JOTT

ISSN 0974-7907 (Online)
ISSN 0974-7893 (Print)

January 2015
Vol. 7 | No. 1
Pages: 67396842
Taxa
Journal of
Threatened
OPEN ACCESS
www.threatenedtaxa.org
Date of Publication: 26 January 2015 (Online & Print)
DOI: 10.11609/JoTT.26jan15.6739-6842
ISSN 0974-7907 (Online); ISSN 0974-7893 (Print)

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Dr. Meena Venkataraman, Mumbai, India
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Dr. Robert C. Lacy, Minnesota, USA
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Mr. Stephen D. Nash, Stony Brook, USA
Dr. Fred Pluthero, Toronto, Canada
Dr. Martin Fisher, Cambridge, UK
Dr. Ulf Grdenfors, Uppsala, Sweden
Dr. John Fellowes, Hong Kong
Dr. Philip S. Miller, Minnesota, USA
Prof. Dr. Mirco Sol, Brazil
Editorial Board
Subject Editors 20142015
A.J. Solomon Raju, Andhra University, Visakhapatnam, India
Albert G. Orr, Griffith University, Nathan, Australia
Alexi Popov, National Museum of Natural History, Sofia, Bulgaria
Alexander Ereskovsky, IMBE, Marseille, France
Andreas Khler, Universidade de Santa Cruz do, Brazil
Angela R. Glatston, Rotterdam Zoo, The Netherlands.
Anjana Silva, Rajarata University of Sri Lanka, Saliyapura, Sri Lanka
Annemarie Ohler, Musum national dHistoire naturelle, Paris, France
Ansie Dippenaar-Schoeman, University of Pretoria, Queenswood, South Africa
Antonio A. Mignucci-Giannoni, Universidad Interamericana de Puerto Rico,
Puerto Rico
Anwaruddin Chowdhury, Guwahati, India
Aparna Watve, Pune, Maharashtra, India
Arthur Y.C. Chung, Sabah Forestry Department, Sandakan, Sabah, Malaysia
B.C. Choudhury (Retd.), Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, India.
B. Ravi Prasad Rao, Sri Krishnadevaraya University, Anantpur, India
B. Shivaraju, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India
B.A. Daniel, Zoo Outreach Organization, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India
B.S. Kholia, Botanical Survey of India, Gangtok, Sikkim, India
Brett C. Ratcliffe, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, USA
Brian Fisher, California Academy of Sciences, USA
C. Raghunathan, Zoological Survey of India, Andaman and Nicobar Islands
C. Srinivasulu, Osmania University, Hyderabad, India
Carl Ferraris, Smithsonian Institution, Portland, USA
Ceclia Kierulff, Victorville , California
Cecilia Volkmer Ribeiro, Porto Alegre, Brazil.
Chris Bowden, Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, Sandy, UK
Christoph Kueffer, Institute of Integrative Biology, Zrich, Switzerland
Christoph Schwitzer, University of the West of England, Clifton, Bristol, BS8 3HA
Christopher L. Jenkins, The Orianne Society, Athens, Georgia
Cleofas Cervancia, Univ. of Philippines Los Baos College Laguna, Philippines
Colin Groves, Australian National University, Canberra, Australia
Crawford Prentice, Nature Management Services, Jalan, Malaysia
D.B. Bastawade, Maharashtra, India
D.J. Bhat, Retd. Professor, Goa University, Goa, India
Dale R. Calder, Royal Ontaro Museum, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Daniel Brito, Federal University of Gois, Goinia, Brazil
David Mallon, Zoological Society of London, UK
Davor Zanella, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
Deepak Apte, Bombay Natural Hisotry Society, Mumbai, India.
Diana Doan-Crider, Texas A&M University, Texas, USA
Dietmar Zinner, German Primate Center, Gttingen, Germany

E. Vivekanandan, Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute, Chennai, India
Eduard Vives, Museu de Cincies Naturals de Barcelona, Terrassa, Spain
Eric Smith, University of Texas, Arlington, USA
Erin Wessling, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Germany
F.B. Vincent Florens, University of Mauritius, Mauritius
Ferdinando Boero, Universit del Salento, Lecce, Italy
Francesco Dal Grande, Senckenberg Gesellschaft fr Naturforschung, Frankfurt
George Mathew, Kerala Forest Research Institute, Peechi, India
Gernot Vogel, Heidelberg, Germany
Giovanni Amori, CNR - Institute of Ecosystem Studies, Rome, Italy
Gombobaatar Sundev, Professor of Ornithology, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
G.P. Sinha, Botanical Survey of India, Allahabad, India
Hayrnisa Ba Sermenli, Mula University, Ktekli, Turkey
H.C. Nagaveni, Institute of Wood Science and Technology, Bengaluru, India
H.C. Paulo Corgosinho, Bairro Universitrio, Frutal, Brazil
Heidi S. Riddle, Riddles Elephant and Wildlife Sanctuary, Arkansas, USA
Hem Sagar Baral, Charles Sturt University, NSW Australia
Hemant V. Ghate, Modern College, Pune, India
Heok Hee Ng, National University of Singapore, Science Drive, Singapore
Hui Xiao, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chaoyang, China
Ian J. Kitching, Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, UK
Ian Redmond, UNEP Convention on Migratory Species, Lansdown, UK
Indraneil Das, Sarawak, Malaysia
Ivana Karanovic, Hanyang University, Seoul, Korea
J. Jerald Wilson, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
J.W. Duckworth, IUCN SSC, Bath, UK
Jack Tordoff, Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund, Arlington, USA
James Young, Hong Kong Lepidopterists Society, Hong Kong
Jeff McNeely, IUCN, Gland, Switzerland
Jesse Leland, Southern Cross University, New South Wales, Australia
Jill Pruetz, Iowa State University, Ames, USA
Jodi L. Sedlock, Lawrence University, Appleton, USA
John C. Morse, Clemson University, Long Hall, Clemson, USA
John Noyes, Natural History Museum, London, UK
John Veron, Coral Reef Foundation, Townsville, Australia
K. Ravikumar, FRLHT, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India
K.A. Subramanian, Zoological Survey of India, New Alipore, Kolkata, India
Kelly B. Miller, University of New Mexico, USA
K.G. Sivaramakrishnan, Madras Christian College, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
K.S. Gopi Sundar, International Crane Foundation, Baraboo, USA
K.S. Negi, NBPGR-ICAR, Nainital District, Uttarakhand, India
Kailash Chandra, Zoological Survey of India, Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, India
Kareen Schnabel, NIWA, Wellington, New Zealand
Karin Schwartz, George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia
continued on the back inside cover
Front cover: Pen and ink illustration of Red-headed Vulture Sarcogyps calvus by Eric Ramanujam, Pitchandikulam Forest, Auroville.
674
Habitat use and relative abundance of the S otted Paca

uni ulu pa a (Linnaeus, 1766) (Rodentia: Cuniculidae)
and the Red-ru ed Agouti a pr a lep rina (Linnaeus,
1758) (Rodentia: Das roctidae) in Guato o National Par ,
Vene uela
Elinor Jax , So a Mar n , Adriana Rodr guez-Ferraro & Emiliana Isasi-Catal
1
Article
Journal of Threatened Taxa www.threatenedtaxa.org 26 January 2015 7(1): 67

OPEN ACCESS
Institute of Biology, Lund University, SE-221 00 Lund, Sweden

Laboratorio de Conservaci n y Manejo de Fauna Silvestre, Universidad Sim n Bolvar, Valle de Sartenejas, C digo
postal 1020. Baruta, Caracas, Venezuela
3
Departamento de Estudios Ambientales, Universidad Sim n Bolvar, Valle de Sartenejas, C digo postal 1020, Baruta,
Caracas, Venezuela
1
[email protected] (corresponding author), 2 [email protected], 3 [email protected],
4
[email protected]
1
2,4
Abstract: The Spotted Paca Cuniculus paca and the Red-rumped Agouti Dasyprocta leporina are affected by habitat loss and hunting. In
Venezuela, their conservation status is unknown, even within protected areas. The objective of this study was to estimate the relative
abundance, activity patterns, habitat use, and effect of human activities on these species in Venezuela. To achieve this, 26 camera-trap
stations (20.8km2) were established in Guatopo National Park between February and April 2011, characterization of the habitat was
undertaken and occupancy models were created. The relative abundance of the Spotted Paca was 1.62 captures/100trap-nights, with a
fully nocturnal activity pattern. The relative abundance of the Red-rumped Agouti was 2.32 captures/100trap-nights, with a pronounced
diurnal activity pattern. The occupation probability of the Red-rumped Agouti (0.61 SE 0.02) was higher than that of the Spotted Paca
(0.27 SE 0.02). Spotted Pacas were mainly found in areas with mature forest and high tree density, whereas the Red-rumped Agoutis were
most frequently found in valleys with little disturbed forest. A positive correlation was found between illegal hunting activities and areas
occupied by the Spotted Paca. It is important to strengthen the park control measurements to reduce illegal hunting of Spotted Pacas.
eywords: Camera traps, Cuniculus paca, Dasyprocta leporina, habitat use, human activities, illegal hunting, occupancy models, protected
area.
Cuniculus paca
Spotted Paca
NOT
EVALUATED
DATA
DEFICIENT
LEAST
CONCERN
NE
DD
LC
NEAR
VULNERABLE
THREATENED
NT
VU
ENDANGERED
CRITICALLY
ENDANGERED
EXTINCT
IN THE WILD
EXTINCT
EN
CR
EW
EX
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.11609/JoTT.o3915.6739-49 ZooBank: urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:47CAD9C8-EF5E-4FDE-A755-FC9914C44208

Editor: Giovanni Amori, CNR - Institute of Ecosystem Studies, Roma, Italy.
Date of publication: 26 January 2015 (online & print)
Manuscript details: Ms o3915 Received 15 January 2014 Final received 29 November 2014 Finally accepted 21 December 2014
Citation: Jax, E., S. Marn, A. Rodrguez-Ferraro & E. Isasi-Catal (2015). Habitat use and relative abundance of the Spotted Paca Cuniculus paca (Linnaeus, 1766)
(Rodentia: Cuniculidae) and the Red-rumped Agouti Dasyprocta leporina (Linnaeus, 1758) (Rodentia: Dasyproctidae) in Guatopo National Park, Venezuela. Journal
of Threatened Taxa 7(1): 67396749; http://dx.doi.org/10.11609/JoTT.o3915.6739-49
Copyright: Jax et al. 2015. Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. JoTT allows unrestricted use of this article in any medium, reproduction and
distribution by providing adequate credit to the authors and the source of publication.
Funding: This study was supported by Fundaci n para la Defensa de la Naturaleza (FUDENA) and IdeaWild.
Competing Interest: The authors declare no competing interests.
For Acknowledgements, Author Details, Author Contribution and Spanish Abstract see end of this article.
67
Spotted Paca and Red-rumped Agouti in Guatopo National Park
INTRODUCTION
The Spotted Paca Cuniculus paca (Linnaeus, 1766)
and the Red-rumped Agouti Dasyprocta leporina
(Linnaeus, 1758) are large terrestrial rodents that
inhabit a variety of habitats from northern Argentina
to southern Mexico (Emmons & Feer 1990; Nowak
1991; Perez 1992). Their diet includes fruits, seeds and
nuts (Eisenberg 1989), making them important seed
dispersers in the tropics (Forget 1994; Henry 1999).
Both species are classified as Least Concern (LC) by the
IUCN Red List, mainly because of their wide distribution
and occurrence within protected areas (Emmons & Reid
2008; ueirolo et al. 2008).
Both species have a wide distribution in Venezuela
and are considered common, however in recent
decades they have been negatively affected by habitat
loss as well as subsistence and commercial hunting (Silva
& Strahl 1994, 1996; Linares 1998). The Spotted Paca
is subjected to a high hunting pressure in Venezuela
(Images 12) because of its high value meat (Silva &
Strahl 1994). Its numbers may have declined or it might
even have been locally extirpated at some locations
where it was previously abundant, as has been reported
in other parts of its distribution (Emmons & Feer 1990;
Nowak 1991). Nevertheless, neither the Spotted Paca
nor the Red-rumped Agouti are considered threatened
by the Venezuelan government, and thus they are
not protected from hunting (Venezuela 1996a,b) or
included in the Venezuelan Red List (Rodrguez & RojasSurez 2008). The conservation status of these rodents
is of great concern since no recent studies have been
conducted in Venezuela, hence information on their
abundance, habitat use, and threats is limited.
With the purpose of improving this knowledge we
conducted a study in Guatopo National Park (GNP)
using camera traps and occupancy models. Cameratraps greatly facilitate the study of cryptic mammals in
remote areas (Karanth & Kumar 2002; Srbek-Araujo &
Garcia Chiarello 2005; Kays & Slauson 2008; Tobler et al.
2008; Rovero et al. 2013) and have, therefore, become
one of the most common tools for studying mammals in
Jax et al.
the Neotropics (Kuroiwa & Ascorra 2002; Polisar et al.

2003; Maffei et al. 2005; Noss et al. 2006; Ros-Uzeda
et al. 2007; Schipper 2007; Blake et al. 2012). Some
camera trap studies have reported data on the relative
abundance (Maffei et al. 2002; de Souza Martins et al.
2007; Tobler et al. 2008), activity patterns (Blake et al.
2012), and occupation probability (Ahumada et al. 2013;
Isasi-Catal 2013) of the Spotted Paca and the Redrumped Agouti (Table 1).
Occupancy models are primarily used when studying
species that are difficult to detect (MacKenzie et al.
2002; Linkie et al. 2007; Ahumada et al. 2013). From
these models one can estimate the detection probability
(p) and the probability that a site is occupied ( ) by
a particular species based on the analysis of their
detection/non-detection histories (hi) (MacKenzie et al.
2002; Royle & Nichols 2003; MacKenzie et al. 2006). By
combining this data with environmental variables from
the study area, habitat use can be evaluated (MacKenzie
et al. 2002; Royle & Nichols 2003; MacKenzie et al. 2006).
The objective of this study was to estimate the
relative abundance, activity patterns, habitat use, and
effect of human activities on the Spotted Paca and Redrumped Agouti in a protected area of the Cordillera de la
Costa to assess the conservation status of these species
in Venezuela. To do so we conducted a camera trap
survey in Guatopo National Park (GNP), where previous
studies have reported several cases of illegal hunting of
the Spotted Paca (Silva & Strahl 1996; Isasi-Catal 2012).
MATERIAL AND METHODS

Study area and data collection
GNP (1,224.64km2, Fig. 1), is located in the Cordillera
de la Costa in northern Venezuela (10.03N & 66.41W)
(Venezuela 1958). The park is intersected by numerous
rivers and mountain ranges with steep inclines and
elevations ranging from 200 to 1,430 m (Yerena 1985;
MARNR 1992). The climate is warm and humid with
an annual rainfall between 1,4002,800 mm and
an average annual temperature between 1832 C
Abbreviations: AICc - Adjusted Akaike Information Criteria; LV - Amount of leaves in decomposition; B - Beta coefficient for occupancy variables;
Bp - Beta coefficient for detection variables; p - Detection probability; hi - Detection/non-detection histories; DP - Detection of predators; DLP
- Detection of the two largest predators; WA - Distance to the closest water source; DR - Distance to the main road; HA - Frequency of human
activity; FT - Forest type; GNP - Guatopo National Park; GV - Ground vegetation coverage; HV - Horizontal vegetation coverage; IUCN - International
Union for Conservation of Nature; LC - Least Concern; c - Model fit; wi - Model weight; - Number of parameters; t-n - Number of trap-nights; C
- Percentage of activity crepuscular; D - Percentage of activity diurnal; N - Percentage of activity nocturnal; - Probability that a site is occupied;
RAbundance - Relative abundance; RaP - Relative abundances of predators; RaLP - Relative abundances of the two largest predators; sign Significance of the model; RaAgouti - Site specific relative abundance of the Red-rumped Agoutis; RaPaca - Site specific relative abundance of the
Spotted Paca; TO Topography, TD - Tree density; VV - Vertical vegetation coverage.
6740
Journal of Threatened Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | 26 January 2015 | 7(1): 67396749
Jax et al.
Figure 1. Location of Guatopo National Park in Venezuela and map of the 26 grid cells making up the total study area. Black dots show the
location of the detection stations by cameras-traps.
(Castillo & Aponte 2004). Predominant vegetation

types within the park are rain forests, cloud forests, and
semi deciduous forests (Yerena 1985; Perera-Romero
2006). The national park lies within the most populated
regions in the country and is considered vulnerable due
to human activities (Castillo & Aponte 2004; Blanco &
Yerena 2006).
The study was conducted in the south-western part
of GNP (Fig. 1) between February and April 2011. The
study area (20.8km2) was divided into 26 adjacent grid
cells (Fig. 1), each containing a photo-capture station: a
single camera-trap (Bushnell Trophy Cam, Moultrie Game
Spy i65, or Moultrie Game Spy I-40) and an attractor
(perfume Chanel N 5, Perfume Factory). Photo-capture
stations were established on tracks or other sites where
signs of wildlife activity were observed. Two types of
data were obtained from camera-traps: count of capture
events and detection/no detection of individuals
(Karanth & Kumar 2002; MacKenzie et al. 2006; Kays
& Slauson 2008). As the Spotted Paca and the Redrumped Agouti cannot be individually differentiated
multiple photos taken within a short period of time
might capture the same individual, and so could lead
to an overestimation of the abundance of the species.
For the count of capture events, photos taken within a
24h period were therefore considered the same event
if the photo or video did not clearly show that it was
a different individual: male/female, adult/juvenile. This

conservative approach follows the methodology used
in previous studies (Maffei et al. 2002; Gonzlez-Maya
2007; Isasi-Catal 2012).
To assess the rodents habitat use, a characterization
of the habitat was conducted in each grid cell according
to their area of action (3rd order selection) (Johnson
1980; Dungan et al. 2002; Boyce et al. 2003). At each
station, eight environmental variables were determined:
ground (GV), horizontal (HV), and vertical vegetation
(VV) coverage, amount of leaves in decomposition (LV),
tree density (TD), distance to the closest water source
(WA), topography (TO), and forest type (FT). GV, HV,
and VV was estimated with the program CobCal V.1.0
(Ferrari et al. 2009) based on photographs. LV was
measured in cm and TD was calculated according to the
Centre Point Square Method (Mostacedo & Fredericksen
2000). WA was categorized as either present within a
distance less than 50m, between 50200 m or greater
than 200m from the station, based on the target species
estimated dispersal distance (Beck-King et al. 1999). TO
was categorized as valley, peak or intermediate and FT
was classified as mature or little disturbed forest, based
on the classification by Yerena (1985).
Other factors, such as predation (Abramsky et
al. 1996; Heithaus & Dill 2002; Sundell et al. 2004),
competition (Wasserberg et al. 2006; Head et al.
6741
2012), and human activities (Franklin et al. 2002) might

also influence species habitat use. Based on records
obtained from camera-traps six additional variables
were therefore determined: the relative abundances
(RaP) and detection (DP) of predators (P: Puma concolor,
P. onca, Leopardus pardalis, L. wiedii, and ti rinus), the
relative abundances (RaLP) and detection (DLP) of the
two largest predators: (LP: P. concolor, P. onca), and the
site specific relative abundance of each target species
(RaAgouti and RaPaca). Further, to evaluate the impact of
human activities evidence of illegal hunting and logging
recorded in this and previous studies in GNP (IsasiCatal 2009, 2012) were used to calculate the frequency
of human activity (HA) for each grid cell. Additionally,
distance to the main road (DR) was extracted from maps
in ArcView 3.2 (ESRI Inc., Redlands, CA).
Data analysis
Mean relative abundance and site specific relative
abundances were calculated, as the number of photocaptures made per 100 trap-nights, for each species.
Site specific relative abundances were also calculated
and compared between the species using a MannWhitney U test in SPSS20.0 (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL).
The activity pattern for each species was divided per
hour and compared with the Morisita-Horn similarity
index (Horn 1966) using EstimateS (Colwell 2001). The
uniformity of its distribution was then evaluated with
the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test in SPSS20.0 (SPSS Inc.,
Chicago, IL). The activity pattern was classified as diurnal
(06:0017:00), nocturnal (18:0005:00) or crepuscular
(05:0006:00 and 17:0018:00) (Van Schaik & Griffiths
1996) for comparison with other studies.
Species habitat use was assessed through occupancy
models (MacKenzie et al. 2006), using the program
Presence 2.4 (Hines 2006). Detection histories for each
species were built from records obtained by camera
traps using a binary system with zeros indicating lack of
detections and ones indicating detections (MacKenzie et
al. 2002; MacKenzie et al. 2006).
was estimated from
the variables GV, HV, VV, LV, TD, WA, TO, FT, Ra paca, Ra
agouti, RaP, RaLP, HA and DR, and p from RaP, DP, RaLP,
DLP, Ra paca, Ra agouti. Models were selected based
on model goodness of fit, adjusted Akaike Information
Criteria (AICc), AIC model weight, and the dispersion of
the models (MacKenzie et al. 2006; Linkie 2008). The
top ranked occupancy models ( AICc 3, MacKenzie et
al. 2006) were used to determine of each species for
each grid. were compared between the species with
a Mann-Whitney U test implemented in SPSS20.0
(SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL). The variables included in these
6742
Jax et al.
models were used to determine the characteristics of

the habitat used by each species, based on the beta
coefficient (MacKenzie et al. 2006): B for occupancy
variables and Bp for detection variables.
RESULTS
Relative Abundance and Activity Patterns
A total of 935 trap-nights were performed, during
which there were 14 independent capture events of
Spotted Pacas at 6 sites and 18 capture events of Redrumped Agoutis at 12 sites (Table 1, Video 1). Mean
relative abundance was calculated for each species,
resulting in 1.62 captures/100trap-nights for the
Spotted Paca and 2.32 captures/100trap-nights for the
Red-rumped Agouti (Table 1). No significant difference
was found between the species site specific relative
abundances (Mann-Whitney U 274.50; Z -1.37; P
0.17, n 52).
All captures of the Spotted Paca were made between
21:00 and 05:00 (nocturnal), whereas all except one
capture of the Red-rumped Agouti were made between
06:00 and 17:00 (diurnal, Table 1, Fig. 2). The number
of captures was not uniformly distributed over the day
for either species (Kolmogorov-Smirnov; Spotted Paca:
Z 3.27; P 0.01; n 24; Red-rumped Agouti: Z 3.06;
P 0.01; n 24), and no overlap between the activity
hours of the two species was observed (Morisita-Horn
similarity index 0 ).
Habitat use and impact of human activities
According to occupancy models selected (covering
70 of the total explanation power, Table 2), mean
occupation probabilities for the Spotted Paca and
the Red-rumped Agouti were 0.27 (SE 0.02) and 0.61
(SE 0.02), respectively. The site specific occupation
probability was significantly higher for the Red-rumped
Agouti than for the Spotted Paca (Mann-Whitney U
16.00; Z -5.91; P 0.01; n 52). In GNP, the Spotted
Paca was associated with areas with high density of
trees (B TD 0.79, SE 0.54 Table 2), located at greater
distances from the main road (B DR -0.67, SE 0.63),
and characterized by a high presence of predators (BpDP
2.04, SE 0.94), as well as high abundance of the Redrumped Agouti (B Ra agouti 0.72, SE 0.56). Areas with
a high probability of being occupied by the Spotted Paca
also had high frequency of illegal human activities (BpHA
0.77, SE 0.64 Table 2). Red-rumped Agoutis were
strongly associated with little disturbed forest (B FT
-13.26, SE 7.56, Table 2) and valleys (B TO -0.98, SE
Jax et al.
Table 1. Summary of number of photo-captures, estimated relative abundance (captures 100trap-nights) and activity patterns ( ) reported
from this and previous studies on uni ulu pa a and a pr a sp.
Studies
t-n
Captures
RAbundance
(SE)
Activity
D
Location
Species
uni ulu pa a
This study
935
14
1.62
Blake et al. 2012
7222
43
1.60
6178
115
1.86
2838
21
0.74
de Souza Martins et al. 2007
100
99
90
10
Gomez et al. 2005
3161
174
5.51
96
Gonzalez-Maya 2007
1980
18
0.91
28
72
Isasi-Catal 2012
883
18
1.76 (0.43)
100
Maffei et al. 2002
698
13
1.86
1248
5
1
4815
Michalski & Norris 2011
2707
128
4.73
87
13
Srbek-Araujo &
Garcia Chiarello 2005
1849
23
1.24
10
Tobler et al. 2008
1440
14
0.97
11
2340
33
1.41
11
100
1, a
91
2, b
70
15
15
3, a
a pr
a sp.
This study
935
18
2.32
Blake et al. 2012
7222
103
1.43
6178
217
3.51
2838
46
1.62
de Souza Martins et al. 2007

Gomez et al. 2005
3161
129
4.08
72
21
4, c
Gonzalez-Maya 2007
1980
76
3.84
88
5, c
Isasi-Catal 2012
883
61
6.41 (2.33)
85
1, a
Maffei et al. 2002
698
44
6.3
6, d
1248
7, d
4815
14
0.29
8, d
Srbek-Araujo &
Garcia Chiarello 2005
1849
71
3.84
10, a
Tobler et al. 2008
1440
50
3.47
11, c
2340
48
2.05
11, c
t-n - number of trap-nights; Captures - number of captures; RAbundance - relative abundance; SE - standard error; Activity: percentage of activity diurnal (D),
nocturnal (N) and crepuscular (C) based on Van Schaik & Griffiths (1996).
1 - GNP-Venezuela; 2 - Tiputini Biodiversity Station-Ecuador; 3 - Caxiuanu National Forest-Brazil; 4 - Madidi National Park and Natural Area of Integrated
Management-Bolivia; 5 - Talamanca-Costa Rica; 6 - Private Reserve San Miguelito-Bolivia; 7 - Kaa-Iya National Park (Ravelo)-Bolivia; 8 - Kaa-Iya National Park
(Tucavaca)-Bolivia; 9 - Alta Floresta-Brazil; 10 - Santa Lucia Biological Station-Brazil; 11 - Los Amigos Conservation Concession-Peru.
a - D. leporina; b - fuli inosa; c - D. punctata; d - D. azarae
Relative abundance was standardized from the original format to facilitate comparison between studies.
0.84). Sites occupied by the Red-rumped Agouti had a

high presence of Spotted Pacas (BpRa paca 0.61, SE 0.31)
but low abundance of large predators (B RaLP -0.71,
SE 0.59, Table 2). No correlation was found between
species occupancy and the other variables studied (like
vegetation cover or distance to watercourses).
DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION

Relative Abundance and Activity Pattern
Relative abundance is a measure based on sampling
effort and differences in methodology therefore makes it
problematic to compare results between studies (SrbekAraujo & Garcia Chiarello 2005; Tobler et al. 2008;
674
Jax et al.
C. paca (n 14)
Number of captures
D. leporina (n 18)
23-30
22-23
21-22
20-21
19-20
18-19
17-18
16-17
15-16
14-15
13-14
12-13
11-12
10-11
09-10
08-09
07-08
06-07
05-06
04-05
03-04
02-03
01-02
00-01
Time
Figure 2. Activity patterns of Spotted Pacas (dark bars) and Red-rumped Agoutis (white bars) in GNP. Spotted Pacas were nocturnal and
Red-rumped Agoutis were diurnal (based on Van Schaik y Gri ths 1 6), without overlap in their activity.
Table 2. Occupancy models used to evaluate the habitat use of the Spotted Paca and Red-rumped Agouti. Reported models are those
contributing to more than 70 of the total explanation of all models for each species.
Occupancy model
AICc
wi
sign
(.),p(DP)
0.00
0.33
(TD),p(DP)
0.94
0.21
0.83
0.55
0.91
0.44
(HA),p(DP)
1.78
(DR),p(DP)
2.27
0.13
0.82
0.11
0.82
(Ra agouti),p(DP)
2.84
0.08
SE
Bp
SE
Spotted Pacas
2.08
0.93
0.79
0.54
2.08
0.93
0.58
0.77
0.64
2.16
0.94
0.57
-0.67
0.63
2.04
0.92
0.78
0.57
0.72
0.56
2.08
0.93
-13.26
7.56
0.78
0.29
0.85
Red-rumped Agoutis
(FT),p(Ra paca)
0.00
0.38
0.79
0.72
(.),p(Ra paca)
1.74
0.16
0.82
0.63
0.67
0.31
(TO),p(Ra paca)
1.98
0.14
0.64
0.79
-0.98
0.84
0.61
0.31
(RaLP),p(Ra paca)
2.84
0.09
0.81
0.72
-0.71
0.59
0.70
0.30
0.77
- probability of occupation; p - probability of detection; AICc - relative difference in AICc from the top model ( AICc); wi - model weight; - number of
parameters; sign - significance of the model (999 bootstraps) c - model fit; B - beta coefficient for each variable in the models (B - beta for occupancy variable and
Bp - beta for detection variable); SE - standard error.
DP - detection/no detection of predators; TD - tree density; HA - frequency of human activity; DR - distance to road; Ra agouti - relative abundances of D. leporina;
FT - forest category; Ra paca - relative abundances of C. paca; TO - topography; RaLP - relative abundances of large predators.
Michalski & Norris 2011). Still, it is important to highlight

that the relative abundances estimated for both species
in our study are within the range reported from previous
camera trap studies (Table 1). In a study in Caxiuanu
National Forest, Brazil, lower relative abundances were
reported for both species (de Souza Martins et al. 2007).
In contrast, a higher relative abundance was estimated
in Madidi National Park, Bolivia, for the Spotted Paca
6744
(Gomez et al. 2005), and in Santa Lucia Biological Station

in Brazil (Srbek-Araujo & Garcia Chiarello 2005), as well
as in a previous study in GNP (Isasi-Catal 2012) for the
Red-rumped Agouti. In the last two studies the Redrumped Agouti was one of the mammals with highest
relative abundance. Similar relative abundances have
been estimated for other species from the genus
Dasyprocta, such as D. puntata in Peru (Tobler et al.
2008) and D. azarae in Bolivia (Maffei et al. 2002) (Table

1).
Another variable that has been suggested as
appropriate surrogate for evaluating abundance of a
species is the occupation probability (MacKenzie &
Nichols 2004). In our study, the Red-rumped Agouti
had a higher occupation probability than the Spotted
Paca. These large rodents have similar characteristics
and requirements (Eisenberg 1989; Nowak 1991), thus
one could expect to find them in similar abundances. It
is possible that hunting pressure on the Spotted Paca
has affected its occupation probability. In the 1990s the
Spotted Paca was listed as one of the species suffering
from the highest hunting pressure in GNP, though during
this period these activities were primarily taking place
close to the park limit (Silva & Strahl 1994, 1996). Today
there is also a significant hunting pressure on the species
in the central part of the park, mainly close to the large
rivers located in this area (Isasi-Catal 2012).
The activity patterns obtained in this study
coincide with those reported in other studies (Table
1). In Tiputini Biodiversity Station (Blake et al. 2012),
Talamanca (Gonzlez-Maya 2007), Madidi National Park
(Gomez et al. 2005) and GNP (Isasi-Catal 2012) results
indicate that the Spotted Paca is nocturnal (Van Schaik &
Griffiths 1996), whereas agoutis showed diurnal activity
patterns. Ecological factors, such as predation (Sundell
et al. 2004), resource availability (Tarnaud 2006), and
competition (Wasserberg et al. 2006) can influence
the activity pattern of a species. According to a study
in Bolivia direct competition between the Spotted Paca
and the Central American Agouti (D. punctata) is avoided
through temporal separation (Gomez et al. 2005). Our
results suggest that this is true for the Spotted Paca
and the Red-rumped Agouti because we did not find an
overlap between the species active hours.
Camera traps have proved efficient tools for studying
cryptic medium sized mammals like the Spotted Paca
and the Red-rumped Agouti (Srbek-Araujo & Garcia
Chiarello 2005). However, to accurately assess the
conservation status of these species it is crucial that
this sampling method is implemented with designs that
give comparable and unbiased population estimators.
One of the main limitations of using camera-traps
for the study of these rodents is the uncertainty in
the identification of independent events. In studies
where animals can be differentiated due to individual
markings each capture can be included in abundance
estimations (Karanth & Kumar 2002; Maffei et al. 2002;
Noss et al. 2006; Kays & Slauson 2008; Isasi-Catal 2012;
Negroes et al. 2012). It was, however, not possible
Jax et al.
to differentiate between individuals neither for the

Spotted Paca nor the Red-rumped Agouti (Video 1).
Further, both the Spotted Paca and Red-rumped Agouti
are territorial species (Linares 1998) and it is therefore
likely that captures from the same camera within a short
period of time are of the same individual inhabiting that
particular territory. We therefore chose to take a more
conservative measurement and allow for the possibility
that two captures within a 24 hour period might be of
the same individual on its daily run. This has been done
in earlier studies of species without distinctive markings
as well (Maffei et al. 2002; Gonzlez-Maya 2007; IsasiCatal 2012). Some studies have used shorter intervals
(even 30 min) to separate events captured with cameratraps (Blake et al. 2012). In total only one capture
was eliminated in our study due to this conservative
approach.
Habitat use and impact of human activities
In accordance with previous studies (Goulart et
al. 2009; Ahumada et al. 2013), the Spotted Paca was
mainly found in mature forest with high tree density.
The Red-rumped Agouti, on the other hand, was mainly
encountered in little disturbed forested areas, which are
often contiguous with the mature forest in the park. At
present, more than 85 of the park is covered by these
types of habitats, with a high variety and abundance of
plants that provide food for many species (Isasi-Catal
2012). High presence of palms in the park could also be
a key factor in determining habitat use of the Spotted
Paca and Red-rumped Agouti, since it has been reported
that their fruits and seeds are an important food source
for these species (Emmons & Feer 1990; Ahumada et al.
2013).
Availability of watercourses is probably an important
factor for these species, particularly for the Spotted Paca
Video 1. A selection of videos showing events of Spotted Pacas

( uni ulu pa a) and Red-rumped Agoutis ( a pr a lep rina)
taken with camera traps in Guatopo National Park.
6745

Emiliana Isasi-Catal
Image 1. Spotted Paca (
pa a) hunted in Guatopo National Park.
(Emmons & Feer 1990; Perez 1992; Goulart et al. 2009).

However, it is possible that the pattern is not evident at
GNP as the park is full of rivers and water ponds (Yerena
1985). Another variable that is often related to the
presence of water bodies is topography (Perera-Romero
2006), we therefore expected to find the target species
in valleys rather than at peaks, as was the case for the
Red-rumped Agouti. Similar results have been reported
from another study, indicating that the Red-rumped
Agouti has a preference for occupying lowland forest
(Ahumada et al. 2013).
Although the Spotted Paca and the Red-rumped
Agouti were often separated by space and time, some
of the sites with high abundance of one species in GNP
were also inhabited by the other species. In La Selva in
Costa Rica it has been reported that although the two
target species of this study may compete for resources,
the Spotted Paca can specialize in fruits whereas the
Red-rumped Agouti mainly forages on seeds, thereby
decreasing competition for food resources (Ahumada
et al. 2013). Both species might however compete with
other species for these same resources, such as the
Collared Peccary Pecari tajacu (Ahumada et al. 2013),
which is abundant in GNP (Isasi-Catal 2012).
The relationship between predators and prey are not
always straigh orward and might therefore be difficult
to interpret. In GNP, sites that were occupied by Spotted
Pacas had a high presence of the five predators. In
contrast, sites that were occupied by the Red-rumped
Agouti were negatively correlated with the abundance
of the large predators in the park: jaguar and puma. This
might be a result of the predators choice of prey as well
as their activity pattern in the area. Several studies imply
that the Spotted Paca is one of the most common prey
for large predators, especially jaguars (Aliaga-Rossel et
6746
Jax et al.
Emiliana Isasi-Catal
Image 2. Structures used for hunting the Spotted Paca (

Guatopo National Park.
pa a) in
al. 2006; Weckel et al. 2006). A previous study on habitat

use of Jaguars in GNP did indicate a high predation
pressure by the jaguar also on the Red-rumped Agouti
(Isasi-Catal 2012). This pattern was not observed in the
case of Spotted Pacas, and could explain the relationship
with predators obtained in our study.
According to the occupancy models, areas occupied
by Spotted Pacas had a higher frequency of human
activities than areas without any signs of Spotted Pacas.
This could indicate that hunters select areas with a high
presence of Spotted Pacas in GNP as the species is one of
the most sought after due to its commercial value (Silva
& Strahl 1994, 1996). Recent signs of a Spotted Paca kill
were found during the study in an area where no other
observation of Spotted Pacas was made (Images 12).
The models did not indicate a relationship between
human activity and occupation of the Red-rumped
Agouti suggesting that this species might be a secondary
prey for the poachers in the park. The effect of roads on
the occupation of Spotted Pacas in GNP is similar to that
reported in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest, where Spotted
Pacas were recorded more often on narrow trails than
on wider trafficked roads (Goulart et al. 2009). The main
road that intersects GNP is associated with major hunting
activities within the park (Isasi-Catal 2012), being the
only way for hunters to enter, exit, and transport their
prey out of the park.
The occupancy models developed in this study
proved to be useful tools for assessing habitat use and
occupation probability of the Spotted Paca and the Redrumped Agouti in GNP. We believe that these models
have great potential for studying temporal and spatial
patterns of many species, especially those with low
detectability, even at large scales. The use of camera
trap data in this type of models could be an efficient
method for generating reliable results at low cost in

time and effort (Srbek-Araujo & Garcia Chiarello 2005;
MacKenzie et al. 2006; Tobler et al. 2008; Ahumada et
al. 2013).
Implications for species conservation
As habitat loss and fragmentation have been
recognized as threats for the target species of this study
(Emmons & Feer 1990; Nowak 1991), the protection
of mature and dense forests must be one of the main
strategies to ensure the long-term survival of the species.
The creation of GNP has indeed resulted in protection
and recovery of important forest cover in Cordillera de
la Costa (Isasi-Catal 2012), one of the most threatened
habitats in Venezuela (Yerena 1985; Castillo & Aponte
2004). However, it is essential to strengthen the control
of human activities that are currently generating loss
of forest cover by the park limits (Isasi-Catal 2012)
to ensure the conservation of these species and their
habitat. Another great concern for the survival of the
target species in GNP is the impact of illegal hunting.
A more strict control of who enters the park might be
required to reduce the hunting pressure on the Spotted
Paca and other game animals within the park.
We believe that it is crucial to increase the information
on the status of the Spotted Paca and Red-rumped
Agouti in GNP and others areas of Venezuela in order to
generate more appropriate conservation guidelines for
them. Information gathered in this and future studies
should be used to increase the awareness of the general
public and policy makers about the current situation and
threats to wildlife in the country.
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Threatened Taxa
Resumen: La lapa Cuniculus paca y el picure Dasyprocta leporina

estn siendo afectados por la prdida de hbitat y la cacera. En
Venezuela su estado de conservaci n es incierto, incluso dentro
de las reas protegidas. El objetivo de este estudio fue estimar la
abundancia relativa, patrones de actividad, uso de hbitat y efecto de
las actividades humanas sobre ambas especies, utilizando modelos
de ocupaci n. Para esto, se establecieron 26 estaciones de cmarastrampa (20.8km2) y se realiz una caracterizaci n del hbitat en el
Parque Nacional Guatopo entre Febrero y Abril de 2011. La abundancia
relativa de la lapa fue de 1.62 registros/100trampas-noche, con un
patr n de actividad totalmente nocturno. La abundancia relativa del
picure fue de 2.32 registros/100trampas-noche, con un pronunciado
patr n de actividad diurno. La probabilidad de ocupaci n del picure
(0.61 EE 0.02) result mayor que la de la lapa (0.27 EE 0.02). La lapa se
encuentra asociada a reas de bosque maduros con una alta densidad
de rboles, mientras que el picure a bosques ligeramente intervenidos
presentes en valles. Las actividades humanas fueron frecuentes en las
reas ocupadas por la lapa. Es necesario mejorar el manejo del parque
para reducir la cacera ilegal, principalmente de la lapa.
Acknowledgements: We are grateful to the people working in Guatopo

National Park who made this project possible. Particularly, we would like to
thank Habi Veroes for his invaluable knowledge about Guatopo, and for sharing
this knowledge with us. We would also like to give a special thanks to all field
assistants who followed us to Guatopo when we needed them the most.
Author Details: E
J has a BSc in Biology and a MSc in Ecology from Lund
University. She has been involved in projects related to ecology, conservation,
population genetics, and the effect of infectious diseases in wildlife populations.
E
I
-C
is a Doctor in Biological Sciences at Universidad Sim n
Bolvar. Her research area is the ecology and conservation of terrestrial
vertebrates. She is particularly interested in the ecological study of surrogate
species and species presenting conflicts with humans, such as big cats and their
prey. S
M
is a biologist at Universidad Sim n Bolvar in Venezuela.
Her research focuses on the ecology and population biology of Lowland Tapirs
Tapirus terrestris in Cordillera de la Costa. She is interested in the conservation
of wildlife and socio-ecological interactions that allow sustainable management
of natural resources. A
R
-F
got her PhD at the University
of Missouri-St- Louis and is currently an Associate Professor at Universidad
Sim n Bolvar. Her research area is on ecology and conservation of threatened
and restricted-range terrestrial vertebrates, especially birds.
Author Contribution: EIC and SMW created the sampling design. EJ, EIC and
SMW collected and organized the data. EJ and EIC analyzed the data. EJ, EIC and
ARF prepared and reviewed the article.
674
unication
Co
Distribution of vultures in Uttar Pradesh, India

aushalendra umar Jha
Technical Forestry, Indian Institute of Forest Management, Nehru Nagar, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh 462003, India
[email protected]
OPEN ACCESS
Abstract: As carrion feeders vultures play an important ecological role. Counts and qualitative assessments were done over three seasons
to assess the richness and abundance of vultures in Uttar Pradesh during 201011. Of nine species found in India, Uttar Pradesh has six:
Egyptian Vulture Neophron percnopterus (45.9 ), Slender-billed Vulture Gyps tenuirostris (25.4 ), Indian Vulture (Long-billed Vulture)
Gyps indicus (16.8 ), White-rumped Vulture Gyps bengalensis (10.3 ), Red-headed Vulture (King Vulture) Sarcogyps calvus (0.8 ) and
Himalayan Griffon Gyps himalayensis (0.7 ). We observed a total of 1993 adults and 91 juveniles, with the Tarai region having the greatest
species richness and abundance. Nesting tree species included Silk Cotton Bombax ceiba, Teak Tectona grandis, Haldu Haldina cordifolia
and Sissoo Dalbergia sissoo. A qualitative assessment indicated that the vulture population had declined in the past 1015 years, with
the main causes being the use of diclofenac, shortage of food and habitat loss. Disposal of dead animals was mainly done by removing
carcasses to village outskirts, where dogs, crows and egrets compete with vultures. Such a small number of avian scavengers in a large area
like Uttar Pradesh should be protected by ensuring safe and sufficient food, recovery from accidents and rehabilitation, and a protected
environment.
eyword: Abundance, nesting trees, protection, threats, vulture.
Sarcogyps calvus
Red-headed Vulture
NOT
EVALUATED
DATA
DEFICIENT
LEAST
CONCERN
NEAR
THREATENED
VULNERABLE
ENDANGERED
CRITICALLY
ENDANGERED
EXTINCT
IN THE WILD
EXTINCT
NE
DD
LC
NT
VU
EN
CR
EW
EX
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.11609/JoTT.o3319.6750-63
ZooBank: urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:BE8CC7A9-A4BD-4844-846D-6DEBA06E408F
Editor: Reuven Yosef, International Birding & Research Centre, Eilat, Israel
Manuscript details: Ms o3319 Received 22 August 2012 Final received 06 November 2014 Finally accepted 28 December 2014
Citation: Jha, K.K. (2015). Distribution of vultures in Uttar Pradesh, India. Journal of Threatened Taxa 7(1): 67506763; http://dx.doi.org/10.11609/JoTT.o3319.6750-63
Copyright: Jha 2015. Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. JoTT allows unrestricted use of this article in any medium, reproduction and
Funding: This work was done as routine work of the Forest Department of UP. No direct funding was needed.
Competing Interest: The author declares no competing interests.
Author Details: The author is currently a professor working in the field of conservation, livelihood and policy analysis. For more than 29 years the author has
been part of the forestry administration and natural resource management. He has extensively worked on tree improvement, plantation ecology and aquatic
habitat conservation.
Acknowledgements: This work was done while the author was Chief Conservator of Forests, Eco-Development, Lucknow UP. The administrative support of Chief
Wildlife Warden of UP is duly acknowledged. The field staff is also acknowledged for population estimation and other data collection work. Shri Suresh Chaudhary
and Shri Fazlur Rahman are thanked for providing some photographs. Special thanks are due to Dr M.D. Omprakash, IIFM, Bhopal for preparing the GPS based maps.
6750
Vultures in Uttar Pradesh
INTRODUCTION
Vultures feed on carrion including discarded dead
animals, which makes them an important component
of the ecosystem. They also play an important cultural
role in southern Asia (parts of India, Nepal and Tibet)
as they consume human cadavers which are left in the
open during ritual sky-burials (Singh 1999; GON 2009;
Liu et al. 2013). The decline of the vulture population in
the Indian subcontinent has removed a major scavenger
population, with effects on other scavenging species
and the incidence of putrefying carcasses, both of which
have associated disease risks for wildlife, livestock and
humans (GOI 2006).
India has nine species of vultures in the wild., viz.:
Oriental White-backed (White-rumped) Vulture Gyps
bengalensis, Slender-billed Vulture Gyps tenuirostris,
Long-billed (Indian) Vulture Gyps indicus, Egyptian
Vulture Neophron percnopterus, Red-headed (King)
Vulture Sarcogyps calvus, Indian Griffon Vulture Gyps
fulvus, Himalayan Griffon Gyps himalayensis, Cinereous
Vulture Aegypius monachus and Bearded Vulture or
Lammergeier Gypaetus barbatus (GOI 2006). Vultures
are known to inhabit tall trees in forests, smaller
trees in open areas, rocky cliffs, old monuments and
the countryside (Thompson et al. 1990; Liberatori &
Penteriani 2001; Donazar et al. 2002b; Carrete & Donazar
2005; Monadjem & Garcelon 2005; Elorriaga et al. 2009;
Thakur & Narang 2012; Harris 2013; Haenn et al. 2014).
Except Griffons and Lammergeier, all Asian vultures are
in the threatened or Near Threatened categories (IUCN
Red List 2011).
Vultures are known to colonize wooded as well as
open habitats with agriculture and tree cover (Robinson
1994; Donazar et al. 2002a,b). On the basis of forest and
vegetation cover, Uttar Pradesh (UP) has been divided
into three major eco-zones: the Tarai (moist deciduous
forests), the Gangetic plains (agriculture landscape)
and the Bundelkhand (dry deciduous forests) including
Vindhyan regions (Islam & Rahmani 2004). The file
record of the UP Forest Department suggested that
the western part of the Gangetic plains, with a drier
climate and ravined landscape, is different from the
main Gangetic plains and thus could be categorized
separately as a semi-arid zone. Knowledge of ecological
factors in the habitat affecting large scale distribution
and abundance of endangered species is an important
tool for defining management recommendations
(Sutherland & Green 2004). Vultures inhabiting varying
habitats have declined from many parts of their former
ranges owing mainly to food shortage and loss of
Jha
habitat (Satheesan 1999; Pain et al. 2003). Thus the

objective of this study is to assess species richness and
abundance, ecology and conservation issues related to
vulture species in varied eco-zones of UP and to keep
the records for future reference.
MATERIALS AND METHODS

Study site
Uttar Pradesh is one of the northern states of India
with a tropical climate and a wide range of temperature
fluctuation from 248 0C. There are three main seasons,
summer from March to mid-June, rainy season from
mid-June to September and winter from October to
February. There is great variation in rainfall from 600
2500 mm (Rahmani et al. 2011).
All the forest divisions (FD), the district level
administrative units of the forest department of UP
spread over the whole state (2305230024N & 7705
840 38E) were involved in vulture survey and counting.
A preliminary survey was done before the main counting
which resulted in the identification of FD where vultures
were historically reported to be seen. Sites of vulture
roosting and nesting were searched and marked on the
basis of physical and oral evidence in the respective FD
during this survey exercise. These potential vulture
sites were revisited for vulture counting and other data
collection.
Population estimation
Three vulture counts were undertaken in different
seasons: rainy season (August 2010), summer (May
2011) and winter (December 2011). The population
estimation protocol was revised and improved after
every count. All the vultures seen were counted during
the first estimation in different forest beats of Territorial
and Social Forestry divisions in the span of one week
(second week of August 2010), assuming that vultures
would not have changed their roosting or nesting sites
during such a short period. In the second estimation
a particular day was fixed (15 May 2011) for summer
population estimation of vultures to avoid double
counting in case of movement of vultures to another
territory. Pre-estimation exercises were conducted to
locate the roosting and nesting sites in advance. This
time the coordinates of vulture sites were recorded
and an attempt was made to identify the vulture
species. 15 December 2011 was fixed for the third
or winter population estimation keeping in view the
arrival of migratory vultures during this period. An
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additional exercise of intensive identification of vulture

species was taken up during this estimation. For this a
training workshop for the trainers was conducted and
an identification booklet (Jha et al. 2011) was provided.
The number of unidentified vultures was distributed
proportionately to the recorded species. Flying vultures
were not included in the count in any of the three
population estimation exercises.
A team of two members, an observer and a data
recorder, visited the potential vulture sites on the
designated day(s) based on the pre-counting survey
or the known area for vultures in all the vulture
ranges (operational unit of a FD). Altogether 100
sites were visited by 58 members (29 teams) in the
summer estimation while 144 sites were covered by 84
personnel (42 teams) in the winter estimation. They
counted the number of vultures (adult and juvenile)
and nests, recorded the details of roosting and nesting
sites including geographical location. Binoculars, GPS
instrument and a predesigned format were used for
data recording. Data were compiled forest division wise
and then district wise.
Map generation
Thematic maps providing roosting and nesting
location of vulture population and species distribution
were prepared by using geographical locations. Arc
GIS 9.3 was used for the conversion of GPS reading to
spatial data layer (point features providing the location).
Vulture locations were overlaid on the state map. Using
the retrieval function various thematic figures were
designed.
ualitative data
A questionnaire survey was conducted about
vulture ecology like, habitat use, availability of trophic
resources, other competitors for carrion, conservation
issues etc. among the forest guards and the villagers of
the FDs where vultures were recorded. Three-hundredeighty-two completed questionnaires returned out of
500 circulated ones, 20 each in 25 vulture districts.
Some of the secondary data like cattle population,
forest cover, and wild animals other than big cats, used
in this article were adopted from UPFS (2010).
RESULTS
The qualitative perception of the respondents
(n 374) indicated that the vulture population had
declined in the past 1015 years and the main cause
6752
of this decline was use of diclofenac (n 277), shortage

of animal food (n 128) and habitat loss (n 117). The
disposal of dead animals (n 296) was mainly carried
out by throwing away the carcass to the outskirts of
the village, which attracted dogs, crows and egrets
that competed with vultures. They identified trees,
monuments, cliffs, riversides, slaughter houses, fertilizer
factories and agriculture fields as vulture inhabiting
sites. The preferred trees for nesting and roosting
in decreasing order were Sacred Fig Ficus religiosa >
Banyan Ficus bengalensis Silk Cotton Bombax ceiba >
Sissoo Dalbergia sissoo. The prevalence of the vulture
species as perceived by them in decreasing order was
Egyptian Vulture
Indian Vulture
Slender-billed
Vulture Cinereous Vulture others.
Population
The minimum number of vultures seen in the state
over three seasons: rainy season, summer and winter
during 2010 and 2011 were 2125, 2097 and 2029,
respectively (average 2084). Out of these vulture
populations, juveniles were recorded at 4.2 , 4.0 and
4.5 , in respective seasons. Eco-zone distribution of
total vultures in rainy season was 1452, 639, 33 and 1;
in summer 1237, 643, 110 and 107; and in winter 964,
279, 406 and 380, respectively in Tarai, BundelkhandVindhyan, Gangetic and semi-arid eco-zones. This
showed that the bulk of the vulture population was
confined to Tarai and Bundelkhand-Vindhyan eco-zones.
Altogether six vulture species were recorded in the
state during the winter season. They were Egyptian
Vulture, Himalayan Griffon, Red-headed Vulture,
Indian Vulture, Slender-billed Vulture, and Whiterumped Vulture. There was a report of one group of
Cinereous Vulture, in Tarai region after a couple of days
of the counting day (Image 1). Species wise population
distribution in order of decrease was Egyptian Vulture
Slender-billed Vulture Indian Vulture White-rumped
Vulture Red-headed Vulture Himalayan Griffon (Fig.
1).
Distribution
The vultures were represented in all the four ecozones but were missing in many districts of the state.
The districts where vulture presence was recorded in all
the three seasons were Bahraich, Balrampur, Bijnore,
Lakhimpur Khiri, Maharajganj, Pilibhit, and Shravasti
(Tarai eco-zone) and Banda, Jhansi and Lalitpur
(Bundelkhand-Vindhyan eco-zone). When considering
vulture occurrence in at least one season, the additional
districts having vulture distribution were Agra and
Jha
Suresh Chaudhary
Kaushalendra Kumar Jha
Suresh Chaudhary
c
Fazlur Rahman
Fazlur Rahman
Image 1. Di erent species of vulture in Uttar Pradesh. a - Egyptian Vulture b - Red-headed Vulture, c - Slender-billed Vulture, d - Himalayan
Gri on, e - Cinereous Vulture f - White-rumped Vulture.
Etawah (semi-arid eco-zone), Basti, Gonda, Gorakhpur,

Saharanpur and Sidharth Nagar (Tarai eco-zone),
Chitrakoot, Mirzapur and Sonbhadra (BundelkhandVindhyan eco-zone) and Etah, Firozabad, Gautambudh
Nagar, Mainpuri, and Unnao (Gangetic eco-zone). Other
districts in the state were devoid of vultures in all the
three vulture counts conducted during 2010 and 2011
(Fig. 2). GPS location details of vultures provided by the
field staff is given in Appendix 1 and 2.
The Tarai eco-zone recorded highest number of
vultures in all seasons and all of the six species (Egyptian
Vulture, Himalayan Griffon, Red-headed Vulture, Indian
Vulture, Slender-billed Vulture, and White-rumped
Vulture) but the Gangetic and Semi-arid eco-zones had
only Egyptian Vulture and the Bundelkhand-Vindhyan
region had Indian Vulture (Figs. 3 & 4). However, the
concentration of all the vultures except Egyptian Vulture
was very high in protected wildlife areas (national park
and sanctuaries) as compared to the neighbouring
forests.
Habitat use
Forest area, scattered trees, rocky cliffs, monuments,
open agriculture fields and riversides were being
used by different species of vultures for nesting and
roosting. Tree species used for nesting or roosting were

Silk Cotton, Sissoo, Sacred Fig, Banyan, Haldu Haldina
cordifolia, Axlewood Ano eisus latifolia, Cluster fig Ficus
racemosa and Tamarind Tamarindus indica. Egyptian
Vultures were seen on Cluster Fig and Tamarind,
Himalayan Griffon on Sissoo, Indian Vulture on Sacred
Fig, Slender-billed Vulture on Sissoo, Haldu, Axlewood
and Sacred Fig and White-rumped Vulture on Sacred Fig
and Silk Cotton trees (Image 2). Egyptian Vultures were
Figure 1. Species wise vulture population in Uttar Pradesh in 2011

winter.
675
Jha
Figure 2. Vulture sighting frequency (coloured polygons are the districts of vulture occurrence). Coloured dots are the GPS data based vulture
locations
Figure 3. GPS data based locations of different vultures in different eco-zones of UP

6754
Jha
Image 2. Lo y trees: a - Haldina cordifolia, b - Dalbergia sissoo, c - Tectona grandis and d - Bombax ceiba, close up of nest on respective tree
(inset).
also seen resting on high tension line support frames

and wireless towers, and wandering in agriculture fields.
Indian Vultures were found using the ledges of rocky
cliffs and the cornices of monuments. White-rumped
Vultures were seen basking in the sun, some with
necks drooping, along the mud island of a river (Gerua
in Katerniaght FD). Another colony of this species was
seen roosting around a pair of nests on Silk Cotton tree
in the proximity of a water body (at the bank of same
river) and at the boundary of a hamlet. However, a
vulture bathing in a water body was not recorded on
the vulture counting dates. All the trees holding nests
(5 Silk Cotton, 3 Sissoo, 2 Teak and 1 Haldu) and being
used as roosting (4 Silk Cotton, 2 Sissoo, 1 Teak) visited
during the summer and winter counting by the author,
were tall (1520 m) and with leafed crowns. In one case
a Himalayan Griffon was seen roosting on top of a dry
Figure 4. Distribution of vulture population in three di erent

seasons of 20102011 in di erent eco-zones (Bun-Vin
Bundelkhand-Vindhyan eco-zone).
6755
Jha
Sissoo tree. These trees were mostly old and matured.

The presence of a large flock of Egyptian Vulture was
recorded in and around the campus of a bone-based
fertilizer factory.
The numbers of nests recorded during the summer
and winter counts on the basis of direct evidence were
73 and 75, respectively (Fig. 5). The vultures were either
sitting inside the nests or were seen resting very close to
them. These nests were mainly located in the Tarai ecozone followed by the Bundelkhand-Vindhyan eco-zone.
During the winter 2011 count 18 nests of White-rumped
Vulture, seven nests of Red-headed Vulture, three
nests of Slender-billed Vulture and five nests of Indian
Vulture were seen in the Tarai eco-zone, while 37 nests
of Indian vulture and six unidentified nests were seen in
the Bundelkhand-Vindhyan eco-zone. One nest each of
Egyptian Vulture was seen in the Gangetic and the semiarid eco-zone. One hundred twenty five additional nests
were found empty but with faecal deposits and some
vegetation material in the cliffs of the Kaimoor (Mahabir
Swamy) Sanctuary (Bundelkhand-Vindhyan eco-zone).
These nests were assumed to be of Indian Vultures since
this species was recorded in large number (around 500

during summer count) in this locality.
DISCUSSION
The risk of extinction greatly depends on the
frequency of catastrophe, survival rate and reduction
in the population growth rate (Pavokovic & Susic 2005).
The total population figure of the state kept decreasing
in subsequent counts. Although data was too scanty
for strong quantitative assessment (three temporal
populations of vultures in the span of 16 months) still,
the apparently negative growth of vulture population
was corroborated with the respondents observation
that vulture population had decreased in the past one
and a half decade. The decreasing population trend
conformed to the previous reports (Prakash 1999;
Gilbert et al. 2002; Prakash et al. 2003; Gilbert et al.
2006). But the rate of decrease in mixed population was
slow (3.2 ) as compared to a very high mortality rate
(1118 ) in the earlier report in select Gyps species
Figure 5. GPS data based location of vulture nesting sites in UP observed during summer and winter of 20101011
6756
(Khan & Murn 2011).

Kendall et al. (2014) suggested that prey mortality
may be a more important driver of vulture habitat use
than prey abundance. UP is a highly populated and
agriculture dominated state, with poor natural resource
reserve and a livestock population of 64 million (UPFS
2010). The high livestock availability went in favour
of vulture food security due to possible availability of
carcasses and carrion. However, the situation on the
ground was different, as informed by the respondents,
since most of the cattle were sold before they grew
old. This could be correlated to the fact that UP has
a sizable beef eating population and also a wellestablished leather industry (Kumar 2010). The dead
animals thrown at the outskirts of the village, by default
available food for vulture, had the probability of the
presence of diclofenac in the carrion as illegal diclofenac
use was very common in rural areas. This could cause
trophic resource stress and may have a negative impact
on vulture conservation in the state.
The Tarai and Bundelkhand-Vindhyan eco-zones
were the major vulture population centers, possibly
due to higher forest cover of which a large part is
managed as wildlife conservation reserve as compared
to the Gangetic and the semi-arid eco-zones. In terms
of vegetation Bundelkhand-Vindhyan, Tarai, Gangetic
and semi-arid eco-zones have 44, 35, 15, and 6 of total
forest cover in the state, respectively, compared to the
geographical area 17, 25, 51 and 8 of the state (UPFS
2010). This suggested a decreasing density order of
forests in Tarai, Bundelkhand-Vindhyan, Semi-arid and
Gangetic eco-zones. The occurrence of vultures in high
vegetation areas was supported by previous reports
as vultures require a relict wooded area, mature trees
and a foraging range (Fargallo et al. 1998; Donazar
et al. 2002a; Carrete & Donazar 2005). They occur in
protected forests (Donazar et al. 2002a; Monadjem
& Garecelon 2005; Sethi & Chauhan 2010; Das et al.
2011) and their density was higher in the interface
of protected and unprotected area (Herremans &
Herremans-Tonnocyr 2000 in Baral et al. 2005). As
compared to Tarai, Bundelkhand-Vindhyan zone did
not have a very low vegetation cover and yet very low
number and types of vultures occurrence indicated
towards a quality difference in habitat. Rocky areas
with dry deciduous vegetation in the region could be the
reason as also suggested by Bogliani et al. (2011) in the
case of Bearded Vulture.
Forested districts provided both domestic as well as
wild animals for food to the vultures. The Tarai and the
Bundelkhand-Vindhyan eco-zones (4.3 and 2.1 animals
Jha
km-2, respectively) had additional availability of food in

the form of wild animals as compared to the Gangetic
and the semi-arid eco-zones (3.0 and 2.7 animals
km-2, respectively; UPFS 2010). Under the prevailing
circumstances of scarcity of domestic animal carcasses
due to their selling, availability of wild animals was
an added advantage for vulture presence as the dead
bodies of wild animals, which were diclofenac-free
trophic resources, were available.
The Gangetic plain and the semi-arid eco-zones
only had Egyptian Vultures. Food supply appears to be
the limiting factor in these regions. The food supply
available to any large scavenging animal came largely
from the carcasses of ungulates and these were widely
dispersed, transient and unpredictable in this location
(Houston 2005). Domestic ungulates were available
outside forests but a majority of the cattle were sold,
resulting in non-availability of carcass as vulture feed,
and whatever was left from the transaction had the
potential danger of diclofenac infestation, possibly
forcing the vultures to avoid feeding on them. Egyptian
Vultures could be seen in non-forested areas (semi-arid
and Gangetic eco-zones) as they chose to feed on small
animals, debris or rubbish dump, human and ungulate
faeces, and vegetable matter (Whistler 1949; Prakash &
Nanjappa 1988; Negro et al. 2002) available in plenty,
and lived in an open landscape in arid and rugged areas
(Liberatori & Penteriani 2001; Donazar 2002b). Their
presence in large numbers in the campus of the bone
factory indicated that they could feed on bony remains
of old dry carcasses collected for fertilizer making. A
similar habit has been reported earlier in the case of
Cape Vulture Gyps coprotheres (Vernon 2004).
Generally, lofty and sparsely branched trees in the
forest area were used by large vultures for nesting and
roosting. Such trees were helpful in providing safety
from predators, a better view of surroundings and
an easy take off (Yamac 2007). This also facilitated
nocturnal perches with favourable microclimate
by causing temperature inversion (Thompson et al.
1990). The use of large trees for nesting and roosting,
including Silk cotton or Kapok or Semal, Sissoo, Teak,
Haldu, Sacred Fig, Banyan etc., had also been reported
in different areas by other workers (Baral et al. 2005;
Satheesan & Khan 2005; Das et al. 2011; Kambale 2011).
In the absence of tall trees, smaller trees in the open
landscape including Mango Mangifera indica, Babool
or gum Arabic Accacia nilotica, Margosa Azadirachta
indica (Kambale 2011) and Prosopis cineraria (Khatri
2013) were also reported to be used by the vultures in
different areas. Taller trees were, however, dominant in
6757
Jha
number, 90 in the present case which is very similar

to the 86 reported by Baral et al. (2005). The use of
taller trees for nesting and roosting has been reported
for White-rumped Vulture (Thakur & Narang 2012)
and White-backed Vulture Gyps africanus (Chomba &
MSimuko 2013).
It was suggested that some vulture species had a
tendency to choose dead trees for roosting (Ceballos
& Donazar 1990) which did not conform to present
findings. There is a report like the present one, where
almost all the trees observed with vultures had leafed
crowns (Yamac 2007). The selection of artificial yet
dangerous structure like electricity pylons for roosting
and nesting by some other vulture species had also been
reported earlier (van Rooyen 2004; Anderson & Hohne
2007; Chhangani 2009; Phipps et al. 2013).
The neck drooping posture in vulture was earlier
recorded by some workers (Cunningham et al. 2003;
Pain et al. 2003; Prakash et al. 2003) and described as
an indicator of approaching death but contradicted later
by Gilbert et al. (2007) stating that it is an unsuccessful
predictor of mortality and has a probable role in
thermoregulation. Until further reports sun basking,
dozing off with a limping and hanging neck appearance
in White-rumped Vulture could be taken as a normal
activity of this species.
MANAGEMENT PRESCRIPTION AND CONCLUSION

The population of the vulture in UP was very low,
especially the critically endangered ones (Indian Vulture,
Red-headed Vulture, Slender-billed Vulture, Whiterumped Vulture). Vulture species in general are carrion
feeders and old world vultures are slow breeders with
low growth rates (Donazar & Ceballos 1989). Therefore,
there is a need to take necessary steps to save them
from all possible threats, primarily by ensuring safe
and sufficient food, recovery from accidents and
rehabilitation, and a protected environment.
Other than diclofenac-tainted food, the most serious
threat to vulture species is the loss and alteration of
habitat (Donazar et al. 2002a). Vultures are selective
about tree species and individual trees for nesting and
roosting as they use tall trees with sparse but strong
branching. These trees in the forest must be located,
marked and protected because loss of large trees in
general would affect nesting negatively and in turn
the population (Monadjem & Garcelon 2005; Chomba
& MSimuko 2013). Since vultures are sensitive to
disturbance during the breeding season there should be
6758
an effort to maintain an anthropogenic disturbance free

zone around such nested and roosted trees. A buffer
zone of a minimum of 500m (Margalida et al. 2010)
between source of disturbance and breeding colony
should be used as shock absorber, since minimum
human disturbance is critical to successful breeding
of raptors (Bamford et al. 2009; Chomba & MSimuko
2013).
However, the base line data generated in this study
could be used for future monitoring and further detailed
study. Better supported findings could define better
management action in the direction of the conservation
of this highly endangered group of species.
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675
Jha
Appendix 1. Geographical position of vultures recorded in di erent forest divisons of UP during winter (15 December 2011)
Longitude
Latitude
Number
of nests
Number of
vultures
Agra
78.09
27.21
200
Agra
77.60
27.21
130
Banda
80.52
25.01
12
Banda
80.51
25.01
15
Dudhwa
80.68
28.47
16
Forest Division
Longitude
Latitude
Number
of nests
Number of
vultures
78.95
27.10
Mainpuri
78.95
27.11
11
Mainpuri
79.19
27.05
Mainpuri
79.19
27.04
Mainpuri
79.21
27.02
Forest Division
Mainpuri
Dudhwa
80.66
28.47
Mainpuri
79.29
27.10
Firozabad
78.62
27.09
Mainpuri
79.20
27.13
Firozabad
78.62
27.15
Mainpuri
79.34
27.22
12
Firozabad
78.61
27.39
Mainpuri
79.33
27.23
Firozabad
78.60
27.11
Mainpuri
79.30
27.28
Firozabad
78.58
27.00
North Kheeri
80.58
28.45
Firozabad
78.58
27.95
North Kheeri
81.11
28.01
18
Firozabad
78.65
27.24
North Kheeri
80.88
28.25
13
Jhansi
78.56
25.45
North Kheeri
80.81
28.19
12
Jhansi
78.52
25.40
North Kheeri
81.08
28.00
18
Jhansi
78.96
25.25
Pilibheet
80.26
28.64
20
Jhansi
78.52
25.19
12
Pilibheet
80.26
28.64
Kaimoor
78.23
24.51
75
Pilibheet
80.26
28.64
34
Kaimoor
78.24
24.50
164
75
Rastriya Chambal
79.19
27.02
Katarniyaghat
81.12
28.34
Rastriya Chambal
78.34
26.86
Katarniyaghat
81.12
28.34
Rastriya Chambal
78.52
26.78
Katarniyaghat
81.12
28.34
Rastriya Chambal
78.45
26.87
Katarniyaghat
81.12
28.34
Rastriya Chambal
78.57
26.84
Katarniyaghat
81.12
28.36
22
Rastriya Chambal
78.50
26.85
Katarniyaghat
81.14
28.34
14
Rastriya Chambal
78.77
26.76
Katarniyaghat
81.12
28.34
Rastriya Chambal
78.36
26.87
Katarniyaghat
81.15
28.33
30
Rastriya Chambal
78.52
26.78
Lalitpur
78.30
24.49
25
Rastriya Chambal
78.57
26.84
Lalitpur
78.82
24.21
15
Rastriya Chambal
78.80
26.79
Lalitpur
78.82
24.20
35
Rastriya Chambal
78.79
26.77
Lalitpur
78.79
24.29
Rastriya Chambal
78.82
26.77
Lalitpur
78.72
24.24
14
Rastriya Chambal
78.85
26.75
Lalitpur
78.72
24.24
10
Rastriya Chambal
78.89
26.72
Mainpuri
78.07
27.16
Rastriya Chambal
78.91
26.71
Mainpuri
78.07
27.19
40
Rastriya Chambal
78.91
26.71
Mainpuri
78.05
27.31
Rastriya Chambal
78.91
26.71
Mainpuri
79.06
27.24
Rastriya Chambal
79.05
26.68
Mainpuri
78.80
27.19
26
Rastriya Chambal
78.96
26.69
Mainpuri
78.81
27.19
Rastriya Chambal
78.91
26.71
Mainpuri
78.92
27.14
Rastriya Chambal
78.88
26.72
Mainpuri
78.97
27.10
Rastriya Chambal
78.92
26.71
Mainpuri
78.96
27.05
Rastriya Chambal
77.84
27.25
Mainpuri
78.80
27.07
SF Bijnaur
78.86
29.35
30
Mainpuri
78.98
27.11
Shravasti
81.96
27.80
6760
Forest Division
Jha
Longitude
Latitude
Number
of nests
Number of
vultures
Forest Division
Longitude
Latitude
Number
of nests
Number of
vultures
Shravasti
81.87
27.77
Sohelwa
82.55
27.62
35
Shravasti
81.95
27.80
Sohelwa
82.09
27.84
Sohagibarwa
83.92
27.30
Sohelwa
82.12
27.81
14
Sohagibarwa
83.91
27.29
Sohelwa
82.14
27.81
Sohagibarwa
83.92
27.29
Sohelwa
82.14
27.81
22
Sohagibarwa
83.92
27.29
Sohelwa
82.14
27.81
30
Sohagibarwa
83.67
27.36
25
Sohelwa
82.14
27.81
Sohagibarwa
83.60
27.36
Sohelwa
82.07
27.84
37
Sohagibarwa
83.56
27.41
Sohelwa
82.06
27.82
18
Sohelwa
82.55
27.61
25
Sohelwa
82.07
27.84
Sohelwa
82.51
27.62
Sohelwa
82.07
27.82
125
Sohelwa
82.47
27.60
12
Sohelwa
82.16
27.78
Sohelwa
82.55
27.62
Sohelwa
82.16
27.78
Sohelwa
82.06
27.82
14
Sohelwa
82.16
27.78
Sohelwa
82.07
27.82
18
Sohelwa
82.29
27.71
Sohelwa
82.64
27.61
12
Sohelwa
82.27
27.73
Sohelwa
82.62
27.61
Sohelwa
82.27
27.73
21
Sohelwa
82.59
27.61
Sohelwa
82.27
27.71
11
Sohelwa
82.59
27.57
Sohelwa
82.30
27.69
11
Sohelwa
82.59
27.57
12
Sohelwa
82.23
27.73
22
Sohelwa
82.68
27.64
Sohelwa
82.14
27.76
15
Sohelwa
82.74
27.55
Sohelwa
82.21
27.73
25
Sohelwa
82.47
27.61
Sohelwa
82.48
27.42
30
Sohelwa
82.47
27.60
Sohelwa
82.06
27.82
18
Sohelwa
82.51
27.62
Sohelwa
82.07
27.82
57
Sohelwa
82.42
27.55
Unnav
80.52
26.55
71
Sohelwa
82.43
27.55
Unnav
80.52
26.55
68
Sohelwa
82.42
27.55
Unnav
80.52
26.55
68
UPFS (2010). Uttar Pradesh Forest Statistics. Forest Department Uttar

Pradesh, Lucknow.
van Rooyen, C. (2004). Report on vulture interactions with powerlines
in southern Africa, pp. 182194. In: Monadjem, A., M.D. Anderson,
S.E. Piper & A.F. Boshoff (eds). Vultures in The Vultures of Southern
Africa - Quo Vadis? Proceedings of a workshop on vulture research
and conservation in southern Africa. Birds of Prey Working Group,
Johannesburg. McGregor Museum, Kimberly, South Africa.
Vernon, C. (2004). The Eastern Capes Vultures, pp. 7880. In:

Monadjem, A., M.D. Anderson, S.E. Piper & A.F. Boshoff (eds).
Vultures in The Vultures of Southern Africa - Quo Vadis? Proceedings
of a or sho on ulture research and conser ation in southern
Africa. Birds of Prey Working Group, Johannesburg. Kimberly, South
Africa: McGregor Museum.
Whistler, H. (1 4 ). Popular Handbook of Indian Birds. Gurney and
Jackson, London.
amac, E. (2007). Roosting tree selection of Cinereous Vulture
Aegypius monachus in breeding season in Turkey. Podoes 2: 3036.
6761
Jha
Appendix 2. Geographical position of vultures recorded in di erent forest divisons of UP during summer (15 May 2011)
Longitude
Latitude
Number of
nests
Number of
vultures
Mainpuri
78.96
27.05
40
Mainpuri
78.80
27.07
78.98
27.11
Longitude
Latitude
Number of
nests
Number of
vultures
Agra
78.16
27.48
67
Agra
77.75
27.19
Forest division
Forest division
Banda
80.52
25.01
12
Mainpuri
Basti
82.94
26.77
Mainpuri
78.95
27.10
78.95
27.11
Basti
82.72
26.55
Mainpuri
Basti
82.99
26.55
Mainpuri
79.19
27.05
79.19
27.04
Bijnaur
78.33
29.70
30
Mainpuri
Bijnaur
78.45
29.72
20
Mainpuri
79.21
27.02
19
79.29
27.10
Bijnaur
78.42
29.72
Mainpuri
Bijnaur
78.44
29.71
Mainpuri
79.20
27.13
11
Dudhwa
80.75
28.33
32
Mainpuri
79.34
27.22
Dudhwa
80.86
28.49
Mainpuri
79.33
27.23
Dudhwa
80.61
28.63
44
Mainpuri
79.30
27.28
80.74
28.22
Dudhwa
80.58
28.64
35
North Kheeri
Dudhwa
80.66
28.63
65
North Kheeri
80.74
28.22
80.74
28.27
Dudhwa
80.67
28.57
North Kheeri
Dudhwa
80.55
28.54
North Kheeri
80.88
28.20
80.70
28.37
12
Dudhwa
80.55
28.54
13
North Kheeri
Dudhwa
80.54
28.55
North Kheeri
80.97
28.37
50
80.80
28.21
Dudhwa
80.68
28.42
46
North Kheeri
Dudhwa
80.67
28.39
104
North Kheeri
80.88
28.20
Dudhwa
80.66
28.57
23
North Kheeri
81.05
28.07
40
Jhansi
78.64
25.43
32
Pilibheet
80.27
28.64
16
Kaimoor
78.24
24.51
127
412
Pilibheet
80.17
28.75
78.81
29.43
12
Kaimoor
78.25
24.50
88
SF Bijnaur
Katarniyaghat
81.14
28.33
13
SF Bijnaur
78.81
29.38
78.80
29.35
10
Katarniyaghat
81.14
28.33
SF Bijnaur
Katarniyaghat
81.12
28.34
14
Shravasti
81.96
27.80
81.87
27.80
Katarniyaghat
81.13
28.34
Shravasti
Katarniyaghat
81.13
28.34
Shravasti
81.96
27.76
81.96
27.76
Katarniyaghat
81.14
28.34
Shravasti
Katarniyaghat
81.15
28.33
Shravasti
81.97
27.76
25
Lalitpur
78.30
24.49
19
Shravasti
81.97
27.76
Lalitpur
78.83
24.20
18
Shravasti
81.96
27.80
Lalitpur
78.85
24.21
11
32
Shravasti
81.96
27.80
Lalitpur
78.72
24.24
30
Sohagibarwa
83.92
27.29
Mainpuri
78.07
27.16
12
Sohagibarwa
83.66
27.38
Sohagibarwa
83.88
27.30
Mainpuri
78.07
27.19
Mainpuri
78.05
27.31
Sohelwa
82.21
27.73
33
82.11
27.81
Mainpuri
79.06
27.24
Sohelwa
Mainpuri
78.80
27.19
Sohelwa
82.18
27.79
35
82.06
27.82
250
Mainpuri
78.81
27.19
Sohelwa
Mainpuri
78.92
27.14
Sohelwa
81.95
27.85
Sohelwa
82.00
27.87
13
Mainpuri
6762
78.97
27.10
Jha
Longitude
Latitude
Number of
nests
Number of
vultures
Sohelwa
82.72
27.53
Sohelwa
82.51
27.62
Sohelwa
82.51
27.62
Sohelwa
82.25
27.73
Sohelwa
82.34
Sohelwa
82.14
Forest division
Longitude
Latitude
Number of
nests
Number of
vultures
Sohelwa
82.20
27.77
35
South Kheeri
80.47
28.24
12
South Kheeri
80.34
28.48
35
South Kheeri
80.26
28.04
27.71
19
South Kheeri
80.34
28.39
27.76
66
South Kheeri
80.40
28.25
Forest division
Threatened Taxa
676
unication
Co
Odonata of Maluda
National Par , Sarawa , Mala sia
Rory A. Dow 1, Robin Wen Jiang Ngiam 2 & Rambli Ahmad

OPEN ACCESS
1
Naturalis Biodiversity Center, P.O. Box 9517, 2300 RA Leiden, The Netherlands
National Biodiversity Centre, National Parks Board, 1 Cluny Road, Singapore 259569, Republic of Singapore
3v
Sarawak Forestry Corporation, Lot 218, KCLD, Jalan Tapang, Kota Sentosa, 93250 Kuching, Sarawak Malaysia
1
[email protected] (corresponding author), 2 [email protected], 3 [email protected]
2
Abstract: This paper presents records of Odonata collected in July 2012 in Maludam National Park, Sarawak, Malaysia. A total of 48
species from nine families were collected. Three species were new to science, one of which has already been described as Prodasineura
yulan Dow & Ngiam, which may be endemic to Maludam. In addition, Maludam is only the second locality recorded in Sarawak for four
poorly known species: Pachycypha aurea, Macrogomphus decemlineatus, Brachygonia ophelia and Brachygonia puella. Two of these
species, Macrogomphus decemlineatus and Brachygonia ophelia, are recorded for the first time in Sarawak in more than 100 years
eywords: Odonata, dragonflies, damselflies, Maludam, Betong, Sarawak, Malaysia, new species
Abstrak Bahasa Melayu: Kertas ini mengemukakan rekod Odonata yang dikumpul dalam bulan Julai di Taman Negara Maludam, Sarawak,
Malaysia. Sejumlah 48 spesis daripada sembilan famili telah dikumpulkan. Tiga spesis adalah baharu kepada sains, satu daripadanya telah
dihuraikan sebagai Prodasineura yulan Dow & Ngiam, yang mungkin endemik kepada Maludam. Tambahan pula, Maludam adalah tempat
kedua di Sarawak yang merekodkan empat spesis yang kurang diketahui: Pachycypha aurea, Macrogomphus decemlineatus, Brachygonia
ophelia and Brachygonia puella. Dua daripada spesis ini, Macrogomphus decemlineatus and Brachygonia ophelia, direkodkan untuk
pertama kali di Sarawak dalam masa lebih daripada 100 tahun.
Ictino om hus acutus

NOT
EVALUATED
DATA
DEFICIENT
LEAST
CONCERN
NEAR
THREATENED
VULNERABLE
ENDANGERED
CRITICALLY
ENDANGERED
EXTINCT
IN THE WILD
EXTINCT
NE
DD
LC
NT
VU
EN
CR
EW
EX
ZooBank: urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:FD09ED0C-2C6F-47EE-91C7-1109C5DCF69D
Editor: Albert Orr, Griffith University, Nathan, Australia.
Manuscript details: Ms o4107 Received 24 July 2014 Final received 31 December 2014 Finally accepted 04 January 2015
Citation: Dow, R.A., R.W.J. Ngiam, & R. Ahmad (2015). Odonata of Maludam National Park, Sarawak, Malaysia. Journal of Threatened Taxa 7(1): 67646773; http://
dx.doi.org/10.11609/JoTT.o4107.6764-73
Copyright: Dow et al. 2015. Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. JoTT allows unrestricted use of this article in any medium, reproduction
and distribution by providing adequate credit to the authors and the source of publication.
Funding: None.
Author Details: R
A. D
is a research associate at Naturalis Biodiversity Centre, Leiden, the Netherlands. His research interests are in the faunistics and
taxonomy of Asian Odonata. He has extensive experience of working in Southeast Asia, especially in Borneo. R
W J
N
works in the National
Biodiversity Centre, Singapore. He is an Odonata expert in Singapore and has recently started to assist in Odonata research in Sarawak. R
A
is an
ecologist with the Sarawak Forestry Corporation.
Author Contribution: RAD identification and information on the Odonata collected, collection of specimens. RWJN collection of specimens and photography. RA
background information and map in Figure 1.
Acknowledgements: The first two authors would like to thank the Sarawak Forestry Corporation and Sarawak Forest Department for granting permission to collect Odonata in Sarawak, the staff of Maludam National Park, in particular the park warden at the time of their visit, Toloy Keripin Munsang, for their assistance,
and the people of Rumah Tanjong Baru for providing accommodation and hospitality. Albert Orr and two anonymous referees made comments on the paper that
have greatly improved it. Special thanks are due to Watson Asai anak Jika and Mathew anak Samat for their assistance in the field.
6764
Odonata of Maludam National Park, Malaysia
Peat swamp forests are waterlogged wetland areas,

with very low levels of nutrient and dissolved oxygen.
Peat swamp forest is a unique ecosystem where
special flora and fauna have evolved and adapted to
the seemingly harsh environment. More than 60
of the worlds tropical peat swamp forests are in
Southeast Asia with the most extensive areas being in
Borneo and Sumatra (UNDP 2006). Posa et al. (2011)
demonstrated that a significant proportion of Southeast
Asias vertebrate fauna can be found in peat swamp
forests and that preservation of these forests is crucial
in conserving a number of threatened taxa, especially
specialized fish species. Peat swamp forests, however,
are often regarded as unproductive wastelands, and
suffer from anthropogenic impacts such as logging
and conversion to agricultural use while receiving little
attention from conservationists. The degradation and
habitat loss of peat swamps in Southeast Asia over
the last few decades has been unprecedented; it is
estimated that only ca. 37 of historical peat swamp
forest remains in the region (Posa et al. 2011).
Historically Sarawak and Sabah had ca. 17, 460km2
of peat swamp forest but only ca. 36 of it remains.
Two of Sarawaks longer established national parks
contain significant areas of peat swamp forest: Loagan
Bunut National Park in Miri Division, gazetted in 1990,
and Maludam National Park in Betong Division, gazetted
in 2000. Maludam National Park is about 43,147ha in
size (Sarawak Forestry Corporation 2013). The park is
located on the Maludam Peninsula and is part of the
floodplain of the Lupar and Saribas rivers (Hazebroek &
Morshidi 2000). Before the establishment of the park,
the area was harvested for timber from 1955, mainly
for ramin (Gonystylus bancanus - Thymelaeaceae)
until logging concessions expired in 1999 (Wong 2003).
Using remote sensing and GIS technology, Wong (2003)
showed that natural undisturbed forests remaining
in the national park constituted only about 3.29 of
the total park area; much of the remaining area is still
forested, with the forest in various states of disturbance.
Maludam National Park is a refuge for some of
Sarawaks most important animal populations. Examples
are the Red-banded Langur resbytis melalo os cruci er
which is probably limited entirely to Maludam, the
Borneo endemic Proboscis Monkey Nasalis larvatus
and the rare Storms Stork Ciconia stormi (Hazebroek
& Morshidi 2000). Odonata had not been surveyed in
Maludam prior to 2012, indeed very little was known
about the odonate fauna of Betong Division at all.
There are only published records of eight species of

Odonata that can be traced to Betong Division that we
are aware of, all in Laidlaw (1914, 1920) and all from
Saribas: Libellago hyalina (Selys, 1859); Rhinocypha
cucullata Selys, 1873; Euphaea subcostalis Selys, 1873;
Euphaea tricolor Selys, 1859; Elattoneura analis (Selys,
1860); Heliaeschna idae (Brauer, 1865); Gynacantha
dohrni Krger, 1899; and Microgomphus chelifer (Selys,
1858). It was against this background that a survey
of the odonate fauna of Maludam National Park was
conducted in July 2012 by the first two authors with
assistance from the Protected Areas and Biodiversity
Conservation Unit of the SFC.

Adult Odonata were collected using handheld nets
on six days from 6 to 11 July 2012. The main areas of
collection were: Sungai Maludam near Rumah Tanjong
Baru (outside the national park boundary); Sungai
Maludam inside the national park, this is referred to
below as Ulu (upriver) Maludam; in swamp adjacent to,
and small streams flowing into Ulu Maludam (Images
13). On the Sungai Maludam, sampling was conducted
from a boat. Sampling in swamp and small streams
flowing into Sungai Maludam was conducted on foot.
The sampling sites are shown in Fig. 1.
Specimens were preserved either by treatment with
acetone or immersion in ethanol. The specimens are
currently held in either the Naturalis Biodiversity Centre
in Leiden, the Ra es Museum of Biodiversity Research
at National University of Singapore, or the working
collections of the first two authors.
Robin Wen Jiang Ngiam
INTRODUCTION
Dow et al.
Image 1. Sungai Maludam.
6765
Dow et al.
Image 2. Small tributary stream of Sungai Maludam.
Image . A forest trail in Ulu Maludam.
Figure 1. Location of Rumah Tan ong Baru and sampling sites in Maludam National Park.
RESULTS
A total of 48 species from nine families were collected.
Material listed is by date then in alphabetical order by
collectors surname. Collectors: WA - Watson anak Asai;
RD - Rory Dow; RN - Robin Ngiam. Classification follows
Dijkstra et al. (2013) except that the Argiolestidae are
recognized following Kalkman & Theischinger (2013)
and Dijkstra et al. (2014).
6766
Zygoptera
Argiolestidae
(i) Podolestes chrysopus Selys, 1889 (Image 4) The
only recent records of this species are from western
Sarawak (Dow & Reels 2011; Dow 2012). It is otherwise
known from locations in northwestern Kalimantan (Selys
1889; Lieftinck 1935); a record from Brunei (Thompson &
van Tol 1993) in fact refers to misidentified P. harrissoni
and that from Labuan in Selys (1889) is likely to be one
Dow et al.
Rory Dow
Image 4. Podolestes chrysopus (male). This is a peat swamp

specialist and is found at only two other unprotected sites in
Sarawak.
of many cases where specimens were labelled according

to the port from which they were sent back to Europe
rather than collecting site. 4 males, 6.vii.2012, RD; 5
males, 7.vii.2012, RD; 1 male, 7.vii.2012, RN; 1 male, 1
female, 8.vii.2012, WA; 3 males, 1 female, 8.vii.2012,
RN; 1 female, 9.vii.2012, WA; 1 male, 9.vii.2012, RD; 1
male, 9.vii.2012, RN; 1 female, 10.vii.2012, WA; 1 male,
1 female, 10.vii.2012, RD; 1 female, 10.vii.2012, RN; 1
male, 11.vii.2012, RD; 2 males, 11.vii.2012, RN.
(ii) Podolestes harrissoni Lieftinck, 1953
Widely
distributed across Sarawak and Brunei, but confined to
peat swamp forest. 1 male, 6.vii.2012, RD; 9 males, 1
female, 7.vii.2012, RD; 3 males, 7.vii.2012, RN; 1 male,
9.vii.2012, WA; 1 male, 1 female, 9.vii.2012, RN; 1 male,
10.vii.2012, RD.
(iii) Podolestes orientalis Selys, 1862
The most
eurytopic and widespread of the Podolestes species,
found in a variety of swampy situations. 1 female,
6.vii.2012, RN; 1 female, 7.vii.2012, RD; 2 males,
7.vii.2012, RN; 1 male, 10.vii.2012, RD.
(iv) Podolestes new species (Image 5) Possibly the
smallest Podolestes species known. Females were found
perched at waist height in closed canopy forest without
nearby free water. The sole male found was perched
in a small hole dug into the damp peat, presumably by
a Bearded Pig Sus barbatus, without free water; when
disturbed it flew away but returned a few minutes later,
and acted as if it was holding a territory at the hole.
Water was only found ca. 15cm below the bottom of the
hole. 2 females, 7.vii.2012, RD; 1 male, 10.vii.2012, RD.
Chlorocyphidae
(i) Libellago hyalina (Selys, 1859)
2 males, 1
female, 6.vii.2012, RD; 1 male, 6.vii.2012, RN; 1 male, 1
Image 5. Podolestes new species (female).
female, 7.vii.2012, RD; 1 male, 7.vii.2012, RN; 1 female,

8.vii.2012, WA; 2 males, 9.vii.2012, WA; 2 males,
9.vii.2012, RD; 1 female, 10.vii.2012, WA; 1 male, 1
female, 11.vii.2012, RN.
(ii) Pachycypha aurea Lieftinck, 1950
Maludam
National Park is the second site in Sarawak where this
poorly known species has been found, the other is a
non-protected site near Kuching (Dow & Reels 2011);
it is otherwise known from central Kalimantan. 1 male,
7.vii.2012, RN.
Platycnemididae
(i) Coeliccia species
The status of the Coeliccia
species found at Maludam is still under investigation; it
may merely be the widespread C. nigrohamata Laidlaw,
1918, which it closely resembles, but C. nigrohamata
is not normally found in peat swamp forest. 1 male,
7.vii.2012, RD; 1 male, 9.vii.2012, RN; 1 male, 1 female,
10.vii.2012, RD.
(ii) Elattoneura aurantiaca (Selys, 1886) (Image
6) See Dijkstra et al. (2014) for a discussion of Asian
Elattoneura. 6 males, 1 female, 6.vii.2012, RD; 2
males, 6.vii.2012, RN; 1 male, 1 female, 7.vii.2012, RD;
2 males, 1 female, 7.vii.2012, RN; 1 female, 8.vii.2012,
WA; 2 males, 1 female, 9.vii.2012, WA; 3 males, 1
female, 9.vii.2012, RD; 2 males, 9.vii.2012, RN; 1 male,
10.vii.2012, RN; 2 males, 1 female, 11.vii.2012, WA; 1
male, 2 females, 11.vi.2012, RN.
(iii) Onychargia atrocyana (Selys, 1865) Onychargia
was formerly placed in the Coenagrionidae, see Dijkstra
et al. (2014). 1 male, 9.vii.2012, RD.
(iv) Prodasineura yulan Dow & Ngiam, 2013
See
Dow & Ngiam (2013).
6767
Dow et al.
Image 6.
la
neura auran a a (male).
Coenagrionidae
(i) Amphicnemis annae Lieftinck, 1940
A peat
swamp forest specialist, widely distributed in northwestern Kalimantan, Sarawak and Brunei. 3 males, 1
female, 6.vii.2012, RD; 1 male, 3 females, 7.vii.2012, RD;
1 female, 9.vii.2012, RN; 3 males, 2 females, 10.vii.2012,
RD; 1 male, 1 female, 10.vii.2012, RN; 1 male, 11.vii.2012,
RD.
(ii) Amphicnemis wallacii Selys, 1863
1 male,
6.vii.2012, RD; 1 male, 9.vii.2012, WA; 1 male, 2 females,
9.vii.2012, RD; 1 male, 1 female, 9.vii.2012, RN; 3 males,
1 female, 10.vii.2012, RD; 1 male, 10.vii.2012, RN.
(iii) Amphicnemis species cf dactylostyla Lieftinck,
1953 The status of forms allied to A. dactylostyla and
A martini Ris, 1911 in Sarawak is the subject of an ongoing investigation. 3 males, 7.vii.2012, RD.
(iv) Archibasis melanocyana (Selys, 1877) Abundant
on stretches of Ulu Maludam. 1 male, 6.vii.2012, RD; 1
male, 6.vii.2012, RN; 3 males, 10.vii.2012, RD; 5 males, 1
female, 11.vii.2012, WA; 11 males, 11.vii.2012, RN.
(v) Archibasis viola Lieftinck, 1949
1 male,
6.vii.2012, RD; 1 male, 7.vii.2012, RD; 2 males, 1 female,
10.vii.2012, RD; 1 male, 10.vii.2012, RN.
(vi) Ceriagrion cerinorubellum (Brauer, 1865)
1
male, 6.vii.2012, RN; 1 female, 8.vii.2012, RN; 1 male,
9.vii.2012, RD; 1 male, 1 female, 9.vii.2012, RN; 2
males, 10.vii.2012, WA; 1 male, 1 female (in tandem),
10.vii.2012, RN.
(vii) Ceriagrion new species
A species that
closely resembles C. cerinorubellum, differing in the
almost entirely red abdomen and details of the anal
appendages. Since its discovery at Maludam it has
also been found at two sites in Brunei (Ngiam, Dow &
Choong in preparation). It appears to be a specialist of
peat swamp and kerapa (intermediate between peat
6768
swamp and kerangas) forest. 1 male, 6.vii.2012, RD; 3

males, 7.vii.2012, RN; 2 males, 1 female( ), 8.vii.2012,
RN; 1 male, 9.vii.2012, RD; 1 male, 10.vii.2012, WA; 2
males, 10.vii.2012, RD; 1 male, 10.vii.2012, RN.
(viii) Ischnura senegalensis (Rambur, 1842)
1
male, 10.vii.2012, RD.
(ix) Mortonagrion indraneil Dow, 2011
Like
Podolestes harrisoni, this species is widely distributed
in Sarawak and Brunei, but is confined to peat swamp
forest. 1 male, 6.vii.2012, RD; 3 males, 2 females,
7.vii.2012, RD; 1 male, 7.vii.2012, RN; 1 male, 8.vii.2012,
WA; 1 male, 9.vii.2012, RD; 1 female, 9.vii.2012, RN; 2
males, 1 female, 10.vii.2012, RD; 1 female, 10.vii.2012,
RN.
(x) Pseudagrion coomansi Lieftinck, 1937
1
male, 6.vii.2012, RD; 1 male, 7.vii.2012, RD; 1 male,
10.vii.2012, RD; 1 female, 11.vii.2012, WA; 4 males, 1
female, 11.vii.2012, RN.
(xi) Pseudagrion microcephalum (Rambur, 1842)
1 male, 6.vii.2012, RD; 1 male, 6.vii.2012, RN; 1 male,
10.vii.2012, RD.
Anisoptera
Aeshnidae
(i) Gynacantha dohrni Krger, 1899
1 male,
7.vii.2012, RD.
(ii) Heliaeschna idae (Brauer, 1865)
This large
species was abundant during the sampling period. It
is typically regarded as a crepuscular species, but at
Maludam it was observed flying all day, even in bright
sunlight in parts of the forest where the canopy had been
opened extensively by past logging activities. 1 male,
RN; 1 male, 9.vii.2012, RD; 1 male, 1 female, 10.vii.2012,
WA; 1 male, 1 female (in tandem), 10.vii.2012, RD; 1
male, 10.vii.2012, RN.
(iii) Oligoaeschna foliacea Lieftinck, 1968 1 male,
2 females, 11.vii.2012, RD.
(iv) Tetracanthagyna plagiata (Waterhouse, 1877)
1 female, 9.vii.2012, RD.
Gomphidae
(i) Ictino om hus acutus (Laidlaw, 1914) (Image 7)
4 males, 2 females, 6.vii.2012, RD; 2 males, 6.vii.2012,
RN; 1 male, 7.vii.2012, RD; 2 males, 7.vii.2012, RN; 1
female, 9.vii.2012, RN; 1 male, 11.vii.2012, WA; 2 males,
11.vii.2012, RN.
(ii) Ictino om hus decoratus melaeno s (Selys,
1858) 1 male, 7.vii.2012, RN; 1 male, 9.vii.2010, RD.
(iii) Macrogomphus decemlineatus (Selys, 1878)
We are not aware of any published record of this
Dow et al.
Image 7. n g p u a u u (male). It was very abundant along

Sungai Maludam.
Image 8. ra g nia p elia (female). This is the rst record of the

species in Sarawak since 1 10.
species having been collected in Sarawak since that in

Laidlaw (1914) of two males collected from Kuching in
May 1896. The species is known from Borneo, Sumatra,
Belitung and peninsular Malaysia, but is seldom
recorded. 2 males, 6.vii.2012, RD.
National Park is the second site in Sarawak where this

poorly known species has been found; the other site
is Binyo Penyilam proposed national park in Bintulu
Division (Dow & Unggang 2010). It is also known from
Kalimantan Tengah and Belitung. 3 males, 6.vii.2012,
RD; 2 males, 6.vii.2012, RN; 2 males, 8.vii.2012, WA; 2
males, 8.vii.2012, RN; 1 male, 9.vii.2012, WA; 2 males,
10.vii.2012, WA; 1 male, 10.vii.2012, RD.
(iv) halybeothemis flu iatilis Lieftinck, 1933
2
males, 6.vii.2012, RD; 2 males, 6.vii.2012, RN; 1 male,
10.vii.2012, RD; 1 male, 11.vii.2012, RD; 3 males,
11.vii.2012, RN.
(v) Nannophya pygmaea Rambur, 1842
1
male, 6.vii.2012, RD; 1 male, 6.vii.2012, RN; 2 males,
10.vii.2012, WA.
(vi) Neurothemis fluctuans (Fabricius, 1793)
1
male, 11.vii.2012, RD.
(vii) Orchithemis pruinans (Selys, 1878)
1 male,
10.vii.2012, RN.
(viii) Orchithemis pulcherrima Brauer, 1878
1
male, 10.vii.2012, RN.
(ix) Orchithemis xanthosoma Laidlaw, 1911
2
males, 1 female, 7.vii.2012, RD; 3 males, 7.vii.2012,
RN; 1 male, 8.vii.2012, WA; 1 male, 9.vii.2012, RD; 1
male, 9.vii.2012, RN; 1 male, 10.vii.2012, RD; 1 male,
11.vii.2012, RN.
(x) Orthetrum chrysis (Selys, 1891)
1 male,
8.vii.2012, WA;
(xi) Orthetrum sabina (Drury, 1773)
1 male,
6.vii.2012, RN.
(xii) Pornothemis serrata Krger, 1902
1 male,
6.vii.2012, RD; 2 males, 6.vii.2012, RN; 1 female,
7.vii.2012, RD; 1 male, 9.vii.2012, RD; 1 male, 10.vii.2012,
RD.
(xiii) Rhodothemis rufa (Rambur, 1842)
1 male,
Macromiidae
(i) Macromia cincta Rambur, 1842
1 male,
9.vii.2012, RN; 1 male, 10.vii.2012, WA; 1 male,
10.vii.2012, RD.
Corduliidae
(i) Hemicordulia tenera Lieftinck, 1930
1 male,
6.vii.2012, RD; 2 males, 7.vii.2012, RD; 5 males, 1 female
(in tandem), 7.vii.2012, RN; 1 male, 8.vii.2012, WA; 1
male, 9.vii.2012, RN; 6 males, 10.vii.2012, WA; 1 male,
10.vii.2012, RN; 1 male, 11.vii.2012, RD.
Libellulidae
(i) Brachygonia oculata (Brauer, 1878)
1 male,
6.vii.2012, RD; 1 male, 1 female, 6.vii.2012, RN; 1
male, 7.vii.2012, RD; 1 male, 1 female, 7.vii.2012, RN;
2 males, 2 females, 8.vii.2012, WA; 1 male, 8.vii.2012,
RN; 3 females, 9.vii.2012, WA; 1 male, 9.vii.2012, WA;
1 female, 9.vii.2012, RN; 1 male, 2 females, 10.vii.2012,
WA; 1 male, 10.vii.2012, RN; 1 female, 11.vii.2012, WA.
(ii) Brachygonia ophelia Ris, 1910 (Image 8)
The
last published record of this species from Sarawak was
made in Kuching Division in 1910 (Laidlaw 1920), making
this the first record of the species from the state for
more than 100 years. It is a locally occurring specialist
of low pH swamp forest, known to occur across Borneo
and in peninsular Malaysia, but with very few records. 1
male, 9.vii.2012, RN; 1 female, 11.vii.2012, RN.
(iii) Brachygonia puella Lieftinck, 1937
Maludam
6769
Dow et al.
7.vii.2012, RN.
(xiv) Rhyothemis fulgens Kirby, 1889 This species
was treated as a junior synonym of R. pgymaea (Brauer,
1867) by Ris (1913), a course followed by almost all
subsequent authors, but is clearly distinct from true
R. pygmaea, differing substantially in the male anal
appendages; it appears that R. pygmaea occurs east of
the Wallace line and that all records from west of the
Wallace line actually refer to R. fulgens. This subject will
be treated in detail elsewhere (Dow in preparation).
1 male, 6.vii.2012, RN; 1 male, 1 female (in tandem),
7.vii.2012, RN; 1 male, 10.vii.2012, RN.
(xv) Rhyothemis obsolescens Kirby, 1889
1 male,
6.vii.2012, RD.
(xvi) Tyriobapta laidlawi Ris, 1919
3 males,
RD; 1 male, 7.vii.2012, RN; 2 males, 8.vii.2012, WA; 1
male, 9.vii.2012, WA; 2 males, 1 female, 9.vii.2012, RD;
1 male, 9.vii.2012, RN; 1 male, 1 female, 10.vii.2012,
WA; 2 males, 10.vii.2012, RD; 1 male, 10.vii.2012, RN; 2
males, 11.vii.2012, WA.
(xvii) Urothemis signata insignata (Selys, 1872) 2
males, 1 female, 6.vii.2012, RD; 1 female, 6.vii.2012, RN;
1 male, 8.vii.2012, WA; 1 male, 11.vii.2012, WA; 1 male,
11.vii.2012, RN.
(xviii) y omma etiolatum Rambur, 1842 1 male,
9.vii.2012, RN; 1 male, 10.vii.2012, RD.
DISCUSSION
The results from this first Odonata collection in
Maludam National Park are very encouraging, the
48 species recorded offer a snapshot of the diversity
present in the park; further surveys will surely uncover
additional species. With a number of rare and specialist
species, including three previously unknown to science,
it is already clear that Maludam National Park is an
important area for odonate conservation and research
in northern Borneo. One of the new species has
already been described in Dow & Ngiam (2013). Only
a single male specimen of this species, Prodasineura
yulan, was collected. Description of the other two
new species (Podolestes new species cf. atomarius and
Ceriagrion new species) is in preparation. Besides the
new species found, other important records were also
made, including only the second record in Sarawak for
Pachycypha aurea and Brachygonia puella, and the first
record in Sarawak for over 100 years for Macrogomphus
decemlineatus and Brachygonia ophelia. Due to time
constraints and low water levels, the upper reaches
of Ulu Maludam, where there are more pristine forest
areas, were not explored; this is a priority area for future
work.
Species collected at Maludam National Park and
considered to be worthy of special attention from
a conservation viewpoint, at least in Sarawak, are
summarised in Table 1. For explanation of terms
such as Data Deficient, Area of Occurrence etc., see
Table 1. Species collected in Maludam National Park in 2012 and potentially of conservation concern either within Sarawak, or globally.
Species
Conservation concern
Pachycypha aurea
Only one other, non-protected, site is known in Sarawak for this species. Outside of Sarawak it is only currently known
from a few sites in Kalimantan Tengah.
Podolestes new species cf. atomarius
Only known from Maludam National Park.
Podolestes harrissoni
A peat swamp forest specialist species whose Extent of Occurrence has been seriously reduced.
Podolestes chrysopus
Only two other sites in Sarawak are known for this species; both are non-protected. Outside of Sarawak it is only
known from old records from north-western Kalimantan.
Amphicnemis annae
Ceriagrion new species
Only known from Maludam National Park and two sites in Brunei.
Mortonagrion indraneil
Prodasineura yulan
Only known from Maludam National Park.
Ictino om hus acutus
Currently listed as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List, because of specialized habitat and a declining extent of
occurrence
Macrogomphus decemlineataus
Maludam National Park is the only location in Sarawak from which this species is currently known.
Brachygonia ophelia
Currently assessed as Data Deficient for the IUCN Red List, but likely to be re-assessed in a higher threat category as an
extremely local low pH swamp forest specialist species. In Sarawak only currently known from Maludam National Park.
Brachygonia puella
Within Sarawak only one other site in is currently known for this species.
6770
IUCN (2012). There is still insufficient data to make

concrete statements about the rarity or otherwise of
many odonate species in Sarawak. However, any peat
swamp forest specialist species confined to Borneo can
be reasonably assumed to be of serious conservation
concern, as peat swamp forest is undoubtedly an
extremely threatened forest type in South-east Asia,
known to have undergone a serious and continuing
decline in its extent, and in the quality of what remains
(e.g. Wong 2013, Posa et al. 2011); probably the only
truly pristine peat swamp habitats remaining on the
island are in Brunei. Moreover, as very little peat swamp
forest is protected in Sarawak, peat swamp specialist
species occurring in the state have few secure refuges
and are of significant conservation concern.
There are relatively few publications dealing
specifically with the Odonata of peat swamp forest
and other low pH swamp forest formations in Borneo.
Orr (2001) includes records from peat swamp forest
in Belait district of western Brunei, as do Thompson
& van Tol (1993). Considerable extra data from peat
swamp forest in northern Belait District was generated
in 2013 as part of the Belait Biodiversity Action Plan
project (Dow & Choong unpublished); this data will be
published in due course. Dow & Silvius (2014) deals
with the peat swamp forests of Central Kalimantan,
Indonesian Borneo; many records in Lieftinck (1953a,b)
must actually be from similar habitat, but details are
lacking. Yagi & Kitagawa (2001) presented records from
degraded peat swamp forest in the Klias peninsula on
the west coast of Sabah. For Sarawak, Dow & Unggang
(2010) discussed the odonate fauna of low pH swamp
forest at Binyo Penyilam in Bintulu Division, Dow &
Reels (2011) presented records from a peat swamp
forest remnant in Kuching Division, and Dow & Reels
(2013) includes records from Sama Jaya Nature Reserve
in Kuching Division (where the habitat may be best
characterized as kerapa intermediate between peat
swamp and kerangas forest), from peat swamp forest at
the Universiti Malaysia Sarawak campus in Samarahan
Division, and a few records from extremely disturbed
peat swamp forest from the Simunjan area further west
in the same administrative division. As-yet-unpublished
data is also available from Loagan Bunut National Park
in Miri Division, and from highly disturbed peat swamp
forest habitats in the vicinity of Marudi in the lower
Baram area of the same division. In Sundaland outside
of Borneo substantial areas of peat swamp forest
occur in Sumatra and, to a lesser extent, in peninsular
Malaysia; for these areas even less data is available. We
are not aware of any publications dealing specifically
Dow et al.
with peat swamp forest Odonata from Sumatra or its

satellite islands; although some records from Sumatra
and Belitung must be from peat swamp forest, but
details of habitat are lacking from most records. From
peninsular Malaysia data from peat swamp forest can
be found in Choong & Cheah (2013: Ayer Hitam in
Johor), Dow et al. (2010, 2012: the Sungai Bebar area
in Pahang) and Norma Rashid et al. (2001: Tasek Bera
in Pahang; most records in this publication appear to be
from open habitats around the margin of the lake Tasek
Bera rather than from within the peat swamp forest that
borders part of the lake).
Although there is an urgent need for far more data
from the remaining peat swamp forest areas of Borneo,
sufficient data is now available to make some preliminary
observations about the specialist odonate fauna of peat
swamp forest of different parts of the island.
For Anisoptera the available data suggests that many
of the specialist species have relatively large ranges, some
even extending beyond Borneo. However some of the
more widely distributed species, perhaps most notably
Brachygonia ophelia, are extremely local in occurrence.
We are not aware of any specialist anisopteran species
confined to peat swamp forest in just one part of
Borneo. However it should be noted that many species
from the families Aeshnidae, Gomphidae, Macromiidae
and Corduliidae are so difficult to sample in Borneo that
it is entirely possible that some restricted range peat
swamp specialists have not yet been detected.
For the more weakly flying Zygoptera the situation is
very different. In genera generally recognized as having
many swamp forest specialist species, e.g., Podolestes,
Amphicnemis and Mortonagrion, all the peat swamp
specialist species found in Borneo are endemic to the
island. Additionally the available evidence suggests that
a number of the Bornean Platycnemididae formerly
placed in Protoneuridae, e.g., members of Elattoneura
sensu lato and Prodasineura, are specialists of low pH
streams; of these only Elattoneura (sic) aurantiaca
and Elattoneura (sic) coomansi Lieftinck, 1937 are
known to occur outside of Borneo.
Within Borneo many of the peat swamp specialist
Zygoptera appear to have restricted ranges. Most of the
Zygoptera known or believed likely to be peat swamp
or other low pH swamp forest specialists occurring in
Central Kalimantan appear to be confined to the peat
lands of southern Borneo (See Dow & Silvius (2014)
and Dow (2014): Podolestes atomarius Lieftinck,
1950; P. furcifer Lieftinck, 1950; Coeliccia new species;
Elattoneura erythromma Lieftinck, 1953; Prodasineura
abbreviata Lieftinck, 1951;
uadristi ma Lieftinck,
6771
Dow et al.
1951; Prodasineura new species; Amphicnemis erminea

Lieftinck, 1953; A. pandanicola Lieftinck, 1953; A.
platystyla Lieftinck, 1953; Amphicnemis triplex Dow,
2014 and an as-yet-un-named Amphicnemis species).
As these low lying areas are almost isolated from
similar habitats in other parts of the island by extensive
mountain ranges, the high degree of endemicity to the
region may not be surprising. However even in northern
Borneo, many peat swamp specialist species appear to
have small ranges. Amphicnemis madelenae Laidlaw,
1913 is only known from northwestern Kalimantan
(Lieftinck 1954) and Kuching Division in Sarawak (e.g.,
Dow & Reels 2011, 2013). The status of a number of
forms allied to A martini Ris, 1911 is unclear, but some
may be distinct species with small ranges; at least one
of these is a peat swamp specialist. An unnamed peat
swamp species of Coeliccia known from two sites in
Kuching and Samarahan divisions (Dow & Reels 2011,
2013) has not been found at Maludam or further
east, while oeliccia macrosti ma Laidlaw, 1918 is
a peat swamp forest specialist only known from the
lower Baram area (where virtually no suitable habitat
remains) and Belait District in Brunei. Two of the new
species found at Maludam (Podolestes new species and
Prodasineura yulan) have not been found anywhere else.
Podolestes chrysopus is only reliably known from northwest Kalimantan and Sarawak as far east as Maludam.
However, Pachycypha aurea, which is a peat swamp
forest specialist, appears to have a wide distribution
from Kalimantan Tengah to western Sarawak. We can
tentatively conclude that there is a hot spot for peat
swamp Zygoptera endemicity and diversity in southern
Kalimantan and possibly another in northwestern
Kalimantan and southwestern Sarawak. What appears
certain is that additional peat swamp specialist species
remain undiscovered in the many poorly sampled parts
of the lowlands of Borneo. As very little peat swamp
forest has totally protected status in Borneo, many of
the peat swamp specialist Odonata face an uncertain
future.
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Threatened Taxa
677
unication
Co
The seasonalit of butterflies in a se i-evergreen forest:

Gibbon Wildlife Sanctuar , Assa , northeastern India
Arun P. Singh 1, Lina Gogoi 2 & Jis Sebastain

Ecology & Biodiversity Conservation Division, Rain Forest Research Institute, P.O. Box 136, Jorhat,
Assam 785001, India
3
Research Centre in Botany, Sacred Heart College, Thevara, Kochi, Kerala 682013, India
1
[email protected]; [email protected] (corresponding author), 2 [email protected], 3 [email protected]
1,2
OPEN ACCESS
Abstract: A study spanning 3.7 years on the butterflies of Gibbon Wildlife Sanctuary GWS (21km2), a semi-evergreen forest, in Jorhat District
of Assam, northeastern India revealed 211 species of butterflies belonging to 115 genera including 19 papilionids and seven rare and
very rare species as per Evans list of the Indian sub-continent (Great Blue Mime Papilio paradoxa telearchus; Brown Forest BobScobura
oolle ; Snowy Angle Darpa pteria dealbatahas; Constable Dichorragia nesimachus; Grey Baron Euthalia anosia anosia; Sylhet Oakblue
Arhopala silhetensis; Branded Yamfly Yasoda tripunctata). The butterflies showed a strong seasonality pattern in this forest with only one
significant peak during the post monsoon (September-October) when 118 species were in flight inside the forest which slowly declined to
92 species in November-December. Another peak (102 species) was visible after winter from March to April. Species composition showed
least similarity between pre-monsoon (March-May) and post-monsoon (October-November) seasons. The number of papilionid species
were greater from July to December as compared from January to June. The findings of this study suggest that the pattern of seasonality in
a semi-evergreen forest in northeastern India is distinct from that of the sub-tropical lowland forest in the Himalaya. Favourable logistics
and rich diversity in GWS points to its rich potential in promoting butterfly inclusive ecotourism in this remnant forest.
eywords: Conservation, eco-tourism, endemic, Papilionidae, rainfall, rare, semi-evergreen forest.
Arhopala bazaloides
Tamil Oakblue
NOT
EVALUATED
DATA
DEFICIENT
LEAST
CONCERN
NE
DD
LC
NEAR
VULNERABLE
THREATENED
NT
VU
ENDANGERED
CRITICALLY
ENDANGERED
EXTINCT
IN THE WILD
EXTINCT
EN
CR
EW
EX
ZooBank: urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:4A80B592-41FB-460F-A7E8-7244E20CAB9C
Editor: Anonymity requested.
Manuscript details: Ms o3742 Received 28 July 2014 Final received 16 November 2014 Finally accepted 29 December 2014
Citation: Singh, A.P., L. Gogoi & J. Sebastain (2015). The seasonality of butterflies in a semi-evergreen forest: Gibbon Wildlife Sanctuary, Assam, northeastern
India. Journal of Threatened Taxa 7(1): 67746787; http://dx.doi.org/10.11609/JoTT.o3742.6774-87
Copyright: Singh et al. 2015. Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. JoTT allows unrestricted use of this article in any medium, reproduction
Funding: None.
Author Contribution: APS carried out most of the sampling surveys, photography, identification, compilation and analysis of data and paper writing. LG assisted
in sampling surveys, data recording, compilation and analysis for some trips. JS assisted in sampling surveys, data recording, compilation, data analysis for some
trips and compilation of appendix
Author Details: A
P. S
is working on the ecology and conservation of biodiversity of the Himalaya and northeastern India with special reference to
butterflies and birds. Presently, he heads the Ecology and Biodiversity Conservation Division, Rain Forest Research Institute (ICFRE), Jorhat. L
G
is an
environmental science post graduate from Tezpur University, Assam had worked on weathering geochemistry of Lohit River, Dibang River and Dibru Saikhowa
National Park. Also worked on ecological studies of butterflies in Arunachal Pradesh at the Rain Forest Research Institute for a short period. Currently working
in Tezpur University as a project fellow in biochar related project. J S
did her MSc in forestry from FRI University in Dehradun, Uttarakhand. She has
working experience in Wildlife Trust of India and as JRF in the Rain Forest Research Institute on ecological studies of butterflies in Arunachal Pradesh. Currently
perusing PhD research in botany at Sacred Heart College, Cochin, Kerala.
Acknowledgements: The authors are thankful to the officers and staff of the Assam Forest Department at the Gibbon Wildlife Sanctuary, Jorhat for their help
from time to time and to the Director, Rain Forest Research Institute, Jorhat for providing necessary facilities. Thanks are due to Monsoon Jyoti Gogoi for sharing
his records that have been added to the Appendix and to Riyaz A. Ahmed for assisting in a few of the field trips.
6774
Butterflies in Gibbon Wildlife Sanctuary
INTRODUCTION
The northeastern region of India, that lies south
of the Brahmaputra River, is part of the Indo-Burma
biodiversity hotspot on the globe. It is located at the trijunction of Indo-Chinese, Indo-Malayan and Palaearctic
biogeographic realms exhibiting a profusion of habitats
characterized by diverse biota with a high level of
endemism (http://www.biodiversityhotspots.org/xp/
hotspots/indo burma/Pages/default.aspx).
More than 50 of the butterfly species found in India
occur in the northeast, also called the Papilionidae-rich
zone in the Indo-Burma hotspot as per IUCN (New &
Collins 1991). The high species richness and endemism
make this an important region for conservation of
biodiversity in India.
Study Area
The Gibbon Wildlife Sanctuary (GWS) 2604026045N
& 9402094025E, lies in Jorhat District in upper Assam
in northeastern India. It is today an isolated forest patch
covering approximately 21km2 of mainly lush green
tropical semi-evergreen forest sparsely interspersed
with wet evergreen forest patches, classified as
Assam plains alluvial semi-evergreen forests (2B/
C1a) (Champion & Seth 1968). Dipterocarpus retusus
(Hollong) is the predominant element in the forest. The
associated species are Ailanthus inte rifolia Altin ia
excelsa, Artocarpus chama, Castanopsis purpurella,
Singh et al.
Cinnamomum bejolgheta, Dysoxylum gobara, Mesua

ferrea, Michelia champaca and atica lanceafolia
(Baruah & Khatri 2010) with most of the tree species
being utilized by the Western Hoolock Gibbon Hoolock
hoolock here (Barua & Gogoi 2012). The altitudinal
range of GWS varies between 100120 m above sea
level, while the average temperature ranges from
18.9527.9 0C, the average humidity varies between
64.5 and 94.5 and the annual rainfall of the study
area being 250cm. The sanctuary was carved out of
Hollongapar Reserve Forest set aside in 1881 named
after the dominant tree species - Hollong (Dipterocarpus
retusus). Subsequently, more forest areas were added
to this RF and by 1997 the total area of the Hollongapar
RF increased to 2098.62ha. The Government of Assam
declared this entire RF area as the Gibbon Wildlife
Sanctuary in 1997. GWS is surrounded by mostly tea
gardens and small villages. The Bhogdoi River flows from
Nagaland (south) to Assam (north-west) and distinctly
demarcates the eastern boundary of this sanctuary as
a permanent physical barrier (Image 1). GWS was once
contiguous with a large forest tract that extended to
Dissoi Valley Reserve Forests of Nagaland in the south
and are now separated by a vast stretch of tea gardens
presenting a barrier in the effective migration of wildlife
such as elephants (Bhattacharjee 2012). GWS today is
still a home to many species of animals of global concern
namely, Hoolock Gibbon Hoolock hoolock (Endangered;
Brockelman et al. 2008); Capped Langur Trachypithecus
Image 1. Gibbon Wildlife Sanctuary and its surrounding areas.

6775
Singh et al.
Figure 1. The Gibbon Wildlife Sanctuary with the butterfly sampling trails, marked in red (Source: D.J. Das, Geo Informatics Laboratory,
Ecology & Biodiversity Conservation Division, RFRI, Jorhat).
pileatus (Vulnerable; Das et al. 2008), Slow Loris

Nycticebus ben alensis (Vulnerable; Streicher et al.
2008), Pig-tailed Macaque Macaca leonina (Vulnerable;
Boonratana et al. 2008), Stump-tailed Macaque Macaca
arctoides (Vulnerable; Htun et al. 2008), Assamese
Macaque Macaca assamensis (Near Threatened;
Boonratana et al. 2008), Malayan Giant Squirrel Ratufa
bicolour (Near Threatened; Walston et al. 2008), Asian
Elephant Elephas maximus (Endangered; Choudhury et
al. 2008), Leopard Panthera pardus (Near Threatened;
Henschel et al. 2008), Large Indian Civet Viverra zibetha
(Near Threatened; Duckworth, et al. 2008), Chinese
Pangolin Manis pentadactyla (Endangered; Challender
et al. 2014), as recorded by the author. Besides, many
other species have also been listed in the sanctuarys
catalogue (Bordoloi 2010).
The published literature on the butterflies of the
GWS is scanty. Senthilkumar et al. (2006) recorded 37
species from GWS. A blog by Abhijit Narvekar (http://
butterflyinggibbonwls.blogspot.in/) lists 31 species from
GWS, recorded in May 2013. Besides these, there are
no other published records of butterflies from GWS. The
authors hereby report the results of a three and a half
year study carried out by them in the GWS.
6776
METHODS
Sampling
Twenty-eight sampling surveys covering all the
months were carried out in Gibbon WS from 4 August
2010 to 26 April 2014. Sampling was carried out along
forest trails up to 5m on both sides along a stretch of
3.5km from the village Melang Grant to the Gibbon
Forest Rest House (FRH) and along the two parallel trails
that goes from the FRH towards river Bhogdoi in the east
(Fig. 1). The Pollard walk (Pollard & Yates 1993) method
was used for sampling butterflies. Sampling was carried
out between 08.00hr to 15.00hr mostly on sunny days,
but the sampling hours varied in different samplings from
1.53 hours. The taxa encountered were recorded in
each sampling. The data on abundance, however, could
not be recorded for each survey, but species occurring
in exceptionally high numbers (peak abundance) were
noted. A total of 65 hours of sampling was carried out.
Butterflies were identified from photographs and using
field guides (Evans 1932; Wynter-Blyth 1957; Haribal
1992; Smith 1989 & 2006; Kehimkar 2008; Sondhi et
al. 2013 and websites: www.flutters.org/ and www.
ifoundbutterflies.org/).
Singh et al.
Data Analysis
Data for the number of species recorded in each
survey was pooled. Species accumulation curve was
then plotted from the first to the last sampling to see the
rate of species accumulation during the study period.
The Sorensens similarity index or
was calculated
to see the species similarity in butterflies between
four different seasons meeting different seasons premonsoon (MarchMay), monsoon (JuneSept), postmonsoon (OctoberNovember) and winter (December
February) in this semi-evergreen forest.
2c/ (S1+S2)
here, S1 the total number of species recorded in
one season/site
S2 the total number of species recorded in different
season/site
C number of species common to both seasons/
sites
The Sorensens similarity index (Sorensen 1948) is a
very simple measure of beta diversity, ranging from a
value of zero, where there is no species overlap between
the communities to a value of one, when exactly the
same species are found in both communities.
The seasonality of butterflies in GWS was then
compared with trends available in other studies in other
forest habitats in the Himalaya and the northeast to see
the variation in this forest type.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS

Species richness
Amongst the 211 species belonging to 115 genera
recorded during 28 sampling surveys (Appendix 1), 19
species were of the family Papilionidae. This suggests

that species richness of the area could be as high as 257
species based on the family proportion model (Singh &
Pandey 2004), by taking Papilionidaes proportion as
7.4 of the total for northeastern India (Wynter-Blyth
1957). The present sampling thus represents about
82 of the species found in the study area. Families
Lyceanidae and Hesperiidae proportions are less than
those of the northeastern region, these two families are
thus under-represented (Table 1) in the present surveys
and there is a need to look for more species among
these two families in GWS.
Species accumulation
An increasing trend in the species accumulation
curve shows that new species were added during every
sampling up to the last sampling at a prominently
higher rate just after the monsoon rains (AugSep) until
pre-monsoon (March), every year (Fig. 2). The trend
obtained during the last six samplings suggests that new
species were still being discovered until the end (mainly
Lycaenidae and Hesperiidae).
Seasonality
Maximum number of species were recorded during
the post monsoon season in the region (Fig. 3). The first
peak in species richness (102 species) during March and
April was smaller than the second peak in September to
October (118) when most of the species are in flight in
GWS. The two peak seasonal trends in butterflies is very
typical of the Himalaya and northeastern India. In GWS,
which is a semi-evergreen forest, the second peak is
higher than the first peak, however. This pattern differs
considerably from the sub-tropical lowland forests in
Bhutan (Fig. 4; Singh 2012) lying between 100220 m,
Table 1. Comparison of the proportion of butterfly families recorded

from Gibbon WS with northeastern India
Site
Total
no. of
Papilionispecies
dae
recorded
Family
Pieridae
Lycaeni- Nymphali- Hesperiidae

dae
dae
WynterBlyth 1957
Northeastern India
853
7.3 (62)
6.1
30.2
34.2
22.2
Present
study
Semievergreen
Forest
Gibbon
Wildlife
Sanctuary,
Assam
(21km2)
211
9.0 (19)
9.0
(19)
24.6
(52)
40.8 (86)
16.6 (35)
Figure 2. Species accumulation curve for 28 samplings of butterflies

through di erent seasons in Gibbon WS (August 2010April 2014)
6777
Singh et al.
Seasonality
Seasonality
Figure 4. Seasonal variation in number of butterfly species (pooled)

in subtropical lowland forests of Bhutan (January 200 March 2010)
(Singh 2012).
Figure . Seasonal variation in number of species recorded in
Gibbon WS (August 2010April 2014).
Table 2. Similarity index of papilionids in di erent areas having
semi-evergreens forest in northeastern India
where both the peaks are high but the first peak in April
is slightly greater than the second peak in December
(Fig. 4). The reason for the first peak being smaller than
the second peak in GWS may be related to the pattern of
rainfall here. The reason for the first peak being smaller
than second peak higher in GWS may be related to the
pattern of rainfall here. In GWS the onset of early rains
is early in spring (from April), monsoons are less severe,
there is short dry (moderate) winter in comparison
to rains arriving relatively late in MayJune, severe
monsoon and a longer winter season in Bhutan.
Species similarity among seasons
Sorensens similarity index between seasons
varied from 0.250.55. This suggests that, the species
composition varied in GWS all over the seasons of
the year. However, the highest similarity was noticed
between post-monsoon and autumn, post-monsoon
and spring, winter and spring, spring and autumn,
respectively. In other words from post-monsoon to
spring the species composition in GWS showed much
similarity. The similarity index was least between spring
and pre-monsoon followed by monsoon and winter,
respectively (Fig. 5). This suggests that major changes
in species composition in the semi-evergreen forests
occurs between these seasons, which may be related
to the life history patterns of these butterflies. The
number of species in flight during rainy season were few
in comparison to the dry season.
Papilionidae species similarity of GWS with other semi
evergreen forest areas in the region
GWS, a small forest, recorded 19 species of
6778
Between Sites
Jaccard s coe cient of similarity
Gibbon WS and Jeypore RF
0.667
Gibbon WS and Garo Hills
0.531
Jeypore RF and Garo Hills
0.634
(Jeypore RF+Gibbon WS) and Garo Hills
0.606
Papilionidae as compared to the other large forest tracts

like in Jeypore-Dehing RF where 21 species of Papilionidae
have been reported (Gogoi 2013). Four species (Great
Zebra Graphium xenocles; Common Peacock Papilio
polyctor; Common Windmill Atrophaneura polyeuctes
and Lesser Batwing Atrophaneura aidoneus) found in
Jeypore-Dehing RF (Gogoi 2013) were absent in GWS.
This could be due to proximity and continuity of Jeypore
RF with Himalayan foothills of Arunachal Pradesh from
where these species come down and non-connectivity
of GWS forest with the nearest hills in Nagaland and no
freshwater mountain streams inside the GWS. Besides,
30 papilionids have been recorded in Garo Hills (Sondhi
et al. 2013) of which 10 have not been recorded at
GWS, but Garo Hills have diverse habitats under at least
three forest types and a large altitudinal gradient when
compared to GWS.
The Papiliondae species similarity between these
three forests (Table 2) all having semi-evergreen forest
component in common also have at least 53 percent
papilionid species common among them.
Signi cant records
A dead female of the Great Blue Mime Papilio
paradoxa telearchus, a rare species (Evan 1932), crushed
by a vehicle on the forest road was recorded on 25
Singh et al.
Figure 5. Butterfly species similarity between di erent seasons in Gibbon WS (August 2010March 2014).
August 2012 on the road and later identified (Image 2).

The female of this species are very rarely photographed
as they mimic the female of the Magpie Crow Euploea
radamanthus and thus overlooked. A male P.p. telearchus
was photographed (Image 3) on 10 July 2013 feeding
on the wet ground on the trail. This species also feeds
on the nectar of Syzygium sp. flowers in September
October 2011 along with Great Archduke Lexias dirtea
(Image 4), Blue-spotted Crow Euploea midamus; Stripe
Blue Crow Euploea mulciber; Yellow-spot Jezebel Delias
a ostina; Red-spot Jezebel D. descombesi and Red-base
Jezebel D. pasithoe. Brown Forest Bob Scobura oolle
oolle Riley (Image 5), a rare species, was recorded on
20 February 2011 and 27 March 2011 was also a species
with a distribution in the Naga Hills, Siam and Borneo
(Evans 1932). Norman (1956), however, had recorded
S
oolle Riley from Sibsagar District of Assam that
was previously also known from Manipur. The record of
Snowy Angle, Darpa pteria dealbata on 4 August 2012
(Image 6), is the second photographic record of this
species from India. Earlier, it had been recorded from
the forests of Jeypore-Dehing in Assam between April
24 and 29, 2011, the distribution of the species being
further south through Burma, Thailand, Laos, Malay
Peninsula, Tioman, Borneo, Sumatra, Java, and Palawan,
Phillipines in South-east Asia (Karthikeyan & Venkatesh
2011).The Constable, Dichorrhagia nesimachus (Image
7) a very rare species (Evans 1932) was recorded on
three occasions, 15 April 2012, 7 December 2013 and 4
March 2014 and a male of Grey Baron, Euthalia anosia
anosia (Image 8) another rare species (Evans 1932),
on 15 April 2012 and 4 March 2014, both basking in
Arun P. Singh
Image 2. Great Blue Mime Papilio paradoxa telearchus (female)
Arun P. Singh
Image . Great Blue Mime Papilio paradoxa telearchus (male)
the sunshine and on wet mud inside the forest. Sylhet

Oakblue Arhopala silhetensis (Images 9,10) is another
rare species (Evans 1932) that was recorded on several
occasions (6 February 2011, 24 January 2013; 13 May
677
Singh et al.
Arun P. Singh
Arun P. Singh
Image 4. Dark Archduke Lexia dirtea khasiana (male) (locally

common)
Image 5. Brown Forest Bob
bura
lle
Arun P. Singh
Arun P. Singh
Image 6. Snowy Angle Darpa pteria dealbata
Image 7. Constable Dichorragia nesimachus
Arun P. Singh
Arun P. Singh
Image 8. Grey Baron Euthalia anosia (male)
Image . Sylhet Oakblue Arhopala silhetensis (underside)
2013; April 2014), the species being found from Sikkim

to North Myanmar. Tamil Oakblue Narathura bazaloides
also a rare species was photographed on 9 October
2010 (Image 11) and April 2014 while Spotless Oakblue
Arhopala fulla ignara Riley, a rare (Evans 1932) on April
2014. Branded Yamfly Yasoda tripunctata tripunctata

(Image 12) is yet another rare species, which is also
distributed from Sikkim to Myanmar, was recorded once
on 25 October 2011.
6780

Arun P. Singh
Image 10. Sylhet Oakblue Arhopala silhetensis (upperside)
Arun P. Singh
Singh et al.
in northeastern India besides a strong seasonality in

continental South-east Asian butterfly assemblages.
GWS, besides supporting butterfly diversity, also needs
to be preserved as a gene bank biodiversity of flora
and fauna (birds, mammals, herpetofauna, orchids,
canes, bamboos, etc.) unique to northeastern India and
functions as an island habitat for movement of large
mammals and birds between larger protected areas in
the landscape. Also, better accessibility and location of
GWS with the national highway in the region, proximity
to Jorhat town, lying in the plains and having a rest
house, increases its potential for attracting tourists
for - butterflyinclusive eco-tourism in a natural semievergreen forest habitat. Using local villagers as guides
to generate livelihood for communities involved thereby
reducing biotic pressure on one hand and conserving
this magnificent forest on the other along, with the
researchers and students, GWS can easily be taken up
as a role model in conservation biology.
REFERENCES
Image 11. Tamil Oakblue Arhopala bazaloides
Arun P. Singh
Image 12. Branded amfly Yasoda triopunctata
CONCLUSION
Being a remnant forest of 21km2, GWS supports
a rich diversity of butterflies found in northeastern
India. The seasonality and diversity of butterflies of a
semi evergreen forest is unique from that of lowland
subtropical forests of the lower Himalaya. Barua et
al. (2010) have also found that rainfall has a strong
correlation with the abundance of some papilionids
Barua, . ., J. .S. Slowik & M. Muehlenberg (2010). Correlations of

rainfall and forest type with papilionid assemblages in Assam in
northeast India. Psyche: A Journal of Entomology2010, Article ID
560396, 10pp; http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2010/560396
Barua, .N. & P. . hatri (2010). Floristic wealth, life formand
biological spectrum of Gibbon Wildlife Sanctuary, Assam. Journal of
Economic and Taxonomic Botany 34(1): 7286.
Barua, .N. & G. Gogoi (2012). Observations on feeding and lodging
behaviour of Hoolock hoolock (Western Hoolock Gibbon) in Gibbon
Wildlife Sanctuary, Assam. Journal of Nature and Environment 4&5:
2935.
Bhattachar ee, S. (2012). The scenario of man-elephant conflict
in Hoollongapar Gibbon Wildlife Sanctuary of Assam, India.
International Journal of Scientific and esearch ublications 2(8):
13.
Boonratana, R., M. Chalise, J. Das, S. Htun & R.J. Timmins
(2008). Macaca assamensis. The IUCN Red List of Threatened
Species. Version 2014.3. www.iucnredlist.org . Downloaded on 20
January 2015.
Boonratana, R., J. Das, L. ongcheng, S. Htun & R.J. Timmins
(2008). Macaca leonina. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
Version 2014.3. www.iucnredlist.org . Downloaded on20 January
2015.
Bordoloi, P. . (2010). Gibbon Wildlife Sanctuary. Catalogue published
by Jorhat Division, Assam. Genesis Printers, 6pp.
Brockelman, W., S. Molur & T. Geissmann (2008). Hoolock hoolock.
The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2014.3. www.
iucnredlist.org . Downloaded on 20 January 2015.
Challender, D., J. Baillie, G. Ades, P. aspal, B. Chan, A. hatiwada, L.
u, S. Chin, R. C, H. Nash & H. Hsieh (2014). Manis pentadactyla.
The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2014.3. www.
Champion, S.H.G. & S. . Seth (1 68). A Revised Survey of The Forest
Types of India. Manager of Pb.Govt. of India, New Delhi, 404pp.
Choudhury, A., D. .L. Choudhury, A. Desai, J.W. Duckworth, P.S.
Easa, A.J.T. Johnsingh, P. Fernando, S. Hedges, M. Gunawardena,
F. urt, U. aranth, A. Lister, V. Menon, H. Riddle, A. R bel & E.
Wikramanayake (IUCN SSC Asian Elephant Specialist Group)
6781
Singh et al.
Appendix 1. Checklist of butterflies recorded in Gibbon Wildlife Sanctuary, Assam, India (110120 m August 2010April 2014).
Common name
Scienti c name
Season
JanFeb
MarApr
MayJun
JulAug
SepOct
NovDec
Papilionidae
1
White Dragontail
Lamproptera curius curius Fabricius
Common Blue Bottle
Graphium sarpedon sarpedon Linnaeus
Common Jay
Graphium dosonaxion Felder
Great Jay
Graphium eurypylus cheronus Fruhstorfer
Tailed Jay
Graphium agamemnon agamemnon Linnaeus
Five Bar Swordtail
Lesser Zebra
Graphium macareus indicus Rothschild
Common Mormon
Papilio polytesromulus Cramer
Common Raven
Papilio castorcastor Westwood
*
*
ra hium anti hates om ilius Fabricius
10
Red Helen
Papilio helenushelenus Linnaeus
11
Yellow Helen
Papilio nepheluschaon Westwood
12
Great Mormon
Papilio memnonagenor Linnaeus
13
Spangle
Papilio protenoreuprotenor Fruhstorfer
14
Redbreast
Papilio alcmenor alcmenor C.&R.Felder
15
Blue Peacock
Papilio arcturus arcturus Westwood
16
Great Blue Mime
Papilio paradoxa telearchus Hewitson
17
Common Batwing
Atrophaneura varunaastorion Westwood
18
Common Rose
Atrophaneura aristolochiae aristolochiae Fabricius
19
Common Birdwing
Troides helenacerberus Felder & Felder
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
Pieridae
20
One-spot Grass Yellow
Eurema andersonijordani Corbet & Pendlebury
21
Three-spot Grass Yellow
Eurema blandasilhetana Wallace
22
Common Grass Yellow
Eurema hecabehecabe Linnaeus
23
Tree Yellow
Gandaca harinaassamica Moore
24
Common Emigrant
Catopsilia pomona pomana Fabricius
25
Great Orange Tip
Hebomoia glaucippeglaucippe Linnaeus
26
Pale Wanderer
Pareronia avatar Moore
27
Chocolate Albatross
Appias lyncida Cramer
28
Indo-Chinese Chocolate
Albatross
Appias lyncida elenora Boisduval
29
Common Albatross
Appias albinadarada Felder & Felder
Eastern Striped Albatross
Appias olferna olferna Swinhoe
31
Indian Cabbage White
Pieris canidiaindica Evans
32
Lesser Gull
Cepora nadinanadina Lucas
33
Common Gull
Cepora nerissa phryne Fabricius
34
Red Base Jezebel
Delias pasithoepasithoe Linnaeus
35
Red Spot Jezebel
Delias descombesidescombesi Boisduval

Delias thysbe pyramus Wallace
36
Red Breast Jezebel
37
Yellow Jezebel
38
Psyche
elias a ostinaa ostina Hewitson

Leptosia ninanina Fabricius
*
*
30
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
Lycaenidae
39
6782
Bright Sunbeam
uretis bulis Westwood

Common name
Singh et al.
Scienti c name
Season
JanFeb
MarApr
40
Centaur Oak blue
Arhopala centauruspirithous Moore
41
Aberrent Oakblue
Arhopala abseus indicus Riley
42
Sylhet Oakblue
Arhopala silhetensissilhetensis Hewitson

IWPA-Schedule-II
43
Tamil Oakblue
Narathura bazaloides (Hewitson) IWPA-Schedule-II
Hooked Oakblue
Arhopala paramutaparamuta de Nicville

IWPA-Schedule-II
44
Spotless Oakblue
Arhopala fulla ignara Riley
Green Oakblue
Arhopala eumolphus eumolphus Cramer
47
Yellow Disc Tailess Oakblue
Arhopala perimuta perimuta, Moore
48
Common Acacia Blue
Surendra quercetorumquercetorum Moore
Branded Yamfly
Yasoda tripunctatatripunctata Hewitson

IWPA-Schedule-II
Yamfly
51
Blue Imperial
52
53
o ura atymnuscontinentalis Fruhstorfer

*
Common Imperial
Cheritra freja evansi Cowan
Banded Royal
Rachana jalindra indra Moore
54
Chocolate Royal
Remelana jangala ravata (Horsfield)
55
Broad Spark
Sinthusa chandrana grotei Moore
56
Common Tit
Hypolycaena erylushimavantus Fruhstorfer
Fluffy Tit
Zetus amasa amasa Hewitson
58
Copper Flash
59
Indian Red Flash
Rapala iarbusiarbus Fabricius
60
Long banded Silverline
Spindasis lohitahimalayanus Moore

IWPA-Schedule-II
61
Common Tinsel
Catapaecilma major anais Fruhstorfer
62
Golden Sapphire
Heliophorus brahmamajor Moore
63
Purple Sapphire
Helio horus e icles latilimbata Fruhstorfer
64
Common Ciliate Blue
Anthene emolusemolus Godart
65
Pointed Ciliate Blue
Anthene lycaeninalycaeninia Felder & Felder
66
Elbowed Pierrot
Caleta elnanoliteia Fruhstorfer
67
Common Pierrot
Castalius rosimonrosimon Fabricius
68
Banded Lineblue
*
*
NovDec
Ticherra acteacte Moore
57
SepOct
45
50
JulAug
46
49
MayJun
*
*
a ala heretima etosiris Hewitson
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
rosotas aluta coelestis Wood-Mason & de-Niceville
69
Pale 4-Lineblue
Nacaduba hermusnabo Fruhstorfer

IWPA-Schedule-II
70
Opaque 6-Lineblue
Nacaduba beroegythion Fruhstorfer
71
Transparent 6-Lineblue
Nacadubakurava euplea Fruhstorfer
72
Common Lineblue
Prosotas noraardates Moore
73
Tailless Lineblue
Prosotas dubiosa indica Evans
74
Bhutia Lineblue
Prosotas bhutea de Niceville
75
Pointed Lineblue
Ionolyce helicon merguiana Moore
76
Common Cerulean
Jamides celeno celeno Cramer
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
77
Metallic Cerulean
Jamides alectoalocina Swinhoe
78
Dark Cerulean
Jamides bochus bochus (Stoll)
79
Silver Forget-me-not
Catochrysops panormusexiguus Distant
80
Forget-me-not
Catochrysops straboStrabo Fabricius
81
Pale Grass Blue
Pseudozizeeria mahamaha Kollar
*
*
*
*
*
*
678
Common name
Singh et al.
Scienti c name
Season
JanFeb
82
Dark Grass Blue
MarApr
MayJun
Zizeera karsandra Moore
JulAug
SepOct
NovDec
83
uaker
Neopithecops zalmorazalmora Butler
84
Malayan
Megisba malayasikkima Moore
85
Common Hedge Blue
Acytolepis puspagisca Fruhstorfer
86
Pale Hedge Blue
Udara dilectadilecta Moore
87
Lime Blue
Chilades lajuslajus Stoll
emeros fle yasindicus Fruhstorfer
88
Punchinello
89
Tailed Judy
Abisara neophron neophron Hewitson
Plum Judy
Abisara echerius paionea Fruhstorfer
90
Nymphalidae
anaus enutia enutia Cramer
91
Striped Tiger
92
Plain Tiger
93
Glassy Tiger
arantica a lea melanoides Moore
94
Chestnut Tiger
arantica sitasita Kollar
95
Striped Blue Crow
Euploea mulcibermulciber Cramer
96
Blue-spotted Crow
Euploea midamus rogenhoferi Felder & Felder

IWPA-Schedule-II
97
Magpie Crow
Euploea radamanthusradamanthus Fabricius
98
Common Indian Crow
Euploea core core Cramer
99
Common Nawab
Polyura athamas athamas Drury
100
Pallid Nawab
Charaxes arja arja Felder& Felder
101
Tawny Rajah
Charaxes bernardushierax Felder & Felder
102
Yellow Rajah
Charaxes marmax marmax Westwood

IWPA-Schedule-II
103
Variegated Rajah
Charaxes kahruba kahruba Moore

IWPA-Schedule-II
104
Common Faun
Faunis canensarcesilas Stichel
105
Common Duffer
Discophora sondaicazal Westwood
106
Great Duffer
107
Longbrand Bushbrown
Danaus chrysippus chrysippus Linnaeus
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
isco hora timora timora Westwood
*
*
108
Common Evening Brown
Melanitis ledaleda Linnaeus
109
Dark Evening Brown
Melanitis hedimabela Moore
110
Great Evening Brown
Melanitis itenius itenius Herbst
111
Bamboo Treebrown
Lethe europa niladana Fruhstorfer
112
Banded Treebrown
Lethe confusaconfuse Aurivillius
113
Straightbanded Treebrown
114
Common Palmfly
Elymnias hypermnestra undularis Drury
115
Tiger Palmfly
Elymnias nesaeatimandra Wallace
116
White-bar Bushbrown
Mycalesis anaxiasaemate Fruhstorfer
*
*
*
*
*
*
117
Lilacine Bushbrown
Mycalesis franciscasanatana Moore
118
Chinese Bushbrown
Mycalesis gotamacharaka Moore
119
Common Bush Brown
Mycalesis perseusblasius Fabricius
120
Dark-brand Bushbrown
Mycalesis mineusmineus Linnaeus
121
Long brand Bushbrown
Mycalesis visala visala Moore
122
Nigger
Orsotrioena medusmedus Fabricius
123
Common Fiver-ring
Ypthima baldusbaldus Fabricius
6784
Mycalesis visala visala Moore
ethe erma sintica Fruhstorfer
*
*
*
*
*

Common name
Singh et al.
Scienti c name
Season
JanFeb
MarApr
MayJun
JulAug
SepOct
NovDec
124
Large Three-ring
Ypthima nareda nareda Kollar
125
Common Four-ring
Ypthima huebnerihuebneri Kirby
126
Himalayan Five-ring
Ypthima sakraausteni Moore
127
Red Lacewing
128
Leopard Lacewing
Cethosia cyane cyane Drury
129
Cruiser
Vindula erotaerota Fabricius
130
Large Yeoman
Cirrochroa aorisaoris Doubleday
131
Green Commodore
Sumalia daraxadaraxa Doubleday
132
Commander
Moduza procrisprocrisCramer
133
Unbroken Sergeant
Athyma ra ara acuti ennis Fruhstorfer
134
Common Sergeant
Athyma periusperius Linnaeus
135
Dot-Dash Sergeant
Athyma kanwaphorkys Fruhstorfer
136
Black-vein Sergeant
Athyma rangaranga Moore
137
Small staff Sergeant
Athyma zeroca zeroca Moore
138
Staff Sergeant
Athyma selenophoraselenophora Kollar
139
Colour Sergeant
Athyma ne e inara Westwood
140
Common Lascar
Pantoporia hordoniahordonia Stoll
141
Perak Lascar
Pantoporia paraka paraka Butler
142
Yellow Jack Sailer
Ne tis ira a ira a( Moore)
*
*
ethosia biblis tisamena Fruhstorfer

*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
143
Common Sailer
Ne tis hylas amaru a Moore
144
Clear Sailer
Ne tis clinia susruta Moore
145
Creamy Sailer
Ne tis soma soma Linnaeus
146
Sullied Sailer
Ne tis nata adi ala Moore

IWPA-Schedule-II
147
Great Yellow Sailer
Ne tis radha Moore
148
Plain Sailer
Ne tis cartica Moore
149
Dingy Sailer
Ne tis seudo i asi Moore
150
Dingiest Salier
Ne tis harita Moore
151
Broad-banded Sailer
Ne tis san ara amba Moore
152
Knight
Lebadea marthamartha Fabricius
153
Powdered Baron
Euthalia monina kesava Moore
154
White-edged Blue Baron
Euthalia phemius phemius Doubleday
155
Baron
Euthalia aconthea garuda Moore
156
Grey Baron
Euthalia anosiaanosia Moore

IWPA-Schedule-II
157
Gaudy Baron
Euthalia lubentina indica Fruhstorfer
158
Grey Count
Tanaecia lepidealepidia Butler
159
Common Earl
Tanaecia julii appiadus Mntris
160
Plain Earl
Tanaecia jahnujahnu Moore
161
Great Archduke
Lexias cyanipardus cyanipardus Butler
162
Common Map
163
Common Maplet
Chersonesia risarisa Doubleday
164
Constable
Dichorrhagia nesimachusnesimachus Doyere
165
Indian Purple Emperor
Mimathyma ambica Kollar
166
Common Castor
Ariadne merionetapestrina Moore
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
yrestis thyodamasthyodamas Boisduval
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
6785
Common name
Singh et al.
Scienti c name
Season
JanFeb
MarApr
167
Common Jester
Symbrenthia lilaea khasiana Moore
168
Blue admiral
Kaniska canacecanace Linnaeus
169
Indian Red Admiral
Vanessa indica indica Herbst
170
Chocolate Pansy
Junonia iphitaiphita Cramer
171
Grey Pansy
Junonia atlites atlites Linnaeus
172
Peacock Pansy
Junonia almana almanac Linnaeus
173
Lemon Pansy
Junonia lemonias lemonias Linnaeus
174
Great Eggfly
Hypolimnas bolinajacintha Drury
175
Orange Oakleaf
Kallima inachusinachus Boisduval
176
Autumn Leaf
oleschallia bisaltideindica Moore
MayJun
JulAug
SepOct
NovDec
*
*
*
*
Hesperiidae
177
Indian Awlking
Choaspes benjaminii japonica Murray
178
Common Awl
Hasora badra Moore
179
Plain Ace
Halpe kumara kumara de Niceville
180
Common Spotted Flat
Celaenorrhinus leucocera leucocera Kollar
181
Fulvous Pied Flat
Pseudocoladenia danfabia Evans
182
Brown Pied Flat
Coladenia agni de Niceville
183
Dusky Yellow Breasted Flat
Gerosis phisaraphisara Moore
184
Suffused Snowflat
Tagiades gana athos Pltz
*
*
*
*
185
Common Snowflat
Tagiades japetusravi Moore
186
Snowy Angle
Darpa pteria dealbata Distant
187
Common Dartlet
Oriens goloides Moore
188
Common Dart
Potanthus pseudomaesa Moore
189
Straight Swift
Parnara badabada Moore
190
Blank Swift
Caltoris kumara (Moore)
191
Rice Swift
Borbo cinnara Wallace
192
Small branded Swift
Pelopidas mathias Fabricius
193
Large Branded Swift
Pelopidas sinensis sinensis Mabille
194
Paint-brush Swift
Baoris farri (Moore)

IWPA-Schedule-II
195
Colon Swift
Caltoris cahira austeni Moore
196
Brown Forest Bob
Scobura oolle
Riley
197
Chestnut Bob
Iambrix salsala salsala Moore
198
Small Indian Palm Bob
Suastus gremius Fabricius
199
Grass Bob
Suada swerga swergade Niceville
200
Dark Velvet Bob
Koruthaialos butleri butleri de Niceville
201
Common Redeye
Matapa aria Moore
202
Coon
Psolos fuligo subfasciatus Moore
203
Chocolate Demon
Ancistroides nigrita diocles Moore
204
Common Banded Demon
Notocrypta paralysos asawa Fruhstorfer
205
Restricted Demon
Notocrypta curvifascia Felder & Felder
206
Tiger Hopper
chus sub ittatussubradiatus Moore
207
Bush Hopper
Am i a dioscorides Fabricius
208
Scarce Bush Hopper
Am itta maroides de Niceville
209
Veined Scrub Hopper
Aeromachus sti mataobsoletus Takeuchi
6786
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*

Common name
Singh et al.
Scienti c name
Season
JanFeb
MarApr
MayJun
JulAug
SepOct
210
Grey Scrub Hopper
Aeromachus jhoracretade Nicville
211
Pygmy Scrub Hopper
Aeromachus pygmaeuspygmaeus Fabricius
NovDec
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Evans, W.H. (1 2). The Identification of Indian Butterflies-Second
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Gogoi, M.J. (201 ). A preliminary checklist of butterflies recorded
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Haribal, M. (1 2). The Butterflies of Si im Himalayas and their
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horozyan, H. Bauer, L. Marker, E. Sogbohossou & C. BreitenmoserWursten (2008). Panthera pardus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened
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January 2015.
Htun, S., R.J. Timmins, R. Boonratana & J. Das (2008). Macaca
arctoides. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2014.3.
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arthikeyan, S. & V. Venkatesh (2011). Snowy Angle Darpa pteria .
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from http://www.wildwanderer.com/journal/ p 435).
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University, Delhi Press, 497pp.
New,T.R. & N.M. Collins (1 1). Swallotail Butterflies - An Action Plan
for their Conservation. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland.
Norman, T. (1 56). Notes on the Lepidoptera of Assam-III. Further
additions to the Indian list and other notes. Journal of the Bombay
Natural History Society 53: 738740.
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). Monitorin Butterflies for Ecolo y and
onser ation. Chapman & Hall, London, 274pp.
Senthilkumar, N., S. Trivedi, P. . hatri, N.D. Borthakur & N.J.
Borah (2006). Butterflies of Gibbon Wildlife Sanctuary, Assam: a
preliminary survey. Annals of Forestry 14(1): 8691.
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Threatened Taxa
6787
unication
Journal of Threatened Taxa www.threatenedtaxa.org 26 January 2015 7(1): 678867 5
Co
Diversit and distribution of ri ula s ecies in western

Arunachal Pradesh, eastern Hi ala an region, India
Amal Bawri 1, Padma Ra Ga urel 2, Ashish Paul & Mohamed Latif han 4

1,2
OPEN ACCESS
Department of Forestry, North Eastern Regional Institute of Science and Technology (Deemed University),
Nirjuli, Arunachal Pradesh 791109, India
3
Department of Botany, Rajiv Gandhi University, Rono Hills, Doimukh, Arunachal Pradesh 791112, India
4
Department of Botany, Dr. Hari Singh Gour Central University, Sagar, Madhya Pradesh 470003, India
1
4
[email protected]
Abstract: The paper highlights the diversity, distribution and population status of Primula species in western Arunachal Pradesh. The present
study has established the rich diversity of Primula species in western Arunachal Pradesh with a record total of 25 species, out of which five
species, viz., Primula ioessa W.W.Sm., Primula munroi Lindley, Primula obliqua W.W.Sm., Primula prolifera Wall. and Primula jigmediana
Hook. f. & Thomson ex Watt, are new to Arunachal Pradesh. More than 60 of the taxa of Primula of the state occurs in two districts of the
western part of the state. A maximum diversity (76 ) of Primula species was recorded between 3500m and 4000m and a minimum (4 ) was
between 1500m and 2000m. This study showed the poor population of some Primula species in the study area. Among the four sampling
sites the Panga-Teng-Tso is highly disturbed which is clearly reflected by very poor population density of P. hookeri (1.36 individuals m-2).
Various natural and anthropogenic threats have led to the pressure on the habitat of Primula species. Considering the rich species diversity
of Primula and their distributional affinities, western Arunachal Pradesh may be considered as a centre of diversity of Indo-Chinese Primula
species and appropriate conservation strategies should be adopted for the conservation of this genus.
eywords: Arunachal Pradesh, distribution, diversity, population, Primula, threats and conservation.
Primula dickieana
NOT
EVALUATED
DATA
DEFICIENT
LEAST
CONCERN
NEAR
THREATENED
VULNERABLE
ENDANGERED
CRITICALLY
ENDANGERED
EXTINCT
IN THE WILD
EXTINCT
NE
DD
LC
NT
VU
EN
CR
EW
EX
Editor: K.S. Negi, NBPGR-ICAR, Nainital, India
Manuscript details: Ms o3721 Received 24 July 2013 Final received 10 December 2014 Finally accepted 19 December 2014
Citation: Bawri, A., P.R. Gajurel, A. Paul & M.L. Khan (2015). Diversity and distribution of Primula species in western Arunachal Pradesh, eastern Himalayan region,
India. Journal of Threatened Taxa 7(1): 67886795; http://dx.doi.org/10.11609/JoTT.o3721.6788-95
Copyright: Bawri et al. 2015. Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. JoTT allows unrestricted use of this article in any medium, reproduction
Funding: Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment, Eastern Himalayas Office, Darjeeling through John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation,
USA (Sanction No: ATREE-SGRNE/MAF/01, Dated: 01.10.2010).
For Author Details and Author Contribution see end of this article.
Acknowledgements: Authors are thankful to the Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE), Eastern Himalayas Office, Darjeeling and
MacArthur Foundation, USA for the financial assistance. Special thanks to Prof. K.S. Bawa for his initiatives and consistent encouragement for this research work.
The authors thank local guides and villagers for cooperation during the field study. We deeply acknowledge the help and support of Department of Environment
and Forests, Government of Arunachal Pradesh during field survey and collections. Authors are also thankful to the anonymous reviewers for their valuable comments and suggestion.
6788
Primula species in western Arunachal Pradesh
INTRODUCTION
North Eastern Himalayan Region (NEHR) is very rich
in biodiversity because of its varied climatic, edaphic
conditions and diverse topography. Arunachal Pradesh,
as a part of this region and possessing a rich diversity of
plant species is truly recognized as one of the 200 globally
important ecoregions (Olson & Dinerstein 1998). The
flora of Arunachal Himalaya comprises well over 4000
species of flowering plants. The region is also considered
as a centre of active speciation for Rhododendron L.,
Primula L. and entiana L. (Takhtadzhinan 1969; Rao
1994). The vegetation of Arunachal Himalaya has
been categorised into six broad types, viz.: tropical,
subtropical, temperate, sub-alpine, alpine and secondary
forests (Kaul & Haridasan 1987). Although the state has
a rich diversity of flora and fauna, the states biodiversity
is yet to be explored and documented scientifically to a
great extent.
The genus Primula L. belongs to the Primulaceae
family consisting of herbaceous angiosperm plants
and distributed in the high altitude areas. This genus
is well known for its medicinal and horticultural values
(Richards 2003). Many species are cultivated in the
gardens for their attractive flowers. Globally, the genus
is widely distributed throughout Asia and Europe in
the temperate and cold regions and in the tropical
mountains of the northern hemisphere (Richards
2003). The genus includes 38 sections and 430 species
worldwide. Out of 38 sections, the Sino-Himalayan
region represents 26 sections of the genus with more
than 300 species (Richards 2003). So the Sino-Himalayan
region is regarded as the geographical origin and centre
of diversity and distribution of the genus Primula L.
(Richards 2003).
The Indian Himalayan region is also considered as
one of the centres of the rich species diversity of Primula
L. with 106 species distributed from western to eastern
Himalaya (Basak et al. 2014). Hooker (1882) reported
43 species of Primula from different parts of the Indian
Himalayan region, whereas about 40 species of Primula
have been reported only from Arunachal Pradesh
(Basak & Maiti 2000; Giri et al. 2008; Boardman et al.
2010). Furthermore, the occurrence of about 50 species
from Sikkim Himalaya (Grierson & Long 1999) and 16
species from Himachal Pradesh (Chowdhery 1984) has
been reported. The complete Primula diversity of the
Himalayan state of Arunachal Pradesh is still unknown,
as no extensive study on Primula species has so far been
conducted in this area, which is biogeographically linked
with China, Bhutan and Myanmar. Therefore, extensive
Bawri et al.
field survey of Primula in the region was carried out to

know the diversity, distribution and the status of the
species so that conservation and management practices
could be initiated.

Study area
The study has been carried out in West Kameng and
Tawang districts of Western Arunachal Pradesh (Fig.
1). West Kameng District (area 7,422km2) lies between
2605428001N & 9103092040E. The district is
bordered by Tibet region in the north, Tawang and East
Kameng districts of Arunachal Pradesh are in the northwest and east, respectively. The southern boundary
adjoins Sonitpur and Darrang districts of Assam in the
south and Bhutan in the west. The district is mostly
mountainous. The vegetation types range from tropical
to alpine between altitudinal ranges of 500m to 6000m.
Tawang District (area 2,172km2) lies between
0
27 2527052N & 9101691059E. It is surrounded by
Tibet in the north, Bhutan in the south-west and Sella
ranges separate it from West Kameng District in the east.
The vegetation types range from temperate to alpine
between altitudinal ranges of 1500m to 6000m.
Four study sites, viz., Panga-Teng-Tso (PTSO),
Maratha Ground, Senge and Bomdila, were selected
from the study area on the basis of the occurrence of
Primula species, for detailed community analysis and
population status (Fig. 1). Maratha Ground and PTSO
were selected for Primula prolifera Wall. and Primula
hookeri Watt from Tawang District while Senge and
Bomdila were selected for rimula denticulata W.W.Sm.
and Primula irregularis Craib from West Kameng District.
The complete physiographic features of the study sites
are given in Table 1.
Methods
Extensive field surveys were conducted during the
growing season from February 2011 to September 2012
at elevations between 1500m and 4500m in the selected
area for the analysis of diversity and distribution of
the Primula species. Although Primula is a perennial
species, it possesses a dormant stage and is not found
round the year. Therefore, the study was conducted
only during their growing seasons. The quadrat method
was adopted for community analysis. In each site 50
quadrats (1 1 m) were laid randomly. Specimens of
various associate plant species were collected and
herbarium of each species was prepared following the
678
Bawri et al.
Figure 1. Location of the study sites in West ameng and Tawang districts of Arunachal Pradesh.
methods outlined by Jain & Rao (1977) and preserved for

identification. The herbarium specimens thus prepared
have been deposited in the herbarium of Forestry
Department, North Eastern Regional Institute of Science
and Technology, Nirjuli. The species were identified with
the help of various floras (Hooker 1882; Chowdhery
1984; Richards 2003; Giri et al. 2008) and herbarium
specimens at the major Indian herbaria namely
ARUN, ASSAM, BSHC, CAL, BSD, and DD. In addition,
information regarding geo-coordinates (latitude,
longitude and altitude) were recorded with the help of
GPS (Garmin). Important community parameters such
as frequency and density were calculated following the
standard method outlined by Curtis & McIntosh (1950).
The species richness index was determined following
67 0
Table 1. Physiographic features and forest types of the study sites.

Study sites
Geo-coordinate
Forest types
Altitude (m)
Latitude N
Longitude E
Maratha Ground
3254
2703634.5
9105149.5
Sub alpine
PTSO
3823
27 3811.4
9105113.9
Alpine
Senge
2974
2702725.5
9200609.1
Temperate
Bomdila
2747
2701621.9
9202603.1
Temperate
the methodology outlined by Magurran (1988). The

importance value index (IVI) which is defined as the sum
of the relative density, relative frequency and relative
dominance was calculated following the methods
outlined by Curtis (1959). The species diversity index
Bawri et al.
was calculated using the formula given by Shannon

& Wiener (1963), while the dominance index was
calculated following Simpson (1949).
RESULTS
Diversity and distribution of Primula species
The present study exhibited the occurrence of
25 species in all the study sites (Table 2, Image 1ah).
Among the identified species, five species, viz., Primula
prolifera Wall., Primula ioessa W.W.Sm., Primula
munroi Lindley, Primula obliqua W.W.Sm. and Primula
jigmediana W.W.Sm., are recorded for the first time from
Arunachal Pradesh. The detailed distributional records
along the altitudinal range reveal that the Primula
species confined their distribution between 1500m and
4500m altitude in the study area (Table 3). The highest
diversity of Primula species was recorded between

3500m and 4000m with records of a total of 19 species
and the lowest (1 species) is found between 1500m and
2000m. rimula denticulata was found to be common
and widely distributed between 1500m and 3500m
(Table 3).
Community analysis
Species richness
The highest species richness index (2.76) was
recorded from Senge study stand, while the lowest
(0.65) was recorded in PTSO. In Maratha Ground, it was
2.66, while in Bomdila it was 1.19 (Table 4).
Density
The density of the plant species varied from stand
to stand. The highest plant species density (114.80
individuals m-2) was recorded in Senge, while the lowest
Table 2. Distributional record of Primula species in western Arunachal Pradesh, India.

Area of cccurrence
Species
P. atrodentata W.W.Sm.
West ameng
-
Tawang
Maratha Ground
Altitude (m)
Flowering and fruiting

season
30004000
AprilJuly
P. bracteosa Craib
Senge and Eagle Nest
25003500
MarchMay
P. calderiana ssp. calderiana Balf. f. et Cooper
PTSO
35004000
MayJuly
P. calderiana ssp. strumosa Balf.f. et Cooper
Sella Pass
35004500
MayJuly
P. capitata Hook.
Baishakhi
Maratha Ground
35004000
JulyOct
P. dickieana Watt
Sella Top
35004500
JulyAug
P. denticulata W.W.Sm.
Eagle Nest, Shergaon and Senge Maratha Ground
15003500
MarchJune
P. gambeliana Watt
Sella Top and PTSO
35004000
JulyAug
P. glabra Klatt
Naga GG
PTSO and Sella Pass
35004500
MayJuly
P. gracilipes Craib
Naga GG
PTSO and Maratha Ground
30004000
MayJuly
P. hookeri Watt
PTSO and Maratha Ground
35004000
MayJuly
P. irregularis Craib
Bomdila and Eagle Nest
25003500
FebMay
P. ioessa W.W.Sm.
Sella Top
35004000
JulyAug
P. jigmediana* Hook.f. & Thomson ex Watt
PTSO and Sella Top
35004500
JulyAug
P. kingii Watt
Naga GG
35004500
JuneSept
P. mollis Nutt. ex Hook.
Bomdila
20003000
July Aug
P. munroi Lindley
PTSO and Sella Top
35004500
JulyAug
P. obliqua W.W.Sm.
PTSO and Sella Top
35004000
JuneAug
P. primulina (Sprengel) H. Hara
Naga GG
35004500
JuneSept
P. prenantha Balf. f. & W.W.Sm.
Baishakhi
30003500
JuneAug
P. prolifera Wall.
Maratha Ground
30003500
MayAug
P. sikkimensis Hook.
Naga GG
PTSO and Sella Pass
30004000
JulyOct
P. sessilis Royle ex Craib
Baishakhi
35004000
AprJune
P. waltonii Watt ex Balf.f.
PTSO
35004000
JulySept
P. whitei W.W.Sm.
Naga GG
PTSO
30004000
MayJuly
New distribution records from Arunachal Pradesh
67 1
Bawri et al.
Amal Bawri
Amal Bawri
Amal Bawri
a
Amal Bawri
Amal Bawri
c
Amal Bawri
d
Amal Bawri
Amal Bawri
Image 1. Primula species in their natural habitat in Arunachal Pradesh.

a - P. calderiana ssp. calderiana b - P. calderiana ssp. strumosa c - P. waltonii d - P. kingii e - P. dickieana f - P. gracilipes g - P. en ula a
h - P. whitei.
was exhibited (28.92 individuals m-2) in Bomdila. In

Maratha Ground it was (74.12 individuals m-2), while it
was (50.72 individuals m-2) in PTSO study stand (Table 4).
67 2
Dominance
Dominance was calculated on the basis of the IVI
of different herbaceous species and was found to be
Bawri et al.
Table . Number of Primula species along with altitudinal gradient

in the study area.
Number
of taxa
Altitude (m)
Name of the species
15002000
P. denticulata
20002500
P. denticulata, P. mollis
25003000
P. denticulata, P. bracteosa, P. irregularis, P.

mollis
30003500
P. bracteosa, P. denticulata, P. hookeri, P.

irregularis, P. prolifera, P. sikkimensis, P. whitei,
P. prenantha, p. atrodentata
35004000
P. calderiana ssp. calderiana, P. calderiana

ssp. strumosa, P. capitata, P. dickieana, P.
gambeliana, P. glabra, P. gracilipes, P. hookeri,
P. munroi, P. ioessa, P. jigmediana, P. kingii,
P. obliqua, P. prenantha, P. primulina, P.
sikkimensis, P. sessilis, P. waltonii, P. whitei
19
40004500
P. primulina, P. glabra, P. calderiana ssp.

strumosa, P. kingii, P. dickieana, P. munroi, P.
jigmediana
Table 4. Ecological attributes of Primula communities at the study

sites.
Density
(individuals
m2)
Species diversity
The Shannon-Wieners index was the highest
(H 3.28) in Bomdila, while it was the lowest (H=2.77) in
Maratha Ground. In PTSO and Senge it was 2.86 and
2.97, respectively (Table 4).
Population status of Primula species
The highest population density and IVI of Primula
denticulata and Primula prolifera was 30.84 individuals
m-2 and 37.21, respectively. And the lowest density and
IVI was of Primula hookeri at 1.36 individuals m-2 and
7.91, respectively. The density of Primula prolifera and
Primula irregularis were 17.40 and 4.12 individuals m-2,
respectively (Table 5).
Species
richness
index
D*
H**
74.12
0.08
2.77
21
2.66
PTSO
50.72
0.05
2.97
23
0.65
Senge
114.80
0.07
2.86
23
2.76
Bomdila
28.92
0.04
3.28
32
1.19
Maratha
Ground
Simpsons Dominance Index;
varying from stand to stand. Primula denticulata,

Fragaria vesca,
na halium a ne, and Senecio
diversifolius were the main dominant plant species in
Senge study stand, while Primula irregularis, Fragaria
vesca, Plantago erosa, Rubia manjith and Selaginella sp.
were the dominant species in the Bomdila study stand.
In Maratha Ground, Primula prolifera, Lycopodium
sp., Asplenium sp., Senecio diversifolius and Artemisia
indica were dominant and na halium a ne, Senecio
diversifolius, Rumex nepalensis, Fragaria vesca,
Hemiphragma heterophyllum, Artemisia indica were the
dominant species in the PTSO study stand. The Simpson
dominance index (D) was recorded as 0.08, 0.07, 0.05
and 0.04 in Maratha Ground, Senge, PTSO and Bomdila,
respectively (Table 4).
Species diversity
Species
richness
Study sites
Shannon Wieners Diversity Index
Table 5. Population status of Primula species recorded in their

respective stands.
Density
(individuals
m2)
Fre uency
( )
IVI
Primula prolifera
17.40
100
37.21
Primula hookeri
1.36
64
7.91
Senge
Primula denticulata
30.84
100
35.17
Bomdila
Primula irregularis
4.12
72
25
Study sites
Species
Maratha Ground
PTSO
Threats to Primula
Several anthropogenic and natural threats, viz.,
grazing, plant harvesting, developmental activities
(road and building construction) and landslides have
been observed in the study sites. Grazing is found to
be the commonest problem prevailing in all the areas.
As the genus Primula is a small perennial herb and
found in open areas, grazing animals, particularly the
Yak, which are heavy animals sometimes destroy the
population by stepping on them while browsing grasses.
Developmental activities, mostly widening of roads and
medicinal plant harvesting activity is the problem next
only to grazing affecting the habitat of Primula species.
DISCUSSION
The diversity of Primula species in the temperate and
sub alpine forests in western Arunachal Pradesh, India
forms an important distribution centre and ecological
niche of the taxa in the eastern Himalayan region. Such
a rich diversity of Primula species in high altitudes
areas in western Arunachal Pradesh may be due to its
geographic location adjacent to countries like China and
Bhutan with similar climatic as well as edaphic factors
(Grierson & Long 1999; Richards 2003). Interestingly all
the 24 species recorded and identified in the present
study are also found in China except Primula prolifera
67
Bawri et al.
(Hu & Kelso 1996). It is noteworthy that more than

60 taxa of Primula of the Arunachal Himalaya occur
in western Arunachal Pradesh with five new species
which are not included in the floristic account by Giri et
al. (2008) or any other worker. So, the Indian eastern
Himalaya, China and Bhutan form a centre of species
diversity and speciation of the genus Primula.
The high altitudes areas of western Arunachal
Pradesh in eastern Himalaya harbours a rich plant
diversity. The average species diversity index 2.97
recorded from the present study sites is similar to other
Himalayan regions such as 1.532.88 in the western
Himalayas (Samant et al. 1998; Gangwar & Joshi 2006),
2.394.63 in the Garhwal Himalayas (Bhandari et al.
1999), 3.10 in the Kashmir Himalaya (Shaheen et al. 2011)
and 2.53.10 in the trans-Himalayan alpines of Nepal
(Panthi et al. 2007). The highest species richness index
(2.76) and plant species density (114.80 individuals/m2)
was recorded in Senge study stand, as the sites found
to be least disturbed where only grazing was observed.
The study site PTSO is highly disturbed which is clearly
reflected by very poor species richness index (0.65)
and the low population density of the Primula hookeri
(1.36 individuals m-2). Senecio diversifolia, Gnaphalium
a ne, Fragaria vesca, etc. are common dominant
species in all the study sites. Although it is difficult to
compare the result on density due to unavailability
of literature, the result on density of Primula species
showed poor population. The present recorded density
of Primula species concur with the finding of Singh et
al. (2008) who also observed nearly a similar result of
high altitudes threatened medicinal plant species of
Himachal Pradesh, western Himalaya.
It has been observed that both natural and
anthropogenic threats have led to the tremendous
pressure on the habitat of Primula species in western
Arunachal Pradesh. Natural disturbances like landslides
and wash out of smaller patches by runoff are frequent,
which affects the natural habitat of Primula and along
with other plant species and as a consequence of threats,
a few of them may become threatened. Grazing is a
serious anthropogenic threat throughout the western
Arunachal Pradesh as the inhabitants rear Yaks on a
large scale, as an important livelihood aspect. These
activities may cause a significant decline in populations
and species diversity of Primula as the species are
herbaceous in nature and a few species are Yak fodder.
Hence, many more species are likely to become
threatened in the near future. A few species which lack
farinose or mealy substances like Primula dickieana,
Primula hookeri, Primula kingii and Primula jigmediana
67 4
are found to be fodder species of Yak, while the other

species are also affected during grazing as many of them
are either uprooted or trampled upon. The population
study in some selected stands clearly indicated that the
habitat of both Primula hookeri and Primula irregularis
is severely affected by the major identified threats like
grazing, plant harvesting, developmental activities, and
landslides; a low density of these species was recorded
when compared to other species. These species are
distributed in some isolated pockets with a few numbers
of individuals. The findings of the population density
of these two Primula species revealed that they need
special attention for conservation. Based on the present
field observation and study the species namely Primula
hookeri, Primula irregularis, Primula jigmediana,
Primula kingii and Primula waltonii may be considered
as threatened species of the region.
CONCLUSION
The conservation of biodiversity remains one of
the basic needs in terms of preserving biotic diversity
which, in time, translates into a richness of biotic
wealth (Paul et al. 2005). The Himalayan alpine region
is rich in biodiversity. The rich plant diversity of Indian
Himalaya has been utilized by the native people for
medicines, food (edible), fuel, fodder, agricultural tools,
house construction, small scale enterprise (i.e., baskets,
mats, hats making etc.), and in religious ceremonies
(Ram 2005). Various anthropogenic activities, illegal
exploitation of medicinal and other useful plants are
the main threats to the high altitude biodiversity of
Arunachal Pradesh. There is a need to control the
degradation and disturbance processes deteriorating
the community structure and plant biodiversity of
the eastern Himalayan temperate and alpine regions.
However, this requires a detailed socio-economic study
in the area, which is beyond the scope of the present
study.
As western Arunachal Pradesh harbours a rich
diversity of Primula species, this part of the state
should be considered an important landscape for the
conservation of the genetic diversity of Indo-Chinese
Primula species. Various reports are available on the
conservation and research development of Primula
species internationally; however, studies on diversity,
ecology, taxonomy, breeding methods, conservation
and management are yet to be carried out in Arunachal
Pradesh. The development and implementation of
regional conservation strategies are necessary to protect
alpine biodiversity and conservation of the Primula

species of the state.
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Threatened Taxa
Author Contribution: AB this manuscript is a part of his PhD research work.

Field survey, data collection, evaluation, representation and preparation of
manuscript. PRG is the supervisor of ABs PhD and he has executed the field
work and preparation of manuscript, guided the work and helped finalization
of the manuscript. AP assisted in field survey, analysis of ecological data,
representation and preparation of manuscript. MLK is the co-supervisor of ABs
PhD, he helped in technical improvement and finalization of the manuscript. He
executed the work on Primula with PRG.
Author Details: A
B
is a PhD scholar, pursuing his Doctoral Research
under the Joint Supervision of Dr. P.R. Gajurel and Prof. M.L. Khan on Primula
species of Arunachal Pradesh. D . P
R G
is an Associate Professor
and a field Botanist by profession; did his doctoral research on the experimental
taxonomic studies of Piper L. in Arunachal Pradesh. Presently he is engaged
in research works on taxonomy of higher plant groups, ethnobotany and
conservation biology. D . A
P
is a UGC-Dr. D.S. Kothari Post Doctoral
Fellow, did his doctoral research on studies on diversity and regeneration
ecology of rhododendrons in Arunachal Pradesh. His research focuses on agrobiodiversity, forest ecology, biodiversity conservation, especially in the field of
plant diversity, their ecology and management and regeneration ecology. P .
M
L
K
is a professor, his field of research interest is the evaluation
on the regeneration status of forest trees, exploration on germplasm of bamboo
and cane, conservation of endangered plant species, analysis and monitoring the
biodiversity of sacred groves, mapping and quantitative assessment, population
status, and geographic distribution of plant resources.
67 5
Short Co
unication
Journal of Threatened Taxa www.threatenedtaxa.org 26 January 2015 7(1): 67 667

A reli inar baseline status of the S rian Brown Bear

r u ar
ria u (Ma
alia: Carnivora: Ursidae) in
Golestana , Northern Iran
Mohammad Sadegh Farhadinia 1 & Negin Valizadegan 2
OPEN ACCESS
2
1
Iranian Cheetah Society, PO Box 14155-8549, Tehran, Iran
Department of Environmental Science, Gorgan University of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources,
Gorgan, Iran
1
[email protected] (corresponding author), 2 [email protected]
Abstract: Baseline information is lacking for the Syrian Brown Bear

across the sub-species range, making it difficult to assess at any level.
In the present investigation, our goal was to illustrate the population
status of the Brown Bear in the Golestanak area, northern Iran, based
on field surveys we conducted during the summers of 2011 and 2012.
We counted a total of 30 and 21 bears in two consecutive years, with
family groups consisting of more than half of the identified individuals.
Sub-adults had the lowest contribution among the observed individuals,
just below 10 , which may be due to their high dispersal behaviour to
avoid adults. Our results provide a foundation for future systematic
baseline investigations on the population status of the brown bear in
northern Iran, which can be used in management programs. Aside
from improving monitoring efforts within key habitats of the species,
enhancing conservation efforts to secure the population is essential to
safeguard this female core area.
eywords: baseline assessment, Brown Bear, Iran, monitoring, Ursus
arctos syriacus.
Small populations of Brown Bears Ursus arctos are

scattered across the Middle East and in the Caucasus
Mountains, which are noted to belong to a different
subspecies. Ursus arctos arctos (Murtskhvaladze et al.
2010) is found in the Greater and Lesser Caucasus, and
the Syrian Brown Bear Ursus arctos syriacus (Calvignac et
al. 2009), still occurs in Iran, Iraq and Turkey (Boitani et
al. 2008). While little is known about the status of these
bear populations (Gutleb et al. 2002; Can & Togan 2004;
Lortkipanidze 2010), the regions bear populations have
been prioritized for assessment by the IUCN/SSC Bear
Specialist Group (Servheen et al. 1999).
As the largest carnivore in Iran, the Syrian Brown
Syrian Brown Bear
Ursus arctos syriacus
NOT
EVALUATED
DATA
DEFICIENT
LEAST
CONCERN
NEAR
THREATENED
VULNERABLE
ENDANGERED
CRITICALLY
ENDANGERED
EXTINCT
IN THE WILD
EXTINCT
NE
DD
LC
NT
VU
EN
CR
EW
EX
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.11609/JoTT.o3708.6796-9 ZooBank: urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:FCE72B76-795E-4F60-BF48-E18978DDC380

Editor: Diana Doan-Crider, Texas A&M University, Texas, USA.
Manuscript details: Ms o3708 Received 14 July 2013 Final received 29 December 2014 Finally accepted 02 January 2015
Citation: Farhadinia, M.S. & N. Valizadegan (2015). A preliminary baseline status of the Syrian Brown Bear Ursus arctos syriacus (Mammalia: Carnivora: Ursidae)
in Golestanak, northern Iran. Journal of Threatened Taxa 7(1): 67966799; http://dx.doi.org/10.11609/JoTT.o3708.6796-9
Copyright: Farhadinia & Valizadegan 2015. Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. JoTT allows unrestricted use of this article in any medium,
reproduction and distribution by providing adequate credit to the authors and the source of publication.
Funding: The major funding for this research came from Dutch Zoo Conservation Fund (DZCF) and Iranian Cheetah Society (ICS) while other supports (e.g., logistic)
came from Mazandaran Provincial Office of Iran Department of Environment.
Acknowledgements: We thank the Iranian Department of the Environment and its provincial office in Mazandaran for granting necessary permissions to conduct
the surveys. The Dutch Zoo Conservation Fund (DZCF) partially funded the project. Finally, we feel privileged to express our respect to the wardens for their kindly
cooperation in field surveys, particularly Y. Sinakaei, R. Eshaghi, and O. Sheykholeslam. Also, we are grateful to Fathollah Amiri, Ali Zolfaghari, Amir Ghashghaie,
Arash Moharrami, Nima Asgari and Bagher Nezami for accompanying us in field surveys.
6796
Preliminary status of Syrian Brown Bear in northern Iran
Farhadinia & Valizadegan
Figure 1. Map of Central Alborz Protected Area and its location in Iran
Bear is exclusively distributed across the northern and

western portions of the country, along the two mountain
ranges of Alborz and Zagros (Gutleb & Ziaie 1999). At
the national level, the lack of population data has led
to a wide range of estimates (5001000, Gutleb & Ziaie
1999; 1500 300, Gutleb et al. 2002), making it difficult
to assess their status at regional or national levels.
Baseline information is essential for understanding their
status, which can only be obtained through monitoring
programs that ensure the adequate conservation and
management of the species (Kindberg et al. 2009).
We conducted the present investigation within one of
the main breeding areas, or core zones, of the Brown Bear
in the central Alborz region (Nezami & Farhadinia 2011),
to determine the status and structure of the Brown Bear
population based on direct observations. The goal of this
study was to conduct a preliminary assessment on the
population status of the brown bear in the Golestanak,
which will establish a baseline for future monitoring.
Methods
Study area: We conducted this study in Golestanak,
which is located in the Central Alborz protected area in
northern Iran (Fig. 1, Image 1). With an area of almost
50km2, it consists of Hyrcanian forests and highland
Image 1. Landscape of Golestanak Reserve (ICS M. Farhadinia)
timberline scrublands (Darvishsefat 2006).

A high diversity of mammalian fauna including Persian
Ibex Capra aegagrus, Red Deer Cervus elaphus maral,
Roe Deer Capreolus capreolus, and Wild Boar Sus scrofa
as well as Brown Bear, Grey Wolf Canis lupus, Eurasian
Lynx Lynx lynx, and Persian Leopard Panthera pardus
saxicolor inhabit this area (Nezami & Farhadinia 2010).
Field surveys: We carried out field investigations in
2011 and 2012 in Golestanak during June and July, when
6797
bears are more detectable in alpine meadows above

the timberline. We conducted similar field efforts (that
lasted eight days) at the same study site for two years.
We searched the area using 12 42 binoculars ( Nikon
Monarch). Upon sighting individuals, bears were
approached sufficiently to make observations without
disturbing the animal.
Identification of a bears sex was determined by
the presence of cubs for females, or strikingly large
body size for males. We recorded other individuals as
unknown sex. As for age an animal was classified either
as an adult, sub-adult (younger than four years) and cub
(with the mother). We also recorded colour and body
morphological patterns of bears (Sellers & Aumiller 1994;
Nawaz 2008), which we felt might be useful for future
observations. When possible, we also followed bears at a
safe distance to record their behaviour. In order to obtain
a more accurate identification of different individuals and
to avoid double counting, we photographed or filmed
most bears using cameras equipped with zoom lenses
(50500 Sigma). Digitized photographic data were
stored in a database, and used to help with the analysis
of bear numbers. Due to colour variation of the bears
in different years (Nawaz 2008), we avoided comparison
between years.
Results
In 2011, we identified 30 different bear, but we were
not able to determine sex for most of the individuals.
Cubs (n 10) comprised 33 of the population, in contrast
to adults (n 16), which comprised more than half of the
sighted individuals. We recognized and recorded five
adult females with cubs (one female had three cubs)
(Table 1) (Image 2).
In 2012, we recorded 21 different individuals,
including five families. Nine cubs with their mothers
consisted of 43 of the whole identified population.
Except one (Image 3), other bears were adults (Table 1).
An average of 56.8 of bears seen during the two year
period were family groups (mothers with cubs). Adults
Table 1. Age sex structure of identi ed Brown Bears- summers

20112012
Age class
Male
Female
Unidenti ed
2011
2012
2011
2012
2011
Cub
Sub-adult
Adult
Sum
6798
Sum
2012
2011
2012
10
10
16
11
19
13
30
21
Image 2. A female Brown Bear with two cubs (WPI ICS F. Amiri)
Image . A young Brown Bear in Golestanak (WPI ICS F. Amiri)
of both sexes composed 53 of the population observed

during the survey period. The proportion of sub-adults
in Golestanak averaged 9.8 . During the study period,
we observed four occasions when female bears avoided
other bears (three adult males and one young bear) as
well as one female trying to stop an adult male chasing
her cubs (Image 4).
Discussion
In this study, we attempted to provide some basic
information on the status of the Syrian Brown Bear
population in northern Iran, which is known as a key
area for the bears in Iran (De Filippi 1862 cited in Lay
1967; Blanford 1876; Goodwin 1940; Misonne 1959; Lay
1967; Gutleb & Ziaie 1999). However, we were unable to
provide an estimate of the species population in the area,
because our sampling efforts were limited. In addition,
previous studies indicate that direct observation may
result in an underestimation of population size (Schwartz
et al. 2008; Kendall et al. 2009).
A female core area is defined as the area where
reproduction is documented annually (Swenson et al.
Image 4. A female Brown Bear (le ) tries to stop an adult male

(right) from killing cubs which were chased by the male (not seen
inside the picture). The family survived (WPI ICS F. Amiri)
1994). The Golestanak has a high breeding potential

(Nezami & Farhadinia 2011), which is part of a vast range
of the species in Central Alborz (Nezami & Farhadinia
2010; Ataei et al. 2012).
The ratio of cubs was 1/3rd of the observed population
in this study in Golesnatak, which is approximately two
times the ratio in a studied population in Pakistan (Nawaz
2008). The average numbers of recorded cubs in 10
families in this study were close to the average numbers
recorded based on 13 families that were observed
between 2005 and 2009, which was 2.000.2) (Nezami
& Farhadinia 2011).
In conclusion, we recommend the implementation of
more comprehensive surveys in this area to determine
the demographic parameters of this bear population.
Our data establish a baseline for further monitoring
efforts, preferably by application of robust methods such
as capture-recapture models using extracted DNA from
fecal samples (Bellemain et al. 2005; Gervasi et al. 2010).
Nevertheless, in areas with high bear visibility such as
Golestanak, direct observations are useful to monitor
trends in the population (Kindberg et al. 2011), especially
in regions with low human impact (Sellers & Aumiller
1994). Given the reproductive importance of the area,
its continued protection should be a priority.
References
Ataei, F., M. arami & M. aboli (2012). Summer habitat suitability
modelling of Brown Bear (Ursus arctos) southern Alborz Protected
Area. Iranian Journal of Natural Resources 65(2): 235245. article in
Persian with an abstract in English
Bellemain, E., J.E. Swenson, D. Tallmon, S. Brunberg & P. Taberlet
(2005). Estimating population size of elusive animals using DNA
from hunter-collected feces: comparing 4 methods for Brown Bears.
onser ation Biolo y 19: 150161.
Blanford, W.T. (1876). Eastern Persia. An Account of the Journeys of the
ersian Boundary ommision
2 ol 2 The Zoology and
Geology. Macmillan and Co., London, viii+516 pp.
Boitani, L., R.M. Cowling, H.T. Dublin, G.M. Mace, J. Parrish, H.P.
Possingham, R.L. Pressey, C. Rondinini & .A. Wilson (2008).
Change the IUCN Protected Area Categories to Reflect Biodiversity
Outcomes. oS Biolo y 6(3): 436438; http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/
journal.pbio.0060066
Calvignac, S., S. Hughes & C. Hanni (200 ). Genetic diversity of
endangered Brown Bear (Ursus arctos) populations at the crossroads
of Europe, Asia and Africa. i ersity and istributions 15: 742750.
Can, O. & I. Togan (2004). Status and management of brown bears in
Turkey. Ursus 15: 4853.
Darvishsefat, A.A. (2006). Atlas of Protected Areas of Iran. 1st edition.
Tehran, Iran: University of Tehran, 157pp.
De Filippi, F. (1862 (cited in Lay DM )1 67). A study of the mammals
of Iran, Fieldiana Zoology, Vol. 54, Field Museum of Natural History,
Chicago, 220pp.
Gervasi, V., P, Ciucci, F. Davoli, J. Boulanger, L. Boitani & E. Randi
(2010). Addressing challenges in non-invasive capture-recapture
based estimates of small populations: a pilot study on the Apennine
brown bear. onser ation enetics 11: 22992310.
Gutleb, B., R.A. Ghaemi & J. usak (2002). Brown Bear in Iran.
International Bear Ne s 11(4): 20.
Gutleb, B. & H. Ziaie (1
). On the distribution and status of the
Brown Bear, Ursus arctos, and the Asiatic Black Bear (U. thibetanus)
in Iran. Zoology in the Middle East 18(1): 58.
Goodwin, G.G. (1 40). Mammals collected by the Legendre 1938 Iran
Expedition, American Museum Novitates 1082: 117
endall, .C., J.B. Stetz, J. Boulanger, A.C. Macleod, D. Paetkau & G.C.
White (200 ). Demography and genetic structure of a recovering
grizzly bear population. Journal of Wildlife Management 73: 317.
indberg, J., G. Ericsson & J.E. Swenson (200 ). Monitoring rare or
elusive large mammals using effort-corrected voluntary observers.
indberg J, J.E. Swenson, G. Ericsson, E. Bellemain, C. Mi uel &
P. Taberlet (2011). Estimating population size and trends of the
Swedish Brown Bear (Ursus arctos) population. ildlife Biolo y
20(5): 279284; http://dx.doi.org/10.2981/wlb.00042
Lay, D. (1 67). A study of the mammals of Iran ieldiana oolo y
Chicago: Field Museum of Natural History, 282pp.
Lortkipanidze, B. (2010). Brown Bear distribution and status in the
South Caucasus. Ursus 21(1): 97103.
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Murtskhvaladze, M., A. Gavashelishvili, & D. Tarkhnishvili (2010).
Geographic and genetic boundaries of Brown Bear (Ursus arctos)
population in the Caucasus. Molecular Ecology 19: 18291841.
Nezami, B, & M.S. Farhadinia (2010). Report of the conservation of
Brown Bear Ursus arctos in Golestanak Reserve, Iran. Dutch Zoo
Conservation Fund, Netherlands.
Nezami, B., & M.S. Farhadinia (2011). Litter sizes of Brown Bears in the
Central Alborz Protected Area, Iran. Ursus 22(2): 167171.
Nawaz, M.A. (2008). Ecology, Genetics and Conservation of Himalayan
Brown Bears. PhD Thesis. Department of Ecology and Natural
Resource Management, Norwegian University of Life Sciences,
224pp.
Schwartz, C.C., M.A. Haroldson, S. Cherry & .A. eating (2008).
Evaluation of rules to distinguish unique female Grizzly Bears with
cubs in Yellowsttone. Journal of Wildlife Management 72: 543554.
Sellers, R.A. & L.D. Aumiller (1 4). Brown Bear population
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). Status Survey of
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Swenson, J.E., F. Sandegren, A. B arvall, A. Soderberg, P. Wabakken
& R. Franzen (1 4). Size, trend, distribution and conservation
of the Brown Bear Ursus arctos population in Sweden. Biolo ical
Threatened Taxa
6799
Short Co
unication

A breeding site record of Long-billed Vulture p in i u

(Aves: Acci itrifor es: Acci itridae) fro Bejjur Reserve
Forest, Telangana, India
Swetha Stotrabhashyam 1, Bharath Reddy 2, Venugopal Satla 3 & Imran Siddi ui 4
OPEN ACCESS
1
Department of Zoology, Osmania University, Hyderabad, Telangana, 50007, India
Present address: Wildlife Lab, National Center for Biological Sciences, GKVK Campus, Bellary Road,
Bengaluru, Karnataka 560065, India
2,4
Hyderabad Tiger Conservation Society, 305, Lenaine Estate, Opposite Chermas, Abids, Hyderabad,
Telangana 500001, India
3
Deputy Range Officer, Forest complex, Bejjur, Adilabad, Telangana 504299, India
1
[email protected], [email protected] (corresponding author),
2
[email protected], 3 [email protected], 4 [email protected]
1
Abstract: The Long-billed Vulture Gyps indicus is, Critically Endangered

with few known breeding sites in peninsular India. We present a
previously undocumented Long-billed Vulture breeding site in Bejjur
Reserve Forest, Adilabad District, northern Telangana.
Keywords: Bejjur, breeding site, juveniles, Long-billed Vulture,
Rapugutta, Telangana.
The Long-billed Vulture Gyps indicus (also known as

the Indian Vulture) is one of the three native, resident
Gyps species in India. Its distribution and breeding is
restricted to southeast Pakistan and peninsular India
(Risebrough 2004; Rasmussen & Anderton 2005).
Documented sites include Panna Tiger Reserve in
Madhya Pradesh, Ramadevarabetta at Ramnagaram in
Karnataka, Pench Tiger Reserve in Maharashtra, and
Mudumalai and Satyamangalam Tiger Reserve in Tamil
Nadu. Long-billed Vultures nest almost exclusively in

colonies on cliffs and ruins, although in areas, where
cliffs are absent, they have been recorded nesting in
trees (Rasmussen & Anderton 2005).
The species is classified as Critically Endangered (IUCN
Red List) because of a catastrophic decline of 9098
in the population of Gyps species (Prakash et al. 2007)
due to diclofenac poisoning (Gilbert et al. 2004; Green
et al. 2004). Other reasons that could have contributed
in a minor way to the decline include changes in human
meat consumption (BirdLife International 2013), carcass
disposal practices (Chaudhry et al. 2012), and disease.
In Andhra Pradesh and Telangana states, an informal
survey that was conducted between 1990 and 1997
reported 8,615 vultures across 39 sites in 15 districts of
the state (Srinivasulu & Srinivasulu 1999). They sighted
Gyps indicus
Long-billed Vulture
NOT
EVALUATED
DATA
DEFICIENT
LEAST
CONCERN
NEAR
THREATENED
VULNERABLE
ENDANGERED
CRITICALLY
ENDANGERED
EXTINCT
IN THE WILD
EXTINCT
NE
DD
LC
NT
VU
EN
CR
EW
EX
ZooBank: urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:FD9C3453-F9D2-4D08-8754-402A0ADF87E0
Editor: Chris Bowden, Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, Sandy, UK.
Manuscript details: Ms o4014 Received 05 May 2014 Final received 02 January 2015 Finally accepted 07 January 2015
Citation: Stotrabhashyam, S., B. Reddy, V. Satla & I. Siddiqui (2015). A breeding site record of Long-billed Vulture Gyps indicus (Aves: Accipitriformes: Accipitridae)
from Bejjur Reserve Forest, Telangana, India. Journal of Threatened Taxa 7(1): 68006804; http://dx.doi.org/10.11609/JoTT.o4014.6800-4
Copyright: Stotrabhashyam et al. 2015. Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. JoTT allows unrestricted use of this article in any medium,
Funding: None.
Acknowledgements: I acknowledge members of HyTiCoS for assisting in conducting the study and Dr. Sanjay Molur for encouraging and helping me to write.
6800
Long-billed Vulture from Bejjur Reserve Forest
Long-billed vulture at Mancherial, Kawal and Utnoor in

Adilabad District, Telangana. A small colony of Longbilled Vultures used to nest (n 7 nests) in Pocharam
Wildlife Sanctuary, Medak District, Telangana until 1998.
From then on, however, no individuals were sighted in
this area (C. Srinivasulu, in litt. 02 August 2014). Another
survey conducted in 2007 by Umapathy et al. (2009) that
aimed to study the status and distribution of vultures,
reported 13 Long-billed Vultures from Markapur in
Srisailam Tiger Reserve, Mattadiguda in Utnoor and
Dharmaraopet in Bellampally within Adilabad District,
Telangana.
Here we present a new breeding site record for Longbilled Vultures in Telangana at Rapugutta, Bejjur Reserve
Forest, Adilabad District, Telangana.
Stud area
Bejjur, a mandal (an administrative division within
a district), lies to the east of Adilabad District of
Telangana (Image 1). It is near the border of Telangana
and Maharashtra. The forest near the nesting site is
a mosaic of dry deciduous, open canopy, and scrub
forest types. There are rocky hills along the Peddavagu
and Pranihita rivers. The confluence of the rivers,
Stotrabhashyam et al.
Peddavagu and Pranihita occurs next to a hill called the

Rapugutta (Vulture Hill) (Image 2). On the south face
of Rapugutta (19021053N & 79091515E) along the banks
of the Peddavagu River, vulture nests are situated at an
elevation of 80m above the riverbank.
Observations
We observed and counted vultures with the help of
binoculars (Olympus 10X) from 40m south of Rapugutta.
We also had informal interactions with the villagers
of Nandigaon and Motlaguda to understand their
perception about the vultures and to understand the
threats faced by the vultures.
The locals were aware of the presence of vultures,
but few were aware about their nesting and breeding.
The observations conducted on 23 and 24 February 2014
revealed the presence of breeding vultures on Rapugutta
in Bejjur Reserve Forest. On 23 February, at 1525hr, we
sighted the first chick along with five adult Long-billed
Vultures on a cliff in the south face of the Rapugutta
Hill. This cliff had more than 40 white-washed ledges
(indicative of vulture droppings; see Rondeau et al.
2006) which suggested either abandoned or previously
used nesting and roosting sites although other species
Image 1. Location of Long-billed vulture nesting site in Be ur Reserve Forest, Adilabad District, Telangana, India.
6801
leave the nest (Image 4). Chick 3 appeared to be the

smallest of the chicks (Image 5). We could observe a
nest at site 4 on the roosting ledge, but could not see the
chick. The adult on nest 4 was disturbed by a Shaheen
Falcon Falco peregrinus (Rasmussen & Anderton 2005)
that began attacking the vulture at 1100hr. The vulture
interacted with the falcon for 20 minutes and kicked the
falcon once during this interaction. The vulture left its
nest at 1120hr and flew in short circles near the ledge.
It was seen being pecked on the head by the Shaheen
Falcon during its flight in mid-air and also when it tried
to perch at its nesting site. Nest 5 was on the highest
part of the cliff. The behavior or size of this vulture
could not be studied, as it was not clearly visible from
the point of observation.
On 15 March 2014, a second team visited the site.
They observed that juvenile 4 (Image 6) was as big as
juvenile 1 and was also ready for flight. They counted
eight adult Long-billed Vultures on the southern side of
the Rapugutta Cliff, which is three more than the first
visit. Thus, making it a total of eight adult Long-billed
Vultures and five chicks (Table 1).
Image 2. Study site Rapugutta , Mutlaguda beat, Be ur Reserve

Forest, Adilabad District, Telangana, India
6802
Ashvij Putta
Image . Nest 1 of the Long-billed Vulture on Rapugutta.
Ashvij Putta
Image 4. Chick (the bird in the lower part of the image) in nest 2.
Venugopal Satla
Swetha Stotrabhashyam
could potentially have caused this. We are not sure if

only Long-billed Vultures used the cliff in the past. On
24 February, we observed the Long-billed vultures from
0700hr until 1300hr. Due to the cliff structure and the
angle at which we viewed the vultures, it was not easy
to observe the adult or the chick. The chicks remained
hidden from sight most of the time.
Within the two-day period, we observed a total of
five active nests, each nest with at least one parent in
attendance. We numbered each nest site from 1 to 5.
The juvenile in nest 1 was three-quarters the size
of the adult (Image 3). Its plumage was completely
developed (Rasmussen & Anderton 2005) and the
head and the neck were white in color. It seemed to
be conducting wing exercises and appeared to be ready
to take its first flight. Parent 1 was the first to leave the
nest at 1020hr. Chick 2 was smaller and creamy white in
color. The chick was seen actively preening its feathers.
The parent groomed the chick and protected it from
direct sunlight by shading it with its wings and did not
Image 5. Long-billed Vulture nest , adult vulture seen feeding the

chick on 15 March 2014.
Table 1. The Long-billed Vultures observed during both the visits.

Number of individuals
(2 24 February 2014)
Number of additional
individuals (15 March 2014)
Adult vulture
Chicks
Ashvij Putta
Individuals
Image 6. Juvenile Long-billed Vulture at nest 4, seen on 15 March

2014.
Discussion
There were large white patches on more than 40
ledges, which suggested that the cliff was a regular site
for Long-billed Vulture nesting and roosting. Based on
documented records, the site appears to be a long way
from other breeding sites. The closest documented
breeding site to the south for Long-billed Vulture is
Ramadevarabetta Vulture Sanctuary (Subramanya &
Naveen 2006) which is 997km to the south in Karnataka
and Pench National Park which is 425km to the northwest, Panna National Park to the north in Madhya
Pradesh, which is 841km respectively, from our current

Long-billed Vulture breeding site (Image 7). This implies
that the Rapugutta breeding Long-billed Vulture site is
quite distant from other known breeding sites. Thus, it
could potentially be an important location to protect, as
this could be a population vital for the long-term survival
of the Long-billed Vulture.
Our informal interactions with the elderly cattle
grazers in the villages of Nandigao and Motlaguda
indicated that there were around 200 Long-billed
Vultures on Rapugutta before 2005, but there were
accounts of e uents released into the Peddavagu
River by the Sirpur Paper Mills in 2007 and a hail storm
in 2004, which killed hundreds of vultures and other
wildlife in the Bejjur forests. Most of the villages around
Rapugutta use herbal medicines for cattle and they told
us they do not use diclofenac. This is hard to verify
without proper investigation and questionnaire surveys,
and it could well be that diclofenac has also played a role
Image 7. A Google Earth image showing the closest known breeding sites of Long-billed Vultures.
6803
in the declines here as elsewhere in the country.

The locals also informed us that they were now
sending old and sick cattle to slaughterhouses. As a
result, the food source for the vultures may possibly
have diminished, although they may also utilize wild
ungulates from the reserve forest. There is a need to
explore the possibility of the Long-billed Vultures feeding
on wild animal carcasses in this Reserve Forest or from
the villages in Telangana and Maharashtra. Detailed
studies need to be conducted on these aspects in order
to address any related threats, which seem quite likely
to be related to food contamination or availability.
Conservation research emphasizing interventions
such as declaration of vulture safe zones (Thapa et al.
2009; Mukherjee et al. 2014) need to be initiated and
used for long term planning to ensure due protection
to the nesting habitats and to make it diclofenacfree. Considering the fact that the population is so
distant from other Long-billed Vulture colonies, it is
an important population that needs securing from any
anthropogenic threats or pressures, and this could
be done through the establishment of a community
participation conservation model.
References
Risebrough, R. (2004). Conservation biology: Fatal medicine for
vultures. Nature 427(6975): 596598; http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/
nature02365
Rasmussen, P.C. & J.C. Anderton (2005). Birds of South Asia. The Ripley
Guide, Vols. 1 and 2. Smithsonian Institution and Lynx Edicions, D.C.
and Barcelona, 116pp.
Prakash, V., R.E. Green, D.J. Pain, S.P. Ranade, S. Saravanan, N.

Prakash, R. Venkitachalam, R. Cuthbert, A.R. Rahmani & A.A.
Cunningham (2007). Recent changes in populations of resident
Gyps vultures in India. Journal of the Bombay Natural History
Society 104: 127133.
Chaudhry, M. Arshad, S. Mahmood, A. Ali & A.A. han (2006).
Rapid population declines and mortality clusters in three Oriental
White-backed Vulture Gyps bengalensis colonies in Pakistan
due to diclofenac poisoning. Oryx 40(4): 388399; http://dx.doi.
org/10.1017/S3065306001347
Green, R.E., I.A.N. Newton, S. Shultz, A.A. Cunningham, M. Gilbert,
D.J. Pain & V. Prakash (2004).Diclofenac poisoning as a cause of
vulture population declines across the Indian subcontinent. Journal
of Applied Ecology 41(5): 793800; http://dx.doi.org/10.1111
/ .0021-8901.2004.00954
BirdLife International (201 ). Gyps indicus. In: IUCN 2013. IUCN Red
List of Threatened Species. Version 2013.2. www.iucnredlist.org .
Chaudhry, M.J.I., L.D. Ogada, N.R. Malik, Z.M. Virani & M.D. Giovanni
(2012). First evidence that populations of the critically endangered
Long-billed Vulture Gyps indicusin Pakistan have increased following
the ban of the toxic veterinary drug diclofenac in south Asia.
Bird Conservation International/FirstViewArticle; http://dx.doi.
org/10.1017/S0959270912000445
Srinivasulu, B. & C. Srinivasulu (1
) Status of vultures in Andhra
Pradesh, India. Vulture News 40: 2634
Umapathy, G., S. Hussain & S. Shiva i (200 ). Status and distribution
on vultures in Andhra Pradesh, India. Forktail 25 (2009): 163.
Rondeau, G., P. Pilard, B. Ahon & M. Cound (2006).Tree-nesting
Rppells Griffon vultures. Vulture News 55(1): 14-22.
Subramanya, S. & O.C. Naveein (2006). Breeding of Long-billed
Vulture Gyps indicus at Ramanagaram Hills, Karnataka, India. Indian
Birds 2(2): 3234
Thapa, I. (200 ) An Overview of Vulture Conservation in Nepal. The
Initiation 3(2009): 114118; http://www.nepjol.info/index.php/
INIT/article/viewArticle/2502
Mukher ee, A., T.H. Galligan, V. Prakash, . Paudel, U. han, S.
Prakash, S. Ranade, . Shastri, R. Dave, P. Donald & C. Bowden
(2014). Vulture Safe Zones to save Gyps Vultures in South Asia.
Mistnet 15(3): 421 .
Threatened Taxa
6804
Were hu an babies used as bait in crocodile hunts in

colonial Sri Lan a
Anslem de Silva 1 & Ruchira Somaweera 2

Amphibian and Reptile Research Organisation of Sri Lanka, 15/1, Dolosbage Road, Gampola, Sri Lanka
Biologic Environmental Survey, 50B, Angove St, North Perth, WA 6006, Australia
1
[email protected], 2 [email protected] (corresponding author)
1
2
Abstract: Use of live animals as bait is not an uncommon practice

in hunting worldwide. However, some curious accounts of the use
of human babies as bait to lure crocodiles in sport hunting exist on
the island of Sri Lanka, where sport hunting was common during the
British colonial period. Herein we compile the available records,
review other records of the practice, and discuss the likelihood of the
exercise actually having taken place.
eywords: Ceylon, colonial period, Crocodylus porosus, Crocodylus
palustris, live bait, sport hunting.
Hunting for wild animals is stimulated by the many

different human uses of faunal resources. Hunting for
sport is one of the oldest recreational uses of wildlife and
existed for more than 2500 years since Ancient Greek
times. It was largely practiced by royalty, the upper
social classes and colonial rulers (Coningham 1995;
Smalley 2005; Griffin 2007). Among the many large
animals hunted for sport were crocodilians. Accounts
of the hunting of crocodiles are common in the 19th
and early 20th century literature, and such hunting was
particularly common in the British colonies (MacKenzie
OPEN ACCESS
1997; Taylor 2004), including the island of Sri Lanka (then

called Ceylon), where several early writers described the
practice of hunting and catching crocodiles (e.g., Bennett
1843; Sirr 1850; Baker 1854; Tennent 1861; Clark 1901;
Hornaday 1901; Wright 1907; Hagenbeck & Hoeven
1942).
During a recent review of the historical literature
pertaining to the crocodiles of Sri Lanka, we came across
some curious accounts of the use of human babies as
bait to lure crocodiles in sport hunting on the island. We
compile these records here, and review other records of
the practice.
Babies as bait
Two species of crocodiles inhabit Sri Lanka: the
Saltwater Crocodile Crocodylus porosus, which is largely
restricted to the coastal areas of the south and south-west,
and the Mugger C. palustris which occurs throughout the
lowland dry zone (Whitaker & Whitaker 1979; Santiapillai
& de Silva 2001; de Silva 2013). The historical distribution
and abundance of both species was greater than today
(Kelaart 1852; Ferguson 1877; Deraniyagala 1939), and,
given that they were not legally protected until recently,
hunting of the animals was also common (Deraniyagala
1930; Tutein-Nolthenius 1934; Ahlip 1965). Among the
Editor: B.C. Choudhury (Retd.), Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, India.
Manuscript details: Ms o4161 Received 28 September 2014 Final received 26 November 2014 Finally accepted 03 January 2015
Citation: de Silva, A. & R. Somaweera (2015). Were human babies used as bait in crocodile hunts in colonial Sri Lanka Journal of Threatened Taxa 7(1): 68056809;
http://dx.doi.org/10.11609/JoTT.o4161.6805-9
Copyright: de Silva & Somaweera 2015. Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. JoTT allows unrestricted use of this article in any medium,
Funding: Self-funded.
Acknowledgements: We thank Franklin Hughes, Johan van Rooijen, Rohan Wijesekera, Aaron. M. Bauer, David Rhind and Henrik Brings e for their help in securing
some literature. Charlie Manolis, John Rudge and Rohan Pethiyagoda made useful suggestions to improve the manuscript and two anonymous reviewers provided
useful comments. Literature and old newspapers were accessed through the Library of Congress, Biodiversity Heritage Library and National Library of Australia.
6805
Short Co
unication
Babies used as crocodile bait
de Silva & Somaweera
many historical reports of hunting crocodiles on the

island, the following accounts in early newspapers report
the use of human babies as bait to lure crocodiles for
hunting.
The Graphic, a London-based newspaper, included
in its 21 January 1888 issue three interesting sketches
of the method of using a baby to lure a large crocodile
(Fig. 1). Captioned Sport in CeylonShooting a Maneating Crocodile, the figure depicts: (1) an European
man estimating the size of a crocodile to be a twenty
footer; (2) hiring a baby from the locals as bait, and (3).
the concealed hunter shooting the crocodile that has
been lured to the baby tied to a bush on the bank. The
preferred bait is specified as a chubby, rice-distended
and squally infant.
Several contemporaneous newspapers, including The
Red Cloud Chief (6 April 1888), The Helena Independent
(18 April 1890), Desert Evening News (29 April 1890),
Roanoke Times (20 July 1890) and those cited below
each contained a news item titled Babies for Crocodile
Bait. They all referred to a newspaper advertisement
captioned Babies wanted for crocodile bait. Will be
returned alive that was published in the Ceylonese
newspaper Ceylon Catholic Messenger. Our attempts to
locate the original article failed, hence the note which
appeared in the Roanoke Times is reproduced here
as Fig. 2. The notes state that Ceylonese parents have
unbounded confidence in English crocodile hunters. They
would rent their babies out to be used as bait to lure
crocodiles for a small consideration, and it is not difficult
for an English crocodile hunter to secure the bait (Mower
County Transcript: 23 July 1890). The articles further
mention that after the crocodiles had been attracted to
the dark-brown infant on the bank, the hidden hunter
would shoot the animal as it approaches the live bait.
The sportsman would then secure the skin and the head
of the crocodile, and the natives would make use of
the rest of the carcass. Some report that, The baby is
taken home to its loving parents, to be used for the same
purpose next day. Several newspapers, including the
Omaha Daily Bee (5 March 1888), Western Kansas World
(30 June 1888) and Barton County Democrat (29 March
1888) referring to these reports, stated that This way of
securing crocodiles might be objected to by American
mothers. The American infant imagination might be
shuttered by the devouring gaze of a healthy saurian who
hasnt had his dinner; but we are creditably informed by
certain English crocodile hunters that the average Ceylon
infant displays a passive indifference to his advances, and
the only thing which frightens him is the report of the
gun.
6806
Figure 1. Sport in Ceylon- Shooting a Man-eating Crocodile

published in The Graphic (21 January 1888). Sourced online through
Hughes (201 ).
Possibly the same story reappeared in The alentine

Democrat (1 October 1896) which describes how a nice,
fat baby is tied by the leg to a stake near some pond or
lagoon where crocodiles abound. Soon the child begins
crying and the sound attracts the crocodiles within hearing
distance. They start out immediately for the wailing
infant . The writer further mentions that So expert are
many of the hunters that they do not shoot the alligator
(correctly, the crocodile) until it has approached to within
a few feet of the baby. The article was accompanied by
a sketch in which the hunter is positioned immediately
next to the baby but concealed among the bushes (Fig. 3).
A third set of reports that appeared in American and
Australian newspapers Cameron County Press ( Babes and
Bait 12 December 1907), The Daily News (Perth, WA)
( Babies as Bait 11 April 1908), The Columbian ( Baby
Bait for Crocodile 2 July 1908), Healesville and Yarra
Glen Guardian ( Baby Bait for Crocodiles 23 August
1910), The Southern ecord and Ad ertiser ( A New Use
for Babies 26 November 1910), Shiner a ette ( Use
Live Babies as Bait 26 January 1911), and Kilmore Free
Press ( The Baby and the Crocodile 1 June 1911: Fig. 4),
Figure . Cartoon in the article With Babies for Bait: Hunters in

Ceylon Lure Crocodiles to Their Death in T e alen ne e
ra (1
October 18 6). Sourced from the Library of Congress.
Figure 2. Article in Roanoke Times (20 July 18 0). Sourced from the
Library of Congress.
detail a sailors account of using babies to lure crocodiles

in Ceylon. He states that Cingalese ( Sinhalese, some
early western authors spelt this as Cingalese) mothers
regularly (up to four times a week) hire out babies for
two shillings a day (currency used in early British Ceylon
until it was replaced by the Rupee in 1852. Currently a
shilling would equal US 8 , but its purchasing power
was arguably much greater in early 1900s). He further
mentions that baby bait is the only bait for crocodiles
and everyone uses it. The sailor claims to have shot as
many as four crocodiles with just one baby in a single
morning and the babies are unharmed in the process.
Similar to the account in Ceylon Catholic Messenger, this
story states that human babies are the best bait to get
the attention of crocodiles and lure them to the bank for
shooting.
Records fro elsewhere

Records of using babies as bait for crocodiles also exist
elsewhere. The Richmond Dispatch (10 July 1894) and the
Record-Union (1 September 1894) printed an article on
How British Sportsmen Hunt Crocodiles in India where
an ex-officer of the British Army was quoted as saying,
We used to have a great sport in India going out after
crocodiles with Hindu babies as bait. He mentions that
native women will flock to rent their babies for six cents
per day and some would not even insist on a guarantee
of their safe return (and that some crocodiles in fact got
away with the bait). The officer claimed to have shot
more than 100 crocodiles with just one chosen baby girl
as bait. He added that he could not find an infant for rent
to follow the same procedure in hunting an alligator in
Florida, USA.
Anecdotal reports of the use of human babies as
bait for crocodilians do exist, nevertheless, in American
newspapers. In a compilation of records of the use of
African-American babies as bait for alligators in the USA,
Gilliam (2014) records that in 1908 the Washington Times
reported that a keeper at the New York Zoological Garden
baited Alligators with Pickaninnies (a derogatory term
for African-American children) and that The alligators
were coaxed into their summer quarters by plump little
Africans. The Oakland Tribune on 21 September 1923
contained the article Pickaninny bait lures voracious
gator to death, where Villiers (1923) describes in detail
the procedure of using black babies as live bait (for 2)
and further states that there is nothing terrible about
it, except that it is spelling death for the alligators. In
July 1968, the Los Angeles Times ran an article about
6807
Figure 4. Article in Kilmore Free Press (1 June 1 11). Sourced from

the Library of Congress.
the baseball player Bob Gibson in which he mentions

an inhabitant of Georgia stating that Negro youngsters
were used in baiting alligators (Chapin 1968). The use
of African-American babies as live bait for alligators
has been also used in American movie plots, including
Alligator Bait (1900), The Gator and the Pickaninny (1900)
and Untamed Fury (1947), and also used in postcards
(Abagond 2010; Hughes 2013; Gilliam 2014).
Melina da Fonseca Rorke in her book The Story of
Melina Rorke, describes an incident where African babies
were used by their fathers to lure crocodiles (possibly Nile
crocodiles). She writes ..in a few moments, though, the
children who had previously been ignored, became the
centre of attention; they were suddenly scooped up from
the ground and carried swiftly down to the river bank in
front of the screen where they were laid in the mud about
10 feet apart. To my unspeakable horror, I realised that
those poor little piccaninnies were to serve as live bait for
the crocodiles ..(Rorke 1938). In this incident, a group of
men has hunted the crocodiles with spears and have used
several children and infants (possibly their own) as bait.
Discussion
Written records of crocodile hunts in Sri Lanka span
thousands of years. Even the Great Chronicle of Sri Lanka,
the Mah amsa, records that a man-eating crocodile
at Gal-Oya was hunted down by King Rajasinghe II
6808
(1629 1687 CE). Records from the 17th century onwards

show that the Portuguese, Dutch and the British hunted
crocodiles as sport and in order to remove man-eaters
(Haughton 1916; Deraniyagala 1939; Hagenbeck &
Hoeven 1942; de Silva 2013). Hunting crocodiles for sport
was banned in 1964 with the listing of both Sri Lankan
species as protected species, but they nevertheless
continue (illegally) to be hunted out of fear and in the
hope of preventing future attacks (Somaweera & de Silva
2012) as well as for meat and hide (Madawala et al. 2013;
Samarasinghe 2014).
These early records are fascinating as recent islandwide surveys of crocodilians themselves, their attacks
and human perceptions towards crocodiles in Sri Lanka,
did not encounter any records or even folklore or myths
referring to the use of humans as bait for crocodiles (de
Silva 2010, 2013). The references to this practice on the
island were published during the middle British period in
Sri Lankan history (the British colonial period in Sri Lanka
lasted from 1802 to 1948), in printed media abroad.
However, a review of early, more-detailed literature on
hunting and catching crocodiles in the island (Bennett
1843; Sirr 1850; Baker 1854; Tennent 1861; Suckling
1876; Clark 1901; Hornaday 1901; Wright 1907; Haughton
1916; Deraniyagala 1939; Hagenbeck & Hoeven 1942),
including those prior, contemporary and subsequent
to the media records above, and communications with
sociologists, historians, archeologists at the University
of Peradeniya (one of the leading research institutes in
the relevant fields), has failed to uncover any additional
records of human babies being used as bait. It is
surprising that none of the more detailed accounts in the
books and journals reported this practice indeed given
that it appears to have been both common (e.g., some
articles quote baby bait is the only bait for crocodiles
and everyone uses it) and effective (e.g., the account in
Richmond Dispatch states that as many as half a dozen
crocodiles could come hurrying from as many different
parts of a river towards a baby within five minutes of it
being positioned) as claimed in the newspaper articles. It
is also important to note that the frequency of reporting
of these cases does not necessarily imply that the practice
was common or widespread. Indeed, it appears that an
article in one newspaper was picked up and reproduced
by other newspapers, even at a much later date (e.g., after
eight years in one case above), just as it does nowadays,
albeit electronically and much faster.
However, using live dogs as well as dead animals
(chicken, dogs, monkeys, cattle etc.) as bait to lure
crocodiles was reported at several locations during our
surveys, a practice that has its roots in early Ceylon.
Ahlip (1965) reports the use of monkey meat as bait

for Muggers and Clark (1901) states that crocodiles in
Ceylon are most easily shot from points of ambush near
the carcasses of cattle or a young pariah dog (possibly
referring to a stray dog), or a puppy that has been tied up
at the bank. The yelping of the puppy is said to attract the
crocodiles and bring them within easy shooting distance.
Deraniyagala (1939) reported how live dogs were used
to lure crocodiles, and the usage of living as well as dead
animals as bait was a common practice (Rajakarurnnayake
2000). Given that these authors explicitly cite the use of
other live bait for crocodiles, it is surprising that they did
not encounter any incidents in which babies were used
as bait.
Many hunting strategies involve live bait to lure
prey to the hunter, but very few involve using humans
as bait. Among current examples are members of
certain African tribes using their feet as lures to extract
pythons from burrows (http://www.youtube.com/
watch v kqVfgJrDYS0) and fishermen in the southern
United States noodling for large ca ish offering their
hands as lures (Salazar 2002). In both cases the hunter
uses his own body as a lure, whereas in historical times
hunters sometimes used other humans as bait to attract
their prey. For example, African coolies were used to
lure lions for shooting during the construction of the
Mombasa-Uganda railway in East Africa in 1898 (Mannix
1978). However, these probably involved adult humans
rather than infants. Hence these anecdotal reports of
using human babies as live bait in sport hunting constitute
an important record in early hunting practices, as well as
shining a new light on our colonial history.
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Threatened Taxa
680
Short Co
unication
Po ulation structure, length-weight and length-length

relationshi s of six o ulations of the Bartail Flathead
la ep alu in i u (Scor aenifor es: Plat ce halidae)
along the Persian Gulf coastal waters

Hamed Mousavi-Sabet 1, Adeleh Heidari 2 & Hakimeh Fekrandish
OPEN ACCESS
1
Department of Fisheries, Faculty of Natural Resources, University of Guilan, Sowmeh Sara, P.O. Box: 1144, Guilan, Iran
2
Department of Fisheries, Bushehr Branch, Islamic Azad University, Bushehr, Iran
1
Abstract: The size frequency distribution for age structure, lengthweight (LWR) and length-length (LLR) relationships of six populations
of Platycephalus indicus along the Persian Gulf coastal waters in Iran
are reported. A total of 180 P. indicus specimens were studied from
six localities including Charak, Bandar-Abbas, Shif, Motaf, Khur-Musa
and Bahrekan. The maximum standard length recorded for the studied
populations ranged between 300 to 510 mm and the b values of the
length-weight relationships ranged between 3.0 and 3.2. The obtained
results indicated isometric growth patterns for all these populations
with the exception of the Bahrekan population which showed a positive
allometric growth pattern. The LLR between the total and standard
lengths in these populations were found to be highly significant. The
results would be useful for further studies on population assessment
and sustainable conservation of the fish along the Persian Gulf coastal
waters.
eywords: Bushehr Province, flathead fish, growth patterns, Iran.
A knowledge of length-weight (LWR) and lengthlength (LLR) relationships are important tools for the
adequate management of any fish species which have
been applied for basic uses for assessment of fish
stocks and populations (King 2007). The LWR is useful
in local and interregional morphological comparisons in
populations (Froese 2006; Ali et al. 2013) and the LLR is
also of great importance for comparative growth studies
(Moutopoulos & Stergiou 2002; Ali et al. 2013).
Around 65 species have been described in the
Platycephalidae family (Nelson 2006). Platycephalus
indicus (Linnaeus, 1758) is classified as mediate
vulnerable group fishes (Cheung et al. 2004). It is a
widespread species that is distributed from the Red
Sea and West Africa to Japan and northern Australia
(Parsamanesh et al. 2000; Mohammadikia et al. 2012).
Platycephalus indicus
Bartail Flathead
NOT
EVALUATED
DATA
DEFICIENT
LEAST
CONCERN
NEAR
THREATENED
VULNERABLE
ENDANGERED
CRITICALLY
ENDANGERED
EXTINCT
IN THE WILD
EXTINCT
NE
DD
LC
NT
VU
EN
CR
EW
EX
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.11609/JoTT.o3738.6810-4 ZooBank: urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:B73A4469-76E1-41A3-B509-F05CBDBE75E4

Editor: Neelesh Dahanukar, IISER, Pune, India.
Manuscript details: Ms o3738 Received 07 August 2013 Final received 29 November 2014 Finally accepted 23 December 2014
Citation: Mousavi-Sabet, H., A. Heidari & H. Fekrandish (2015). Population structure, length-weight and length-length relationships of six populations of the Bartail
Flathead Platycephalus indicus (Scorpaeniformes: Platycephalidae) along the Persian Gulf coastal waters. Journal of Threatened Taxa 7(1): 68106814; http://
dx.doi.org/10.11609/JoTT.o3738.6810-4
Copyright: Mousavi-Sabet et al. 2015. Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. JoTT allows unrestricted use of this article in any medium,
Funding: Self-funded.
Acknowledgements: We would like to express our gratitude to Dr. Modaresi, from Persian Gulf Research and Study Center (PGRSC) for his kind assistance on this
study. Special thanks to Ahmad Faghih Ahmadani for his substantial assistance and contribution in this project.
6810
Population structure of Bartail Flathead in Persian Gulf
Mousavi-Sabet et al.
Platycephalus indicus is one the most commercially

important species in the south of Iran. Because of its
important role in the economy of local fisheries in the
Persian Gulf area countries, P. indicus is a target species
for capture (Parsamanesh et al. 2000). The total number
of catches recorded for this species in the northwest of
the Persian Gulf was 410 tons and 917 tons in 2000 and
2010, which has been subjected to overfishing in these
years (Mohammadikia et al. 2012). Although the species
is currently categorized as Data Deficient (Knapp 2010),
based on the overfishing pressure, it can be suggested
that the fish is threatened in the region in recent years.
Different aspects of biological parameters of P. indicus
have been studied (e.g., Nasir 2000; Masuda et al. 2000;
Harrison 2001; Hussain et al. 2010 and Isa et al. 2012).
Hashemi & Taghavimotlagh (2013) who investigated
LWR of P. indicus in Northwest Persian Gulf found that
this species is under mediate vulnerable group fishes.
However, a few studies so far have been made on the
population structure of this species in the northern
Persian Gulf but there is no published data on LLR for
this species in the region.
The aim of the present study was to determine age
structure, LWR and LLR of P. indicus along the northern
Persian Gulf coastal waters. The results will greatly

contribute to the management and conservation
programs of this economically important fish species.
Materials and Methods
A total number of 180 individuals of P. indicus were
captured from Charak (26035N & 54022E, 30 individuals),
Bandar-Abbas (26056N & 55055E, 30 individuals), Shif
(28056 N & 50034 E, 30 individuals), Motaf (27050N &
51038E, 30 individuals), Khur-Musa (29033N & 48045E,
30 individuals) and Bahrekan (29050N & 50015E, 30
individuals) (Fig. 1, Image 1), in September 2012 using a
gill net. The captured specimens were transferred to the
laboratory in refrigerated condition.
In the laboratory, the total length (TL; from tip of
snout to the end of caudal fin) and standard length
(SL; from tip of snout to the end of caudal peduncle)
of the specimens measured to the nearest mm using
a measuring board (1.0mm) and body weight (0.1g)
were recorded for each specimen using an electric
balance. The age was determined based on otolith.
Sectioned sagittal otoliths were used to estimate the
age of the studied specimens. One sagittae of each fish
was implanted in clear resin and sectioned at about
32
30
28
26
24
48
50
52
54
56
58
Figure 1. Geographical location of the sampling localities in the Persian Gulf coastal waters.
6811
Hakimeh Fekrandish
Image 1. la
ep alu in i u from the Persian Gulf
250300 m thickness in a transverse plane through the

focus using a low speed saw fitted with two diamond
blades. Both sides of the resulting thin section were then
polished on 9 m lapping film, after which the section
was mounted on a standard glass slide and viewed
under a binocular microscope (625 x magnification)
with reflected light against a black background. Most
otolith sections displayed clear patterns of narrow
opaque (light) and broad translucent (dark) zones (Gray
2002). Assignment of age for each fish was based on
independent counts of completed opaque bands by no
less than two readers.
The relationship between length and weight of the
fish species was determined by regression analysis.
Linear transformation was made using log to the base
10 at the observed lengths and weights (Zar 1999).
According to Pauly (1984) and Froese & Pauly (2014),
the length-weight relationship was calculated using the
equation:
W aLb
Where:
W =the body weight (g)
L total length (mm)
a a coefficient related to body form
b an exponent indicating isometric growth when
equal to 3.
Logarithmically transformed into log W log a + b log
L where W is the weight of the fish in gram and L is the
length (L TL or SL) of the fish measured in millimeter.
The parameters a (proportionality constant) and b
(exponent) of the LWR were estimated by least square
regression (Zar 1999). Goodness of fit was determined
using the coefficient of determination (r2). The null
hypothesis that b = 3 was tested using a two tailed t test
as described by Zar (1999). The LLR was estimated as
TL= aSLb and its log-log form log (TL) log (a) + b log (SL).
6812
Goodness of fit was determined using the coefficient of

determination (r2) and the null hypothesis that b = 1 was
tested using a two tailed t test. We used the ANOVA
test to examine differences between the b values of
the studied populations. All statistical analyses were
evaluated at a 0.05 significance level.
Results and Discussion
The total number of individuals collected for this
study were 121 for male and 59 for female specimens,
respectively. In this study, the specimens ranged in
total length from 178 to 553 mm, standard length from
172 to 510 mm, and total weight from 80 to 1290 g.
The females were longer and heavier than the males.
Masuda et al. (2000) studied Platycephalus indicus from
the coastal waters of west Kyushu in Japan, and stated
that the length of females was larger than that of males
at any age. Hashemi & Taghavimotlagh (2013) also
reported similar results for this species in the northwest
of the Persian Gulf. The studied populations of P. indicus
had a narrow age range (1+ to 5+ years). The majority of
the fish caught were 2+ years old and only a few of them
were 5+ years old. While the oldest specimens were 5+
years old, most of the specimens were in the third year
(2+) of their lives (Table 1).
The mean ( SD) and range of standard length and
body weight in these six populations along with LWR
parameters are shown in Table 2. The calculated values
for b in length and weight ranged from 3.02 to 3.18. The
b values suggested that the growth was isometric in
all the populations with the exception of the Bahrekan
population which has a positive allometric growth
pattern with b significantly more than cubic value (Table
2).
The LWR between fish species and also between
different populations of the same species (similar to the
Table 1. Length and weight (mean SD) in di erent age groups of males and females of
Age
n
M
SL mm
F
in i u in the Persian Gulf coastal waters.
TL mm
F
Wb g
F
203.020.09
225.0 0.00
225.9 21.81
250.0 0.00
71.420.03
90.00.00
2+
70
32
286.1 32.98
294.842.73
315.7 35.37
324.9 46.37
216.8 83.08
242.6 158.31
3+
11
14
316.5 71.91
310.4 55.60
345.3 76.98
341.4 59.39
324.774.21
299.3 168.47
32
11
338.9 22.59
340.6 33.51
373.9 25.76
372.937.34
365.0 83.36
377.3104.22
5+
473.00.00
470.00.00
515.0 0.00
510.0 0.00
1130.00.00
1020.00.00
SL - standard length; TL - total length; Wb - body weight; n - number of specimens; SD - standard deviation; M - male; F - female
Table 2. Descriptive statistics and estimated parameters of length-weight relationships for

(number of individuals for all localities were 0).
Locality
Charak
Standard length (mm)
Total weight (g)
in i u in the Persian Gulf Coastal Waters
Relationship parameters
t value
0.175
0.4311
SEb
Range
Mean SD
Range
Mean SD
252-405
319.3 44.5
140620
329.7130.8
0.0089
3.020
0.961
0.114
Bandar-Abbas
215-365
283.137.3
70350
209.0 85.5
0.0046
3.186
0.958
0.125
1.448
0.0792
Shif
172-300
256.7 33.7
42236
152.9 54.1
0.0059
3.112
0.954
0.128
0.875
0.1944
Motaf
247-405
300.6 48.9
99770
262.9 156.8
0.0056
3.131
0.966
0.110
1.190
0.1218
Khur-Musa
205-335
296.3 33.0
80360
229.771.7
0.0084
3.004
0.949
0.131
0.030
0.4921
Bahrekan
265-490
357.4 61.2
2201290
464.3 289.3
0.0049
3.173
0.983
0.077
2.240
0.0165
a - intercept; b - slope; r - coefficient of determination; t value (difference of b from 3); SEb - standard error
2
Table . Length-length relationships between total length (TL) and standard length (SL) of
(number of individuals for all localities were 0).
Locality
Total length (mm)
Standard length (mm)
in i u in the Persian Gulf Coastal Waters

Relationship parameters
Range
Mean SD
Range
Mean SD
r2
SEb
Charak
275440
349.247.41
252405
319.3 44.46
0.081
1.016
0.974
0.031
Bandar-Abbas
239400
311.6 40.24
215365
283.137.32
0.088
1.018
0.993
0.016
Shif
187330
284.06 37.55
172300
256.7 33.71
0.013
0.976
0.970
0.032
Motaf
253450
330.8 52.64
247405
300.63 48.91
0.089
1.018
0.993
0.016
Khur-Musa
230375
327.83 35.99
205335
296.3 33.04
0.083
1.015
0.992
0.016
Bahrekan
290553
392.87 65.01
265490
357.43 61.18
0.108
1.025
0.997
0.009
a - intercept; b - slope; r2 - coefficient of determination; SEb - standard error
present study), can be affected by a number of factors

including season, habitat, gonad maturity, sex, diet,
health and preservation techniques of the captured
specimens (Bangenal & Tesch 1978; Haimovici & Velasco
2000; Hashemi & Valinassab 2011; Mousavi-Sabet et al.
2014). The mentioned environmental and physiological
factors could not be discussed for the present study,
because in this study sample size was relatively small
and the examined specimens were collected in a limited
period (within one month).
Sekharan (1998) had observed an inter-specific for b
that remains constant at 3.0 for an ideal fish. According

to Bagenal & Tesch (1978), the range of b could be from
2.5 to 4 or 2 to 4 and b 3 in fish with isometric growth.
The b values in the length-weight model were measured
slightly (not significantly) more than three for P. indicus
which indicating that weight increased isometrically with
length (with the exception of the Bahrekan population).
The values of b for P. indicus in Indian waters (the
Netravati Gurpur Estuary, Mangalore) were estimated
to be 2.99 and 2.91 for male and female respectively
(Naik et al. 1990). Hashemi & Taghavimotlagh (2013)
681
investigation of LWR in P. indicus in the northwest of the

Persian Gulf, stated that the values of b for male and
female were 2.96 and 3.08 respectively.
The values of coefficient of determination r2
calculated for TL-SL relationship in P. indicus populations
from six localities were highly significant (P 0.001). LLR
and the coefficient of determination r2 for the studied
populations are given in Table 3. In this study the LLR in
P. indicus populations were found to be highly correlated
(in all cases: r 0.97, P 0.001).
The observed growth patterns for P. indicus in the
coastal waters of the northern Persian Gulf can be
useful for conservation programs of this threatened
species. In the current study an important contribution
is the provision of base-line data on the LWR and LLR of
the P. indicus, which are important tools for adequate
management of fish stocks and populations. Further
research in stock assessment is needed in order to
obtain an adequate and comprehensive understanding
of the biology and ecology of this important species in
the future.
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Threatened Taxa
6814
First re ort of the fe ale of eir

ela a a en i
Ho e, 1841 (He i tera: Hetero tera: Naucoridae) fro
northeastern India

Shruti V. Paripatyadar 1, Sophio Riphung 2 & H.V. Ghate

Department of Biodiversity, MESs Abasaheb Garware College, Pune, Maharashtra 411004, India
Plant uarantine Station, Ashirwad, Airport Road, Lankeshwar, Jalukbari, Guwahati, Assam 781014, India
3
Department of Zoology, Modern College of Arts, Science and Commerce, Shivajinagar, Pune, Maharashtra 411005,
India
1
[email protected], 2 [email protected], 3 [email protected] (corresponding author)
1
OPEN ACCESS
Abstract: This publication reports for the first time the female of a
Naucorid Bug Cheirochela assamensis Hope, 1841 from the state of
Meghalaya, India. This species has been known so far by only two
male specimens. We provide a detailed description of the female and
light microscopic images of the habitus and important characters.
Habitus photos of type (male) of C. assamensis and a related
species, Cheirochela thailandana Polhemus et al. are also provided for
comparison.
eywords: Cheirochelini,
Meghalaya, Naucoridae.
creeping
water
bug,
Heteroptera,
The aquatic Heteroptera of India have not received

much attention in recent years, even though work on
these bugs is being actively pursued in neighbouring
countries and elsewhere in Southeast Asia. The recent
checklist of aquatic bugs of India (Thirumalai 2007)
includes this species but indicates no fresh collection.
For many species distribution data are wanted and
most species actually need detailed re-descriptions,
Cheirochela assamensis
NOT
EVALUATED
DATA
DEFICIENT
LEAST
CONCERN
NEAR
THREATENED
VULNERABLE
ENDANGERED
CRITICALLY
ENDANGERED
EXTINCT
IN THE WILD
EXTINCT
NE
DD
LC
NT
VU
EN
CR
EW
EX
ZooBank: urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:2209027F-C160-4BE8-A001-97D7FA21339A
Editor: Robert W. Sites, University of Missouri, Columbia, USA.
Manuscript details: Ms o4162 Received 29 September 2014 Final received 05 January 2015 Finally accepted 08 January 2015
Citation: Shruti V. Paripatyadar, Sophio Riphung & H.V. Ghate (2015). First report of the female of Cheirochela assamensis Hope, 1841 (Hemiptera: Heteroptera:
Naucoridae) from northeastern India. Journal of Threatened Taxa 7(1): 68156820; http://dx.doi.org/10.11609/JoTT.o4162.6815-20
Copyright: Paripatyadar et al. 2015. Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. JoTT allows unrestricted use of this article in any medium, reproduction and distribution by providing adequate credit to the authors and the source of publication.
Funding: Partly self funded; SVP - UGC-JRF (Sr. No. 2121030936).
Acknowledgements: We are thankful to the authorities of Modern College, Pune 5, and Biodiversity Department, Garware College, Pune 4, for facilities and encouragement. SVP thanks UGC New Delhi for the JRF. SVP also thanks Dr. Anand Padhye for his support and encouragement. SVP is grateful to Dr. Thomas Henry
(Curator in charge - Heteroptera collection, United States National Museum of Natural History, Washington DC, USA) for giving the permission to visit and study
the Heteroptera collection at the NMNH. SVP is also grateful to Dr. Gerry Cassis (President, International Heteropterists Society), International Heteropterists
Society (IHS) Executive and Mrs. Annemarie M ller Andersen, for providing financial assistance (The Nils & Annemarie M ller Andersen Award) to attend the
Fifth uadrennial IHS meeting in Washington, DC, from 21-25 July 2014 and visit Smithsonian Institutions National Museum of Natural History in Washington
DC, USA. Finally, we gratefully acknowledge Dr. R.W. Sites (Enns Entomology Museum, University of Missouri, Columbia, USA) and Dr. D.A. Polhemus (Bishop
Museum, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA) for all the help with the identification. We specially thank Dr. Sites and Prof. C. Viraktamath (GKVK, Bangalore) for their valuable
comments on the first draft of the manuscript. We also acknowledge Mr. Alan Hadley for the freeware Combine ZM and Biodiversity Heritage Library for making
the original description of the species available online. We are extremely grateful to the authorities of the Oxford University Museum of Natural History, Hope
Entomological Collections, Ms. Amoret Spooner for making the images of the type of Cheirochela assamensis Hope available and to Ms. Katherine Child for excellent photographs. These photos are copyright of the Oxford University Museum of Natural History and should not be reused by others without prior permissions.
We are also grateful to Dr. Thomas Henry for permitting the use of the images of the paratype of C. thailandana Polhemus et al. preserved in the Smithsonian
Institutions National Museum of Natural History (Washington DC, USA). The copyright of these images rests with the National Museum of Natural History.
6815
Short Co
unication
Report of Cheirochela assamensis from India
Paripatyadar et al.
digital documentation of their habitus and important

morphological features, as well as their habitats.
The family Naucoridae, or the creeping water bugs,
are distributed worldwide with remarkable species
richness in the Oriental region (Polhemus & Polhemus
2013). Their typical habitats include fast flowing streams
and slower parts of streams and ponds with preference
to pebbly substratum (Polhemus 1979). Naucoridae are
represented in India by the subfamilies Laccocorinae,
Naucorinae and Cheirochelinae (Thirumalai 2007).
Laccocorinae and Naucorinae are distributed widely
throughout India. Cheirochelinae are restricted to
the northeastern part of the country and Cheirochela
assamensis Hope was originally described from Assam,
and subsequently recorded from Meghalaya (Hope
1841; Distant 1906; Polhemus et al. 2008).
Cheirochelinae contain 10 genera (La Rivers 1971)
and occur only in the Old World (Polhemus 1979).
These insects are distributed in Indochina, Borneo,
Philippines and New Guinea (Polhemus et al. 2008). The
tribe Cheirochelini is believed to form a monophyletic
clade within the Naucoridae and contains the genera
Cheirochela Hope, 1841, Gestroiella Montandon, 1897
and Coptocatus Montandon, 1909, of which Cheirochela
and Gestroiella are found in northeastern India.
Currently, Cheirochela includes five species. To date,
only two species from Cheirochelini, namely Cheirochela
assamensis Hope (Hope 1841) and Gestroiella insignis
Distant (Distant 1910) are known from India. Coptocatus
is known only from Borneo (Polhemus et al. 2008).
The tribe Cheirochelini, especially the Indochinese
genera Cheirochela and Gestroiella, remained neglected
for most part of the 20th century, partly because of
scanty collections and for other reasons which have
been explained in detail by Polhemus et al. (2008) in
their recent revision.
Cheirochela assamensis is the only species of the
genus known in India. The male was described by Hope
(1841) from an uncertain locality in Assam and the same
specimen was subsequently used by Distant (1906) to
describe the characteristics of the species. Polhemus et
al. (2008) later used the holotype as well as a specimen
collected from West Garo Hills, Nokrek, Meghalaya, for
the revision of the genera Cheirochela and Gestroiella.
These are the only two specimens of C. assamensis
known so far and both are males. The generic key given
in Polhemus et al. (2008) is based on the male characters
only and there is no information available on the female.
Here we report a female specimen from Meghalaya
(exact locality unknown) that we provisionally identify as
C. assamensis, as most of the characters given by Hope
6816
match well. Collection of the female along with the male

is necessary for absolute certainty of identification. This
is the first report of the female of this species. A detailed
description along with digital images are given below.
Materials and Methods
Material studied: Cheirochela cf. assamensis Meghalaya, vii.2011, coll: Sophio Riphung (1 female).
Preserved in Modern College of Arts, Science &
Commerce, Pune, India, Reg. No. Heteroptera,
Cheirochelinae 1.
Cheirochela thailandana Polhemus et al., 2008 - Doi
Nangka, northern Thailand, 19.iv.1931, coll: H.M. Smith,
National Insect Collection, National Museum of Natural
History, Washington DC, USA (1 male). Photographs
taken by Shruti Paripatyadar.
The specimen was studied and photographed under
stereo-zoom trinocular microscope (Leica MZ6) with a
camera attachment (Canon PowerShot S50). Several
images were taken at different focal planes and were
stacked using Combine ZM image-stacking freeware.
The digital photographs were processed using Adobe
Photoshop CS5 version 12.00. The specimen was
measured using a digital caliper (AEROSPACE, 0-150
mm).
Descri tion
Brachypterous female. Length: 24.3mm; maximum
width (across embolia) 14.5mm (Images 1A, B). Large,
oblong-oval bug, with an extremely flattened body.
Colour mostly blackish-brown.
Ventrally densely
covered with very fine, adpressed, brownish and golden
pubescence, leaving only small areas, including legs,
without dense pubescence.
Head: Elongate, uniformly blackish-brown, broader
anteriorly than posteriorly. Median region convex with
shallow depression on either side, lateral areas slightly
convex. Dorsal surface covered with fine setae that
appear as white spots. Remaining area granular; in some
parts, granules black and shiny. Eyes elongate, broader
posteriorly, gradually narrowing anteriorly as seen from
above, inner margins parallel. Vertex produced behind
as lobe which fits in anterior emargination of pronotum
(Image 1C). Different parts of head not distinctly seen
dorsally as no sutures are visible.
Head ventrally with large, elongate cavity through
which short rostrum protrudes, leaving empty space
all around. Fringe of dense setae on the upper margin
(clypeus) of this cavity. Lateral to cavity are mandibular
plate and maxillary plate on either side, labrum
extremely short and above rostrum. Gular area with
Paripatyadar et al.
Image 1. eir ela cf. a a en i female: A - dorsal view B - Ventral view C - Head and thorax - dorsal aspect D - Head and thorax ventral aspect E - Abdomen - ventral aspect F - Abdominal paratergites G - Hind tibia showing di erent types of setae.
triangular raised keel having few teeth just posterior to

cavity. Labium brown. Antennae set in cavity beneath
eyes, all segments thickened, subequal in length, shiny
white due to pubescence, last segment with long, golden
pubescence. Cavity in which antenna is situated almost
touches eye.
Thorax: Pronotum much broader than long as
measured at midline, distinctly narrowed anteriorly.
Lateral margins slightly concave, very finely crenulated.
Anterior border sinuate, with deep groove on either
side to accommodate eyes and median emargination
to accommodate posterior lobe of vertex. Posterior
border more or less straight for most of its length,
slightly directed forward at the corners. Anterior angles
acute and end slightly before middle of eyes, posterior
angles also acute. Dorsal surface of pronotum with
deep transverse groove near base, rugulose behind
posterior projection of vertex and with blackish granules
elsewhere. Area anterior to basal groove darker than
area behind. Overall, disc slightly convex, area behind
vertex shallow, remaining part with laminate margin

which is paler in colour than rest of disc (Image 1C).
Prosternal keel laterally compressed between coxae,
posteriorly broadened.
Metasternal process (or
metaxyphus) small, robust, roughly quadrangular in
shape, bordered with long, golden setae (Image 1B).
Small pit between union of pro- and mesosternum (or
sternellum); median sulcus on mesosternum (Image 1D).
Scutellum triangular, broader than long, with deep,
transverse groove at base and two lateral, deep notches
near the middle on either side. Area within notches
deep brown, shining, with large punctures. Overall,
disc of scutellum granular, with shallow median groove
along 3/4th of its length, area near apex with distinct,
transverse folds (Image 1C).
Hemelytra broad basally, narrowing posteriorly,
not reaching tip of abdomen and not covering
connexivum. Entire surface of clavus rugulose, except
median overlapping region (claval commissure) which
is shining brown and smooth, membrane lacking.
6817
Paripatyadar et al.
Hook-like structure on left corium with corresponding

notch on right corium. The entire surface of corium
rugulose, punctate. Claval suture and embolar suture
pale ochraceous. Lateral margin of embolium from
pronotum to first visible abdominal segment covered
with golden setae (Image 1A). These long, golden setae
are on inner edge of the margin and appear adpressed
mesad (which might be a preservation artifact) and not
outwardly erect as shown for C. tonkina in Polhemus et
al. (2008).
Legs: All legs flattened, shining, pale brownish.
Forelegs: Prominent due to broad femora. Coxa
prominent, rounded and smooth, almost jutting onto
prosternal process, without punctures but with a few
thin rugae where it joins trochanter. Trochanter small;
outer edge with thick golden setae; with prominent,
erect spine on inner edge close to femur. Femur flat,
grossly dilated, ventral surface smooth, anterior edge
with dense covering of dark grey pubescence, posterior
edge dark brown with dark brown to black, small spines.
Tibia long, gradually narrowing. Tarsus 1/4th length of
tibia, one-segmented, together with tibia forming a
hook-like structure. Tibio-tarsus internally grooved,
apex dark brown, entire surface with fine punctures,
with inner fringe of fine setae (Image 1D).
Midlegs: Coxa concave on outer side; cavity lined
with long, dense pubescence. Distal portion of coxa
with single, moderate sized tubercle. Trochanter wedge
shaped, partly covered with golden pubescence at base,
distal area smooth and shiny. Femur flattened, smooth
with transverse striations at distal outer margin, parallel
sided, slightly narrowing distally. Tibia shorter than
femur, with proximal half shining, pale ochraceous, distal
half covered with dense mat of curved, brown hooks on
inner surface, with long, golden and dark brown setae at
apex. Tarsus brown, two segmented. Claws equal, long,
stout (Image 1B).
Hindlegs: Longest of legs. Coxa raised above the
level of metasternum. Coxal base, apex, and entire area
between coxae, covered with long, golden setae,basal
area with some naked black spots appearing dark
brown due to lack of pubescence, similar to those on
abdominal paratergites. Trochanter partly covered
with long, golden setae, distal half shiny and smooth,
without setae. Femur almost parallel sided, flat with
dense fringe of hairs on inner edge (Image 1B). Tibia
longer than femur, ventral inner margin with short, dark
brown setae; ventral outer margin with long golden
setae (Image 1G). Tarsus dark brown, two-segmented,
covered with dark brown setae. Claws equal, long, stout,
similar to midlegs (Image 1B).
6818
Abdomen: Postero lateral corners of all visible

abdominal segments produced into well defined spines.
Because of concavity anterior to spines, lateral angles
appear bidentate. Entire ventral surface covered with
fine golden pubescence, except the area adjacent
to spiracles on paratergites where small, roughly
circular, clear patches of cuticle are visible (Image 1F)
( hydrostatic sense organs sensu Polhemus et al. 2008).
Abdominal sternites IIIVI bearing well defined median
tubercle. Median tubercles of IV and V with sharp tips
which do not project over bases of subsequent sternites.
Diagnosis
Tribe Cheirochelini La Rivers 1971 can be easily
distinguished from the other naucorids by their large size
and extremely flattened body. The rostrum is situated
in a deep cavity on ventral side of head. The labrum is
extremely short, situated at the base of rostrum. The
foretarus and claw are fused, forming a single composite
leg segment. Each abdominal sternite and paratergite is
fused, forming a continuous segment.
Genus Cheirochela Hope, 1841 differs from the other
genera of the tribe Cheirochelini in the presence of an
erect hair pile ventrally on thorax and abdomen and a
band of dense setae on the ventral margin of clypeus.
C. assamensis is easily recognised by the moderate body
size for the genus and the presence of a distinct, stout
median tubercle, on each of the abdominal sternites
IV and V, which does not project over the subsequent
sternite (Image 1E). It can be distinguished from the
related species C. thailandana Polhemus et al. by the
following characters: shape of the median tubercles on
sternites IV and V, which are angulate and project over
the bases of the subsequent sternites in C. thailandana,
and the shape of the metaxyphus, which is much broader
in C. thailandana (verified by studying a male specimen
in the collections of the United States National Museum
of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington
DC, USA, Image 2 C,D).
Discussion
The history of taxonomic work thus far on the tribe
Cheirochelini has been treated elaborately by Polhemus
et al. (2008) in their revision of the genera Cheirochela
and Gestroiella. As explained in that article, the
collection of the study material has been hindered for
a long time due to the restricted distribution of these
genera in the remote parts of Indochina and the political
unrest in that area (Polhemus et al. 2008).
The genus Cheirochela was described in 1841 by F.W.
Hope, who studied a single specimen collected in Assam
Paripatyadar et al.
Image 2. Cheirochela spp.

A - a a en i type - dorsal view B - a
en i type - ventral view C paratype - ventral view (scale for C,D - 5mm).
by William Griffith. Hope described the first species C.

assamensis, naming it after the collection locality (Hope
1841). The type is deposited in the Hope Entomological
Museum, Oxford, UK. Polhemus et al. later used this
ailan ana paratype - dorsal view D -
ailan ana
specimen along with another specimen present in

the Natural History Museum, Vienna, to describe the
characters of this species in the revision (Polhemus et
al. 2008).
681
Paripatyadar et al.
Table 1. Morphometric comparison of male and female specimens

of a a en i (all measurements in mm)
Morphometric
measurements
eir ela cf.

a a en i - female
eir ela a a en i
- male (taken from
Polhemus et al. 2008)
TL
24.29
21.90
MW
14.53
11.90
HL
4.30
4.00
HW
5.25
4.80
EL
1.92
2.00
EW
1.05
1.00
AID
3.74
3.30
PID
3.31
3.00
PL
2.58
2.50
PW
10.54
8.60
SL
3.99
3.10
SW
6.60
5.00
TL Total length, MW Maximum width (across embolia), HL Head length,

HW Head width, EL Eye length, EW Eye width, AID Anterior inter-ocular
distance, PID Posterior inter-ocular distance, PL Pronotum length, PW
Pronotum width, SL Scutellum length, SW Scutellum width.
The original description of general colouration

and characters given by Hope, as well as the specific
characters given in Polhemus et al. (2008), match well
with that of our female specimen. The female appears
slightly larger as compared to the males of this species,
based on the comparison of measurements of the
female specimen and the male specimens (See Table
1). C. assamensis remains the only species of the genus
known to be present in India. These insects appear to
be comparatively rare and thorough surveys in remote
parts of northeastern India are necessary to collect
more specimens and to associate males and females

collected from the same locality, in order to validate the
identity of the female specimen studied by us. However,
we recently obtained photographs of the extremely well
preserved type of Cheirochela assamensis Hope, from
Hope Collections at Oxford Natural History Museum
(Image 2 A,B). Comparing our specimen with these
photos clearly indicates that the specimen reported in
this short note is indeed a female of C. assamensis.
References
Distant, W.L. (1 06). The auna of British India Includin
eylon
and Burma hynchota ol
Hetero tera - Homo tera. Taylor &
Francis, London, xiv+503pp.
Distant, W.L. (1 10). The auna of British India Includin eylon and
Burma. hynchota ol Hetero tera A endi Taylor & Francis,
London, xii+362pp.
Hope, F.W. (1841). XXVI. Descriptions of some new insects, collected
in Assam by William Griffith, Esq., Assistant-Surgeon in the Madras
Medical Service, and attached to the late Scientific Mission to
Assam. Transactions of the innean Society of ondon 18: 435447;
http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1095-8339.1838.tb00192.x
La Rivers, I. (1 71). Studies of Naucoridae (Hemi tera). Biological
Society of Nevada Memoir, 2, iii+120pp.
Polhemus, D.A. & J.T. Polhemus (201 ). Guide to the aquatic
Heteroptera of Singapore and peninsular Malaysia. Xi. Infraorder
Nepomorpha - Families Naucoridae and Aphelocheiridae. The
a es Bulletin of oolo y 61: 665686.
Polhemus, D.A., J.T. Polhemus & R.W. Sites (2008). A revision of
the Indochinese genera Cheirochela and Gestroiella (Heteroptera:
Naucoridae), and a review of the tribe Cheirochelini. The a es
Bulletin of oolo y 56: 255279.
Polhemus, J.T. (1 7 ). Family Naucoridae/Creeping water bugs, saucer
bugs, pp. 131138. In: Menke, A.S. (ed.). The Semia uatic and
A uatic Hemi tera of alifornia (Hetero tera Hemi tera). Bulletin
of the California Insect Survey Vol. 21. University Of California Press,
xi+166 pp.
Thirumalai, G. (2007). A synoptic list of Nepomorpha (Hemiptera:
Heteroptera) from India. ecords of the oolo ical Sur ey of India
Occasional Papers 273: 184.
Threatened Taxa
6820
Raymond J. Andrew 1, Payal R. Verma 2 & Nilesh R. Thaokar

Post Graduate Department of Zoology, Hislop College, Nagpur, Maharashtra 440001, India
1,2,3
1
Abstract: The parasitic association between water mites (Arrenurus

spp.) and Odonata is virtually ubiquitous wherever habitats suitable
for both taxa exist. Yet, very little is known about this association
within and among the odonate species of India. Here, we present a
report on this parasitic relationship in the population of odonates of
Wena Dam of Central India observed during the years 2011 and 2012.
Of the 376 odonates collected for observation, 35(9.3 ) individuals
belonging to seven species (Acisoma panorpoides, Brachydiplax
sobrina, Ceriagrion coromandelianum, Crocothemis servilia,
Diplacodes trivialis, Neurothemis tullia tullia, Trithemis pallidinervis)
were found to be parasitized by the Arrenurus spp. mites. The mites
were found attached to the undersurface of the thorax and abdomen.
In all the cases, the thorax was found infested while only in seven
individuals the abdomen as well as the thorax was found infested with
mites. A maximum number of mites on an individual dragonfly was
in C. servilia (293) followed by T. pallidinervis (134) while the highest
parasitic load per individual host species was found in T. pallidinervis
(70.25 ) followed by C. servilia (32.6 ). The average parasitic load
per individual female and male was 39.77 and 8.9, respectively.
eywords: Arrenurus, ecto-parasites, Nagpur, Odonata, water mites,
Wena Dam.

OPEN ACCESS
More than 55 mites of the genus Arrenurus mites

have been described as ectoparasites of Odonata
(Corbet 1999). During the final emergence, the mite
larvae crawl from the exuvia to the newly emerged adult
and become parasitic (Abro 1982; Andre & Cordero
1998; Zawal 2006) and remain attached to the host
throughout the pre-reproductive period of the host but
drop off in water when the odonate comes to copulate
and oviposit in a water body. But after the study of
Andrew et al. (2012a, b) very little is known about the
natural history of these parasitic mites. The present
paper incorporates the results of an investigation
carried out during the year 201112 to survey odonate
diversity and mite parasitic load on odonates at Wena
Dam of central India.
Crocothemis servilia
NOT
EVALUATED
DATA
DEFICIENT
LEAST
CONCERN
NE
DD
LC
NEAR
VULNERABLE
THREATENED
NT
VU
ENDANGERED
CRITICALLY
ENDANGERED
EXTINCT
IN THE WILD
EXTINCT
EN
CR
EW
EX
ZooBank: urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:AE87313D-6E26-449A-A9D4-D7BD8DB27942
Editor: B.A. Daniel, Zoo Outreach Organization, Coimbatore, India.
Manuscript details: Ms o3913 Received 11 January 2014 Final received 07 January 2015 Finally accepted 09 January 2015
Citation: Andrew, R.J., P.R. Verma & N.R. Thaokar (2015). A parasitic association of Odonata (Insecta) with Arrenurus Dugs, 1834 (Arachnida: Hydrachnida: Arrenuridae) water mites. Journal of Threatened Taxa 7(1): 68216825; http://dx.doi.org/10.11609/JoTT.o3913.6821-5
Copyright: Andrew et al. 2015. Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. JoTT allows unrestricted use of this article in any medium, reproduction
Funding: Self funded.
Acknowledgements: We thank the Principal Dr. Mrs. D. R. Christian and Management of Hislop College, Nagpur for providing us laboratory facilities.
6821
Short Co
A arasitic association of Odonata (Insecta) with rrenuru

Dug s, 18 4 (Arachnida: H drachnida: Arrenuridae) water
ites
unication
Parasitic association of Odonata with water mites
Andrew et al.
Results
Arrenurus species are the only aquatic mites which
form an ecto-parasitic association with adult odonates,
the other two species which form a parasitic relationship
are terrestrial mites, Hydraphantes and Limnochares
spp. (Corbet 1999). During the study, 376 odonate
species were examined for the presence of water mites.
We found 35 odonates parasitized with Arrenurus
mites (Images 17). These odonates belonged to the
following species: Acisoma panorpoides Rambur, 1842
(5), Brachydiplax sobrina (Rambur, 1842) (2), Ceriagrion
coromandelianum (Fabricius, 1798) (2), Crocothemis
servilia (Drury, 1770) (14), Diplacodes trivialis (Rambur,
1842) (4), Neurothemis t. tullia (Drury, 1773) (4), and
Trithemis pallidinervis (Kirby, 1889) (4). The specieswise prevalence of infestation is given in Table 1. The
mites were found attached to the undersurface of
the thorax and abdomen. In Odonata, the ventralposterior region of the synthorax is composed of the
fused metathoracic epimera sclerites and the central
V shaped pseudosternum cuticular plate forming an
inverted Y shaped suture (Tillyard 1917; Chao 1953).
The mites initially attach themselves to the suture and
later invade the pseudosternum and then the ventral
region of the epimera thereby invading the complete
R.J. Andrew
R.J. Andrew
R.J. Andrew
Methods
Wena (Vena/ Wana) dam is a mid-sized reservoir
built on Wena River and is situated on National Highway
No. 6 between the cities of Nagpur and Amravati in the
state of Maharashtra (central India). It is located at
21096 N & 780520 E near Wadgaon Village in Umred
Taluka of Nagpur District. It lies 18km west to Nagpur
City and provides water to the Ordnance factory and
Kalmeshwar MIDC Area. The area lies in the southern
fringe of Satpuda mountain range (21010N & 79012E)
and is an undulating plateau with altitudes ranging
between 274305 m. The diurnal temperature varies
from a minimum of 100C in DecJan (winter) to a
maximum of 460C in MayJune (summer). The rainfall
varies from 100200 cm which precipitates mostly
during the monsoon from June to September.
The
odonate
specimens
were
collected,
photographed and were identified using standard
manuals (Fraser 193336; Subramanian 2005; Andrew
et al. 2008) to confirm their identity and later released.
The details of the odonates parasitized with mites were
noted and/or photographed. Some parasitized odonates
were preserved in alcohol and Bouins fluid for further
investigation.
R.J. Andrew
R.J. Andrew
R.J. Andrew
R.J. Andrew
Images 16. Arrenurus mite infestation on the thorax and abdomen of odonates of Wena Dam.
r
e i er ilia (1M, 2M, F, 6F)
i
a pan rp i e (4F) ra
ipla
brina (5M). (M - male; F - female).
6822
Andrew et al.
Table 1. List of rrenuru a uatic mite infestation on Odonates at Wena Dam

Species
1
Crocothemis servilia (M)
Thorax
Abdomen
Number
Colour
Number
Colour
Segment
06
Dark green
C. servilia (M)
02
Black
C. servilia (M)
10
Orange
C. servilia (M)
07
Orange
C. servilia (M)
44
Orange green
Orange green
C. servilia (M)
04
Orange
C. servilia (M)
03
Black
C. servilia (M)
08
Orange
C. servilia (M)
25
Orange
10
C. servilia (F)
05
Dark green
III
11
C. servilia (F)
01
Orange
12
C. servilia (F)
73
Black
220
Black
All
13
C. servilia (F)
08
Orange
14
C. servilia (F)
32
Black
06
Black
I, II
15
Diplacodes trivialis (M)
02
Dark green
16
D. trivialis (F)
04
Dark green
17
D. trivialis (F)
10
Dark green
18
D. trivialis (F)
08
Dark green
19
Neurothemis tullia tullia (M)
01
Orange
20
N. t. tullia (M)
02
Dark green
21
N .t .tullia(M)
06
Orange
22
N. t. tullia (F)
04
Orange
23
Acisoma panorpoides (M)
02
Orange
24
A. panorpoides (F)
18
Orange
34
Orange
I, IV
25
A. panorpoides (F)
01
Orange
26
A. panorpoides (F)
12
Orange
27
A. panorpoides (F)
08
Orange
28
Brachydiplax sobrina (M)
08
Dark green
29
B. sobrina (M)
05
Dark green
30
Ceriagrion coromandelianum (F)
01
Dark green
31
C. coromandelianum (F)
04
Dark green
32
Trithemis pallidinervis (M)
15
Orange
33
T. pallidinervis (F)
25
Orange
98
Orange
All
34
18
Orange
116
Orange
All
35
09
Orange
postero-ventral surface of the synthorax during severe

infestation. Some may even move laterally along the
metathoracic pleural sutures. In the abdomen, the
mites initially attach themselves to the soft pleural folds
between the abdominal sterno-tergum or between the
inter tergal membranes. The site of attachment is often
chosen where there is less sclerotisation of the host
cuticle (Baker et al. 2007). Although, there are reports

of Arrenurus attached to the basal region of the wings
(Abro 1982), such a condition was never found during
the present study.
In all the cases the thorax was found infested, while
only in seven individuals the abdomen as well as the
thorax was found to be infested with mites. A maximum
682
Andrew et al.
Table 2. Prevalence of rrenuru a uatic mite infestation on

odonates at Wena Dam.
Species
1
Acisoma panorpoides
Total number
of infected
host
5
Table . Number of rrenuru a uatic mites on male and female

odonates of Wena Dam
Number of mites
Host species
Infected
host
Male
Female
Total
14.28
Acisoma panorpoides
1M, 4F
02
73
75
2M
13
13
2F
05
05
Prevalence of
infestation
Brachydiplax sobrina
5.71
Brachydiplax sobrina
Ceriagrion coromandelianum
5.71
Ceriagrion coromandelianum
14
40
9M, 5F
110
346
456
1M, 3F
02
22
24
Diplacodes trivialis
11.42
Diplacodes trivialis
Neurothemis tullia tullia
11.42
Neurothemis tullia tullia
3M, 1F
09
04
13
11.42
Trithemis pallidinervis
1M, 3F
15
266
281
17M, 16F
151
716
867
Trithemis pallidinervis
Total
F - females; M - males
number of mites on an individual dragonfly was in C.

servilia (293) followed by T. pallidinervis (134) while the
highest parasitic load per individual host species was
found in T. pallidinervis (70.25 ) followed by C. servilia
(32.6 ). In D. trivialis, N.t. tullia, A. panorpoides, B.
sobrina and C. coromandelianum the parasitic load per
individual host species was found to be 6, 3.2, 15, 6.5
and 2.5, respectively. Among the 35 infected individuals
17 were males and 18 were females. The average
parasitic load of female was 39.77/individual and for the
male it was 8.9/individual (Tables 2, 3).
Discussion
Water mites have three active stages: larva,
deutonymph and adult. Deutonymph and adult mites
are predators and the larva of most species is parasitic.
Several orders of aquatic insects are hosts for water
mites: Colembolla, Coleoptera, Diptera, Heteroptera,
Odonata, Plecoptera and Trichoptera (Martin 2008). In
Arrenurus Dugs, the initial period of attachment by the
larva to its larval host (phoretic period) is followed by
a parasitic stage on adult odonates. Arrenurus is one
of the most speciose water mite genera, occurring in
most zoogeographic regions (Zawal 2008). The overall
prevalence of Arrenurus mite infestation on odonates
was 9.3 at Wena Dam. While it is 6.86 at Telenkhedi
pond of Nagpur City (Andrew et al. 2012a) suggesting
that the mite population of Wena Dam is higher than
that of Telenkhedi Pond. The present paper reports
the first record of Arrenurus infestation in a zygopteran
odonate i.e. C. coromandelianum. In the present study
it has been observed that the mite prefer the thoracic
region as the site of attachment. A similar situation was
reported by (Botman et al. 2002; Zawal 2006; Zawal &
Dyatlova 2006) although in the Zygoptera Lestes sponsa,
the mites exclusively prefer the abdominal region (Zawal
6824
2004, 2006).
The mite infestation was not host or sex specific
since the ratio was almost equal (17 males, 18 females),
but the parasitic load per female (39.77 ) was much
higher than the male (8.9 ) indicating that the mites
preferred females to males although reproductive
behaviour is supposed to favour the female as a
preferential host as postulated by some workers (Forbes
et al. 2004; Robb & Forbes 2006; Andrew et al. 2012a).
In the female, vitellogenesis during egg maturation
results in the passage of nutritive rich material through
the haemolymph during the pre-reproductive period
(Tembhare 2012). Since the mites feed on haemolymph,
we believe that it is more beneficial to the mite to choose
a female as host. The mites engorge on this nutritive
material and probably develop faster in comparison
with those infecting the male. The mites were found in
three colours, orange (18 individuals), dark green (11),
and black (4). The mites progressively change colour
almost in unison and therefore the colour pattern on
an individual host is uniform as found in the present
study. This contention was further strengthened by
the observation that there was no colour differentiation
between the thoracic and abdominal mites and all the
mites of the individual simultaneously change colour
during their growth and development. In one dragonfly
C. servilia, all the 45 mites on the hosts thorax and
abdomen were found in a transitional stage with a green
centre and an orange fringe along the border. The only
infected Zygoptera found in Wena reservoir were two
females of C. coromandelianum.
References
bro, A. (1 82). The effect of parasitic water mite larvae (Arrenurus
spp.) on Zygopteran imagoes (Odonata). Journal of Invertebrate
Pathology 39: 373381.

Andre, J. & A. Cordero (1 8). Effects of water mite on damselfly
Ceriagrion tenellum. Ecological Entomology 23: 103109.
Andrew, R.J., .A. Subramanian & A.D. Tiple (2008). A Handbook of
Common Odonates of Central India. Published by the South Asian
Council of Odonatology (SACO), India, for the 18th International
Symposium of Odonatology, 54pp.
Andrew, R.J., N. Thaokar & P. Verma (2012a). Ectoparasitism of
anisopteran dragonflies (Insecta: Odonata) by water mite larvae
of Arrenurus spp. (Arachnida: Hydrachnida: Arrenuridae) in Central
India. Acarina 20(2): 194-198.
Andrew, R., P. Verma & N. Thaokar (2012b). Seasonal variation and
mite infestation in the anisopteran dragonflies of Gorewada lake
of Nagpur City, India. idyabharati International Interdisci linary
Research Journal 1(1): 110.
Baker, R.A., P.J. Mills & A. Zawal (2007). Mites on damselflies, with
particular reference to Arrenurus species selection sites and host
preferences. Odonatologica, 36: 339347.
Botman, G., L. Coenen & C.A. Lanciani (2002). Parasitism of Ischnura
posita (Odonata: Coenagrionidae) in Florida by two species of water
mites. Florida Entomologist 85: 279280.
Chao, H.F. (1 5 ). The external morphology of the dragonfly,
Onchogomphus ardens Needham. Smithson Miscellaneous
ollection 122(6): 156.
Corbet, P.S. (1
). ra onflies Beha ior and Ecolo y of donata.
Harley Books (B.H. Harley and A. Harley Ltd.), Great Horkesley,
England, 829pp.
Forbes, M.R., .E. Muma & B.P. Smith (2004). Recapture male and
female dragonflies in relation to parasitism by mites, time of
season, wing-length and wing cell asymmetry. Experimental and
Applied Acarology 34: 7993.
Andrew et al.
Fraser, F.C. (1
, 1 4, 1 6). The fauna of British India includin
eylon and Burma donata Vols. I3. Taylor and Francis, London,
461pp.
Martin, P. (2008). Water mites (Hydrachnidia, Acari) and insects: a
survey of a seldom consideredrelationship. Entomologie Heute 20:
45-75.
Robb, T. & M.R. Forbes (2006). Sex basis in parasitism of newly
emerged damselflies. Ecoscience 13: 14.
Subramanian, .A. (2005). ra onflies and amselflies of eninsular
India; A Field Guide. E. Book of Project lifescape. Center for
Ecological Sciences. I.I.S. and I.A.S. Bangalore, India.
Tembhare, D.B. (2012). Modern Entomology - (2nd Edition). Himalaya
Publishing House, Mumbai, 623pp.
Tillyard, R.J. (1 17). The Biolo y of ra onflies Cambridge University
Press, England, 398pp.
Zawal, A. (2004). Parasitizing of dragonflies by water mite larvae of the
genus Arrenurusin the neighborhood of the Barlinek (NW Poland).
Zoolgica Poloniae 49: 3745.
Zawal, A. (2006).Phoresy and parasitism: water mite larvae of the
genus Arrenurus (Acari: Hydrachnidia) on Odonata from Lake
Binowskie (NW Poland). Biolo ical etters 43(2): 257276.
Zawal, A. & E.S. Dyatlova (2006). Preliminary data for parasitizing on
Ischnura elegans (Vander Linden, 1820) (Odonata: Coenagrionidae)
by Arrenurus (Acari: Hydrachnidia) larvae from Odessa province
(Southwestern Ukraine). Proceedings of the Symposium, II
International Symposium of Ecologists of Montenegro, 17-20.
Zawal, A. (2008). Morphological characteristics of water mite larvae
of the genus Arrenurus Dugs 1834, with notes on the phylogeny of
the genus and an identification key. Zootaxa 1765: 175.
Threatened Taxa
6825
Note
Cheirostylis Blume is a genus of

flowering plants belonging to the
family Orchidaceae. It is distributed
in
tropical
Africa,
through
Southeast Asia, Japan, Indonesia
and the Pacific Islands to Australia
OPEN ACCESS
represented by 50 species (Chen
et al. 2009; Bhattacharjee 2013a;
Pridgeon et al. 2003), 55 species (Gale et al. 2013), and
52 species (Govaerts et al. 2014). In India this genus
is represented by nine species namely, Cheirostylis
flabellata (A. Rich.) Wight,
ri thii Lindl.,
unnarii
A.N. Rao, C. moniliformis (Griff.) Seidenf.,
ar ifolia
Lindl.,
usilla Lindl., sessanica A.N. Rao, ti ica
A.N. Rao and yunnanensis Rolfe (Bhattacharjee 2010).
The generic name is derived from the Greek word
cheiros (hand) and stylos (column), referring to the
hand like pillars (stelidia) on the column; whereas the
specific epithet is derived from the Latin word parvus
(little, puny) and -folius (-leaved), referring to the small
sized foliage of the plant. It is one of the so-called jewel
orchids (Belitsky & Bersenev 1999). This is a very distinct
genus, characterized by its connate sepals to forming a
sepaline tube, lip with a saccate base containing one to
numerous papillae on either side and column with two
deeply bifid stelidia.
heirostylis ar ifolia Lindl., a member of the
tribe Cranichideae and subtribe Goodyerinae was first
eir
li Blu e (Orchidaceae), a new
generic record for the Eastern Ghats,
India
Prasad Kumar Dash 1, Avishek Bhattachar ee 2, Panka
Kumar 3 & Pratyush Mohapatra 4
1,4
Odisha Biodiversity Board, Regional Plant Resource Centre Campus,

Forest & Environment Department of Government of Odisha,
Nayapalli, Bhubaneswar, Odisha 751015, India
2
Central National Herbarium, Botanical Survey of India, Howrah,
West Bengal 711103, India
3
Orchid Conservation Section, Flora Conservation Department,
Kadoorie Farm and Botanic Garden (KFBG) Corporation, Lam Kam
Road, Lam Tsuen, Tai Po, Hong Kong
1
[email protected], 2 [email protected], 3 pkumar@
k g.org (corresponding author), 4 [email protected]
described by Lindley (1839), based on a single specimen

collected by Loddiges from Sri Lanka. The species is
highly variable with respect to its labellum where the
margins of epichile lobules vary from nearly entire to 24
lacerate. So far the distribution of the species is severely
fragmented and restricted to the Western Ghats and
Sri Lanka (Bhattacharjee 2013). Bhattacharjee (2013b)
assessed the species as Near Threatened (NT) according
to IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria (IUCN 2012).
The floristic studies of southern Odisha was
considered incomplete though it was sporadically
heirostylis ar ifolia
NOT
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ENDANGERED
EXTINCT
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Editor: N.P. Balakrishnan, Retd. Joint Director, BSI, Coimbatore, India.
Manuscript details: Ms o4139 Received 01 September 2014 Final received 08 December 2014 Finally accepted 02 January 2015
Citation: Dash, P.K., A. Bhattacharjee, P. Kumar & P. Mohapatra (2015). Cheirostylis Blume (Orchidaceae), a new generic record for the Eastern Ghats, India. Journal
of Threatened Ta a 7(1): 68266829; http://dx.doi.org/10.11609/JoTT.o4139.6826-9
Copyright: Dash et al. 2015. Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. JoTT allows unrestricted use of this article in any medium, reproduction
Funding: Divisional Forest Officer, Athgarh, Odisha, provided financial support to carry out the biodiversity survey of Mahendragiri Hills.
Acknowledgements: We thank Nature Environment and Wildlife Society of Odisha (NEWS), Odisha and Divisional Forest Officer (DFO), Athgarh, Odisha for providing financial support to carryout the study on biodiversity of Mahendragiri Hills. The second author is thankful to the Director, Botanical Survey of India for
providing research-facilities.
6826
Cheirostylis - generic record for Eastern Ghats
approached by Gamble (1921), Haines (192125),

Mooney (1950) and subsequent workers (Saxena &
Brahmam 1996; Rout et al. 2008). During a regular
survey, an interesting plant was collected from
Mahendragiri Hills in the Paralakhemundi division of
Gajapati District, part of the Eastern Ghats, Odisha. A
critical analysis and scrutiny of the relevant literature
revealed the species to be heirostylis ar ifolia Lindl.
The current discovery of this species from the Eastern
Ghats shows its extended range of distribution from the
Western Ghats and Sri Lanka to the Eastern Ghats.
Mahendragiri is the amalgamation of biodiversity
representing species from northern and southern India,
the Himalaya and the Nilgiris. With an annual rainfall
of 1551.6mm the area is spread over an area of over
2,000km2 bordering Andhra Pradesh. This majestic
micro-environmental terrain is occupied with over
25 small and big hills among which, Mahendragiri
(1601m), Singaraj (1516m), and Devagiri (1392m) are
the highest peaks in the region forming a golden triangle
symbolizing the areas immense ecological asset. The
lush green tropical forests (semi-evergreen to moist
and dry deciduous type) of Mahendragiri acts as a
transitional zone between flora of southern India and
the Himalaya making the region an ecological estuary
of genetic diversity. The area provides livelihood to
the Sauras, one of the 13 primitive tribal groups (PTGs)
of Odisha (Padhy 1993; Panda & Tripathy 1993). The
Mahendragiri hilly terrain is located in 84.93084.3E
& 18.5219.630N in Paralakhemundi division of
Gajapati District, Odisha. This area comes under
the Deccan region of Hookers (1904) nine botanical
provinces of British India. Gamble & Fischer (191535),
while recognizing five floristic divisions of the Madras
Presidency, placed Mahendragiri in their Sal forest
region. Orchidaceous flora of Odisha virtually remained
unknown prior to the works of Mooney (1950) and
Panigrahi et al. (1964) who enumerated 32 and 25
species respectively from the state. Later Misra (2004)
published a book - Orchids of Orissa out of his detailed
exploration of orchids from 1968 to 2001. He reported
130 species of orchids under 48 genera from different
parts of the state. Kapoor (1964), however, described
only two species of orchids from this region namely,
endrobium bicameratum Lindl. and Eria bambusifolia
(Lindl.) Kuntze. Later Misra (1983, 1993) and Panda
et al. (2010) documented 36 species of orchids from
Mahendragiri.
Dash et al.
Taxonomic enumeration
Cheirostylis parvifolia Lindl. in Edwards Bot.
Reg. (Misc.) 19. 1839; Hook. f., Fl. Brit. India 6: 105.
1890; Karthik. et al., Fl. Ind. Enum. Monocot. 118.
1989; Punekar in J. Econ. Taxon. Bot. 26(1): 105.
2002; Av. Bhattacharjee in Candollea 67: 32. 2012; Av.
Bhattacharjee in IUCN/SSC OSG Orchid Cons. News 2: 4.
2013; Type: SRI LANKA Ceylon : oddi es s.n. holo-:
K(K000718267), photo . heirostylis seidenfadeniana
C.S. Kumar & F.N. Rasm. in Nordic J. Bot. 7: 409. 1987;
Type: INDIA. Kerala: Ponmudi, Trivandrum Dist., 950m,
25.x.1983, C. Sathish Kumar CU 36960 (holo-: TBGT; iso-:
C, CALI). (Image 1; Fig. 1).
Terrestrial herbs, 718 cm tall, rhizomatous.
Rhizome 27 cm long, 48 mm thick, pale brownishgreen, creeping, sometimes slightly moniliform or with
thickened internodes, rooting from internodes. Roots
minute, arranged in tufts, fibrous. Stem 27 cm long,
48 mm thick, pale brownish-green, unbranched,
glabrous. Leaves 28, 14 cm long, upper ones smaller,
withered during flowering, glabrous; petioles 0.31
mm long, sheathing at base; lamina 0.83.5 0.32.5
cm, ovate to ovate-lanceolate, base obtuse to truncate,
apex acute or acuminate, brownish-green to reddishbrown with pale yellow tinge, reticulate, 3 to 5-veined.
Inflorescence terminal raceme, sub-densely 2 - many
flowered, sometimes secund, glandular, pubescent;
peduncle 0.510 cm long, pale green, with 23
sheathing bracts; sheathing bracts 0.82.5 cm long, light
pink, apex acuminate, pubescent, 1-veined; rachis 0.31
cm long, pale green. Floral bracts 58 1.82.5 mm,
ovate, apex acuminate, light pink, sparsely pubescent,
1-veined. Flowers 0.71.3 cm long, resupinate. Sepals
connate to form a sepaline tube, apex free, pale green
to greenish-white with a pinkish tinge at apex, pale pink
during maturity, glabrous to laxly glandular pubescent
outside near the base, 1- veined; dorsal sepal 22.8
0.91.3 mm, broadly ovate to ovate-lanceolate, apex
sub-acuminate to obtuse; lateral sepals 22.8
0.7
1 mm, lanceolate, apex sub-acute to obtuse. Petals
2.23 0.51 mm (widest portion), obliquely oblongspathulate to narrowly obovate-falcate, apex obtuse,
white, membranous, glabrous, 1-veined. Labellum 34
mm long, white, with two pale green spots near the base
of epichile; hypochile 0.40.6 0.50.7 mm, saccate,
with 24 papillose calli inside on each side; mesochile
0.71
0.50.7 mm, linear, lateral margins folded
adaxially; epichile 11.5
1.32 mm, semicircular,
two lobed, lobules more or less entire to irregularly
24 dentate, with minute hairs near the base. Column
c. 2mm long; rostellum c. 0.9mm long, deeply bifid, arms
6827
Dash et al.
Image 1. Cheirostylis parvifolia Lindl.

a - habit b - rachis with flowers c. flower (side view) d - flower (front
view) e - flower exposing lip and anther (sepals & petals removed).
Photo credit: a,b,d - P. . Dash c,e - A. Bhattachar ee
subulate, apex acute; stylidia 2, c. 0.8mm long, as long

as or sometimes slightly shorter than the rostellar arms,
thick, apex sub-acute. Anthercap c. 2.5 1.5 mm, ovate,
two loculed, dull yellowish-white with reddish tinge.
Pollinarium c. 1.7mm long; pollinia 2, c. 1mm long, ovateoblong to pyriform, yellowish-white; caudicles reduced,
yellowish-white; tegula c. 0.8mm long, semi-transparent
with yellowish tinge at pollinial end, linear-oblong, with
viscidium at distal part; viscidium c. 0.2mm long, white,
oblong. Stigma lobes 2, separated. Ovary including
pedicel 0.52.1 cm long, 1.52.5 mm thick, obconical
to cylindrical-fusiform, pale green, twisted, glandular
pubescent.
Specimens examined: Kerala: Idukki District:
Peermedu, 1219m, 09.xii.1970, Sivadasan 557 (CALI );
Peruvanthanum, 500m, 28.xi.1996, Mohanan &
Ravi 24772 (TBGT); Thiruvananthapuram District:
Koviltherimala, Agasthyamala, 900m, 23.xii.1987,
Mohanan 9220 (TBGT); Ponmudi, 28.x.1993,
6828
Plate 2. Cheirostylis parvifolia Lindl.

a - habit b - flower (side view) c - flower exposing lip and anther
(sepals & petals removed) d - column (side view) e - flower (front
view) f - pollinarium.
Gangaprasad 18437 (TBGT ); Ponmudi, 950m, 25.x.1983,

C. Sathish Kumar CU 36960 (TBGT); Vallakkadavu, 800m,
03.xii.1993, Henry 12722 (CALI); Pallode, TBGRI campus,
November 2007, Sathish Kumar s.n. (TBGT, spirit);
Pallode, TBGRI campus, 15.xi.2007, A. Bhattacharjee
38142A, 38142B (CAL); Waynad District: Lakkidi, 900m,
18.xi.1985, Naseem 5632 (CALI). Odisha: Gajapati
District, Mahendragiri Hills, 07.xii.13, 1000m, Prasad
RPRC9959/2014 (Regional Plant Resource Centre,
Bhubaneswar) (Image 2).
Flowering & Fruiting: AugustJanuary.
Habitat and ecology: The species was found
growing under the shades of trees on humus and also
on wet rocks in shades, near the streams and on fallen
moist tree trunks in moist evergreen to semi-evergreen
forests between 7001000 m of elevation.
Distribution: India: Odisha (present report), Kerala,
Maharashtra (Punekar 2002); Sri Lanka.
Image 2. Herbarium of Cheirostylis parvifolia
References
Belitsky, I. & V.N.A. Bersenev (1
). Jewel orchids. rchids 68: 33
37.
Bhattachar ee, A. (2010). Taxonomic studies on the subtribe
Goodyerinae (Orchidaceae) in India. PhD thesis submitted to
Vidyasagar University, Midnapore.
Bhattachar ee, A. (201 a). On the status of some species of Cheirostylis
Blume (Orchidaceae) from India. andollea 67(1): 3135.
Bhattachar ee, A. (201 b). heirostylis ar ifolia - a Jewel orchid of
Western Ghats and Sri Lanka needs conservation. IUCN/SSC-OSG
rchid onser ation Ne s 2: 45.
Chen, S., S.W. Gale, P.J. Cribb & P. Ormerod (200 ). Cheirostylis
Blume, pp. 5763. In: Wu, Z.Y., P.H. Raven & D.Y. Hong (eds.). lora
of hina. Science Press and Missouri Botanical Garden Press.
Dash et al.
Gale, S.W., P. umar, A. . Hu & .S. Pang (201 ). heirostylis usilla

(Orchidaceae), a new record for Hong Kong. e Bulletin 68: 325
330; http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/S12225-013-9437-1
Gamble, J.S. & C.E.C. Fischer (1 151 5). lora of residency of
Madras - ols
. Adlard and Son Ltd, London, 2017pp.
Gamble, J.S. (1 21). lora of the residency of Madras Vol. 1. Adlard &
Son, London, pp. 134145.
Govaerts, R., J. Pfahl, M.A. Campacci, D.H. Baptista, H. Tigges, J.
Shaw, P. Cribb, A. George, . reuz & J. Wood (2014). orld
hec list of rchidaceae.The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic
Gardens, Kew. Published on the Internet; http://www.kew.org/
wcsp/ accessed 24 March 2014.
Haines, H.H. (1 211 25). The Botany of Bihar and rissa - ol I
I
( arts) Allard and Son and West Newman Ltd., London, 1350pp.
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IUCN (2012). I N ed ist ate ories and riteria: Version 3.1. Second
edition. Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, IUCN, UK, iv+32pp.
apoor, S.L. (1 64). Contribution to our knowledge of the flora of
Mahendragiri Hills of Orissa. Journal of the Bombay Natural History
Society 61: 354369.
Lindley, J. (18 ). heirostylis ar ifolia, pp. 1920. In: Lindley, J. (ed.),
Ed ards s Bot e . 25: Misc.
Misra, S. (1 8 ). Orchidaceous flora of Mahendragiri and Singaraj Hills
of Orissa. Indian Journal of orestry 6(4): 309313
Misra, S. (1
). Excursion orchid Flora of Mahendragiri and Singaraj
hills, pp. 5872. In: Patro, S.N. (ed.). Mahendra iri The ride of
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Misra, S. (2004). rchids of rissa. Bishen Singh Mahendra Pal Singh,
Dehra Dun, India, 774pp.
Mooney, H. (1 50). A Su lement to the Botany of Bihar and rissa,
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Padhy, R.N. (1
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Panda, G. . & S.N. Tripathy (1
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A eo ra hical er ie . S.N. Patro (eds.). Orissa Environmental
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Panda, S.P., D. Sahu & S. Misra (2010). Orchid wealth of Mahendragiri
hill ranges, Odisha, pp. 135144. In: Patro, S.N. (ed.). Mahendra iri.
Orissa Environment Society, Bhubaneswar, 242pp.
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enera rchidacearum
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2918pp.
Threatened Taxa
682
Note
Journal of Threatened Taxa www.threatenedtaxa.org 26 January 2015 7(1): 68 068 2
During explorations in the

Nepanagar
Tehsil,
Burhanpur
District of Madhya Pradesh, the
senior author collected interesting
Ceropegia in the vegetative (tubers)
stage. The tubers were grown
OPEN ACCESS
in a garden and when the plants
flowered they were identified to
be of C. odorata Nimmo ex J. Graham, which is not
reported in the Flora of Madhya Pradesh (Mudgal et
al. 1997) and hence forms a new record for the state
of Madhya Pradesh. The herbarium specimens have
been deposited at the Herbarium of SNPG Govt. College,
Khandwa and Government College Bhikangaon, Madhya
Pradesh.
After its type collection it has been reported from
Pavagarh and Panchamahal Districts of Gujarat (Sabnis
& Bedi 1971) and Mount Abu, Rajasthan (Ansari 1984).
It has also been reported from Toranmal forests in
Maharashtra (Jagtap et al. 2004) and by the other two
authors (SSK & SRY) from Kasara Ghat, Murbad and
Karjat region of Maharashtra. The species is sparsely
distributed and not more than 1520 individuals were
located. It was reported to be rare by Sabnis & Bedi
(1971), Yadav (1997), Nayar & Sastry (2000), Jagtap &
Das (2001) and Yadav & Kamble (2008). Singh et al.
(2014) recently reported it from Bhoste Ghat (Khed),
An extended distribution of er pegia

ra a Ni
o ex J. Graha
(A oc naceae: Ascle iadoideae) to the
state of Madh a Pradesh, India
Shaikh Mu a ar 1, Sharad S. ambale 2 &
Shrirang R. adav
1
2,3
Department of Botany, Government College Bhikangaon, District-
Khargone District, Madhya Pradesh 451331, India

Angiosperm Taxonomy Laboratory, Department of Botany, Shivaji University,
Kolhapur, Maharashtra 416004, India
1
[email protected], 2 [email protected] (corresponding
author), 3 [email protected]
Matwan (Dapoli) and Hatiwale (Rajapur) in Ratnagiri

District of Maharashtra. It is therefore evident that the
species has a broad range of distribution in the states of
Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra.
Moreover the species is known with a good number of
populations from Maharashtra (Fig. 1).
er pegia
ra a Nimmo ex J. Graham, Cat. Pl.
Bombay 118. 1839.
Lectotype: (Step I: vide Huber, 1957: 69. Step
II: vide Ansari, 1984: 26-27): India, Maharashtra,
Concan, Salsette, Island (Bombay) Stocks & Law 239 K
(K000894261).
Ceropegia odorata
NOT
EVALUATED
DATA
DEFICIENT
LEAST
CONCERN
NEAR
THREATENED
VULNERABLE
ENDANGERED
CRITICALLY
ENDANGERED
EXTINCT
IN THE WILD
EXTINCT
NE
DD
LC
NT
VU
EN
CR
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Editor: M.K. Vasudeva Rao, Shiv Ranjani Housing Society, Pune, India.
Manuscript details: Ms o3441 Received 18 December 2012 Final received 16 September 2014 Finally accepted 13 December 2014
Citation: Mujaffar, S., S.S. Kambale & S.R. Yadav (2015). An extended distribution of Ceropegia odorata Nimmo ex J. Graham (Apocynaceae: Asclepiadoideae) to
the state of Madhya Pradesh, India. Journal of Threatened Taxa 7(1): 68306832; http://dx.doi.org/10.11609/JoTT.o3441.6830-2
Copyright: Mujaffar et al. 2015. Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. JoTT allows unrestricted use of this article in any medium, reproduction
Funding: University Grants Commission (UGC), New Delhi (F1 - 17.1/2010/MANF- BUD-MAH-6838).
Acknowledgements: The author (SSK) thanks the University Grants Commission (UGC- MANF-BUD-MAH-6838), New Delhi for financial assistance. He also thanks
Dr. K.N. Gandhi, Senior Nomenclatural Registrar, Harvard University Herbarium, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA for his critical comments on the nomenclature of
the species. The authors would also like to thank the anonymous reviewers for their comments on improving this manuscript. Our sincere thanks to anonymous
reviewers and the subject editor for the efforts taken to improve the quality of the manuscript. The authors also thank the Head Department of Botany, Shivaji
University, Kolhapur and Government College Bhikangaon (MP), India for the laboratory facilities.
68 0
Mujaffar Shaikh
Mujaffar Shaikh
B
Sharad S. Kambale
Mu a ar et al.
Sharad S. Kambale
Extended distribution of Ceropegia odorata
Image 1. er pegia
ra a Nimmo ex J. Graham
A - habit B - inflorescence C - single flower D - L.S. of the flower.
Specimens
Examined:
4501,
04.Viii.2012,
2102750.59 N & 7602404.72 E, Mashak Pahar,
Nepanagar Tehsil, Burhanpur District, Madhya Pradesh,
India, coll. M. Shaikh (deposited at Herbarium of
SNPG Govt. College, Khandwa, Madhya Pradesh);
4561, 05.vi.2013, tuber collected from Mashak Pahar
and grown in Garden, coll. M. Shaikh (deposited at
Government College Bhikangaon, Madhya Pradesh).
Perennial twinning herbs; rootstock tuberous;
tubers 12.5 cm in diam., depressed, sub-globose, roots
fibrous. Stem slender about 2m in length, sparsely hairy,
unbranched. Leaves whorled or opposite, decussate,
usually three at lower nodes, opposite at upper nodes,
lower leaves large, broadly lanceolate, sub-sessile,
612.5x1.12.6 cm in length; fleshy, pubescent above
and along margin, glabrous beneath except for midrib
and veins, acute or acuminate at apex, upper narrow
lanceolate, petiolate; petiole 0.40.6 cm in length,
channeled, channel margins hairy, glabrous otherwise.
Inflorescence lateral umbellate pedunculate cyme,
peduncles pubescent, 0.52 cm, terete, 610 flowered;
flowers yellow, sweet scented; bracts 0.350.55 cm,

linear, almost glabrous; pedicels up to 0.5 cm, glabrous.
Calyx 5-partite, sepals 0.550.6 cm, linear acuminate,
hairy on mid nerve. Corolla 3.2cm long, corolla tube up
to 1.6cm long, slightly curved, dilated at base, glabrous,
yellow with purple lines and hairy within dilated part,
corolla lobes yellow, 11.3 cm long, narrow, folded back,
glabrous, connate at tips, forming an oval head. Corona
biseriate, glabrous; outer corona entire ca. 0.12cm, inner
corona of five elongated, linear-oblong, pubescent,
subulate, 0.20.3 cm long processes. Gynostegium ca.
1.5mm, long; pollinium yellow, minute, ovate-oblong
in shape, corpusculum, reddish-brown, caudicle short.
Follicles up to 10cm long, tapering towards apex. Seeds
0.4x0.2 cm, brown, ovate, comose; coma ca. 3.5cm long,
silky (Image 1).
Notes: Grows in rocky areas amongst grasses, in
association with Dendrocalamus strictus (Roxb.) Nees
and Tylophora fasciculata Buch.-Ham. ex Wight. Flowers
of the species are yellow and sweet scented which is an
unusual feature in the genus. The evolution of fragrance
in the otherwise non-fragrant genus is an interesting
phenomenon. Whether this character has any ecological
significance needs to be verified with further studies
(Jagtap et al. 2004). A step towards the conservation of
species by using biotechnological tools has been taken by
the Department of Botany, Shivaji University, Kolhapur
in collaboration with Agharkar Research Institute (ARI),
Pune, and Forest Department, Maharashtra, (MS) India
Flowering and fruiting: AugustOctober
Distribution: India: Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh,
Maharashtra and Rajasthan.
Nomenclatural notes: Nimmo provided the name
and John Graham (1839) provided the description for
the species. Although Graham provided a very meager
description i.e., Flowers yellow, fragrant; so unusual
in this genus , the phrase unusual in the genus makes
it different from other species in the genus. Hence,
the species was effectively published then; but it was
considered invalid by earlier workers (Huber 1957;
Ansari 1984). Hooker (1883) cited the species as C.
odorata Nimmo and provided an adequate description
and this could be the reason why earlier workers have
cited the species as C. odorata Nimmo ex. Hook. f. and C.
odorata Hook. f. After a discussion with Dr. K.N. Gandhi,
we came to the conclusion that the species had to be
referred to as C. odorata Nimmo ex J. Graham.
Singh et al. (2014) designated the neotype for the
name with the argument that Nimmos collection is
missing which was cited by Hooker (1883); however
Hooker cited both Nimmo and Law after the habitat
68 1
Extended distribution of Ceropegia odorata
Figure 2. Distribution of er pegia
Mu a ar et al.
ra a
details. Huber (1957) cited Typus: Socks & Law in Herb.

K; however there are two sheets of the species collected
by Stocks and Law at K. So what Huber did amounts to
lectotype step I. Ansari (1984) for the first time cited
the exact collection number i.e., Stocks & Law 239 as
a lectotype which amounts to the lectotype step II.
Singh et al. (2014) completely ignored these two basic
references on Ceropegia and by mistake designated the
neotype, which is an error. The correct citation for the
lectotype has been given in this communication.
References
Ansari, M. . (1 84). Flora of India: Fascicle 16. Asclepiadaceae: Genus
- Ceropegia. Botanical Survey of India, Kolkata, 33pp.
Graham, J. (18 ). A Catalogue of the Plants Growing in Bombay and
its Viscinity: Bombay. Government Press, 118pp.
Hooker, J.D. (188 ). The lora of British India - olume . L. Reeve &
Co., London, 780pp.
Huber, H. (1 57). e ision der attun
ero e ia Memorias da
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Jagtap, S., S. Deokule & A. Watve (2004). Occurrence of threatened
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adav, S.R. (1 7). Rare flowering plant species of Maharashtra,
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adav, S.R. & M. . amble (2008). Threatened ceropegias of the
Western Ghats and strategies for their conservation, pp. 123134.
In: Rawat, G.S. (ed.). Special Habitats and Threatened Plants of
India. ENVIS Bulletin: Wildlife and Protected Areas, Vol. 11(1).
Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, India.
Threatened Taxa
68 2
Rediscover of
giu
anaren e
(Talbot) Rai ada (M rtaceae) - an ende ic
s ecies of the Western Ghats, India
H.S. Shenoy 1, G. rishnakumar 2 & Ramakrishna Marati
Department of Applied Botany, Mangalore University,
Mangalagangothri, Karnataka 574199, India
3
Pilikula Nisargadhama Society, Moodushedde, Mangalore, Karnataka
575028, India
1
author), 3 [email protected]
1,2
Syzygium kanarense (Talbot) Raizada was described

by Talbot in 1897 from the evergreen forests of
the Gerusoppa Ghat in the North Kanara District of
Karnataka. The species was collected again in 1964
after a gap of 67 years, by R. Sundararaghavan from the
Hulical Ghat forests of the adjoining Shimoga District in
Karnataka and deposited in BSI Western Circle, Poona.
This collection has not been reported. Ahmedullah
& Nayar (1986) report this species to be endemic to
Shimoga and North Kanara districts of Karnataka. Nayar
(1996) considers this as a Critically Endangered species
and to have last been seen by Talbot discounting the
collection of R. Sundararaghavan. During our floristic
explorations, we have collected this species from the
evergreen forests in the Gerusoppa region of Uttara
68 5
Note
Kannada District, Karnataka. This

collection is after a gap of 47 years.
A detailed description with
additional characters, diagrams ISSN 0974-7907 (Online)
and photographs (Fig. 1 and
Images 1,2) is given here to enable
OPEN ACCESS
identification and further collection
of the species.
Syzygium kanarense (Talbot) Raizada. Indian
Forester 74: 336.1948
Eugenia kanarensis Talbot, Journal of Bombay
Natural History Society 11:236.1897. Saldanha. Flora
Karnataka 2: 28.1996.
Specimens examined: Holotype of the species
(No. 1896) by W.A. Talbot is available in BSI - Western
Circle Poona (Accession No. 4629). Another collection
by R. Sundararaghavan represented by only two
sheets numbered 87607 and 87609 dated 23.iii.1964
and 27.iii.1964 are also available in BSI Poona. The
present collection is HSS-5332, 5333 (dated 16.i.2012)
and 5450, 5451 (dated 20.v.2012). These specimens
are deposited at the herbarium of the Department of
Applied Botany, Mangalore University, Karnataka. The
geographical coordinates of the location is 14016642 N
& 74044019 E (Image 3).
Large trees, bark smooth and white, branchlets
terete. Leaves up to 4.5 9 cm, elliptic, acute at the base,
acuminate at apex, acumen up to 1.3cm; petiole 1.3cm,
Syzygium kanarense
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Editor: Ravi Prasad Rao, Sri Krishnadevaraya University, Anantapur, India.
Manuscript details: Ms o3298 Received 08 August 2012 Final received 09 January 2015 Finally accepted 10 January 2015
Citation: Shenoy, H.S., G. Krishnakumar & R. Marati (2015). Rediscovery of Syzygium kanarense (Talbot) Raizada (Myrtaceae) - an endemic species of the Western
Ghats, India. Journal of Threatened Taxa 7(1): 68336835; http://dx.doi.org/10.11609/JoTT.o3298.6833-5
Copyright: Shenoy et al. 2015. Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. JoTT allows unrestricted use of this article in any medium, reproduction
Funding: Ministry of Environment and Forests, Project on Botanical Gardens-F.N0.10/14/2010-CS/BG38.
Acknowledgements: We thank the Ministry of Environment and Forests for the financial assistance for the floristic explorations under the scheme assistance
to Botanical Gardens.
68
Rediscovery of Syzygium kanarense
Shenoy et al.
Rashmi K.
Image 1.
giu anaren e (Talbot) Raizada.
A - Tree with buttress B - Flowering branch C - Twig with fruits
D - Mature fruits.
Ramakrishna Marati
Figure 1.
A - Habit B - Flower C - L.S of Flower D - Sepal EG - Petals
H - Androecium I - Gynoecium J - T.S of Ovary - Fruit L - Seed.
drying black; midrib reddish-brown, channeled above,

secondary nerves ca. 1.5--2 mm apart, conspicuous,
numerous and parallel, penni - nerved in two tiers;
margin wavy and slightly revolute, densely gland dotted. Cymes axillary and terminal, shorter than the
leaves. Flowers white, 0.6--0.8 cm across, nearly sessile,
buds globose, creamish white. Calyx 0.4 0.4 cm, almost
truncate, turbinate. Calyptra 2.5 1.8 mm, thick ; corolla
lobes 3, very thin, gland dotted, varying in size, largest
1.5 1.6 mm, shortly clawed, another 1.3 1.5 mm,
hastate with two claws, smallest 1.2 1.2 mm with a
single claw. Stamens ca 0.5cm long, Ovary bilocular,
style simple, ovules in axile placentation. Fruit up to
2 1.2 cm, purple when mature, pulpy, crowned with the
persistent calyx, 1- seeded.
Notes: The species has been sometimes treated
under Syzygium gardneri Thwaites (Cook 1903; Saldana
1996). IPNI (www.ipni.org 2011) recognizes Syzygium
kanarense as a distinct species. Syzygium kanarense
(Talbot) Raizada differs from Syzygium gardneri Thw.
in the leaf being semi-chartaceous, mid-rib distinctly
68 4
Image 2
A - Leaf tip B - Leaf showing intramarginal veins C - Leaf showing
glands. Rashmi .
channeled above and with intramarginal nerves in two

tiers (Image 2B). Fruit has a distinct terminal ring of
persistent calyx, ca. 4mm diameter at maturity. Talbot

(1902) in his notes for the species indicates
that the fruit

of this species is distinct from that of Syzygium gardneri.
Ecology: Tall trees up to 30m, reaching the top
canopy of the evergreen forest. It is generally associated
with Calophyllum polyanthum Wall ex Planch. & Triana,
arcinia ummi- utta (L.) Roxb., Garcinia morella
(Gaertn.) Desr Aren a i htii Griff., and Psychotria
dalzelli Hook. f. Largest tree measured a GBH (girth at
breast height) of 3.4m.
Phenology: Flowering: End of December. Fruiting:
FebruaryMarch.
Conservation status: Field observation indicates the
species to be very rare. So far it is collected from only
two locations Gerusoppa and Hulical Ghat. We could not
locate any individuals in the Hulical Ghat region despite
intensive searches. Mature individuals do not exceed
Rediscovery of Syzygium kanarense
Image
Herbarium of
giu
Shenoy et al.
anaren e A - Flower B - Fruit
50. Therefore, following IUCN Red List criteria (IUCN

2012), it can be categorized as Critically Endangered.
Conservation measures: The Gerusoppa region is a
reserve forest and there is no immediate threat to the
species. Moreover, seedlings have been raised and will
be introduced into various botanical gardens.
References
Ahmedullah, M. & M.P. Nayar (1 86). Endemic Plants of the Indian
region - Peninsular India. Vol. I. Botanical Survey of India, Calcutta,
108pp.
Cook, T. (1 0 ). The Flora of the Presidency of Bombay - Vol. I (reprint

edition) Botanical Survey of India, Culcutta, 492pp.
IUCN (2012). IUCN Red List categories and criteria, ver. 3.1. IUCN
Species Survival Commission.
Nayar, M.P. (1 6). Hotspots of Endemic Plants of India, Nepal and
Bhutan. Tropical Botanic Garden and Research Institute, Palode,
Trivandrum, 252pp.
Raizada, M.B. (1 48). Syzygium kanarense (Talbot) Raizada
(Myrtaceae). Indian Forester 74: 336.
Saldanha, C.J. (1 6). Flora of Karnataka - Vol. II. Oxford & IBH
Publishers, 304pp.
www.ipni.org 2011/IPNI plant names by version 1.5.
Threatened Taxa
68 5
Note
Journal of Threatened Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org 26 January 2015 7(1): 68 668 8
The paper-wasps of the genus

Ropalidia Gurin-Mneville, 1831,
is one of the largest social wasp
groups consisting of approximately
180 valid species which are
predominantly distributed in the
OPEN ACCESS
tropical and subtropical regions
of the Old World, with only a few
species distributed in temperate areas in Australia
and South Africa (Nguyen et al. 2006). The Indian
subcontinent is rich in Ropalidia species, with 26 valid
species, out of which around 10 species are endemic
to the Indian subcontinent (Das & Gupta 1989;
Gusenleitner 2006; Kojima et al. 2007).
In the present paper a new species of Ropalidia is
described, which distinctly differs from all other species
of this group from the Indian subcontinent in having long,
strong, paired longitudinal basal carina on propodeum
running three-fourth of its length posteriorly and with
wider and deeper median depression on propodeum
(Image 5).
Material and Methods
The specimens were collected by using a sweep net
from undisturbed habitats of Periyar Tiger Reserve,
pepper and coffee plantations at Sultans Battery,
and at an agroecosystem of Mukkam, parts of the
A new s ecies of pali ia Gu rinM neville, 18 1 (H eno tera: Ves idae:

Polistinae) fro the southern Western
Ghats, India
K.P. Mohammed Shareef 1, Lambert Kishore 2 &
P. Girish Kumar
1,2
P.G. & Research Department of Zoology, Malabar Christian College,

University of Calicut, Kozhikode, Kerala 673001, India
3
Zoological Survey of India, M-Block, New Alipore, Kolkata,
West Bengal 700053, India
1
[email protected] (corresponding author),
2
[email protected], 3 [email protected]
Abbreviations: AEL Distance between antenna and eye; DZMCC

Department of Zoology, Malabar Christian College, Kozhikode, India;
F1-F3 Flagellomeres 1 to 3; H Head; IAL Distance between two
antennae; IOL Inter ocular length; NZC Hymenoptera Section of
Zoological Survey of India, Kolkata, India; OOL Ocello ocular length;
POL Distance between posterior ocelli; S2 Second metasomal
sternum; Th Thorax; T1-T2 Abdominal tergites 1 to 2.
southern Western Ghats. The specimens were studied

and photographed by using a Leica M60 stereozoom
microscope with LAS software version 3.6.0.
All the type specimens were kept in the Department
of Zoology, Malabar Christian College (DZMCC), but
Ropalidia narendrani sp. nov.

Narendrans Paper Wasp
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ZooBank: urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:57F24505-562E-418F-B14A-1E9EB38592EF
Editor: Hui Xiao, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
Manuscript details: Ms o3921 Received 23 January 2014 Final received 04 November 2014 Finally accepted 05 January 2015
Citation: Shareef, K.P.M., L. Kishore & P.G. Kumar (2015). A new species of Ropalidia Gurin-Mneville, 1831 (Hymenoptera: Vespidae: Polistinae) from the southern
Western Ghats, India. Journal of Threatened Taxa 7(1): 68366838; http://dx.doi.org/10.11609/JoTT.o3921.6836-8
Copyright: Shareef et al. 2015. Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. JoTT allows unrestricted use of this article in any medium, reproduction
Funding: Department of Science & Technology (DST), Order No & Date: SR/SO/AS-07 2010, 17-10-2011.
Acknowledgements: KPMS and LK are grateful to the Department of Science and Technology, New Delhi for providing financial assistance for the project and also
grateful to the Principal, Malabar Christian College, Kozhikode and the authorities of University of Calicut for providing research facilities and encouragement.
They are also thankful to K.N. Vinu and Amal Raj for research assistance. PGK is grateful to Dr. K. Venkataraman, Director, Zoological Survey of India, Kolkata for
providing research facilities and encouragement.
68 6
Shareef et al.
eventually will be transferred to the National Zoological

Collections of the Zoological Survey of India, Kolkata
(NZC).
Results
pali ia naren rani sp. nov.
(Images 16)
urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:1A118815-7E11-494B-B94C-942044E4AF17
Material examined
Holotype: 1.iii.1981, female, Edapalayam, Periyar
Tiger Reserve, Thekkadi (9034N & 77006E, elevation
1,010m), Idukki District, Kerala, India, coll. R.S. Pillai &
party (Kept at DZMCC with Reg. No DZMCC/A104 and
eventually will be transferred to NZC).
Paratypes: DZMCC/A105, 1 female, Sultans Battery
0
(11 3949.34N 7601531.07E, elevation 889m,
pepper and coffee plantation), Wayanad District, Coll.
L. Kishore & party; DZMCC/A106, 1 female, Mukkam
(1101909.73N & 7505944.88E, elevation 19m),
Kozhikode District, Kerala, India, 18.v.2002, coll. K.N.
Nair & party.
Description
Holotype Female (Image 1): Length (H+Th+T1+T2)
8.6mm. Forewing length 6.4mm.
Colour: Black with yellow and ferruginous markings.
Yellow portions: a broad band along the apical margin
of clypeus, a large spot at base of mandible, inner
orbit broadly below ocular sinus, interantennal space,
supraclypeal area. Ferruginous markings: antenna from

base to F3, pronotum almost entirely on anterior and
posterior side except for some irregular black markings,
tegula, fore femur at apex, fore and mid tibia and tarsi,
a broad apical band on T1, a narrow apical band on T2
and S2.
Head: Head (Image 2) 1.17x as wide as long; frons,
clypeus, supraclypeal area, mandible, vertex and
gena with white pubescence. Clypeus convex, with
small shallow sparse punctures, 1.2x as wide as long,
clypeal margin pointed at apex and emarginated at
base; mandible quadridentate, with large shallow
sparse punctures near teeth; frons, ocular sinus and
vertex with large close punctures with diameter 2.2x
as interspaces; temple sparsely punctate; supra clypeal
area, interantennal space and inner orbit below ocular
sinus smooth; gena almost as wide as eye in profile
(Image 4); OOL 1.8x POL; POL 1.3x diameter of posterior
ocellus; IOL at vertex 1.29x that at clypeus; IAL 0.97x
AEL; F1 0.65x as long as scape, 2.26x as long as wide; F2
1.8x as long as wide; F10 1.17x as long as wide.
Thorax: Anterior face of pronotum smooth;
pronotum, mesoscutum, scutellum and propodeum with
white pubescence. Pronotal carina strong and complete;
pronotal fovea absent; lateral corner of pronotum
with transverse carinae; posterior face of pronotum,
mesonotum, scutellum, anterior half of metanotum
and mesopleuron closely and reticulately punctate
(Images 3 & 4); dorsal metapleuron transversely striate;
ventral metapleuron with sparse shallow punctures;
Images 16. Ropalidia naren rani sp. nov. female

1 - body pro le 2 - head front view - head & mesosoma lateral view 4 - mesosoma dorsal view 5 - antenna 6 - wings
68 7
Shareef et al.
propodeum (Image 5) with wider and deeper median

depression delimited by strong carina which run
posteriorly about three-fourths of propodeum, with fine
transverse striations; propodeal orifice wider.
Gaster (Image 6): Gastral petiole in dorsal view
abruptly swollen posteriorly from point of attachment
of suspensory ligaments, smooth at base, with medium
punctures towards apex and lateral sides; T1 0.9x as its
apical width; T2 1.1x as long as wide, 1.5x as wide as T1;
T2 and S2 closely and deeply punctured.
Male: Unknown.
Distribution: India: Kerala.
Etymology
The species is named after our teacher Late Prof.
T.C. Narendran for his significant contribution to the
taxonomy of Indian insect fauna for the last 44 years.
Common name
Narendrans Paper Wasp.
Discussion
This new species comes close to the Ropalidia
marginata species group based on the presence of paired
longitudinal basal carina on propodeum, but strongly
differs from all of the species in the R. marginata species
group by the following characteristics: (i) Propodeum
with more wider and deeper median depression
delimited by strong carina which run posteriorly about

three-fourths of propodeum (in R. marginata species
group propodeum without deeper median depression
and delimited by weak carina which run posteriorly up
to half of propodeum); (ii) Propodeal orifice much wider
(in R. marginata species group propodeal orifice is very
narrow); (iii) T1 short and abruptly swollen posteriorly
from the point of attachment of metasomal suspensory
ligaments (in R. marginata species group T1 long and
dorsal margin arising after some distance from posterior
end of basal slit for reception of metasomal suspensory
ligaments); and (iv) Body very small in size (less than
10mm) compared to other species of the R. marginata
species group.
References
Das, B.P. & V. . Gupta (1 8 ). The social wasps of India and the
adjacent countries (Hymenoptera: Vespidae). Oriental Insects
Monograph 11: 1292.
Gusenleitner, J. (2006). ber Aufsammlungen von Faltenwespen in
Indien (Hymenoptera,Vespidae). Linzer Biologische Beitrge 38(1):
677695.
o ima, J., . Lambert, L.T.P. Nguyen & F. Saito (2007). Taxonomic notes
on the paper wasps of the genus Ropalidia in the Indian subcontinent
(Hymenoptera: Vespidae). Entomological Science 10(4): 373393;
http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1479-8298.2007.00237.x
Nguyen, L.T.P., J. o ima, F. Saito & L.M. Carpenter (2006). Vespidae
(Hymenoptera) of Vietnam 3: Synoptic key to Vietnamese species
of the polistine genus Ropalidia, with notes on taxonomy and
distribution. Entomological Science 9(1): 93107; http://dx.doi.org/
10.1111/j.1479-8298.2006.00157.x
Threatened Taxa
68 8
Recent record of a rarel recorded

s ecies, the Veined Pal er i ari
b a ani de Nic ville, 1888 (Le ido tera:
Hes eriidae: Aero achini) fro Jorhat,
Assa , India
6840
Note
1932) is the pale yellow coloration

below, having underneath hind
wing evenly straited with brown
streaks near costa and near ISSN 0974-7907 (Online)
dorsum. Specimens of H. bhawani
from Sivasagar in Assam (female:
OPEN ACCESS
18.vi.1952) and from Tungoo,
Bago region of Myanmar (male:
24.viii.1928) have been kept in the Bristish Museum can
be viewed at the the Indian Foundation of Butterflies
(Anonymous 2015a). Another image of this species
from Cambodia can also be viewed online (Chartier
2015), while the species has also been recorded from
northern Thailand (Anonymous 2015b).
There are no recent records of this species from
India; Smetacek (2006, 2007) checklist of South Asain
skippers butterflies does not mention this genus. Gogoi
(2013) who studied Hesperiidae around Kaziranga-Karbi
Anglong in Assam did not record this species. Recently,
H. bhawani, (a male) was recorded on 26 March 2014
at the Rain Forest Research Institute (RFRI) campus
(2604653.52 N & 9401729.74 E; ca. 97m altitude) in
Jorhat, Assam. Another individual was recorded on 4
November 2014 again in the RFRI campus. Both these
individuals were photographed, the former sitting
on the wall in the RFRI building at day time (Images
13) and the latter during the night (20:35 hr) on 04
November 2014, perched below a light (Image 4). These
records are significant as they are the third and fourth
records of the species from India. Besides, it gives
the presence and flight period of this very rare species
Arun P. Singh
Ecology & Biodiversity Conservation Division, Rain Forest Research
Institute, P.O. Box 136, Jorhat, Assam, India 785001
[email protected], [email protected]
Veined Palmer or the Crescentic Skipper Hidari

bhawani de Nicville, 1888 is one of the three species
of the genus Hidari Distant, 1886 (Hesperidae:
Hesperiinae: Aeromachini) found in southeast Asia,
recorded from India. The other two species of the same
genus being, the Coconut Skipper Hidari irava (Moore,
1858), that occurs in northern Myanmar, Thailand,
eastern Malaysia, as well as on Indonesia (Sumatra,
Java), Borneo and the Sula Islands and the Long-spotted
Skipper Hidari doesoena doesoena (Martin, 1895) found
in Indonesia (Sumatra) (www.nic.funet.fi).
H. bhawani has been recorded as a very rare species
having distribution extending from Assam (Lakhimpur),
Arracan (Arakan) Coast and Toungoo, Myanmar,
Langkawi Islands, Malaysia (Evans 1932, 1949). Besides
this, Norman (1953) had also recorded a male of this
rarely recorded species from a brick wall from Sivasagar
District, Assam in June 1952. The distnguishing features
of this palmer from its congener H. irava Moore (Evans
Hidari bhawani
Veined Palmer
NOT
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ENDANGERED
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ZooBank: urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:290F9976-1277-4C48-8B07-D0FF499741BE
Editor: B.A. Daniel, Zoo Outreach Organization, Coimbatore, India.
Manuscript details: Ms o4031 Received 16 May 2014 Final received 16 November 2014 Finally accepted 05 January 2015
Citation: Singh, A.P. (2015). Recent record of a rarely recorded species, the Veined Palmer Hidari bhawani de Nicville, 1888 (Lepidoptera: Hesperiidae: Aeromachini) from Jorhat, Assam, India. Journal of Threatened Taxa 7(1): 68396840; http://dx.doi.org/10.11609/JoTT.o4031.6839-40
Copyright: Singh 2015. Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. JoTT allows unrestricted use of this article in any medium, reproduction and
Funding: None.
Competing Interest: The author declares no competing interests.
Acknowledgements: The author is thankful to Monsoon Gogoi for his help in identification of the species and providing literature.
68
in Assam in the months of March and November as

well, not known earlier. The distribution range of this
South-east Asian species is Assam in northeastern part
of India to Malaysia through Myanmar, Thailand and
Cambodia. The holotype of H. bhawani was collected
in Myanmar basking on a dead palm branch in 1883 (de
Niceville 1888). Its presence may be linked to the palm
trees and bamboos present in bambusetum of the RFRI
campus and in adjoining areas. The larval food plants of
the genus Hidari, i.e., H. irava is Bambusa sp. and Cocus
nucifera (Day 2015).
References
Anonymous (2015a). Hidari bhawani Nicville, 1888 - Veined Palmer.
In: Kunte, K., S. Kalesh & U. Kodandaramaiah (eds.). Butterflies
of India, v. 2.10. Indian Foundation for Butterflies. http://www.
ifoundbutterflies.org/sp/2788/Hidari-bhawani. Accessed on 20
January 2015.
Anonymous (2015b). www.norththailandbirding.com/downloads/
thai butterfly list.xls . Downloaded on 20 January 2015.
Arun Singh
Image . Veined Palmer i ari b a ani (underside male

26.iii.2014-RFRI coll.)
Image 2. Veined Palmer i ari b a ani (upperside male

26.iii.2014-RFRI coll.)
Arun Singh
Image 1. Veined Palmer i ari b a ani (side view of underside

male 26.iii.2014)
Arun Singh
Singh
Arun Singh
The Veined Palmer - a rarely recorded species from Jorhat

Image 4. Veined Palmer i ari b a ani (underside 04.ix.2014)
Chartier, G. (2015). Hidari bhawani. http://www.tataiwildlife.

info/ species 294 . Accessed on 20 January 2015.
Day, L. (2015). Hidari irava. http://www.samuibutterflies.com/insects/
butterflies/hesperidae/hidariirava/. Accessed on 20 January 2015.
de Niceville, L. (1888). On new or little-known Butterflies from
the Indian Region. Journal of Asiatic Society Bengal 57 Pt.II (4):
291+13pls+6figs.
Evans, W.H. (1 2). The Identification of Indian Butterflies - 2nd
Edition. Bombay Natural History Society, Bombay, 464pp.
Evans, W.H. (1 4 ). A Catalogue of the Hesperiidae from Europe, Asia
and Australia in the British Museum (Natural History). Trustees of
the British Museum, London, xix+104pp+208pls.
Gogoi, M.J. (201 ). Notes on some skipper butterflies (Lepidoptera:
Hesperiidae) from Panbari Forest and its adjoining areas, KazirangaKarbi Anglong, upper Assam, India. Journal of Threatened Taxa
5(13): 47594768; http://dx.doi.org/10.11609/JoTT.o3340.4759-68
Norman, T. (1 5 ). Notes on the Lepidoptera of Assam-II. Some
additions to Assam list and other notes. Journal of the Bombay
Natural History Society 51: 515517.
Smetacek, P. (2006). Checklist of South Asian Skipper Butterflies
(Lepidoptera: Hesperiidae). Bionotes 8(4): 9295.
Smetacek, P. (2007). Checklist of South Asian Skipper Butterflies
(Lepidoptera: Hesperiidae). Bionotes 9(1): 1317.
Threatened Taxa
6840
Notes on the distribution, habitat, and

behavior of Northern Tree Shrew Tupaia
belangeri (Ma
alia: Scandentia:
Tu aiidae) in Tri ura, India
Joydeb Ma umder 1 & B. . Agarwala 2
Ecology and Biodiversity Laboratories, Department of Zoology,
Tripura University, Suryamaninagar, Tripura 799022, India
1
author)
1,2
Tree Shrews are small insectivores of the order

Scandentia. Among them, the Northern Tree Shrew
Tupaia belangeri (Wagner, 1841) is endemic to the
Indo-Burma Biodiversity Hotspot (Han et al. 2008),
widely distributed in the tropical deciduous forests
of northeastern India (Assam, Meghalaya, Manipur,
Mizoram, Nagaland and Sikkim) (Das et al. 1995;
Bhattacharyya & Ghosh 2002; Ved 2011), eastern Nepal,
Bangladesh, southeastern China, Indo-china, and the
Malay Peninsula of the Oriental realms (Oommen &
Shanker 2008) with Yunnan-Kweichow Plateau being
its northern limit (Wang et al. 1991). Bhattacharyya &
Ghosh (2002) recorded this species from western and
northern districts of Tripura but did not provide any
collection detail. In course of a routine field study at
Atharamura Hill Ranges, northern circle of Tripura State
in northeastern India (2305532.8 N & 9105720.08 E;
Note
322m; Fig. 1), three adults of

Northern Tree Shrew (Image 1)
were sighted feeding on the forest
floor along a seasonal stream at ISSN 0974-7907 (Online)
about 06.00hr of 15 March 2012.
This is the first record of the species
OPEN ACCESS
from Dhalai District of Tripura. The
salient features of the wild habitat
comprised of tropical moist deciduous forest dominated
by diverse trees, bamboo brakes and streams in hills
and valleys (Image 2).
Close examinations of the day-long behavior lasting
10 hours between 06.00hr and ending at 16.00hr of
the three specimens suggested that this species live as
solitary individuals and are smart foragers of insects on
the ground as well as in trees. Unlike the Nicobar Tree
Shrew which is highly arboreal (Oommen & Shanker
2008), most of the time shrews were found to forage
on the ground digging out insects from leaf litter and
underneath the soil which supported communities
of mole crickets, dung beetles, earwigs, tiger beetles,
termites, and cockroaches. Periodically, they moved
along tree branches and were seen to feed on fruits
or seeds or insects like cicadas, wood boring beetles,
bark beetles, ants, leaf hoppers, and leaf beetles. This
behavior continued up to noon followed by a period of
rest for 12 hr in nests located in the upper branches
of trees. No mating behavior or any fruiting tree was
observed. Bamboos in the habitat possibly provided
Tupaia belangeri
Northern Tree Shrew
NOT
EVALUATED
DATA
DEFICIENT
LEAST
CONCERN
NE
DD
LC
NEAR
VULNERABLE
THREATENED
NT
VU
ENDANGERED
CRITICALLY
ENDANGERED
EXTINCT
IN THE WILD
EXTINCT
EN
CR
EW
EX
ZooBank: urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:AC01762A-1E70-42DB-8E45-6A546B1C3DF2
Editor: Anonymity requested.
Manuscript details: Ms o3956 Received 01 March 2014 Final received 03 September 2014 Finally accepted 15 December 2014
Citation: Majumder, J. & B.K. Agarwala (2015). Notes on the distribution, habitat, and behavior of Northern Tree Shrew Tupaia belangeri (Mammalia: Scandentia:
Tupaiidae) in Tripura, India. Journal of Threatened Taxa 7(1): 68416842; http://dx.doi.org/10.11609/JoTT.o3956.6841-2
Copyright: Majumder & Agarwala 2015. Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. JoTT allows unrestricted use of this article in any medium,
Funding: This study was partly supported by Indian Council of Agricultural Research, New Delhi through a project no.
F.No. 16-16/2007-IA IV to the corresponding author (B.K. Agarwala).
Acknowledgements: Thanks are extended to Dr. N.S. Prasant and Dr. S. Molur for confirming the identification of the tree shrew species and invaluable information, and to Sri Nimesh Ved for providing related literature.
6841
Northern Tree Shrew in Tripura
Majumder & Agarwala
Image 1. An adult of Tupaia belangeri
the escape sites from predators like snakes, which are

common in the habitat of this mammal.
The Northern Tree Shrew is listed as Least Concern
(LC) species in IUCN Red List (Han et al. 2008) and in
CITES Appendix II (UNEP-WCMC 2001). However, forest
encroachment for collection of timber and fuel wood,
land modification for construction of railway track and
road network, and conversion of forest land to rubber
plantation are the major threats to the wild habitats of
this mammal.
References
Bhattacharyya, T.P. & M. . Ghosh (2002). Mammalia. Fauna of
Tripura. Part I. Zoological Survey of India 7: 3146.
6842
Joydeb Majumder
Joydeb Majumder
Figure 1. The location of the habitat of Northern Tree Shrew recorded in Atharamura Hill Ranges, Tripura.
Image 2. Part of habitat of Tupaia belangeri
Das, P. ., R. . Ghosh, T. . Chakraborty, T.P. Bhattacharyya & M. .

Ghosh (1 5). Mammalia. State Fauna Series: Fauna of Meghalaya.
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Threatened Taxa
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Mandar S. Paingankar, University of Pune, Pune, Maharashtra, India
Manju Siliwal, WILD, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India
Martin B.D. Stiewe, The Natural History Museum, UK
Meena Venkataraman, Mumbai, India
Merlin Franco, Curtin University, Malaysia
Mewa Singh, Mysore University, Mysuru, India
Mohammad Hayat, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh, India
Mohilal Meitei, Manipur University, Camchipur, Manipur, India
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N.P. Balakrishnan, Ret. Joint Director, BSI, Coimbatore, India
Nancy van der Poorten, Toronto, Canada
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Okan Klkylolu, Abant Izzet Baysal University, Bolu, Turkey
Pankaj Kumar, Kadoorie Farm and Botanic Garden Corporation, Hong Kong
Partha Pratim Bhattacharjee, Tripura University, Suryamaninagar, India
Paul A. Racey, University of Aberdeen, Scotland
Peter Boveng, NOAA Alaska Fisheries Science Center, Seattle, USA.
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Priya Davidar, Pondicherry University, Kalapet, Puducherry, India
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P.O. Nameer, Kerala Agricultural University, Thrissur, Kerala, India
P.S. Easa, Kerala Forest Research Institute, Peechi, India
R. Ramanibai, Guindy Campus, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
R. Varatharajan, Manipur University, Imphal, Manipur, India
R.K. Avasthi, Rohtak University, Haryana, India
R.K. Verma, Tropical Forest Research Institute, Jabalpur, India
R.M. Sharma, (Retd.) Scientist, Zoological Survey of India, Pune, India
Ragnar Kinzelbach, University of Rostock, Rostock, Germany
Rajah Jayapal, SACON, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India
Rajeev Raghavan, St. Alberts College, Kochi, Kerala, India
Rajiv S. Kalsi, M.L.N. College, Yamuna Nagar, Haryana, India
Raju Sekar, Xian Jiaotong-Liverpool University, Suzhou, China
Raju Vyas, Vishwamitri River Project, Vadodara, India
Journal of Threatened Taxa is indexed/abstracted in Bibliography of Systematic Mycology, Biological Abstracts, BIOSIS
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Robert D. Sluka, Chiltern Gateway Project, A Rocha UK, Southall, Middlesex, UK
Robin Wilson, Museum Victoria, Melbourne, Australia
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S. Ajmal Khan, Annamalai University, Parangipettai, India
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S.C. Verma, Professor Emeritus, Panjab University, Chandigarh, India
S. Jayakumar, Pondicherry University, Puducherry, India
Saito Motoki, The Butterfly Society of Japan, Tokyo, Japan.
Sanjay Molur, WILD, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India
Shomita Mukherjee, SACON, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India
Shonil A. Bhagwat, The Open University, UK
Stephen D. Nash, Scientific Illustrator, State University of New York, NY, USA
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Tadashi Kawai, Wakkanai Fisheries Research Institute, Hokkaido, Japan
Tony Whitten, Fauna & Flora International, Cambridge, UK
Topiltzin Contreras MacBeath, Universidad Autnoma del estado de Morelos,
Mxico
Uwe Braun, Martin-Luther-Universitt, Neuwerk, Germany
V. Irudayaraj, St. Xaviers College, Palayamkottai, Tamil Nadu, India
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Vijayasankar Raman, University of Mississippi, USA
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Due to pausity of space, the list of reviewers for 2014-2015 is available online.
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ISSN 0974-7907 (Online); ISSN 0974-7893 (Print)

January 2015 | Vol. 7 | No. 1 | Pages: 67396842
Date of Publication: 26 January 2015 (Online & Print)
DOI: 10.11609/JoTT.26jan15.6739-6842
Article
First report of the female of Cheirochela assamensis Hope, 1841

(Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Naucoridae) from northeastern India
-- Shruti V. Paripatyadar, Sophio Riphung & H.V. Ghate, Pp. 68156820
Habitat use and relative abundance of the Spotted Paca Cuniculus

paca (Linnaeus, 1766) (Rodentia: Cuniculidae) and the Red-rumped
Agouti Dasyprocta leporina (Linnaeus, 1758) (Rodentia: Dasyproctidae)
in Guatopo National Park, Venezuela
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A parasitic association of Odonata (Insecta) with Arrenurus Dugs,

1834 (Arachnida: Hydrachnida: Arrenuridae) water mites
-- Raymond J. Andrew, Payal R. Verma & Nilesh R. Thaokar,
Pp. 68216825
Communications
Notes
Distribution of vultures in Uttar Pradesh, India

-- Kaushalendra Kumar Jha, Pp. 67506763
Cheirostylis Blume (Orchidaceae), a new generic record for the

Eastern Ghats, India
-- Prasad Kumar Dash, Avishek Bhattacharjee, Pankaj Kumar &
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Odonata of Maludam National Park, Sarawak, Malaysia

-- Rory A. Dow, Robin Wen Jiang Ngiam & Rambli Ahmad, Pp. 67646773
The seasonality of butterflies in a semi-evergreen forest: Gibbon
Wildlife Sanctuary, Assam, northeastern India
-- Arun P. Singh, Lina Gogoi & Jis Sebastain, Pp. 67746787
Diversity and distribution of Primula species in western Arunachal
Pradesh, eastern Himalayan region, India
-- Amal Bawri, Padma Raj Gajurel, Ashish Paul & Mohamed Latif Khan,
Pp. 67886795
Short Communications
A preliminary baseline status of the Syrian Brown Bear Ursus arctos
syriacus (Mammalia: Carnivora: Ursidae) in Golestanak, northern Iran
-- Mohammad Sadegh Farhadinia & Negin Valizadegan, Pp. 67966799
A breeding site record of Long-billed Vulture Gyps indicus (Aves:
Accipitriformes: Accipitridae) from Bejjur Reserve Forest, Telangana,
India
-- Swetha Stotrabhashyam, Bharath Reddy, Venugopal Satla & Imran
Siddiqui, Pp. 68006804
Were human babies used as bait in crocodile hunts in colonial Sri
Lanka?
-- Anslem de Silva & Ruchira Somaweera, Pp. 68056809
An extended distribution of Ceropegia odorata Nimmo ex J. Graham

(Apocynaceae: Asclepiadoideae) to the state of Madhya Pradesh,
India
-- Shaikh Mujaffar, Sharad S. Kambale & Shrirang R. Yadav, Pp. 6830
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Rediscovery of Syzygium kanarense (Talbot) Raizada (Myrtaceae) an endemic species of the Western Ghats, India
-- H.S. Shenoy, G. Krishnakumar & Ramakrishna Marati, Pp. 6833
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A new species of Ropalidia Gurin-Mneville, 1831 (Hymenoptera:
Vespidae: Polistinae) from the southern Western Ghats, India
-- K.P. Mohammed Shareef, Lambert Kishore & P. Girish Kumar,
Pp. 68366838
Recent record of a rarely recorded species, the Veined Palmer Hidari
bhawani de Nicville, 1888 (Lepidoptera: Hesperiidae: Aeromachini)
from Jorhat, Assam, India
-- Arun P. Singh, Pp. 68396840
Notes on the distribution, habitat, and behavior of Northern Tree
Shrew Tupaia belangeri (Mammalia: Scandentia: Tupaiidae) in
Tripura, India
-- Joydeb Majumder & B.K. Agarwala, Pp. 68416842
Population structure, length-weight and length-length relationships

of six populations of the Bartail Flathead Platycephalus
indicus (Scorpaeniformes: Platycephalidae) along the Persian Gulf
coastal waters
-- Hamed Mousavi-Sabet, Adeleh Heidari & Hakimeh Fekrandish,
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ISSN 0974-7907 (Online)

ISSN 0974-7893 (Print)

ISSN 0974-7907 (Online); ISSN 0974-7893 (Print)

Typeset and printed at

Dietmar Zinner, German Primate Center, Gttingen, Germany

continued on the back inside cover

Habitat use and relative abundance of the S otted Paca

Journal of Threatened Taxa www.threatenedtaxa.org 26 January 2015 7(1): 67

ISSN 0974-7907 (Online)

Institute of Biology, Lund University, SE-221 00 Lund, Sweden

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.11609/JoTT.o3915.6739-49 ZooBank: urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:47CAD9C8-EF5E-4FDE-A755-FC9914C44208

Date of publication: 26 January 2015 (online & print)

Spotted Paca and Red-rumped Agouti in Guatopo National Park

the Neotropics (Kuroiwa & Ascorra 2002; Polisar et al.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

Journal of Threatened Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | 26 January 2015 | 7(1): 67396749

Spotted Paca and Red-rumped Agouti in Guatopo National Park

(Castillo & Aponte 2004). Predominant vegetation

a different individual: male/female, adult/juvenile. This

Journal of Threatened Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | 26 January 2015 | 7(1): 67396749

Spotted Paca and Red-rumped Agouti in Guatopo National Park

2012), and human activities (Franklin et al. 2002) might

models were used to determine the characteristics of

Journal of Threatened Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | 26 January 2015 | 7(1): 67396749

Spotted Paca and Red-rumped Agouti in Guatopo National Park

Blake et al. 2012

de Souza Martins et al. 2007

Gomez et al. 2005

Maffei et al. 2002

Michalski & Norris 2011

Tobler et al. 2008

Blake et al. 2012

de Souza Martins et al. 2007

Maffei et al. 2002

Tobler et al. 2008

0.84). Sites occupied by the Red-rumped Agouti had a

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION

Journal of Threatened Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | 26 January 2015 | 7(1): 67396749

Spotted Paca and Red-rumped Agouti in Guatopo National Park

Michalski & Norris 2011). Still, it is important to highlight

(Gomez et al. 2005), and in Santa Lucia Biological Station

Journal of Threatened Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | 26 January 2015 | 7(1): 67396749

Spotted Paca and Red-rumped Agouti in Guatopo National Park

2008) and D. azarae in Bolivia (Maffei et al. 2002) (Table

to differentiate between individuals neither for the

Video 1. A selection of videos showing events of Spotted Pacas

Journal of Threatened Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | 26 January 2015 | 7(1): 67396749

Spotted Paca and Red-rumped Agouti in Guatopo National Park

Image 1. Spotted Paca (

pa a) hunted in Guatopo National Park.

(Emmons & Feer 1990; Perez 1992; Goulart et al. 2009).

Image 2. Structures used for hunting the Spotted Paca (

al. 2006; Weckel et al. 2006). A previous study on habitat

Journal of Threatened Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | 26 January 2015 | 7(1): 67396749

Spotted Paca and Red-rumped Agouti in Guatopo National Park

method for generating reliable results at low cost in

Blanco, C. & E. erena (2006). Metodologa de Evaluaci n del Estado

Journal of Threatened Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | 26 January 2015 | 7(1): 67396749

Spotted Paca and Red-rumped Agouti in Guatopo National Park

D., F. Rojas-Suares & V. Romero (eds.). Una Mano a la naturaleza,