Uploading EG April-June, 2016The ENVIS Centre on Eastern Ghats is a decentralized Environmental Information Facility established by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Government of India at EPTRI, Hyderabad with a focused theme on the Ecology of Eastern Ghats
EPTRI-ENVIS Newsletter
The Eastern Ghats E P T R I - E N V I S N e w s l e t t e r
ENVIS CENTRE ON ECOLOGY OF EASTERN GHATS
ENVIS CENTRE ON ECOLOGY OF EASTERN GHATS ENVIRONMENT PROTECTION TRAINING & RESEARCH INSTITUTE
91/4, Gachibowli, Hyderabad-500 032, India. Ph: +91-40-23180120, 23180111 Fax: +91-40-23180135
URL: http://eptrienvis.nic.in Email : eptri@envis.nic.in
Volume-22 Issue-2 April - June 2016
Butterflies Common Gull (Cepora nerissa), Yellow orange tip (Ixias pyrene) and Mottled Emigrant (Catopsilia pyranthe) are seen in photo
in Seshachalam hills -
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In this issue, was Seshachalam Biosphere Reserve that is known for its rich wilderness and faunal diversity. Seshachalam BioLab which has been engaged in documentation and digitalization of the fauna of the Reserve for quite some time has presented an article on mammal/bird/snake/ butterfly diversity with attractive field photos. The spotting of Thick- billed Green-Pigeon from Northern Eastern Ghats which is otherwise hitherto known from the Himalaya and North East India and the reported collection of Caralluma diffusa from Mallayakonda hills from Chittoor district (now a new record for Andhra Pradesh) are the other interesting presentations in this issue.
World Environment Day was celebrated by EPTRI in coordination with Telangana State Pollution Control Board. A drawing competition was held for school children and a sticker prepared by ENVIS Team of EPTRI with an awareness message against wid life poaching was released on the occasion.
ENVIS Coordinator
Caralluma diffusa - A New Distributional Record for Andhra Pradesh
Faunal Diversity in Seshachalam Biosphere Reserve
Thick-billed Green Pigeon spotted in Eastern Ghats
ENVIS Activities
A Research Paper on “Euphorbiaceae species in Seshachalam Biosphere Reserve, Andhra Pradesh, India” – was presented at National Conference on Conservation of Eastern Ghats organized by Post Graduate Department of Zoology, Utkal University, Bhubaneshwar, Odisha and Green Alliance for Conservation of
th th Eastern Ghats (GrACE), Hyderabad on 16 & 17 April, 2016.
Paper Presentation at National Conference
ENVIS Team
Published by
EPTRI, Hyderabad
Supported by
New Delhi, India.
Sr. Program Officer
Advisor :
Designer :
Note: Views expressed in different articles of this Newsletter are of authors only.
Cover Photo : M. Bubesh Gupta, Punducherry, India.
Dr. P. Venu, Emeritus Scientist
Md. Khader, EPTRI
celebrations in Kolkata
Zoological Survey of India Organized a national conference on “Faunal Diversity in the Indian land and sea scapes during its Centenary celebration
th ndbetween 30 June and 2 July, 2016.
A paper was presented by Dr. K. Jyothi on Researches on Faunal Diversity of Eastern Ghats. Dr. M. Suneela, ENVIS Coordinator, exchanged views on the ENVIS Centre on Ecology of Eastern Ghats with the participants.
EPTRI ENVIS Team receiving momento from ZSI
2
Vol.22, No.2, 2016
Caralluma diffusa - A New Distributional Record for Andhra Pradesh 1 2 1 1 1A. Madhusudhana Reddy , M.V. Suresh Babu , S. Rajagopal Reddy , Satish Mohabe and B. Anjali Devi
1Department of Botany, Yogi Vemana University, Kadapa – 516216 2Department of Botany, Govt. College for Men (Autonomous), Kadapa-516004
grassced@yahoo.com (Corresponding author)
approximately 110 species distributed worldwide.
The genus is distributed in southern and eastern
Africa, extending to the north into the
Mediterranean and to the east through Arabia,
India and Europe (Willis, 1973; Bryuns et al.,
2010). In India it is represented by 13 species and
five varieties (Jagtap & Singh, 1999). Caralluma
diffusa was first described by Robert Wight and
named by him as Boucerosia diffusa from
Coimbatore hills in 1850. Subsequently, the
species was reported from Chinnar Wildlife
Sanctuary in Kerala (Prabhu Kumar et al., 2013).
There are no reports from the Eastern Ghats of
Andhra Pradesh (Pullaiah & Moulali, 1997; Reddy
et al., 2008). In February 2015 while exploring
the lichens of Mallayya konda hills (13º60.025'N,
078º25.424'E,1006m) from Chittoor district, a
species of Caralluma was found growing on rocky
crevices. Later the specimens were identified as
Caralluma diffusa and C. umbellata Haw. look
similar for having same umbellate inflorescence
and there is a chance of confusion in fixing
identities. The shape of the corolla is one distinct
character in which these two species differ. The
corolla is campanulate in C. diffusa and rotate in
C. umbellata. A detailed description and photos of
C. diffusa are provided.
Chron. 2: 369. 1892; Gamble, Fl. Pres. Madras 2:
862. 1923; Srinivasan in Henry et al., Fl. Tamil
Nadu 2: 81. 1987; Jagtap & Singh, Fasc. Fl. India
24: 201. 1999. Boucerosia diffusa Wight. Ic. Pl.
Ind. Or. t. 1599. 1850; Hook.f., Fl. Brit. India
4: 78.1883.
branches ascending, 4-angled, nearly of equal
thickness throughout the branches; internodes
6–12 mm long, 5–15 mm thick, glabrous. Leaves
fleshy, sessile, cordate, ca. 1.2 × 1.2 mm, acute at
apex, deciduous, leaf scars present, with
appendage-like growth at nodes on angled portion.
Flowers in terminal umbellate cymes, many-
flowered. Bracts small, lanceolate, 1.6–2 × 1 mm,
acute, glabrous. Pedicels terete, ca 5 mm long,
1–1.5 mm thick, glabrous. Calyx 5-lobed, divided
up to base; lobes lanceolate, 2.5–2.8 × 1 mm, apex
acute, glabrous. Corolla campanulate, ca. 8mm
long; tube ca. 5mm long; lobes 5, ca. 3x2 mm,
ovate, acute at apex, ciliate at margin only,
otherwise glabrous. Corona biseriate, deep
maroon; the outer annular, arising from base of
stamens, closely intact; lobes 5, ca. 2.5x1.5 mm,
with two horn like appendages widely separated
from each other; the inner variable, ca. 1mm long,
linear, arising from inner side of outer corona,
overlapping anther-lobes. Stamens 5, ca. 2.5mm
long; pollinia 5, pollen masses solitary in each
anther cell, yellow, waxy with pellucid layer
attached by light brown caudicles. Gynostegium
ca. 1.5mm long. Fruit cylindrical follicle, green,
with small dark spot, hooked at apex, paired. Seed
flattened, broadly margined, with silky white
hairs.
grows on red soils mixed with rocky crevices on
open hill.
hills, Temple premises, N 13°60.025´ E
078°25.424´ alt. A. Madhusudhana Reddy 1996
(YVUH).
earlier known from Kerala and Tamil Nadu and
now reported from Andhra Pradesh (Eastern
Ghats).
EPTRI-ENVIS Newsletter: Eastern Ghats
Delhi for financial assistance and to the forest
officials Govt. of Andhra Pradesh for permission to
field visits.
Literature cited
(Apocynaceae). Taxon, 59(4): 1031 – 1043.
·Jagtap, A.P. & N. P. Singh. 1999. Asclepiadaceae, Fascicle 24, Flora India series. Botanical Survey of India, Howrah, India.
· Prabhu Kumar, K. M., S. George, S. Sreedhar & I. Balachandran. 2013. Caralluma diffusa (Wight) N.E.Br. (Apocynaceae) - a new distribution record for Kerala from Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary, India. The Indian Forester 139: 425-428.
· Pullaiah, T & A. Moulali, 1997. Flora of Andhra Pradesh (India) Vol. II. Scientific Publishers, Jodhpur.
Bryuns, P., A. Farsi & T. Hedderson. 2010. · Ramachandran, V. S., B. Thomas, C. Sofiya & R.
Sasi. 2011. Rediscovery of an endemic plant
Caralluma diffusa (Wight) N.E. Br.
(Asclepiadaceae) from Coimbatore District,
Threatened Taxa 3(3): 1622-1623.
· Reddy, C. S., K. N. Reddy & V. S. Raju, 2008. Supplement to Flora of Andhra Pradesh, India. Bishen Singh Mahendra Pal Singh, Dehradun.
· Willis, J.C. (1973). A Dictionary of the Flowering Plants and Ferns (Revised by H.K. Airy Shaw). Cambridge University Press, London, 201pp.
EPTRI-ENVIS Newsletter: Eastern Ghats
E-mail: bubesh.guptha@gmail.com
Seshachalam became the first biosphere reserve thin the entire State and 16 in the country in 2011.
It covers an area of 4,755.99 sq.km in Chittoor
and Kadapa districts. The elevation ranges from
150 to 1130 m, with both dry (red sanders
bearing) and moist deciduous forests. It has two
protected areas namely Sri Venkateswara Wildlife
Sanctuary and Sri Venkateswara National Park.
It has the richest floristic diversity and faunal
hotspot. The prevailing representativeness
(endemism) of biodiversity elements in the reserve
highlight its conservation value. Likewise,
preponderance of economically important species
(medicinal plants, wild edible plants, etc.) and
traditional knowledge & practices of resource use
and management makes the reserve site
important for eco-development and conservation
of biodiversity.
assessed to perform biodiversity gap analysis.
This article is a review of biodiversity from
Seshachalam biosphere reserve to give adequate
and recent information pertaining to flora and
fauna of this area conducted during the year 2011
to 2015. Animals recorded include mammals,
herpetofauna, butterfly and birds. Species
identification in the review article was made by
using various field guides and other available
literature. Mostly photographic documents were
procured at Bio-Lab of A. P. Forest Dept, Tirupati.
Seshachalam Bio-Lab has extensively worked on
the Fauna of Seshachalam Biosphere reserve.
Bubesh Guptha et al., (2012a,b; 2014, 2015)
documented, categorized and digitalized the
fauna of Seshachalam Biosphere Reserve. The
presence of Leopard is commonly felt in the
region, the presence of other predators including
Hyena, Wild Dog, Golden Jackal, Indian Fox,
Jungle Cat, Sloth Bear are also present. Other
interesting species found in this region include
the Spotted Deer, Mouse Deer, Four-Horned
Antelope, Indian Giant Squirrel, Small Indian
Civet etc.
belonging to 17 families were recorded. During
camera traps as well as direct sighting (28
individuals) of Elephant were recorded. The
leopard (Panthera pardus) and Wild dog (Cuon
alpines) is quite common. Other predators and
ungulates were also captured in the study area.
The nocturnal Slender loris (Loris tardigradus)
could be common but seldom seen. Indian Giant
Squirrel (Ratufa indica) and Ruddy mongoose
(Herpestes smithii) are other interesting species
seen in the study area.
Herpetofauna: Twelve species of amphibians
belonging to four families and seven genera were
recorded. So far 46 species of reptiles belonging to
36 genera, distributed in 12 families were recorded
(33 species of snakes (72%) and 13 species of
lizards (28%). Six of them venomous snakes were
recorded and new records like Indian coral snake
(Calliophis melanurus), Elliot's earth snake
(Uropeltis ellioti), new locality records like Brown-
speckled whipsnake (Ahaetulla pulverulenta),
and rediscovery of Nagarjun Sagar Racer (Coluber
bholanathi). Five families of lizards have been
recorded, the highest representation is from the
family Gekkonidae (5 spp.) followed by Agamidae
(3 spp.), Scincidae (2 spp.), Varanidae (1 sp.) and
Chamaeleonidae (1 sp.). One of the first record in
India is Sri Lankan Flying Snake (Chrysopelea
taprobanica), which primarily inhabits evergreen
biotopes in the Western Ghats and the Golden
Gecko (Calodactylodes aureus) were recorded.
Butterflies: Ninety six species of butterflies were
recorded under five families. The family
Nymphalidae and Lycaenidae were found
dominant with 32 species and 22 species,
respectively, followed by Pieridae (19 species),
Hesperiidae (14 species) and Papilionidae
(9 species).
which belong to 45 families. Authorities have
also identified over 178 species of birds thriving in
the forests covered under the SV Wildlife
Sanctuary, including the globally threatened
Ye l l ow - th r oa t ed Bu lbu l ( P y c n o n o t u s
xantholaemus), Pompadour Green Pigeon (Treron
pompadora), a bird generally found in the
Himalayan region besides the large Hawk-cuckoo
(Hierococcyx sparverioides).
Insects: So far a total of 150 species of insects
were reported which include beetles, spiders,
stick insects etc. One critically endangered
species i.e., Peacock parachute spider
(Poecilotheria metallica) was rediscovered after a
lapse of over 110 years from Seshachalam.
The area is very rich in biodiversity and many
environmental issues can be handled by
generating awareness in people. Prevention and
control of forest fires and conducting awareness
camps for the general public and adopting
Literature Cited
Veerappan (2012a). Rediscovery and range
extension of Coluber bholanathi Sharma, 1976
from Seshachalam hills, Andhra Pradesh,
India. Herpetology Notes, 5: 447-448
· Bubesh Guptha, M. Chalapathi Rao PV,
Sivaram Prasad NV, Sekhar Maddala SRSC,
Madhu Babu P and Srinivas Reddy D (2012b).
Status of Herpetofauna in Seshachalam
Biosphere Reserve, Eastern Ghats, Andhra
Pradesh, India. World Journal of Zoology 7 (2):
131-134.
Prasad NV. (2014) Butterflies Diversity of
Seshachalam Biosphere Reserve, Eastern
6(15): 3-17.
Maddock and Deepak V. (2015). First record of
Chrysopelea taprobanica Smith, 1943
List.11(1): 1523.
sanders are important. Everyone should realize
that the protection of habitat is an important
aspect in conservation of threatened species.
Smart technology connections will provide real
time access to information on the location of forest
fires, illegal trade of forest wealth, poachers,
patrol position and key wildlife species. This will
transform how anti-poaching operations
response to poaching, improving its speed and
effectiveness. The ability and into detect and
respond to threats in real-time will shift the focus
from where poaching has happened to where
poaching is about to happen.
Acknowledgments
Wildlife Management Circle, Tirupati and N.V
Sivarama Prasad, DFO (TTD) for permission and
facilities to carry out field studies in Seshachalam
Biosphere Reserve.
Vol.22, No.2, 2016
Thick-billed Green Pigeon (Treron curvirostra) is a resident bird in the Himalaya—from western Nepal eastward to Sikkim, north Bengal duars and Bhutan, to extreme eastern Arunachal Pradesh—as also in the hills of north-eastern India, south of the Brahmaputra River. It affects well-wooded areas and forests from plains to at least 1,500 m a.s.l. (Ali & Ripley, 1987). There has been recent evidence of its presence in northern Eastern Ghats in the forests of Simlipal, Orissa (Nair, 2010) and in Satkosia Tiger Reserve, Orissa (Durgesh, 2010). It is now sighted from Visakhapatnam region in Thotlakonda hillock in Northern Eastern Ghats. Thotlakonda Buddhist Complex lies about 15 km from Visakhapatnam city on the way to Bheemili town on a hill about 128 meters above mean sea level overlooking the sea. It has dry deciduous forest interspersed with bushes and shrubs.
This individual female sighted perching on the
branches of an Acacia species near a water tank.
Observations were made using an Olympus
10X50 binocular from about 20 feet distance
rather small-sized pigeon, under 26 cm as
compared to other green pigeons. A thick pale
greenish bill with red base, broad bluish-green
eye ring, grey crown and maroon mantle are
diagnostic. Wings have black primary and
secondary with yellow outer edge. Thighs are dark
green with white scales. Female has greenish
undertail coverts with whitish scales. Males have
maroon dorsum and dull chestnut under tail
coverts. The birds had a distinct bluish-green
orbital skin, and a thicker yellow bill with red base,
ruling out any misidentification. Pigeons are
known to be nomadic outside their breeding
season. It is “Least concern” in IUCN Red list.
However, its sighting in May is of additional
interest as it falls in the breeding season of this
species, which is April–June according to
Rasmussen & Anderton (2005). Nair (2010) also
suggested that in Simlipal, these have been
sighted year round. This strengthens the chances
of the presence of a breeding population in Eastern
Ghats and extends its range further south in
peninsular India.
and Mr. Vivek Rathod for photograph. She is also
obliged for support and encouragement from the
members of the Bird Watchers Society of Andhra
Pradesh.
Literature cited
· of the birds of India and Pakistan together with those of Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan and Sri Lanka.
· Nair, M. V., 2010. Thick-billed Green-Pigeon Treron curvirostra in Simlipal Hills, Orissa: an addition to the avifauna of peninsular India. Indian Birds 6 (1): 19–20.
· BirdLife International 2012. Treron curvirostra. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2015.2. <www.iucnredlist.org>.
· Singh, Durgesh Kumar 2010. Sighting of Thick- billed Green-pigeon (Treron curvirostra in Satkosia Tiger Reserve, Orissa, India. Indian Birds 6 (3).
· Pamela C Rasmussen & John C Anderton 2005. The birds of South Asia: the Ripley guide.1: Field guide, 378 pp.
Ali, S., & Ripley, S. D., 1987. Compact handbook
Thick-billed Green Pigeon spotted in Eastern Ghats
Aparna Surampudi Research scholar, Andhra University, Visakhapatnam
aparna.au.es@gmail.com
7
Brainstorming Session for Southern Region ENVIS Centres at IISc Campus, Malleswaram,
thBangalore, was organized on 20 May 2016.
During brain storming session, Dr. M. Suneela, ENVIS Coordinator, has given a brief introduction about ENVIS centre activities. Informed the gathering on ENVIS milestone achievements, papers and review articles presented in national conferences, training programs/awareness programs conducted for school children, Annual plan, new initiatives, etc. Participated in panel discussion on Development of ENVIS centre.
thWorld Environment Day was observed on June 5 every year. This year, the focused theme is on the need to curb poaching and illegal wildlife trade to ensure survival of threatened species in the wild. The stress is to bring awareness in wild life poaching and say No to buying illegal wildlife products.
The highlight of the celebrations was a march “Green Rally” from Necklace Road Railway Station to Jalvihaar Water Park, Hyderabad and
was released by Hon’ble
Minister for Environment & BC Welfare, Shri
Jogu Ramanna Garu, Govt. of Telangana. The event was organised by EPTRI-ENVIS Centres and TSPCB.
release of WED sticker prepared by ENVIS centres. The sticker
Drawing competition at Jawahar Bal Bhavan for
children, conducted by EPTRI – ENVIS Centre on
the eve of World Environment Day, 2016.
The Highlight of the event was participation of
school Children along with Shri Vikas Raj, IAS, Secretary Environment, Forests, Science and
Technology, Shri
Shri. V. Anil Kumar
IAS, Member Secretary of Telangana Pollution Control Board, Teachers, Volunteers, NGO's, ENVIS Team and other officials. There was also an Exhibition at Indira Priyadarshini Auditorium where ENVIS centres Activities and Knowledge Products were put on display for participants and visitors. Distribution of prizes was done to the winners of drawing competition in three categories which was conducted on the eve of
thWorld Environmental Day on 25 May, 2016.
B. Kalyan Chakravarthy, IAS,
Director General, EPTRI and
The release of World Environment Day Sticker Hon’ble Minister of Environment & BC Welfare
Shri Jogu Ramanna, Govt. of Telangana, Secretary Environment, Forests, Science and
Technology Shri Vikas Raj, IAS, Director General
EPTRI Shri B. Kalyan Chakravarthy, IAS and ENVIS Team members are also seen.
EPTRI-ENVIS Newsletter: Eastern Ghats