Bungarus Sindanus BOULENGER, 1897, an Addition to the Venomous
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ZOBODAT - www.zobodat.at Zoologisch-Botanische Datenbank/Zoological-Botanical Database Digitale Literatur/Digital Literature Zeitschrift/Journal: Herpetozoa Jahr/Year: 2004 Band/Volume: 16_3_4 Autor(en)/Author(s): Kuch Ulrich Artikel/Article: Bungarus sindanus BOULENGER, 1897, an addition to the venomous snake fauna of Afghanistan 171-173 ©Österreichische Gesellschaft für Herpetologie e.V., Wien, Austria, download unter www.biologiezentrum.at SHORT NOTE HERPETOZOA 16 (3/4) Wien, 30. Jänner 2004 SHORT NOTE 171 living rooms of salamander homes, we per- Social behaviour; Chipping Norton, New South Wales, haps had only access to their attics on the Australia (Surrey Beatty and Sons). PETRANKA, J. W. (1998): Salamanders of the United States and Canada. stony plots. Washington and London (Smithsonian Institution QUTNN & GRAVES (1999) reported that Press), pp. xvi+587. QUINN, V. S. & GRAVES, B. M. in northern Michigan groups of P. cinereus (1999): Space use in response to conspecifics by the red-backed salamander (Plethodon cinereus, Pletho- were found in high quality habitat (without dontidae, Caudata).- Ethology, Berlin; 105: 993-1002. giving details on group size or sex composi- SAYLER, A. (1966): The reproductive ecology of the tion) and that under identical laboratory con- red-backed salamander, Plethodon cinereus, in ditions salamanders from Michigan dis- Maryland.-Copeia, Lawrence; 1966: 183-193. played an aggregated spatial distribution, in KEY WORDS: Amphibia, Urodela, Plethodon contrast to conspecifics from Virginia, who cinereus, behavioral ecology, territoriality formed a uniform distribution. They specu- SUBMITTED: September 24, 2003. lated that differences in availability of cover AUTHORS: Günter GOLLMANN, Birgit GOLL- objects and food, and perhaps also prédation MANN, Institut für Zoologie, Universität Wien, Althan- straße 14, A-1090 Wien, Austria < guenter.gollmann@ pressure, might cause this geographical vari- univie.ac.at >; Robert G JAEGER, Department of Bio- ation in territoriality. While our results high- logy, University of Louisiana at Lafayette, P. P. Box light the difficulties of studying the social 42451, Lafayette, Louisiana 70504-2451, USA. behaviour of animals that spend much of their lives underground, they suggest that variation in spatial organization of salaman- Bungarus sindanus BOULENGER, der populations - in response to habitat 1897, an addition to the venomous structure - does occur at a much smaller snake fauna of Afghanistan geographical scale than discussed by QUINN & GRAVES (1999). The Sind Krait, Bungarus sindanus, ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS: We thank H. M. was described by BOULENGER (1897) based WILBUR, director of Mountain Lake Biological Station, on three specimens from Umarkot and for permission to conduct this research at the station. This research was funded by National Science Founda- Sukkur (Sind, Pakistan). Because of its great tion grant DEB-9314081 and National Geographic So- superficial similarity to the Common Krait, ciety grants 5108-93 and 5721-96 to RGJ, travel of GG Bungarus caeruleus SCHNEIDER, 1801, its and BG was supported by Österreichische Forschungs- occurrence within the wide range of the lat- gemeinschaft grant 06/4094. ter, and despite having 17 rather than 15 dor- REFERENCES: GILLETTE, J. R. & JAEGER, R. sal scale rows, this taxon was long regarded G & PETERSON, M. E. (2000): Social monogamy in a territorial salamander.- Animal Behaviour, Amsterdam; as a subspecies, or the name as a junior syn- 59: 1241-1250. JAEGER, R. G & PETERSON, M. E. & onym, and its representatives as rare indi- GILLETTE, J. R. (2000): A model of alternative mating vidual mutations of B. caeruleus (e.g., WALL strategies in the redback salamander, Plethodon 1913, 1919; SMITH 1943; MINTON 1962, cinereus; pp. 441-450. In: BRUCE, R. C. & JAEGER, R. G & HOUCK, L. D. (Eds.): The biology of plethodontid 1966; MERTENS 1969). salamanders; New York (Klüver Academic/Plenum KHAN (1984) rediscovered and revali- Publishers). JAEGER, R. G & PETERSON, M. E. & GOLL- dated B. sindanus and recognized three pop- MANN, G & GOLLMANN, B. & TOWNSEND, V. R. Jr., ulations of kraits with 17 dorsal scale rows (2001): Salamander social strategies: living together in female-male pairs.- J. Herpetol., St. Louis; 35: 335-338. on the Indian subcontinent: a Cholistan- JAEGER, R. G & WICKNICK, J. A. & GRJFFIS, M. A. & Rajasthan Desert population {sindanus s. ANTHONY, C. A. (1995): Socioecology of a terrestrial str.), a Gangetic population {Bungarus walli salamander: juveniles enter adult territories during WALL, 1907, referred by KHAN [1984] to the stressful foraging periods.- Ecology, Washington, D. C; 76: 533-543. LANG, C. D. & JAEGER, R. G (2000): synonymy of sindanus), and a population in Defense of territories by male-female pairs in the red- the northwestern highlands of Pakistan. backed salamander (Plethodon cinereus).- Copeia, Later, KHAN (1985) resurrected walli as a Lawrence; 2000: 169-177. MATHIS, A. (1991): Terri- subspecies of B. sindanus and described the tories of male and female terrestrial salamanders: costs, benefits, and intersexual spatial associations.- northwestern highland population as a new Oecologia, Berlin; 86: 433-440. MATHIS, A. & JAEGER, subspecies, B. sindanus razai. The holotype R. G & KEEN, W. H. & DUCEY, P. K. & WALLS, S. C. & and the two paratypes of this form were col- BUCHANAN, B. W. (1995): Aggression and territoriality lected near Makerwal, Mianwali District, by salamanders and a comparison with the territorial behaviour of frogs; pp. 633-676. In: HEATWOLE, H. & Punjab, Pakistan. An additional specimen SULLIVAN, B. K. (Eds.): Amphibian biology; vol. 2: was recorded from the type locality (KHAN ©Österreichische Gesellschaft für Herpetologie e.V., Wien, Austria, download unter www.biologiezentrum.at 172 SHORT NOTE HERPETOZOA 16 (3/4) Wien, 30. Jänner 2004 SHORT NOTE 1986) and another one with head scale ab- The specimen from Khowst extends normalities, considerably extending the the known geographical distribution of B. range of this taxon east of the Indus River to sindanus about 130 km north-west from southwestern Kashmir (KHAN 1997), but previously published collecting localities otherwise no additional information on and adds this taxon to the venomous snake these rare snakes has been published (KHAN fauna of Afghanistan. KRÂL (1969) already 2002). recorded B. caeruleus from the Kabul River In the highlands of Pakistan north- valley of eastern Afghanistan, and both west of the upper Indus Valley, kraits with species may occur in sympatry or parapatry 17 dorsal scale rows had previously been in parts of eastern Afghanistan. Nothing has recorded from the following localities: Jatta been published about the venom of B. sin- in southern Waziristan, Tank and Dera danus, however, it seems reasonable to Ismail Khan in Dera Ismail Khan District, assume that it is just as highly toxic as that and Fort Sandeman (now Zhob) in northern of other krait species and that the current Baluchistan (PITMAN 1913; WALL 1914; IN- lack of information on bites caused by this GOLDBY & PROCTER 1923; KHAN 1984, species is due to confusion with its common 1985). congener B. caeruleus. Envenoming by B. In this communication I report on a sindanus should be expected to result in krait in the collection of the Naturhisto- severe neuromuscular paralysis and is likely risches Museum Wien (NMW 35010) origi- to be associated with a high mortality in the nating from Khowst in eastern Afghanistan. absence of appropriate medical treatment. This juvenile male B. sindanus measuring Since antivenom raised against the venom approximately 471 mm total length was ob- of one krait species may not be effective tained between 3 and 5 June 1967 by the late against the venom of another (WARRELL et Professor Karl H. RECHINGER, then Director al. 1983; CHANHOME et al. 1999), it remains of the Botany Department in the to be shown whether commercially avail- Naturhistorisches Museum Wien, after it had able antivenoms against B. caeruleus been killed by locals in the vicinity of the venom will effectively neutralize B. sin- houses of German farmers in the outskirts of danus venom. Studies on the venom of this Khowst (also spelled Khost, Province of species and its possible medical importance Paktia, Afghanistan). The severely damaged are clearly indicated. snake has at least, but probably not many ACKNOWLEDGMENTS: I thank Franz more than 202 ventrals, 46-47 undivided TIEDEMANN and Richard GEMEL (Naturhistorisches subcaudals, and dorsal scales arranged in 19- Museum Wien, Vienna) for the loan of specimens 17-17 rows. On the body, 50 chevron-like to under their care, and Rabea KUCH for assistance during a research visit to the NMW. 1 am especially grateful rhomboid, chocolate-brown dorsal blotches to Wilhelmina RECHINGER (Vienna) and Heinz that do not extend onto ventral scales are GRILLITSCH (Naturhistorisches Museum Wien, Vienna) separated by light interspaces; ten similar for research into details of the collecting circumstances blotches on the tail are well-defined only and locality. basally but fused distally where light inter- REFERENCES: BOULENGER, G. A. (1897): A spaces are reduced to a vertebral spot. The new krait from Sind (Bungarus sindanus).- J. Bombay ventral sides of head, body and tail are uni- Nat. Hist. Soc, Bombay; 11: 73-74 + PI. CHANHOME, L. & WONGTONGKAM, N. & K.HOW, O. & PAKMANEE, N. formly yellowish to cream coloured. Scale & OMORI-SATOH, T. & SITPRIJA, V. (1999): Genus spe- counts and colour pattern of the Khowst cific