2016 | Final received 19 April 2017 | Finally accepted 28 April 2017 Citation: Ashokkumar, M., D. Valsarajan, M.A. Suresh, A.R. Kaimal & G. Chandy (2017). Stomach contents of the Indian Pangolin Manis crassicaudata (Mammalia: Pholidota: Manidae) in tropical forests of southern India. Journal of Threatened Taxa 9(5): 10246–10248; http://doi.org/10.11609/jott.2873.9.5.10246-10248 Copyright: © Ashokkumar et al. 2017. Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. JoTT allows unrestricted use of this article in any medium, repro- duction and distribution by providing adequate credit to the authors and the source of publication. Funding: None. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests. Acknowledgements: We thank the Kerala Forest Department for giving permission to conduct the post-mortem examination; Dr. A.S. Lala for leading the necropsy; and the Dean, Kerala Veterinary and Animal Sciences University, Pookode, Wayanad for the support. 10246 Stomach contents of Indfan Pangolfn Ashokkumar et al. (Huton 1949) and ft was also reported that eggs were preferred over adult ants. The prfmary threats to pangolfns are fllegal hunfng and poachfng for fllfcft fnternafonal trade and local use (Bafllfe et al. 2014). Pangolfns are hunted for thefr lesh, skfn and scales (Nowak 1991). The scales are thought to have medfcfnal value. Over a mfllfon pangolfns are belfeved to have been traded fllegally fn the last decade (Challender et al. 2014; Anonymous 2016a) and ft fs consfdered the most heavfly trafcked wfld mammal fn the world. Thus, hunfng pressure, habftat degradafon Ffgure 1. Percent composffon (bfomass and frequency) of ant specfes and the transference of trade and trafckfng atenfon remnants of Leptogenys sp. fn the stomach content of Pangolfn to thfs specfes contrfbuted to the change fn the status of pangolfn on The IUCN Red Lfst of Threatened Specfes TM from Near Threatened to Endangered category (Bafllfe © M. Ashokkumar et al. 2014). The stomach content of one female Indfan Pangolfn was collected from a road kfll specfmen from Kalpeta (76 005’2.97”E & 11 037’16.08”N) of South Wayanad Forest Dfvfsfon and the post-mortem examfnafon was carrfed out at Kerala Veterfnary and Anfmal Scfences Unfversfty, Pookode, Wayanad on September 2013. The stomach content was preserved fn 10% formalfn and subsequently analysed to fdenffy the dfet composffon (Ffg. 1). A chf-square goodness of ft test was done to fnd dfferences fn both frequency and bfomass of ant and/or termfte remnants usfng stafsfcal programs R (Anonymous 2009). The stomach content of Pangolfn composed of body parts of ant specfes, ant egg shells, ant heads and grft. Image 1. Stomach content of Indfan Pangolfn Manfs crassfcaudata showfng ant body parts, ant egg shells and grft. The morphometry of the head and posffon of the eye fn the head among the ant specfes were used to fdenffy them to specfes level based on Bolton (1994), fauna © M. Ashokkumar of Brffsh Indfa (Bfngham 1903) and AntWeb websfte (Anonymous 2016b). The ant specfes found fn dfet of Pangolfn was exclusfvely Leptogenys sp. wfth head sfze of one to two mfllfmeter (Image 1). Sfnce the abundance of the ant specfes was not avaflable, the preference could not be determfned. Our prelfmfnary survey fn the area revealed that Leptogenys sp. fs lfkely to be the most abundant specfes fn the tropfcal mofst decfduous forests of Wayanad Dfstrfct of Kerala, though thfs should be a. Worker and head b. Soldfer and head c. Ant egg treated wfth caufon as our survey was not systemafc. Image 2. Mfcroscopfc fmages of gut content of pangolfn showfng ant Earlfer studfes have also reported Leptogenys sp. as the heads (ventral vfew) and an egg shell. domfnant specfes fn thfs regfon (Anu & Sabu 2006). Grft content was hfgher fn both frequency and bfomass wfth 49% and 57% respecfvely (Image 2). Sfnce pangolfn only fncluded one anfmal. lacks teeth, they mafnly rely on grft for grfndfng the food Both frequency (X 2=36.76; df=2; p<0.00) and materfal (Krause & Lesson 1974). A greater proporfon bfomass (X 2=1740; df=2; p<0.00) content varfed of grft content was reported here than fn other studfes sfgnffcantly among dfferent dfet components. In terms (45%; Mahmood et al. 2013) though our sample sfze of bfomass, ant head contrfbuted hfgher percentage Journal of Threatened Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | 26 May 2017 | 9(5): 10246–10248 10247 Stomach contents of Indian Pangolin Ashokkumar et al. (41.3%) than ant egg shells (1.8%) suggesting higher Atkins, W.A. (2004). Pholidota Pangolins (Manidae). In: Grzimek, B., percent consumption of adult ant than ant eggs. On D.G. Kleiman, V. Geist & M.C. McDade (eds.), Grzimek’s Animal Life Encyclopedia, Volume 16. Thomson-Gale, Detroit, 704pp. the contrary, frequency of ant egg shells was higher Baillie, J., D. Challender, P. Kaspal, A. Khatiwada, R. Mohapatra & H. (29%) than ant heads (22.5%). Ant head biomass was Nash (2014). Manis crassicaudata. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2014: e.T12761A45221874. Downloaded on 15 April 2017. higher because of external chitinous covering of ant http://doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2014-2.RLTS.T12761A45221874. head that was undigested and remained intact and en excreted. Whereas, egg content was digested and only Bingham, C.T. (1903). The Fauna of British India - Hymenoptera, Vol - 2.
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