FAUNAL DIVERSITY OF EASTERN GHATS

(Source: Proceedings of the National Seminar on the Faunal Diversity of Eastern Ghats

Organized by the Zoological Survey of India, Southern Regional Centre, Chennai-600 028.

Dated. 3rd and 4th March, 2016)

S.No. Authors & Topic Abstract

1. A K Ghosh

Biodiversity of Eastern Ghats and

Western Ghats

Centre for Environment and Development

Indian subcontinent represents major ecosystems in an

amazing way. While, mountain ecosystem of Himalayas

remain distinctive across the northern landscape, the hills

of India, known of Eastern Ghats and Western Ghats have

attracted attention of scientists specially on their origin,

evolution and diversity of life.

The Eastern Ghats region covers 75,000 sq.km located

between 770 22” – 220 81” East Longitude and 110 31” –

210 0” North latitude. The region extends over a linear

distance of 1750 km. The northern border can be marked

with the Mahanadi River and the southern border with

Nilgiri Hills (Pulliah, 2002).

Landscape and Biodiversity

Eastern Ghats region is spread across three coastal states

of India viz., Odisha, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. The

region cuts across a wide array of ecosystems from the

semi-arid Kalahandi to coastal Vishakhapatnam. Three

major Indian rivers viz., Mahanadi, Godavari and Krishna

act as a main surface water resource; predominantly

tropical monsoon climate is prevalent in the region.

Biodiversity in Eastern Ghats flourished under an array of

forests types ranging from evergreen to tropical semi-

evergreen to moist deciduous forest extending into

savannah and scrub jungle. Such diversity provide habitat

for 2,500 species of flowering plants (recorded till 2001)

dominated by family Fabaceae, Leguminoceae and

Convolvulaceae. Sadly, Eastern Ghats fauna still remains

ill explode or unexploded especially with reference to

largest animal group of invertebrates, insects. In case, of

vertebrates, insects. In case, of one can record 115 species

of Herpetofauna and 297 species of birds, besides, a

diverse spectrum of mammalian species starting from tree

shrew to lesser cats to large Carnivores like jackals, wolf,

hyena and Indian wild dogs etc. There is no consolidated

account of fishes of Eastern Ghats. The endemicity of flora

and fauna of Eastern Ghats will appear poor if compared

with the Western Ghats; in case of plants about 4% of the

flora is considered endemic to the region. Sadly, data on

endemic fauna of Eastern Ghats seems to be lacking.

Threats

Major threats to the unique landscape includes high rate

of deforestation largely due to development projects

including mining, extending railway lines into eco sensitive

zones, construction of multipurpose river valley projects,

forest fires and shorter cycle of shifting cultivation in the

tribal belt etc. In spite of the fact, that 12 protected areas

have been declared in the Eastern Ghats, a number of

plant species have been introduced to this region which

may turn invasive and cause serious impact on native

biodiversity.

Discussion

It seems imperative that, a well planned multi institutional

biodiversity survey, covering all the ecological niches

should be undertaken in this unique landscape on a time

bound project mode. Hardly any data is available on the

agro biodiversity of the region which one can expect to be

very rich in the tribal belts. Documentation of the

traditional knowledge on the uses of biodiversity will be of

immense importance; with leading national institutions

like Botanical Survey of India and Zoological Survey of

India, and all five bureaus dealing with genetic resources

under ICAR along with the renowned universities from

three states which could provide a unique opportunity to

document and widen our knowledge on Eastern Ghats, as

has already been established for Western Ghats.

Needless to say that, while, targeting a higher GDP may be

a national goal so is the goals for sustainable development

which have been prescribed by the United Nations in

2015, with target date of 2030. India being as a signatory

to the Convention on Biological Diversity, 2002, and also a

follower to the Sustainable Development Pathway could

play a significant role in drawing a master plan for both

Eastern and Western Ghats, which in violet in nature.

2. Chandra.K and Venkitesan. R

Faunal Diversity of Eastern Ghats and

Western Ghats - An Overview

Zoological Survey of India

535, M Block New Alipore – Kolkata - 53

FAUNAL DIVERSITY OF EASTERN GHATS: There is no

consolidating information on the total faunal wealth of

Eastern Ghats. Comparatively lesser information is

available on the faunal resource of the Eastern Ghats; the

dry forests of Eastern Ghats could not attract the

researchers as comparable with lush green forests of

Western Ghats. Information on the fauna of the Eastern

Ghats is poor and scanty. Eastern Ghats are unique in its

biotic attributes, is home to some of the charismatic and

endangered animals such as tigers, elephants, leopards,

etc. It is where the aesthetic beauty of pristine forest

dwells and also a treasure house for lavish population of

wild flora and fauna.

A total of 311 species of insects from different orders and

families were recorded form the Eastern Ghats constitutes

about 0.56 percentage (Table – 2) ZSI recorded 400 species

of vertebrate fauna and 217 species of invertebrate fauna

from the Similipal Biosphere Reserve, 55 Species from 10

orders and 19 families of mammals have been reported

from the reserve. Avifaunal diversity and abundance is

around 258 species (Alfred et al. 2001, Ramakrishna et al.,

2006; ZSI, 1995), and forming a major portion of the

vertebrate fauna, out of 110 reptiles found in Orissa

(including sea turtles), 37 species are known to occur in

Similipal. The invertebrate groups constitutes a total of

217 species comprises of Protozoa, Rotifera, Ostracoda,

Chilopoda, Diplopoda, Scorpionida, Orthoptera, Odonata

and some families of Hemiptera, Lepidoptera Diptera and

Humenoptera. The fauna of Chandaka-Dampara Wildlife

sanctuary included 37 species belonging to 33 genera

under 21 families and 10 orders Mammals (Tiwari et al.,

2002). The avian fauna is represented by 167 species

belonging to 116 Genera under 45 families and 17 orders,

About 115 species of amphibians and reptiles have been

reported form the Eastern Ghats (Daniel, 2000). The

reptile fauna is represented by 33 species belonging to 27

genera under 12 families and 4 order, and amphibian

fauna is represented by 13 species belonging to 9 genera

under 17 families and 8 orders. Comparatively faunal

diversity is abundant in Nallamalai Hills, Thulsi Rao

(2007) recorded over 70 species of mammals, 302 species

of birds, 64 species of reptiles, 20 amphibians, 55 fishes,

89 species of butter flies, 57 species of moths, 45 species

of coleopteran, 30 species of Odonata and numerous other

forms of insects have been inventorised in Nallamalai hills.

Conclusion: The faunal resource of Western Ghats is fairly

documented than the poorly concentrated Eastern Ghats.

Western Ghats with a maximum number of 6340 species

constitutes about 3.98 percentages and in Eastern Ghats

with 884 species constitutes 0.55 percentages of the total

Indian fauna. Inventories give a snapshot of the state of

biodiversity and identify key variables, bio indicators and

eco services renderers. They also provide baseline

information for the assessment of change and they apply

to all ecosystems from fully natural to intensively

managed. Conservation measure like habitat restoration,

Pollution control, Invasive alien species management,

Environmental impact assessment of development

activities, Awareness and education outreach, Legislation

and enforcement and identification Key Biodiversity Areas

are to be initiated to protect the natural resource of the

country.

3. Dr. A.J.T. Johnsingh

Conservation of Mammals in Western

Ghats and Eastern Ghats

Nature Conservation Foundation

Mysore and WWF – India

Conservation anywhere in the world is closely tied to

peace, the economic status of the local people and the

prevailing political situation. Mammal research and

conservation in the Eastern Ghats of Odisha and Andhra

Pradesh have suffered as a result of political restlessness

that in the past has resulted in insurgency, The

conservation status of large mammals including the

elephant and tiger, even in Tiger Reserves like Simlipal,

Satkosiaand Nagarjunasagar-Srisailam (no elephant),

which I have visited, is poor. These forests also suffer from

aridity and the presence of a large number of tribals who,

out of poverty, do not hesitate to indulge in the presence of

a large number of tribals who, out of poverty, do not

hesitate to indulge in poaching. Perhaps the best part of

the Eastern Ghats contains large mammals is seen in the

landscape around the river Cauvery, where we have

protected areas such as Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve,

Biligirirangan Temple Tiger Reserve, Male Mahadeshwara

wildlife sanctuary and Cauvery wildlife sanctuary in

Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. If large mammal species such

as gaur, elephant and tiger are secure here, it may be

because of the nearness of this landscape to the wildlife

rich lower Nilgiris and the lack of insurgency which has

resulted in better governance, enabling wildlife to thrive.

Biligirirangan Temple Tiger Reserve, with its high

mountains and shoal grasslands, looks like an extension

of the Nilgiris. Murderer, poacher and smuggler

Veerappan, who inhabited this landscape for several years,

was considered a threat and was finally hunted down on

18th October, 2004. However years after his death, there is

a feeling that his presence possibly gave some protection to

the forests which have become increasingly vulnerable to

illegal activities.

Overall, mammal conservation in the Western and Eastern

Ghats can be improved further if protected areas are kept

inviolate, corridors are established and maintained and the

biomass needs of the people are met in the periphery and

outside the forest areas rather than from within the forest.

This is a challenging task for the forest department, which

represents the Government, and for the conservation

community of peninsular India.

4. S. Balachandran,

The Bird Diversity of the Eastern Ghats

Deputy Director, Bombay Natural History

Society.

The Eastern Ghats are an ancient chain of low lying hill

running from Orissa in the north to Tamil Nadu in the

south through Andhra Pradesh, covering an area of

75000sq.km. The avifaunal wealth of this region has been

partially studied over the last 100 years by various

ornithologists including Salim Ali. The Vernay scientific

survey of Eastern Ghats (whistler and Kinnear 1930 – 37)

and Hyderabad state Ornithological surveys carried out in

the 1930s. Other significant studies on the birds of the

Eastern Ghats were done by Abdulali (1945), Krishna Raju

(1985), Trevor price (1978, 79), Ripley el al (1987-88). The

variety of habitat types from moist evergreen forest to dry

scrub jungles supports a myriad of bird species. More than

400 species of birds have been reported for the entire

Eastern Ghats. However due to the absence of high

mountains like in the Western Ghats, and the less type of

forests, the diversity of bird species are relatively lesser

than the Western Ghats including in the endemic species.

Out of the eight important areas recognized form the

Eastern Ghats five (Horsley hill, Sri Lanakamalleswara

wildlife sanctuary, Sri Venkateswara wildlife sanctuary, Sri

Penusula Narasimha, Nagarjunsagar-Srisailam Tiger

reserve, Kaundinya) are from Andhra Pradesh and two

from Orissa (Sunabeda and Simlipal) and one (Melagiri)

from Tamilnadu. The Eastern Ghats support nearly 400

species and subspecies of birds. The Critically endangered

Jerdons courser Rhinoptilus bitorquatus is found in the

Eastern Ghats. Apart from this, the yellow throated Bulbul

Pycnonotus xantholaemus, which is endemic to Southern

Peninsular India, is also found in the southern part of the

Eastern Ghats. The bird ringing studies carried out at the

Sri Venkateswara wildlife sanctuary during 1989 has

revealed the importance of Eastern Ghats for the migrant

passaerines as wintering and stopover sites.

The occurrence of Tree sparrow Passer montanus, Abbot‟s

Babbler Malacocincla abbotti and Little Spider hunter

Arachnothera longirostra in the northern parts of the

Eastern Ghats is of Zoogeographical interest since these

species are considered as Himalayan/Southeast Asian

relicts. The Eastern Ghats in their southernmost part run

in a south west direction to meet the Western Ghats.

Species such as the Yellow browed bulbul Iole indica and

the White bellied Treepie Dendrocitta leucogastra, which

are mainly confined to Western Ghats, are found in the

region as well. Apart from these resident species, the

Eastern Ghats are important migratory route for the winter

visitors arriving from Himalayas, southern Russia and

Europe. Coastal wetland and forested watershed in the

Eastern Ghats hill ranges act as important wintering and

stopover sites for hundred thousands of migrant water

birds migrating from Arctic Russia China and Mongolia.

There are several studies that have documented the bird

diversity and their ecology in the Eastern Ghats.

Documentation of bird species in various habitat types by

Beehler and others in Northern Andhra Pradesh in 1986,

the Vernay Ornithological exploration of the Eastern Ghats

in the late 1920,s which was published in 16 volumes by

Whistler and Kinnear, Salim Ali‟s „Hyderabad State

Ornithological Survey‟ (published in the JBNHS in five

parts during 1933-34); Humayun Abdulali‟s „Birds of the

Vizagapatam District; studies by Trevor price, K.S.R

Krishna Raju and those by S. Dillon, Ripley, Bruce Beehler

and Krishna Raju in the 1970s and 1980s, and recently a

comprehensive survey of birds in the Eastern Ghats of

Tamil Nadu carried out by Care Earth Trust, Chennai that

recorded 262 species of birds have all contributed to our

knowledge of birds of the different areas of the Eastern

Ghats.

Some of the Western Ghats endemic birds reported in the

Eastern Ghats included the White cheeked Megalaima

viridis, Nilgiri Wood pigeon Columba eliphinstonii, Malabar

Parakeet Psittacula columboides, Malabar Trogon

Harpactes fasciatus, Yellow crowed bulbul Iole indica, Grey

headed Bulbul Phycnonotus priocephalus and Black

throated Munia Lonchura keelarti. There are also

unconfirmed reports of the rare forest owlet Heteroglaux

blewitii from the north of Eastern Ghats in Orissa. The

Thick billed Green Pigeon Treron curvirostra, a species till

now though to inhabit the forest of north east India has

now been reported from Orissa. The rare and endemic

Jerdon‟s courser Rhinoptilus botorquatus, till recently

believed to be extinct, occurs in extremely small numbers

on the foothill of the middle portion of Eastern Ghats in

Andhra Pradesh near Kadapa.

Though there are some protected areas in the Eastern

Ghats, more need to be done to conserve the birdlife of the

region, especially endemic birds like the Jerdon‟s Courser.

In the state of Tamil Nadu there are no protected area for

birds on the Eastern hills like Shevroys and Kolli. This

need to be noted down and a protected area should be

declared in any one of the hills. This will go a long way in

conserving the bird diversity in the Eastern Ghats.

5. J.Poorani

Insect Diversity of Eastern Ghats and

Western Ghats: Present Scenario and A

Future Road Map

India, with 2% of global space, is one of the 17 mega

diversity nations in the world, About 60000-70000 species

of insects are known from India at present, representing

about 7.10 – 10% of the world fauna. The Western Ghats,

one of the biodiversity hotspots of the world and the

Eastern Ghats are home to amazing variety insects with a

high degree of endemism. In spite of their rich insect

diversity, Western and Eastern Ghats have not been

surveyed in depth for entomological collections and

thousands of species remain to be discovered and

ICAR National Reasarch Centre for Banana

Thogamalai Raod, Thayanur Post

Tiruchirappalli; 620 102

described from these regions. Habitat destruction due to

various anthropological interventions has rendered the

ecosystems of the Western and Eastern Ghats highly

fragile and vulnerable to species extinctions. Entomological

collections are considered as a record of genetic and

morphological variation, past and recent geographical

distribution and other biological information on insects.

Often museum specimens are the only collections in India

have gone on for over 125 years; specimens from these

hotspots are poorly represented in our institutional

reference collections compared to foreign museums.

The entomofauna of the Western Ghats has received

comparatively greater attention from researchers than that

of Eastern Ghats, but only a few groups like Lepidoptera

(mainly butterflies), Odonata, parasitic Hymenoptera,

Coleoptera (Scarabaeidae) and some aquatic insects

(Ephemeroptera, Trichoptera) have been well studied in

both. An analysis of papers published on the insects of

Eastern and Western Ghats in the last ten years (2005-15)

indicates that most of them are devoted to

ecological/conservation aspects on a few selected groups of

insects like butterflies and Odonata, with fewer papers on

descriptive taxonomy of other insect groups. This could be

partly attributed to the role played by these groups of

insects as biological ecological indicators and better

prospects of getting publications in high impact factor

journals.

It is hence, imperative to strengthen taxonomic research

on the insects of Western and Eastern Ghats to provide a

strong supporting framework for future management and

conservation. This is an onerous task compounded by the

alarming decline in the number of insect taxonomists in

India and the fact that few Indian insect taxonomists

measure up to international standards and have the

capability and competence to take up monographic

research the future road map towards complete

documentation of the insect diversity of Eastern and

Western Ghats should include the following steps.

1. Organized collection expeditions in poorly surveyed

areas of Eastern and Western Ghats and networking of

institutions, collections and researches to facilitate their

characterization and documentation. For this, well trained

technical staff to build develops and /or take care of

existing entomological collections is a fundamental

requirement. It is also needed to train these technicians in

computerization of collection data and information

retrieval so that other national programmers‟ on

biodiversity documentation, management and quarantine

can be supported at the ground level.

2. Capacity building programmes in survey and collection

of insect fauna, collection management, and specific,

group-oriented trainings on morphological and molecular

characterization of insects/DNA barcoding.

3. Rules framed under the Biodiversity Act, 2002, to

regulate commercial exploitation of biological resources,

are being irrationally imposed of fundamental research,

particularly taxonomic research, which generates only

knowledge and has no commercial value. To facilitate the

documentation and subsequent conservation and

management of the insect diversity of Eastern and Western

Ghats, collections of biological specimens without

legislative hurdles should be made possible for bona fide

taxonomists to facilitate basic studies and other initiatives

like DNA barcoding.

4. In order to speed up the pace of documentation of insect

diversity in these regions, we need to enable free access for

researchers both from India and abroad to our

entomological collections for comprehensive taxonomic

revisions of our flora and fauna following modern systems

of classification.

5. On the lines of PEET (Partnerships for Enhancing

Expertise in Taxonomy) programme, under which the US

national science foundation offers fellowships to encourage

future generations of experts, meritorious PG candidates

can be financially supported to take up poorly known

groups of insects from the Western And Eastern Ghats for

monographic research. It can also be mandated that

expertise thus generated on various groups of insects

translates into electronic databases, online diagnostic keys

and content with broad accessibility to the scientific

community as being done in PEET and programmers

supported by the Australian Biologically Resources Study

(ABRS).

6. The National Biodiversity Authority, MoEF, DST and

other agencies should extend fellowship/competitive

grants to meritorious students and young researchers to

take up taxonomic research on insects of Western and

Eastern Ghats.

6. S R V Murthy, IFS

Wildlife crime and its illegal trade in

Western

and Eastern Ghats

Regional Deputy Director

WCCB, Chennai

Wildlife, both flora and fauna across the world face several

threats and continue to decline in numbers.

Understanding where these species occur, how they use

their habitats and what factors influence these patterns

are important for their conservation. Western Ghats and

Eastern Ghats support a healthy population of various

animals and plants and home to some of the most

charismatic animals on the planet. Most of the demand for

wildlife products comes from outside the country. India

has nearly 6.5% of the world‟s known wildlife and its

products puts at risk the mega diversity of the country.

The changing market dynamics and the lifestyles make the

existing regulatory regimes inadequate in dealing with the

wildlife crimes assuming organized status. Illegal wildlife

trade has exploded to meet increasing demand for

elephant ivory, tiger products and other important but

lesser known species particularly in southern states.

Controlled by dangerous crime syndicates, wildlife is

trafficked much like drugs or weapons. Wildlife criminals

often operate with impunity, making the trade a low-

risk/high profit-business.

7. John T.D. Caleb and R. Karthikeyani

Current knowledge on the Salticid Fauna,

with reference to the Eastern Ghats of

Tamil Nadu

Department of Zoology, Madras Christian

College, Tambaram, Chennai-59.

School of Energy, Environment and Natural

Resources, Madurai Kamaraj University,

Madurai-21, Tamil Nadu

Salticidae (jumping spiders) is the most diverse family of

spiders. In the present study the current knowledge on the

diversity of Salticidae in Tamil Nadu has been reviewed.

Presently 40 species classified under 27 genera are known

from Tamil Nadu. Seven species are known exclusively

from the Nilgiri hill ranges. These families of spiders in this

region are from collections dating back at least about 4

decades or more. Consequently less than 1% of the

Eastern Ghats have been appropriately surveyed for

taxonomic study of spiders. Considering the rich biomes

and habits, many genera and species await imminent

discovery. Recent studies form Chennai city and its

suburbs yielded descriptions of 8 new species and 3

species (Aelurillus Kronestedti Azarkina, 2004, Phintella

volupe kirsch, 1879 & Thyene bivittata Xie & Peng, 1995)

recorded for the first time in India. Viciria diatreta simon,

1902 was rediscovered 112 years after its first description.

These results necessitate the compelling need for intensive

expeditions and continual dedicated taxonomic studies.

8. Babu R.

Odonata are an order of aquatic palaeopterous insects.

Dragonflies and damselflies are regarded as beneficial

Diversity of Odonata Fauna of Eastern

Ghats of Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu

Southern Regional Centre,

Zoological Survey of India,

Chennai – 600 028

insects because they are carnivorous throughout their life,

mostly feeding on smaller insects such as mosquitoes,

termites, ants, mayflies etc. They are generally found at or

near fresh water although some species roam widely and

may be found far from their breeding sites. The

distribution of various groups and species of Odonata is

highly variable. Some genera and species are widespread

while others are highly local in their distribution. Some

families are restricted to cool streams or rivers, others to

ponds or still clear waters, and some to marshy places.

The Eastern Ghats constitute an important biogeography

region, as one of the biologically richest zones of India and

form a broken chain of mountains spreading along the

states of Odisha, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil

Nadu and lie between Mahanadi and Vaigai rivers. The

Eastern Ghats of India is runs almost parallel to east coast

of India and the region falls under tropical monsoon

climate receiving rainfall from both South-west monsoon

and North-East retreating monsoon. Unlike the Western

Ghats, studies on the distribution of Odonata in the

Eastern Ghats are scanty (Fraser, 1933, 1935, 1936).

Hence the present study is an attempt to provide a

comprehensive account of Odonata fauna of the Eastern

Ghats of Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu is currently

studied through literature, field surveys and National

collections present in the Zoological Survey of India,

Southern Regional Centre and a summary of the results

obtained so far is presented. A total of 53 species under 35

genera of seven families of two suborders were recorded.

Anisopterans were found to be more abundant than

Zygopterans. Among the families recorded, the family

Libellulidae (suborder Anisoptera) is found to be most

dominant family comprised with 30 species of 20 genera;

followed by the family Coenagrionidae (suborder Zygoptera)

comprised with 13 species of six genera. Among 53 species

recorded, only five endemic species viz., Caconeura

ramburi (Fraser, 1922), Disparoneura qudrimaculata

(Rambur, 1842), Prodasineura verticalis annandalei

(Fraser,1921), Heliocypha bisignata Hagen in Selys, 1853

and Zygonyx iris malabarica Fraser, 1926, are reported

from the study area. Updated distributional range within

Eastern Ghats of Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, rest of

India and elsewhere is also provided. More efforts need to

be made to seasonal sampling of adult odonates from all

the types of freshwater habitats in the Eastern Ghats; it

may reveal the complete diversity of dragonflies in the

Eastern Ghats.

9. S.R. Ganesh and M. Arumugam

Amphibians and Reptiles of Sirumalai

Hills,

Herpetofauna of the Sirumalai hills (10.12-10.28oN 77.92-

78.11oE; 1400 m asl) situated at the southernmost end of

the Eastern Ghats still remains largely unknown. We

conducted a long-term (500 hrs) herpetological survey in

Sirumalai hills using diurnal time-constrained search and

Southern Eastern Ghats, Peninsular India

Department of Zoology, University of Madras,

Guindy campus, Chennai 600 025.

Tamil Nadu, India

nocturnal visual encounter methods targeting the montane

zones (>900 m asl). We aimed to gather data on the

diversity, distribution habitat use and status of

herpetofauna. A total of 39 species, including seven

species of amphibians, 15 species of lizards and 17 species

of snake were documented. Of these 10 species (26%)

comprising five species of amphibians, three species of

lizards and two species of snakes require finer taxonomic

resolution. Some of the noteworthy findings include the

litter frog Indirana sp., Sreeni‟s stream frog Indosylvirana

sreeni, the bush frog Pseudophilautus cf. wynaadenis, the

rock gecko Hemidactylus cf. acanthopholis, the blinking

lacertid Ophisops minor nictans, the flying lizard Draco

dussumierii, the Dindigal sheildtail Uripeltis dindigalensis,

the bamboo pitviper Trimeresurus gramineus, the five-

striped coral snake Calliophis nigrescens pentalineatus and

the Giri‟s bronzeback tree snake Dendrelaphis girii to name

a few. As for the habitat use, 696 sightings were in aquatic

habitats, 380 sightings were in subterranean conditions,

608 sightings were on ground, 580 sightings were in rocky

habitats, 530 sightings were in arboreal situation and 208

sightings were on road. Including both live and dead. A

total of 1501 observations comprising 621 amphibian

sightings, 817 lizard sightings and 64 snake sightings were

obtained. Anthropogenic threats in the form of vehicle-

mediated road kill mortalities were recorded. A total of 58

road kills, comprising of 28 amphibians represented by

three species, 16 lizards represented by seven species and

14 snakes represented by six species were recorded. As

much as the studies reveal, two endemic reptiles reported

to be described from sirumalai, the Gunther‟s cat skink

Ristella guentehri and the Brougham‟s shieldtail

U.broughami were not recorded during our or earlier

studies in Sirumalai, although reported from the Western

Ghats. Speared by just over 30 kms from the eastern spur

of the Palnis in the Western Ghats, Sirumalai is

characterized by mixed biotic elements, due to its peculiar

geography. The Dindigal shieldtail Uropeltis dindigalensis

Is a vertebrate endemic only to the moist montance forests

of Sirumalai hills. As per our current knowledge, very few

such hills having confirmed endemic vertebrates are

present in the Eastern Ghats. Our work on the

herpetofauna further highlights the conservation

importance of the currently unprotected Sirumalai hills.

10. J. Patrick David and B. Vinoth

Avian Diversity in the Eastern Ghats of

Tamil Nadu

In total, 262 species of birds were recorded during the

survey. This included seven RET species. The RET species

were the Grey-headed fishing eagle Icthyophaga

ichthyaetus, Lesser Fish eagle Icthyophago humilis,

Egyptian culture Neophron percnopterus, Nilgiri wood

pigeon Columa elphinstonii, Yellow throated bulbuk

Pycnonotus priocephalus, savanna Nightjar Caprimukgus

affinis and Brown Hawk Owl ninox scuytulata were

Founder trustee, Thillaiganaga Nagar,

Chennai – 61

recorded for the first time from the first time region.

Species such as the black bulbul Hypsipetes

leucocephalus, Asian Fairy Bluebird Irena puella (in

shevroys) , Blue beared BEE-eater Byctiornis athertone (in

Shevroys) Blue beared Bee eater Nyctironis athertoni in

Chitheri, Malabar whistling thrush Myophonus horsfieldi

are peristing in the same old sites reported by the vernay

survey (80 years back). The top five abundant species

were the red vented Bulbul pycnonotus cafer, White

browed bulbul pycnonotus luteolus red whiskered bulbul

pycnonotus luteolus, Red whiskered Bulbul Pycnonotus

jocosus, Common lora Aegithina tiphia and Purple rumped

sunbird leptocoma zeylonia. The Vaniyar tract an adjacent

forest in the shevroys has been identified as a potential

site for bird conservation in the EGTN. Strict protection of

existing forested areas, wetlands and awareness creation

among the general public is essential for ensuring the long

term survival of the bird species in EGTN.

11. V. Vasuki and R. Balasubramaniyan

Diversity of Mosquitoes in the selected

areas of Eastern Ghats; A Review

Biodiversity is the variety and variability of life on Earth,

particularly variability within species, between species and

between ecosystems. It also refers to the ecological

richness of the community which is richest in tropics.

Biodiversity generally tends to cluster in hotspots and has

been increasing through the time but will be likely to slow

in the future. India is one of the world‟s top 12 mega

diversity nations and ranks about 10th amongst the

nations in terms of diversity of species. Among all insects

diversity of mosquitoes is of greater economic importance

because they are vector for number of diseases such as

malaria, dengue chikungunya, filariasis etc. Mosquitoes

continue to coexist with man and transmit many mosquito

borne disease to more than 700 million people annually in

the tropical and subtropical countries. They are found to

be present and breed in a variety of habitats in almost all

parts of India except in some high altitude regions. The

Eastern Ghats is one of the important biodiversity areas of

India and the diversity of mosquitoes in some selected

areas of Eastern Ghats is discussed in this review. From

sirumalia hills, a part of Eastern Ghats situated at the

south of Dindugul district, Tamil Nadu, mosquitoes

belonging to 3 genera and 13 species accounting to a total

of 481 mosquitoes have been collected and reported

during the period Oct - 2010 Mar 2011. The genus

Anopheles was more diverse with 6 species, Aedes with 4

species and Culex with 3 species. Tree hole breeding

mosquito survey conducted from Jan 2013 – Dec 2013 in

three different places of forests in kolli hills of Eastern

Ghats recorded 11 species representing 5 genera of

mosquitoes, In a survey carried out subsequently in three

other localities of kolli hills during pre May – June 2013

and post monsoon Nov – Dec 2013 hills recorded 6 species

of mosquitoes belonging to 4 genera. The species

composition of mosquitoes reported in different localities of

Eastern Ghats provides base lie date for the control of

mosquitoes and mosquito borne diseases.

12. M. Bubesh Guptha

Inventory and documentation studies on

major Fauna from Seshachalam Hills,

Southern Eastern Ghats of Andhra

Pradesh

The Seshachalam Biosphere Reserve (SBR) designated

recently in 2011, these hill ranges are part of the Eastern

Ghats lie between 130 38‟ E and 130 55‟ N latitudes and

790 07‟ and 790 24‟ E longitudes spread over Chittoor and

Kadaph districts of Andhra Pradesh. The predominant

vegetation type is tropical southern dry mixed deciduous

forest. The vegetation is a unique mix of the tropical

southern dry mixed deciduous types. The area is having as

many as 1750 species belonging to 178 families of

vascular plants. The elevation ranges from 150 to 1,130 m,

the terrain is undulating, with deep forest covered valleys.

The mean maximum temperature ranges form 160 C to

460C and minimum from 9.70C to 250C depending upon

the season. Average rainfall in this region is between 800

to 900 mm. It includes two protected areas namely Sri

Venkateswara Wildlife Sanctuary and Sri Venkateswara

National. It is the richest floristic hotspot harboring many

endemic and rare plants. The entire sanctuary is an

uninhabited large chunk of dry deciduous Red Sanders

bearing forest.

Various groups of faunal survey were documented in the

study areas recorded by both direct and indirect methods.

This study was conducted during between June 2011 to

July 2014. Different sampling techniques and systematic

methods were followed. Animals recorded in the present

study include mammals, herpetofauna, birds and

butterfly.

Mammals: a total of 25 species of mammals belonging to

17 families were recorded IUCN status and schedule

species were analyzed. 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 in our study. Other predators and

ungulates were captured. The nocturnal Slender Loris

Loris tardigradus could be common but is seldom seen.

Indian Giant squirrel Ratufa inida and Ruddy mangoose

Herpestes smithii are other interesting species.

Hepetofauna: Data collection was carried out by using

Visual Encounter survey Method. A total of 12 species of

Amphibians belonging to four families and seven genera

were recorded. So far 46 speices of reptiles belonging to

36 genera, distributed in 12 families were recorded (33

species of snakes (72%) and 13 species of lizards 28% the

snakes belongs to six families more number of snakes

were record3d from the family coloubridae (21 species)

followed by Uroperltidae 1 species. The lizards belongs to

six families have been recorded in the study area, more

number of lizards were recorded from the family

Gekkonidae 5 species followed by Agamidae (3 species)

Sciencidae (2 Species) Varanidae 1 species,

chamaeleonidae 1 species and Testudinidae 1 Species, also

stared tortoise and turtle are interesting . Snake IUCN

status were gathered i.e 68% followed by 20% (LR-nt), 23%

(VU) and 8% (EN) were recorded. So far 33 snakes species

were recorded among which six species are venomous

snakes and new records (Calliphis melanurus and Uropeltis

ellioti), new locality records (Ahaetulla pulverulenta and

Lycodon flavicollies), rediscovery (Coluber bholanathi ) and

one first record in Indian (Chrysipelea taprobanica ) were

recorded.

Birds: The study recorded 215 species of birds, which

belong 45 families, Among which 172 species 80% were

resident, 30 (14%) were winter migrant, 8 (4%) were

seasonal local migrant and 5 (2%) were local migrant. 88

species were found common ( C ) followed by 91 species

uncommon (UC); 15 species rare ( R ) 14 species

occasional (O) and 7 species were found very rare (VR)

Passeriform birds are the domination order of birds, more

than 14 families and 79 species of birds were recorded.

During the bird survey IUCN status was also gathered, out

of 215 species (n=208), 97% species were least concern

(LR-IC), (n=4), 2% species were near threatened (LR-nt)

and (n=#), 1% species were Vulnerable (VU) status.

Butterfly: The objective of the survey is to determine the

presence and status of butterflies. The reserve area has

different habitats like scrub jungle, open forest, grass

land, dense forests and mud puddle. Each zone was

explored on the basis of possibility and availability of

butterflies. A Total of 96 species of butterflies were

recorded under five families. The family Bymphalidae and

Lycaenidae were found dominant with 32 species and 22

species, respectively followed by pieridae ( 19 Species),

Hesperiidae (14 species and Papilionidae (9species) were

recorded. More number of species was conserved in

Talakona followed by Tirumala, SS Kona, Balapalli

Mamandu, Jungle book and Divyaram. Observed species

were grouped in five categories on basis of number of

sighting in the field. The butterflies were categorized as

very common (vc) 20 % (19 species) common ( c) 37% (36

species), Uncommon (UC) 16% (15 speices, Occasional (O)

18% (17 Species) and Rare (R) 9% ( 9 species) . In our

observation more number of butterflies preferred open

forest (36%). Followed by scrub jungle 36% dense forest

21% grass land 5% and mud puddle 1% . Out of 96

species, seven species namely Pachliopta hector,

Hypolimnas bolina, Castaliyus rosimon, Euchrysops cnefus

lampides boeticus, Cepora nerissa and Euploea core are

scheduled species.

Seshachalam Biosphere Reserve shows present in rich

biodiversity and we recommended further studies in the

Eastern Ghats at the earliest opportunity. Also everyone

should realize that Wildlife is an important part of

ecological community as a wildlife play an important role

in the environment. There is several importance of wildlife

as wildlife itself is an important character of nature so its

conservation is an important obligation for human beings

for the sustainability of life. The protection of habitat is an

important aspect in the conservation of such species.

13. R. Aengals

Recently Described New Taxa of Reptiles

from the Eastern Ghats and Western

Ghats of India

Reptiles constitute an important component in Indian

wildlife. Often loathed by people, many are threatened and

endangered. More than 300 species are found in the

Indian peninsula and many more are being described.

After our latest update on Indian reptiles in 2011, a fresh

update on new peninsular Indian reptiles is here

presented, from 2012 to till date. Their common and

scientific names, taxon authors and type locality

information are summarized.

2012

Johnsingh‟s skink Dasia johnsinghi Harikrishnan,

Vasudevan, De silva, Deepak, karnaniwadekar,

Lalremruata, Prasoona & Aggarwal from kalakkad –

Mundaturai Tiger Reserve, Tamil Nadu.

Castoe‟s coral snake Calliphis castoe smith, ogale,

Deepak & Giri from Amboli, Sindhudrug, Maharashtra.

2013

Gowers‟s shield tail snake Rhinophis goweri Aengals

& Ganesh from Bodamalai, Namakkal , Tamil Nadu.

Yellow green cat snake Boiga flaviviridis vogel &

ganesh from Berhampur, Odisha.

2014

Giris‟day geck Cnemaspis girii Mirza, pal, Bhosale &

Sanap frm kaas, Satara, Maharashtra.

Kottiyoor day gecko Cnemaspis kottiyoorensis Cyriac

& Umesh from Kottiyoor wayanad, Kerala.

Scaly rock gecko Hemidactylus acanthopholis Mirza

& sanap from Tirunelveli, Tamil Nadu.

Satpura leopard gecko Eublepharis satpuraenisis

Mirza, Sanap, Raju, Gawai & Ghadekar from

Pachmahri, Madhya Pradesh.

2015

Adi‟s day gecko Cnemaspis adii Srinivasulu, Kumar

& srinivasulu from Bellary, Karnataka.

Yajurved‟s rock gecko Hemidactylua yajurvedi

Murthy, Bauer, Lajmi, Agarwal and Giri from

Kanker, Chattisgarh.

Hemchandra‟s rpck geckop Hemidactylus

hemchandrai

Dandge and tiple from Bhandara, Maharashtra.

Of these new descriptions, five species were described from

the Western Ghats regions of Tamil Nadu, Kerala and

Maharashtra. Six species were described form the Eastern

Ghats and associated regions to the West (Deccan Plateau)

and the east (Circar coastal plains). However the

possibilities of such species occurring within the poorly

explored Eastern Ghats is largely high. The compilation

point out that new reptile, consisting of many taxa such as

skink, gecko, uropeltid, colubrid and elapid snakes still

continue to enrich the faunal resources of the country.

14. Kumaresan, N1 Hangao, K2 and

Bhuvaneswar, R3

Role of Agrobiodiversity on Plant Hopper

Diversiyt in Kolli Hills

Tribal community live in harmony with the local ecological

conditions and have strong link between ,man and his

environment. Kolli Hills is also one such region inhabiting

tribal settlements surrounding the forest, where 14

panchayats or nadus completely surrounded by forest.

Agricultural forms the basic livelihood option for these

communities from where they draw almost 99% of their

energy needs. Immediately after the evolution of

agricultural crops their practices developed for agriculture

(Rogan, 1999), mixed farming is the first ever agriculture

practice which supported even the Indus Valley Civilization

(Dev, 2006; Thulasamma, 2006), in which resources from

agricultural systems like home gardens, shifting

cultivation, valley land cultivation mixed with livestock for

dung manure fertilization, ploughing, crop processing,

transport etc. Myrdal and morel, 2011, Grigg, 1974) such

mixed farming systems are existing still in Kolli Hills

traditional farming communities.

Development of science and technology during 18th

century changed the above traditional agriculture

practices as a result of increased transport facility,

electrification, mechanization, commercialization, crop

improvement, global climate change and change in living

standards. Hilly track such as Kolli Hills access to above

changes are delayed due to their difficult terrain, hence

agricultural practices at different stages are available even

now in thise regions. Present investigation classified these

agricultural practices and transformed, under

transformation and tradional and clearly shown that

reducing agro biodiversity with indigenous from

traditional. However regions like Kolli hills still retain

many of indigenous traditional agriculture practices and

facing increasing demand for fertilize and pest

management techniques. Plant hoppers are one of the

important pest that not only effect the crop by feeding on

them but also transmitting viral and bacterial disease.

Therefore present investigation estimated plant hoppers in

different agricultural systems in the classified regions

transformed under transformation and traditional.

Estimation of plant hoppers population in the transformed

region followed by under transition and less population in

regions with traditional agricultural. Among the different

agricultural systems plant hopper decreased with decrease

in agro biodiversity in agricultural systems. However, plant

hopper population was highly pronounced landraces they

are short duration, dwarf variety improved varieties.

However, the investigation showed that number of natural

pesticides traditionally evolved still exists and use mostly

the local biodiversity and natural material and preference

is given for pesticides prepared from local biodiversity.

Number of insects attack paddy in which insect pests

plant hoppers gall midges and stem borers are

economically important pests. It has been reported that six

different plant hoppers create divesting loss in paddy fields

through hopper burn, transmitting viral disease, stunt

growth, etc. The six plant hoppers are (BPH) browth plant

hopper (Nilaparvatha lugens stal) SBPH- small brown plant

hoppers (Laodelphax striatellus fallen), GLH – green

leafhopper (Nephotettix virescens Distant), GRH green rice

leafhopper (Nephotettix cincticeps uhler), WBPH – white

backed planthopper (Sogaella furicifera Horvath) and ZLH

zigzag leafhopper (Recilia dorsalis Motschusky) (Brar et al.,

2009) Nilaparvata lugens was found to be dominant in all

altitudes of Kolli Hills highest number was seen in 250

amsl followed by sogatella furcifera highest number was

seen in 500 amsl. As the height of the paddy fields

increases number of plant hoppers decreases in general it

may be due to increase in biodiversity of natural forest.

15. K.IIango, D. Prabakar, R.Sakthivel, V.M. The southern Regional Centre (SRC) of Zoological survey of

Sthis Kumar, R. aengals, s.Prabaran,

R.Venkitesan, R. Babu, J. Thilak, A. Gokul,

G. Ramesh and M. Senraj

Faunal study of Eastern Ghats and

Western Ghats contributed Southern

Regional Centre of Zoological Survey of

India, Chennai

India (ZSI), Chennai has been involved since 1961 on the

faunal study of southern states including Tamil Nadu,

Kerala, Union Territory of Pondicherry and Parts of Andhra

Pradesh and Karnataka. Tamil Nadu state is unique in its

geographical location where the southern parts of Eastern

Ghats and Western Ghats merge. A series of faunal studies

carried out by the scientists of this centre for more than

five decades from 222 field surveys resulted in discovery of

82 new taxa, 26 new records, 640 research publications

including research papers fauna volumes, sate fauna

series, technical monograph, occasional publication, Some

of the prominent contributions made by the SRC are the

multidisciplinary scientific study of Silent Valley,

taxonomic review of Gymnophiona of Western Ghats,

fishers of Cauvery Rivers and Insects of Eastern Ghats.

16. C.A. Viraktamath

Leafhopper (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae)

Diversity in South India with special

reference to Western and Eastern Ghats

Department of Entomology

University of Agricultural Sciences

Leafhoppers form the largest family Cicadellidae in

Exopterygota with more than 22000 species known from

the world. There are more than 1350 species known from

the world. There are more than 1350 species known from

the Indian subcontinent constituting about 6 percent of

the world species. As one of the important components of

exclusively phytophagous sap sucking insects, they play a

significant role in the natural ecosystems. A few species

develop large populations affecting growth of plants by

their sap sucking activity and also by their oviposition

injuries in the shoots and leaves. A few species also act as

GKVK, Bengaluru 560065, India.

vectors of plant pathogens thus attaining serious pest

status in agro-ecosystem.

The diversity of some groups of leafhoppers revised

recently on all India-basis will be dealt with in this

presentation. These include species of the subfamilies

Cicadellinae, Coelidiinae, Idiocerinae, Macrospsinae,

Megophthalminae and Typhlocybinae. The trend indicates

that these leafhoppers are more diverse (in terms of

species and genera) in North Indian mountains region

followed by Western Ghats and Eastern Ghats. In certain

groups like Idiocerinae only pestiferous species are

represented in Eastern Ghats and Deccan plateau. Present

indications are that the diversity shown is not a true

indication of natural diversity but a reflection of collection

efforts made in these areas. More systematic efforts need

to be made to collect leafhoppers from all the habitats in

India.

17. K.G. Sivaramakrishnan

Hill stream Insect Diversity of the

Western and the Eastern Ghats – An

Overview

In the context of the current awareness of ongoing global

“biodiversity crisis” and “anthropogenic sixth mega

extinction”, rapid depletion of the insect species richness

in montane lotic habitats of the Western and Eastern

Ghats of peninsular India is highlighted. Hill stream

insects comprise some well known groups like mayflies,

stoneflies, dragonflies and damselflies, aquatic bugs,

beetles and dipteran flies besides dobsonflies and semi

aquatic bugs, beetles and dipteral flies besides dobsonflies

West Mambalam Chennai – 600 033

and semi aquatic grasshoppers. They silently discharge

vital ecosystem services in streams, primarily processing

decaying wood and leaf litter from adjoining vegetation in

riparian zone as well as cycling and downstream transport

of the nutrients. They are vital links in food chain of fishes

and other aquatic vertebrates, ideal bioindicators of stream

health and are fit objects for phylogenetic, biogeographic

and phylogeographic investigations besides some of them

being charismatic or vector or keystone taxa. Diversity

profiles and species constellations of some reasonably

explored groups of hill stream insects of the Western and

the Eastern Ghats are briefly presented against the

background of past geological history, climate change

impacts, habitat fragmentation and other anthropogenic

havocs. Causes of imperilment, discontinuity, localization

and rapid local extinction of cryptic species complexes,

endemics and phylogenetic relicts are analyzed. Holistic,

integrated conservation strategies of hill stream biota are

broadly outlined.

18. M.Suneela and K. Jyothi

Issues and Challenges of Faunal studies

Eastern Ghats are the discontinuous range of hill

mountains of south East Asia, India. They are called as

Purva Ghat or Mahendra parvatam, also known as

Malyadri. Eastern Ghats passes through Orissa, Andhra

Pradesh, touches Karnataka and ends in Tamil Nadu.

There are broadly classified as (1) Northern – Eastern

Ghats and (2) River Mahanadi to River Godavari (3) River

in

Eastern Ghats

ENVIS Centre

Environment Protection Training and

Research Institute

Gachibowli, Hyderabad.

Krishna to Chennai city and 4. Southern Eastern Ghats.

There are 20 Wild life sanctuaries, 1 National Park and 2

Biosphere reserves are located in the Eastern Ghats

region. Among them 9 Wildlife sanctuaries and 1

Biosphere reserves are from Odisha; 10 wildlife

sanctuaries, 1 National park and 1 Biosphere reserves

from Andhra Pradesh; 1 Wildlife sanctuary from Tamil

Nadu.

Eastern Ghats has a rich biodiversity. Biodiversity harbors

a variety of animal and plant species of economic,

ecological and socio-cultural importance. The loss of

biodiversity and the related changes in the environment

have been more rapid in the few decades. Many animal

and plant populations have been declined in numbers as

well as in geographical distribution sometimes both. These

current loses are the outcomes of human actions such as

habitat destruction, overexploitation of species,

introduction of exotic species, pollution and global

warming. However, these areas and adjacent lands have

long been subjected to a number of emerging issues and

challenges, which include government policies, failure of

conservation to compete effectively with alternative land

uses, habitat degradation and blockage of wildlife corridos,

overexploitation and illegal resource extraction, wildfires,

human population growth poverty and human-wildlife

conflicts.

There are numerous challenges and issues constraining

the conservations work at Eastern Ghats. Faunal species

in Eastern Ghats are facing severe threat due to habitat

loss, loss of fruiting trees, hunting for medicinal purposes

etc. Increase in global temperatures is also killing species.

Global temperature is affecting species in terms of animal

migration, hatching of eggs at irregular seasons and

intervals, amphibians spawning earlier, plants flowering

earlier etc. Apart from global warming, the greatest threat

to biodiversity is habitat loss and fragmentations by

deforestation and urbanization destroying wildlife habitat

and degrading water quality. Habitat loss is due to

different human activitities involving construction works

like housing developments, malls, commercial complex,

business parks laying of new roads involving use of heavy

machines, draining, bulldozing, large-scale clearing and

burning of forests, overharvesting of plants and animals,

use of pesticides, draining and filling of wetlands,

destructive fishing practices, air pollution, and the

conversion of agricultural land to development lands for

urban use, etc. Invasive Alien species cause the loss of

species. Pollution affects aquatic organisms and leads to a

loss of species as chemicals and agricultural chemicals

play a vital role in terms of toxicity, cause fertility

problems, etc. Industry sewage treatment plant affects

water bodies from pollution by pesticides, fertilizers and

other chemicals. Everything that happens on land affects

the waterways; the contaminants through roads, Vehicles

and due to other works, etc gets flooded to the nearest

stream and affects the livelihood of biological organisms.

Tortoise is at major threat due to over-exploitation for

trade. Some of the species are under threat due to eco-

tourism and some species due to destruction of roosting

sites resulting from developmental activities and hunting

for food by local people and tribal‟s, etc in the Eastern

Ghats.

Conservation Management

To minimize man-animal conflict

Natural growth of local trees of value are to be

maintained

To protect against poaching and grazing

To protect against fire

To protect against indiscriminate use of pesticides,

chemicals/agricultural chemicals, fertilizers etc.

To manage and protect the habitat.

To monitor the populations outside the sanctuary limits

also

Ex situ conservation is a must.

To study migration movement through satellite

tracking;

To improve the socio-economic status of neighboring

villages.

Should create awareness to protect habitat and foraging

grounds

Need people participation in Protected Area

management activities.

To promote community based ecotourism as an

alternative means of livelihood to the locals.

To promote bio-pesticides

Newly laid nests of tortoise and turtles are to be covered

by wire meshes to prevent predation and poaching form

predators and humans.

Institutionalize the process of building, awareness and

education for conservation of biodiversity.

19. Mathew M. Joseph and Sebastian P.A.

Diversity of Spiders in Western Ghats

with a note on their conservation status

in the Eastern and Western Ghats

Division of Arachnology, PG & Research Dept.

of Zoology

Sacred Heart College (Autonomous) Thevara,

Kochi – 682 013, Kerala

With over 45000 valid described species, spiders (Order

Araneae) from one of the most ubiquitous groups of

predaceous organism in the animal kingdom. This is the

most diverse, female dominated and entirely predatory

order in the arthropod world. Spiders are clearly an

integral part of global biodiversity since they play many

important roles in ecosystem as predators and sources of

food for other creatures. They are used as excellent model

organisms in biochemical (Venom and silk proteins),

behavioral (sexual and web-building) and ecological

(foraging, predator-prey interaction, integrated pest

management) research. Spider silk is used for producing

bullet proof clothing, wear resistant light weight clothing,

biodegradable bottles, bandages, surgical threads, ropes,

nets, artificial tendons/ligaments etc. Spider venom can be

used to develop biopesticides, painkillers and various

drugs against diseases such as muscular dystrophy, atrial

fibrillation, brain diseases etc. They are also used in the

form of effective conservation tools as ecological indicators

of overall biodiversity in many terrestrial communities.

Currently 45,829 valid species of spiders in 3977 genera

and 114 families have been described from around the

world (world spider catalog, 2015) and so far 1686 species

belonging to 438 genera and 60 families have been

recorded from India, which represents about 3.67% of

global Araneae diversity. Among these, more than 500 spp.

Are represented in Western Ghats. The araneofauna of

Western Ghats is dominated by the jumping spiders

(Family Salticidae), followed by the crab spiders (family

Thomisidae), the orb web spiders (family Araneidar) the flat

bellied ground spiders (family Gnaphosidae) and the wolf

spiders (family Lycosidae). The 2015 IUCN Red Data Book

(IUCN, 2015) list 15 spp. Of Indian spiders as threatened

and it is interesting to note that all of them are distributed

either in Eastern of Western ghats or both with 6 spp.

endemic to Western Ghats and 3 spp. to Eastern Ghats.

This data amply illustrates the biological wealth of these

regions, as well as indicates the need to conserve this

animal group. The major obstacle for spider conservation

is an absence of public support, arguably due to fear and

ignorance. Many species any be threatened, endangered or

extinct, but research on them is lacking. Unfortunately,

due to this limited information on distribution, population

and conservation status of spiders, it is difficult to get

them listed under national or international legislation.

Conservation of spiders will this necessitate a greater

understanding by the students, general public, scientists,

land use managers and conservationists about the

importance of conserving these fascinating creatures.

20. K.R. Saisdharan and C. Kunhikannan

Diversity of Bee Fauna of the Nilgiris and

strategies for its conservation

Biodiversity Division

Institute of Forest Genetics and Tree Breeding

Coimbatore – 641 002

Bees are integral part of many natural and farmed

landscapes all over the world and they are considered to be

responsible for 80 per cent of pollination taking place in

nature. Pollination is recognized as an important

ecosystem function that is directly linked to biodiversity

and global food security. But bees are under pressure

everywhere, both from the direct impact of pesticides in

the environment as well as habitat alteration and

destruction. There is recognition of a looming pollination

crisis and efforts have been mobilized at global level to

address pollinator management and conservation. The

Nilgiris District of Tamil Nadu form a major chunk of area,

under the Nilgiris Biosphere Reserve and information on

the bee fauna of this ecologically important part is scanty

and the present study was undertaken to generate

information on the diversity of bees, so as to development

strategies for their conservation.

The studies have revealed the occurrence of about 92

species of bees in the Nilgiris district. These species fall

under 14 genera viz. Apis, Amegilla, Braunsapis, Ceratina,

Chelostoma, Halictus, Lasioglossum, Megachile, Nomada,

Nomia, Sphecodes, Thyreus, Trigona and Xylocopa. The

highest diversity of bees was noticed in the Dry Deciduous

forests, followed by the semi evergreen forest. The sub-

tropical Broad Leaved Hill forests, the Moist Deciduous

forests and the swamp forests showed intermediate

diversity, while the Montane Wet Temperate forests (Shola

forest) and the Thorn forests exhibited lower diversity. The

diversity of bee species in monoculture plantations was

found to be low, compared to the natural forests. Among

the eight forest types, the semi evergreen forests were

found to have the maximum diversity of the trees/woody

climbers, followed by the Montane Wet Temperate forests

(Shola forests) and the Wet Ever Green forests. The

subtropical Broad Leaved Hill forests, the swamp forests

and the Moist Deciduous forests showed intermediate

diversity of trees/woody climbers and the Dry Deciduous

forests and the Thorn forests, exhibited lower diversity.

The Dry Deciduous forests had the maximum diversity of

shrubs and herbs, followed by Montane Wet Temperate

forests (Shola forests) and Moist Deciduous forest. The

Thorn forests and the sub tropical broad leaved hill forests

showed intermediate diversity and the Wet Evergreen

forest had the lowest diversity of shrubby and herbaceous

species. Association of about 113 species of plants with

different bee species was recorded in the study area. No

significant correlation was observed between the bee

faunal diversity and the plant diversity, in the different

forest types. The number of bee species and their

population showed positive correlation with minimum

temperature and rainfall, while these parameters exhibited

negative correlation with the maximum temperature.

Hence, the rise in temperature caused by the climate

change is likely to have high negative impact on the bee

fauna.

As some of the natural forest areas in the Nilgiris are in

different stages of degradation, eco-restoration of these

areas, by promoting natural regeneration or through

assisted natural regeneration of local indigenous species

are to be taken up with priority. Since the forest fire is one

of the important destructive factors affecting both the

floristic diversity and the bee faunal diversity, its

occurrence has to be prevented. The cattle graze/browse

many of the herbaceous and shrubby plants, which serve

as nectar and pollen sources of bees and hence the forests

may be protected from cattle grazing, so as to ensure

enough food materials to the bees. Though many of the

invasive exotic plant species available in the district are

the source of nectar/pollen for the bees, considering the

have caused by them to the natural forests, in terms of

competition with native forest species, the spread of such

plant species in the forest areas need to be monitored and

controlled. The existing monocultures plantations,

particularly of exotic species are to be slowly replaced with

local indigenous species, so as to create ideal habitats for

bees to sustain. Large amount of chemical pesticides is

used in the Nilgiris against various target pests of different

crops and it will have impact on non target organisms like

bees, The usage of such pesticides is to be minimized by

adopting Integrated Pest Management Strategies, so as to

protect the bee population. The European honey bee (Apis

mellifera) was not recorded from the Nilgiris, during the

present study, but if introduced, it can pose a severe

threat to native bees, mainly due to competition for the

floral resources. Hence, introduction of such exotic species

should be prevented to conserve and protect the native bee

fauna of the hilly region.