A preliminary checklist of the reptiles of eaglenest wildlife sanctuary, West Kameng district, Arunachal Pradesh, India

Ishan Agarwal, Viral K. Mistry, and Ramana Athreya

Submitted August 23, 2008.

This is a first report on the reptiles of Eaglenest wildlife sanctuary, Arunachal Pradesh, India. The paper lists details of 23 snake species representing 16 genera from four families, and ten lizard species representing eight genera from three families, documented in Eaglenest during three surveys in 2004 – 2005. Notable records include the rediscovery of Dinodon gammiei, Mictopholis austeniana, as well as records of Japalura andersoniana, Oligodon cinereus, and three species of Trachischium.

Keywords: reptiles, Eaglenest, Arunachal Pradesh, rediscovery, Dinodon gammiei, Mictopholis austeniana, Japalura andersoniana.

Report of Xenochrophis schnurrenbergeri Kramer, 1977 (Serpentes: Natricidae) from Orissa, INDIA

Pratyush P. Mohapatra, Sushil K. Dutta, and Siba Prasad Parida

Submitted May 2, 2009.

One road killed female specimen of the genus Xenochrophis Günther, 1864 was examined and confirmed as Xenochrophis schnurrenbergeri Kramer, 1977. Hence, the southernmost distribution range of the little known species is extended to Orissa, India.

Keywords: Xenochrophis schnurrenbergeri, range extension, Orissa, India.

Hematological and immunological mechanisms of adaptation to hibernation in common indian toad Duttaphrynus melanostictus

Suman Pratihar and Jayanta Kumar Kundu

Submitted December 24, 2008.

Some hematological parameters of the hibernating and non hibernating toads Duttaphrynus melanostictus have been investigated. The immunoglobulin IgM amount, total red blood cell and neutrophil counts were significantly less (p < 0.05) in the hibernating toads as compared to the non hibernating ones. On the contrary, total white blood cell, eosinophil and lymphocyte counts were significantly more (p < 0.05) in hibernating individuals. No significant difference in the monocyte amount was observed. Hematological and immunological mechanisms of adaptation to hibernation in amphibians are discussed.

Keywords: Duttaphrynus melanostictus, hibernation, blood cells, IgM, SDS-PAGE.

Antioxidant activity and lipid peroxidation status during the period of hibernation in indian pond frog, Euphlytes hexadactyla Lesson, 1834

Suman Pratihar, Surajit Sen, and Tanmay Bhattacharya

Submitted October 29, 2009.

The rate of lipid peroxidation and activities of catalase and reduced glutathione were analyzed in the brain and liver tissue of Euphlytes hexadactyla upon pre-hibernation (28.4 ± 3°C), in initial hibernation (17.2 ± 2°C) and deep hibernation (10.0 ± 2°C). During late hibernation lipid peroxidation decreased significantly as compared to pre-hibernating individuals. Increased antioxidant activity is observed in both tissues of late hibernating individuals whereas reduced glutathione activity remains at the level of pre-hibernating animals in brain tissue. Such changes appear to be physiological adaptations to combat cold stress during hibernation.

Keywords: Euphlytes hexadactyla, hibernation, glutathione and catalase activities, lipid peroxidation.

Rediscovery of the rare thai scincid lizard Sphenomorphus lineopunctulatus Taylor, 1962: New country records from Cambodia and Laos and a redescription

Timo Hartmann, Nguyen Quang Truong, Annemarie Ohler, Hun Chippich, Markus Handschuh, and Wolfgang Böhme

Submitted September 18, 2009.

We herein report about the first records of the Line-spotted forest skink Sphenomorphus lineopunctulatus, a species previously known from a single specimen only from Thailand, for Cambodia and Laos. Based on the new material, we provide a redescription and first natural history notes of the species.

Keywords: Squamata, Scincidae, Lygosominae, Sphenomorphus lineopunctulatus, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, rediscovery, new records, redescription.

A new species of viper (Reptilia, Viperidae) from the Altay and Saur Mountains, Kazakhstan

Boris Tuniyev, Göran Nilson, and Claes Andrén

Submitted September 24, 2009.

A new species of genus Vipera (Reptilia: Viperidae) belonging to the subgenus Pelias based on several specimens from the Altay and Saur mountain region in eastern Kazakhstan is described. It is a small species belonging to the renardi lineage.

Keywords: Viperidae, Vipera, subgenus Pelias, new species, Kazakhstan, Altay and Saur Mountains.

A new species of the natricine snake genus Amphiesma from Borneo (Squamata: Natricidae)

Patrick David and Gernot Vogel

Submitted August 15, 2009.

A new species of the natricine snake genus Amphiesma is described from a single specimen obtained from Borneo by Franz Steindachner in 1878. Amphiesma arquus sp. nov. is distinguished from other species of the Sunda Region by the combination of an elongated body, 17 + 3 enlarged maxillary teeth, 17 – 17 – 15 dorsal scale rows, all strongly keeled, absence of a loreal, a high number of ventrals and subcaudals, supralabials ornate with white arched markings, and an obscured venter. Its generic position, especially in respect with the genus Tropidonophis Jan, 1863, is discussed. This new species is compared with other Asian natricine species with 17 dorsal scale rows. A key to natricine species known from Borneo is provided.

Keywords: Borneo, Sunda Region, Serpentes, Natricinae, Amphiesma, Amphiesma arquus sp. nov., Tropidonophis.

Second record of Lygosoma haroldyoungi (Taylor, 1962) from Laos

Nikolai L. Orlov, Alexey B. Streltzov, and Richard Peney

Submitted March 29, 2010.

A second record of Lygosoma haroldyoungi for territory of Laos is reported. Measurements, color pattern and pholidosis for holotype and specimens from Laos are presented.

Keywords: Lygosoma haroldyoungi, second record, Laos.

The diet of an introduced lizard species, the brown anole (Anolis sagrei), in Chiayi County, Taiwan

Gerrut Norval, Wen-Feng Hsiao, Shao-Chang Huang, and Chih-Kuan Chen

Submitted June 17, 2009

Five hundred-and-two brown anoles (Anolis sagrei) were collected for stomach content analysis from an area surrounding a plant nursery in Santzepu, Sheishan District, Chiayi County, as part of an ongoing study on this invasive trunk-ground lizard species. Prey items belonged to the classes Arachnida, Insecta, Chilopoda, Crustacea, Gastropoda and Reptilia. Among them, Hymenopterans were the most common prey items, followed by Aranea, Diptera, Coleoptera, Lepidoptera, and Hemiptera, in that order, and all of these prey types were present in stomach contents every month. Of the Hymenopterans, by far the greatest numbers of prey items were ants. Only five A. sagrei males had vertebrate prey in their stomachs, which made up about 0.2% of all the prey items. This study indicated that although A. sagrei prey on a wide variety of prey types, the food resource diversity is limited to large numbers of only a few prey types, and that the dietary niche of A. sagrei in Taiwan is quite narrow.

Keywords: ambush hunter, cannibalism, invasive species, Norops sagrei.

First report on the Herpetofauna of Pulau Pangkor, Perak, Malaysia

Chan Kin Onn, J. van Rooijen, L. Lee Grismer, Daicus Belabut, Mohd. Abdul Muin Md. Akil, Hamidi Jamaludin, Rick Gregory, and Norhayati Ahmad

Submitted August 12, 2009.

Pulau Pangkor is an important island off the west coast of Perak, Peninsular Malaysia which contains three forest reserves and a permanent source of freshwater. Despite that, the herpetofauna of the island has never been studied before. This paper represents the first report on the herpetofauna of Pulau Pangkor with the documentation of 13 species of amphibians and 44 reptiles. These numbers are by no means exhaustive and future studies are expected to uncover new records.

Keywords: Peninsular Malaysia, amphibians, reptiles, survey.

A checklist of the Herpetofauna of the Banjaran Bintang, Peninsular Malaysia

L. Lee Grismer, Chan K. Onn, Jesse L. Grismer, Perry L. Wood, Jr., and A. Norhayati

Submitted February 19, 2010.

The three major mountain ranges of Peninsular Malaysia comprise areas of extreme environmental diversity, yet they remain relatively unexplored. Although herpetofaunal records from these upland systems are scattered throughout a wide body of literature, only two major studies have focused on the largest mountain system, the Banjaran Titiwangsa and only one major survey was published for a locality in the easternmost range, the Banjaran Timur. The smallest range of mountains in northwestern Peninsular Malaysia, the Banjaran Bintang, has had no major studies focusing specifically on the composition of its herpetofauna. This is despite the fact that it harbors the type localities of seven species of frogs, one caecilian, 10 species of lizards, and four species of snakes, the vast majority of which come from one locality at Bukit Larut, Perak. This study complies all the herpetofaunal records from the literature and museum collections from the Banjaran Bintang as well as presents new locality records for seven species of frogs, one species of lizard, and five species of snakes. This brings the total number of species known from the Banjaran Bintang to 107 (41 frogs, two caecilians, three turtles, 31 lizards, and 30 snakes). In this regard, the much smaller Banjaran Bintang has significantly more species of amphibians and reptiles than any other upland system in Peninsular Malaysia. We regard this as a collecting artifact that underscores the unexplored nature of the other mountain ranges.

Keywords: Malaysia, Banjaran Bintang, Banjaran Titiwangsa, Banjaran Timur, herpetofauna, Bukit Larut.