PRAKRITI, 09TH Nov 2020, Vol.II, Issue 04 Weekly magazine P R A K R I T I Quest For Nature 21 Batch 21 - & Designed by Vikas Mahore (SFS 2019 Mahore Vikas by & Designed Promila Ms. Ms. Photographed by by Photographed Flora of the week Fauna of the week Bird of the week Shorea robusta Polypedates Anthracocerous leucomystax albirostris or Or or Sal Golden Tree Frog Oriental Pied Hornbill Polypedates leucomystax Officers’ Club Central Academy for State Forest Service, Dehradun PRAKRITI, 9th Nov 2020, Vol. II, Issue 04 FLORA OF THE WEEK Shorea robusta Sal Description: S. robusta is a deciduous tree belongs to Dipterocarpaceae family and is indigenous to India. Sal is one of the most important sources of hardwood timber in India, with hard, coarse grained wood which is light in colour when freshly cut, but becomes dark brown with exposure. Sal tends to regenerate as a mass of seedlings where conditions (light, soil, moisture with good drainage) are favourable. Height: 18–32 m (59–105 ft.) Diameter: 1.5–2 m (4 ft 11 in–6 ft 7 in) Bark: The bark is dark brown and thick, with longitudinal fissures deep in poles, becoming shallow in mature trees, and provides effective fire protection. Fruits: Size is about 1.3–1.5 cm long and 1 cm in diameter; it is surrounded by segments of the calyx enlarged into 5 rather unequal wings and generally ripens in May. Leaves: Simple, shiny, about 10–25 cm (3.9–9.8 in) long and broadly oval at the base, with the apex tapering into a long point. Flower: Flowers are yellowish-white, arranged in large terminal or axillary racemose panicles. Growth Requirement: Altitude: 100-1,500 m. Mean Annual Temperature: 22-27 °C to 34- 47 °C. Mean Annual Rainfall: 1,000-3,000 mm. Soil: well-drained, moist, slightly acid, sandy to clayey soils. It does not tolerate water logging. The most favourable soil is a moist sandy loam . Light: Sal is a light-demanding species. Domain: Eukaryota Kingdom: Plantae Clade: Tracheophytes RANGE & DISTRIBUTION RANGE & DISTRIBUTION Clade: Angiosperms Sal (Shorea robusta) occurs gregariously on the southern slopes of the Himalayas and is distributed in Clade: Eudicots Bangladesh, India and Nepal. In India, it extends Clade: Rosids from Assam, Bengal, Odisha and Jharkhand west to the Shivalik Hills in Haryana, east of the Yamuna. Order: Malvales The range also extends through the Eastern Ghats and Family: Dipterocarpaceae to the eastern Vindhya and Satpura ranges of central India. It is often the dominant tree in the forests where Genus: Shorea it occurs. It is also found in the lower belt of the Hilly region and Inner Terai. Species: robusta MEDICINAL USES: Bark and leaves are used in ulcer, wound, cough, leprosy earache headache. Bark used in dysentery, diarrhea and vaginal discharges. Fruits are used in tubercular ulcers, dermopathy, and seminal weakness. Seeds are used for treatment skin and dental problems. Gum resin used for treatment of bloody diarrhea, uteral discharge, bleeding piles, ulcer and skin eruptions. Resins are used for treatment of gonorrhea dysentery, toothache and boils. Central Academy for State Forest Service Guided by: Photography & Compiled by: P.O. New Forest, Dehradun, 248006, Uttarakhand Shri Kunal Satyarthi, IFS, President Officers’ Club Ph: 0135-2754575/Fax: 0135-2756168 Shri Pradeep Wahule, IFS, Vice President, Officers’ Club Dr. Shireen |SFS 2019-21 P1 P R A K R I T I, 9th Nov 2 0 2 0, V O L. II, I S S U E 04 FAUNA OF THE WEEK Polypedates leucomystax Golden Tree Frog Identification: Polypedates leucomystax can reach approximately a snout–vent length of 3.7–5.0 centimetres (1.5–2.0 in) in males, of 5.7–7.5 millimetres (0.22–0.30 in) in females. Body of these rather small shrub frogs is moderately slender, ovoid, slightly flattened above, with sharply pointed tail. The skin on the upper side is smooth. The body colour is rather variable, with various shades of grey, green, yellow, reddish or dark brown. Usually it is irregularly mottled, often with four stripes along the back. The tip of snout sometimes shows a distinct white spot. Eyes are at the side of the head. The hind feet are webbed. The feet have clear, large cushions as usual with leaf frogs Biology: IUCN Status: Least Concern In the damp areas of the propagation, these frogs are present all year round. In drier environments, the period usually restricts to the beginning of the Kingdom Animalia rainy season. The mating takes place at the margins of shallow pools, where the males first Phylum Chordata arrive and call the females with a distinctive loud, Class Ambhibia duck-like sound. The female places between 100 and 400 eggs in a protective foam nest that is Order Anura attached to vegetation or other objects above the water surface. The eggs hatch after 3 to 4 days. Family Rhacophoridae The tadpoles develop inside the foam nest and Genus then fall into the water. They develop into adult Polypedates frogs in about 7 weeks. Species leucomystax Fun Fact : Habitat: They wipe themselves with skin Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forests, subtropical or tropical moist lowland secretions consisting of mucus and forests, subtropical or tropical moist montane forests, subtropical or tropical moist shrubland, lipids that help in reducing moisture subtropical or tropical seasonally wet lowland grassland, rivers, intermittent rivers, freshwater lakes, freshwater marshes, intermittent freshwater marshes, freshwater springs, coastal loss. When temperatures are higher, they adopt lighter skin color. freshwater lagoons, arable land, pastureland, plantations, urban areas, ponds, irrigated land and seasonally flooded agricultural land. Distribution: It is widespread throughout India, Nepal, and Sri Lanka, as well as western and southern Bangladesh to Chittagong District; its range might also extend into nearby China, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Myanmar. Guided by: Central Academy for State Forest Service Shri Kunal Satyarthi, IFS, President, Officers’ Club Photography & Compiled by: P.O. New Forest, Dehradun- 248006, Uttarakhand Shri Pradeep Wahule, IFS, Vice President, Officers’ Club Megha Yadav | SFS2019 – 21| P2 Ph: 0135-2754575/ Fax: 0135-2756168; E-mail: [email protected] PRAKRITI, 9th November 2020, Vol. II, Issue 4 BIRD OF THE WEEK Anthracoceros albirostris Oriental Pied Hornbill Description: The Oriental pied hornbill, commonly called as ‘Dhanesh’ in Uttar Pradesh. This is a medium size bird with a large bill. The plumage of the head, neck, back, wings and upper Photo site: Katerniaghat, U.P.on Bombax cieba plant. breast is black with a slight green sheen. The tail is black with white tips on the feathers except the central feathers. Size: 55 to 60 cm head to tail length and 23-36 cm. wingspan; males grow larger than females Weight: Averages 900 g for males and 875 g for females. Diet: Figs comprise a major part of the diet but the species also takes eggs, amphibians, small reptiles, insects, and small birds. Incubation: 25 to 30 days Clutch Size: 3to 4 eggs Life Span: 35 or more years Range: The oriental pied hornbill has a wide distribution and can be found in India, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, Malaysia, and Indonesia. The large majority of the population is found in India. Habitat: The oriental pied horn bill is found in the Indian subcontinent and south-east Asia. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist low land forests with in these regions, A. albirostris occupies various habitat types, which include dry and semi-evergreen forests, dry and moist deciduous forests, sub tropical broad leaf forests, secondary forests, plantations and wood lands. Domain: Eukaryota Pho In Uttar Pradesh (India), this bird is found mostly in terai region and low land areas, Indo- Nepal region. It can be frequently seen in Katerniaghat wild life Sanctuary, part of Kingdom: Animalia Dudhwa tiger reserve of U.P. Phylum: Chordata RANGE & DISTRIBUTION Sealed with Love: Oriental pied-hornbills makes nest in a Class: Aves suitable hole on a tall tree. The breeding pair seals the female Order: Bucerotiformes inside the hole with a plaster of mud and fibres. The male gathers and delivers earth to the female, which seals her inside Family: Bucerotidae the hole. A narrow slit is left open so he can feed her and the Genus: Anthracoceros chicks. Species: albirostris He brings them mostly fruits, insects, crabs and lizards, and sometimes, smaller birds. This remarkable behaviour is believed to deter large predators. During the breeding season (January to June) Oriental pied typically commence breeding in February. This time hornbills become very vocal. They make loud duets, beginning with a loud "kok" given about once a second by the male, to which the female joins in. FUN FACTS: Oriental Pied hornbill is considered to be among the smallest and most common of the Asian hornbills. Oriental pied hornbills have shown to return to their previous nest for subsequent nesting seasons. Sighting hornbill in wild is like sighting a tiger. It is a monogamous bird. They eat mainly Ficus figs by tossing them in air! Nagaland has hornbill festival celebration every year where people costumes are like hornbill and they dance. It is a kind of honor to Hornbill species to get place in the logo of Bombay Natural History Society. Male (left) & Female (right) Central Academy for State Forest Service Guided by: Photography & Compiled by: P.O. New Forest, Dehradun, 248006, Uttarakhand Shri Kunal Satyarthi, IFS, President Officers’ Club Ph: 0135-2754575/Fax: 0135-2756168 Shri Pradeep Wahule, IFS, Vice President, Officers’ Club Gyan Singh|SFS 2019-21 P3 .