TABLE OF CONTENTS IRCF REPTILES & AMPHIBIANS • … · 60 NARAYANAN ET AL. IRCF REPTILES &...
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IRCF REPTILES & AMPHIBIANS • 24(1):58–60 • APR 2017 Occurrence of the Sri Lankan Flying Snake, Chrysopelea cf. taprobanica (Smith 1943) in Tamil Nadu, India Surya Narayanan¹, Naveen Joseph 2 , Ranjith Kumar 3 , and Arul Vengatesan 4 ¹Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment, Royal Enclave, Sriramapura, Jakkur Post, Bangalore, Karnataka, India ([email protected]) 2 National Troopers for Conservation of Nature, Palayamkottai, Tirunelveli, Tamil Nadu, India 3 Aathu Palam, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India 4 Bank Nagar, Vellore, Tamil Nadu, India 58 IRCF REPTILES & AMPHIBIANS CONSERVATION AND NATURAL HISTORY Copyright © 2017. Surya Narayanan. All rights reserved. WWW.IRCF.ORG/REPTILESANDAMPHIBIANSJOURNAL “F lying Snakes” in the genus Chrysopelea are arboreal colubrids. The genus comprises five species (Uetz and Hošek 2013) of which two, C. ornata (Shaw 1802) and C. taprobanica Smith 1943, have been recorded in India. The Golden Flying Snake (C. ornata) ranges through northern India and much of southeastern Asia to the Philippines, with a disjunct population recognized at the subspecific level in Sri Lanka. Chrysopelea taprobanica was considered a color variant of C. ornata until recognized as a distinct species by Smith (1943) and was believed to be endemic to Sri Lanka (Taylor 1950; Deraniyagala 1955; Pyron et al. 2013). However, Guptha et al. (2015) recently documented the presence of the species in the Seshachalam Biosphere Reserve in the Eastern Ghats of India (Fig. 1). Herein we provide two additional records of C. cf. taprobanica, one each from the Western and Eastern Ghats. At 1530 h on 19 March 2016, R. Kumar rescued a live snake (Fig. 2) from a human habitation in the foothills of the Western Ghats in Kalampalayam, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu (10.928512N, 76.82129E; elevation 518 m asl; Fig. 1). The site is within the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve. Because we sus- pected that the snake was C. taprobanica, we recorded mea- surements and scale counts before taking voucher photographs and releasing the snake at the site of capture. We counted dorsal scale rows one head length behind the neck, at approxi- mately midbody, and one head length anterior to the vent. We counted ventrals as in Dowling (1951). A comparison (Table 1) with recently recorded (Guptha et al. 2015) and literature data (Smith 1943; Constable 1949) suggests that this individual was C. taprobanica. However, in the absence of molecular data and in light of variation in only one scale character (see below), we conservatively refer to this snake as C. cf. taprobanica. On 14 January 2015, Arul sighted a similar snake (Fig. 3) in an area of riparian and dry deciduous forest in the Javadu Hills of the Eastern Ghats (12.581463N, 78.861228E; ele- vation 657 m asl; Fig. 1), approximately 125 km south of the previous record (Guptha et al. 2015). The sighting was Fig. 1. Known localities for the Sri Lankan Flying Snake (Chrysopelea taprobanica) in India. The previously known location (white star) is in the Seshachalam Biosphere Reserve in the Eastern Ghats (Guptha et al. 2015) and the additional locations (blue stars) reported herein are in the Javadu Hills of the Eastern Ghats and Coimbatore of the Western Ghats.
Transcript of TABLE OF CONTENTS IRCF REPTILES & AMPHIBIANS • … · 60 NARAYANAN ET AL. IRCF REPTILES &...
IRCF REPTILES & AMPHIBIANS • 24(1):58–60 • APR 2017
Occurrence of the Sri Lankan Flying Snake, Chrysopelea cf. taprobanica (Smith 1943)
in Tamil Nadu, IndiaSurya Narayanan¹, Naveen Joseph2, Ranjith Kumar3, and Arul Vengatesan4
¹Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment, Royal Enclave, Sriramapura, Jakkur Post, Bangalore, Karnataka, India ([email protected])2National Troopers for Conservation of Nature, Palayamkottai, Tirunelveli, Tamil Nadu, India
3Aathu Palam, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India4Bank Nagar, Vellore, Tamil Nadu, India
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IRCF REPTILES & AMPHIBIANS • VOL15, NO 4 • DEC 2008 189TABLE OF CONTENTS
T A B L E O F C O N T E N T S
F E A T U R E A R T I C L E S
Chasing Bullsnakes (Pituophis catenifer sayi) in Wisconsin: On the Road to Understanding the Ecology and Conservation of the Midwest’s Giant Serpent ...................... Joshua M. Kapfer 190
The Shared History of Treeboas (Corallus grenadensis) and Humans on Grenada: A Hypothetical Excursion ............................................................................................................................Robert W. Henderson 198
R E S E A R C H A R T I C L E S
The Texas Horned Lizard in Central and Western Texas ....................... Emily Henry, Jason Brewer, Krista Mougey, and Gad Perry 204 The Knight Anole (Anolis equestris) in Florida
.............................................Brian J. Camposano, Kenneth L. Krysko, Kevin M. Enge, Ellen M. Donlan, and Michael Granatosky 212
C O N S E R V A T I O N A L E R T
World’s Mammals in Crisis ............................................................................................................................................................. 220 More Than Mammals ...................................................................................................................................................................... 223 The “Dow Jones Index” of Biodiversity ........................................................................................................................................... 225
H U S B A N D R Y
Captive Care of the Central Netted Dragon ....................................................................................................... Shannon Plummer 226
P R O F I L E
Kraig Adler: A Lifetime Promoting Herpetology ................................................................................................ Michael L. Treglia 234
C O M M E N T A R Y
The Turtles Have Been Watching Me ........................................................................................................................ Eric Gangloff 238
B O O K R E V I E W
Threatened Amphibians of the World edited by S.N. Stuart, M. Hoffmann, J.S. Chanson, N.A. Cox, R. Berridge, P. Ramani, and B.E. Young .............................................................................................................. Robert Powell 243
CONSERVATION RESEARCH REPORTS: Summaries of Published Conservation Research Reports ................................. 245 NATURAL HISTORY RESEARCH REPORTS: Summaries of Published Reports on Natural History ................................. 247 NEWBRIEFS ...................................................................................................................................................................................... 248 EDITORIAL INFORMATION ..................................................................................................................................................... 251 FOCUS ON CONSERVATION: A Project You Can Support ............................................................................................... 252
Front Cover. Shannon Plummer.Totat et velleseque audant mo estibus inveliquo velique rerchil erspienimus, quos accullabo. Ilibus aut dolor apicto invere pe dolum fugiatis maionsequat eumque moditia erere nonsedis ma sectiatur ma derrovitae voluptam, as quos accullabo.
Back Cover. Michael KernTotat et velleseque audant mo
estibus inveliquo velique rerchil erspienimus, quos accullabo. Ilibus
aut dolor apicto invere pe dolum fugiatis maionsequat eumque
moditia erere nonsedis ma sectia-tur ma derrovitae voluptam, as
IRC
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REPTILES & AMPHIBIANSC O N S E R V AT I O N A N D N AT U R A L H I S T O R Y
Copyright © 2017. Surya Narayanan. All rights reserved.
WWW.IRCF.ORG/REPTILESANDAMPHIBIANSJOURNAL
“Flying Snakes” in the genus Chrysopelea are arboreal colubrids. The genus comprises five species (Uetz and
Hošek 2013) of which two, C. ornata (Shaw 1802) and C. taprobanica Smith 1943, have been recorded in India. The Golden Flying Snake (C. ornata) ranges through northern India and much of southeastern Asia to the Philippines, with a disjunct population recognized at the subspecific level in Sri Lanka. Chrysopelea taprobanica was considered a color variant of C. ornata until recognized as a distinct species by Smith (1943) and was believed to be endemic to Sri Lanka (Taylor 1950; Deraniyagala 1955; Pyron et al. 2013). However, Guptha et al. (2015) recently documented the presence of the species in the Seshachalam Biosphere Reserve in the Eastern Ghats of India (Fig. 1). Herein we provide two additional records of C. cf. taprobanica, one each from the Western and Eastern Ghats. At 1530 h on 19 March 2016, R. Kumar rescued a live snake (Fig. 2) from a human habitation in the foothills of the Western Ghats in Kalampalayam, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu (10.928512N, 76.82129E; elevation 518 m asl; Fig. 1). The site is within the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve. Because we sus-pected that the snake was C. taprobanica, we recorded mea-surements and scale counts before taking voucher photographs and releasing the snake at the site of capture. We counted dorsal scale rows one head length behind the neck, at approxi-mately midbody, and one head length anterior to the vent. We counted ventrals as in Dowling (1951). A comparison (Table 1) with recently recorded (Guptha et al. 2015) and literature data (Smith 1943; Constable 1949) suggests that this individual was C. taprobanica. However, in the absence of molecular data and in light of variation in only one scale character (see below), we conservatively refer to this snake as C. cf. taprobanica. On 14 January 2015, Arul sighted a similar snake (Fig. 3) in an area of riparian and dry deciduous forest in the Javadu Hills of the Eastern Ghats (12.581463N, 78.861228E; ele-
vation 657 m asl; Fig. 1), approximately 125 km south of the previous record (Guptha et al. 2015). The sighting was
Fig. 1. Known localities for the Sri Lankan Flying Snake (Chrysopelea taprobanica) in India. The previously known location (white star) is in the Seshachalam Biosphere Reserve in the Eastern Ghats (Guptha et al. 2015) and the additional locations (blue stars) reported herein are in the Javadu Hills of the Eastern Ghats and Coimbatore of the Western Ghats.
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IRCF REPTILES & AMPHIBIANS • 24(1):58–60 • APR 2017NARAYANAN ET AL.
Table 1. Comparison of the snake reported herein (Chrysopelea cf. taprobanica from Coimbatore) and those identified as C. taprobanica and described by Guptha et al. (2015) and Constable (1949).
Source Character Current work Guptha et al. (2015) Constable (1949)
Dorsal scale rows 17:17:13 17:17:15 17
Ventrals 202 201 208
Subcaudals 106 106 120
Supralabials 9 9 9
Supralabials entering the eye 4, 5, and 6 4, 5, and 6 4, 5, and 6
Loreals 1 1 1
Preoculars 1 1 1
Postoculars 2 2 2
Temporals 2+2 2+2 2+2
Infralabials 8 — —
Snout-vent length (mm) 501 589 560
Tail length (mm) 190 223 225
Bands on body 56 57 —
Bands on tail 26 14 —
Dorsal color Olive with black bars Olive with black bars Olive with black bands
Fig. 2. A Sri Lankan Flying Snake (Chrysopelea cf. taprobanica) rescued from a human habitation in Coimbatore, India. Photograph by Naveen Joseph.
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opportunistic, so the snake was not collected and no data were recorded. Consequently, we could not confirm its identity, but color and pattern suggest that it was C. cf. taprobanica. The current record from Coimbatore matches previous descriptions of C. taprobanica except for dorsal scale rows of 17:17:13 (vs. 17:17:15) and a divided cloacal scale (vs. undi-vided; Guptha et al. 2015; Smith 1943 — note that an undi-vided cloacal was the character Smith used to differentiate C. taprobanica from C. ornata). The snake described herein might be aberrant or the population in the Western Ghats might vary from those found elsewhere. This would have to be determined by examining more samples. Although Guptha et al. (2015) claimed the first con-firmed record of C. taprobanica from India, they overlooked earlier records in Constable (1949), who reported the spe-cies in “Madras” (present-day Tamil Nadu, Telangana, and Andhra Pradesh). Most recently, Somaweera et al. (2015) revalidated the records of Constable (1949) and others. Three specimens labeled as C. taprobanica were examined, and one in the Naturhistorisches Museum Wien (NMW 27287:34) was confirmed to be C. taprobanica. Unfortunately, except for the record in Guptha et al. (2015), we do not know the precise localities for any other specimens. Nevertheless, the
two records from Tamil Nadu suggest that the species occu-pies a broad geographic area; and we suspect that C. tapro-banica is widespread in the Eastern Ghats. The new record of C. cf. taprobanica from the Western Ghats further indicates that the distribution includes the Western Ghats. Possible explanations for the apparently broad range of this species in India include: (1) it has always been present but overlooked because it is either rare or cryptic; (2) it has dispersed recently (although this would appear to be unlikely); or (3) its range is expanding due to human mediation (unlikely, but not impos-sible). More fieldwork will be necessary to resolve questions regarding the taxonomic status of these snakes and to deter-mine the actual status of the species’ distribution in India.
AcknowledgementsWe thank Vivek Sharma for insight and Allwin Jesudasan for his comments on an earlier draft of this manuscript. We also thank Deepak Veerapan for suggestions regarding species identification and for encouraging us to write this note. We thank Abhishek Samrat for providing the map.
Literature CitedConstable, J.D. 1949. Reptiles from the Indian Peninsula in the Museum of
Comparative Zoology. Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology 103: 59–160.
Deraniyagala, P. 1955. A Colored Atlas of Some Vertebrates from Ceylon. Volume Three: Serpentoid Reptilia. Government Press, Colombo, Sri Lanka.
Dowling, H.G. 1951. A proposed standard system of counting ventrals in snakes. British Journal of Herpetology 1: 97–99.
Guptha, B., N.V.S. Prasad, S.T. Maddock, and V Deepak. 2015. First record of Chrysopelea taprobanica Smith, 1943 (Squamata: Colubridae) from India. Check List 11: 1523.
Smith, M.A. 1943. The Fauna of British India, Ceylon and Burma, Including the Whole of the Indo-Chinese Sub-region. Reptilia and Amphibia. Volume III, Serpentes. Taylor and Francis, London.
Uetz, P. and Hošek, J. (eds.) 2013. The Reptile Database. <http://www.reptile-database.org/>.
Pyron, R.A., H.K.D. Kandambi, C.R. Hendry, V. Pushpamal, F.T. Burbrink, and R. Somaweera. 2013. Genus-level phylogeny of snakes reveals the origins of species richness in Sri Lanka. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 66: 969–978.
Somaweera, R., D.L. Pantoja, and V. Deepak. 2015. Forgotten records of Chrysopelea taprobanica Smith, 1943 (Squamata: Colubridae) from India. Zootaxa 3947: 597–600.
Taylor, E.H. 1950. A brief review of Ceylonese snakes. University of Kansas Science Bulletin 33: 519–603.
Fig. 3. A Sri Lankan Flying Snake (Chrysopelea cf. taprobanica) encoun-tered in the Javadu Hills, Tamil Nadu, India. Photograph by Arul Vengatesan.
