Showing 29 results for Type of Study: Short Communication
Bivek Gautam, Santosh Bhattarai,
Volume 2, Issue 3 (9-2020)
Abstract
We present a natural history account of the first record of probable predation on the Indian bull frog, Hoplobatrachus tigerinus by the Asian House Shrew, Suncus murinus from Morang district, Nepal. The present communication provides an example of a nearly equal-sized predator-prey interaction in a natural ecosystem and provides interesting information on the natural history of these taxa.
Harshil Patel, Raju Vyas,
Volume 2, Issue 3 (9-2020)
Abstract
We re-address the findings of recent publications on herpetofaunal diversity of certain urban areas of Gujarat, India, in which, authors have claimed to report nine frogs and two lizard species for the first time from the State, without any morphological data and/or voucher specimens. We present our critique and comments, with the known distributional ranges of these species and on these erroneous records. We also advocate removal of such species from the faunal list of Gujarat until confirmed reports, based on correctly identified vouchers, are presented. We recommend here that identification of a species should be done following standard protocols and by facilitating the deposition of voucher specimen/s in responsible public repositories for studies involving taxonomy, morphology and range extension.
Bivek Gautam, Santosh Bhattarai,
Volume 2, Issue 3 (9-2020)
Abstract
The dietary habits of tadpoles of the Nepalese anurans have not been well studied. Here, we present an opportunistic observation of tadpoles of the Terai tree frog, Polypedates teraiensis feeding on rotten pumpkin (Cucurbita moschata). We suggest further detailed study on the feeding habits of tadpoles in the changing climate in Nepal as they could be used as model organisms to understand their trophic roles and to predict the ecological consequences of their potential loss.
Mehmet Kürşat Şahin, Musa Geçit, Mehmet Zülfü Yıldız,
Volume 2, Issue 4 (12-2020)
Abstract
In this study, new data on the distribution of the Glossy-bellied racer, Platyceps ventromaculatus from the Anatolian Peninsula is presented by field surveys in September 2019. The color pattern, and morphological and pholidolial characteristics were assessed. As a result, the morphology-based results are similar to previous records but the given occurrence record from Kiziltepe, Mardin Province extends the known distribution area of the species in Southeastern Anatolia.
Suman Pratihar, Niloy Mandal, Kaushik Deuti,
Volume 2, Issue 4 (12-2020)
Abstract
In this study we document the consistent presence of the long distant migrant pipits including, Blyth’s Pipit, Tawny Pipit, Tree Pipit, Olive-backed Pipit, and Richard’s Pipit in the district of West Midnapore (Paschim Medinipur) in West Bengal state, India. We confirm via photography the record of Blyth’s and Tawny Pipits for the first time in this part of the world.
Santosh Bhattarai, Babu Ram Lamichhane, Naresh Subedi,
Volume 3, Issue 1 (3-2021)
Abstract
Abnormalities in reptiles have been mostly reported from captive individuals. Here, we report a case of unilateral anophthalmy in the Burmese python Python bivittatus for the first time from Chitwan National Park, Nepal. Reptiles exposed to various pollutants, such as pesticides, can develop morphological abnormalities. The present report from a human-dominated landscape is an opportunistic observation of a rescued snake. We suggest a more systematic, collection-based, research program to reveal the possible causative agents and the degree of their effect on herpetofauna in Nepal.
Jigme Tshelthrim Wangyal, Gyeltshen Gyeltshen, David J. Gower,
Volume 3, Issue 1 (3-2021)
Abstract
The world currently recognizes 214 species of Caecilians (Amphibia: Gymnophiona) most of which occur in the wet tropics and some adjacent subtropical regions. Of the ten-family classification known, three occur in Asia, viz. Chikilidae (endemic to northeast India, Indotyphlidae (India’s Western and Eastern Ghats) and Ichthyophiidae. However, until this report, there were no confirmed reports of any caecilian species from Bhutan, although their presence has been assumed likely given their occurrence in adjacent countries. This report provides the first confirmed report of caecilians in Bhutan with work to identify the species to be carried on later with further research.
Paolo Parenti,
Volume 3, Issue 2 (6-2021)
Abstract
Correction
After the publication of this article (Parenti, 2021) it came to my attention that I have missed out the LSID code mandatory to publish any new nomenclatural act. Then, that article has been registered in the Official Register of Zoological Nomenclature (ZooBank) as [urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:C2FD477B-1B9B-4F27-8E90-1F30B291E40C]
Ht. Decemson, Mathipi Vabeiryureilai , Lal Lalbiakzuala , Hmar Tlawmte Lalremsanga,
Volume 3, Issue 4 (12-2021)
Abstract
We report Calotes geissleri from Chandel district in Manipur, India. Till recently allocated to Calotes mystaceus, this complex was revised and C. geissleri described from northeast India and Myanmar. We here report its occurrence in Chandel district, Manipur, adjacent to other northeastern states from where it was known previously. Our Manipur specimens have 0.003% genetic distance from its published type sequences, thereby confirming the identification and the range extension.
Shahla Barmooz, Atta Mouludi-Saleh, Soheil Eagderi, Asghar Jafari-Patkan,
Volume 3, Issue 4 (12-2021)
Abstract
In the present study, the length-weight relationships (LWRs) of 148 specimens representing four species, including 20 specimens of Pseudorhombus javanicus, 70 Plicofollis dussumieri, 28 Scarus persicus and 30 S. fuscopurpureus collected from the Persian Gulf were estimated. The LWRs equations were found as W= 0.67×L2.23 for P. javanicus, W= 0.05×L2.38 for P. dussumieri, W= 0.62×L2.15 for S. persicus and W= 0.27×L2.41 for S. fuscopurpureus. The values of b ranged from 2.15 (S. persicus) to 2.41 (S. fuscopurpureus), with the coefficient of determination (r2) greater than 0.85. The present study presents the LWRs parameters for P. javanicus from the Persian Gulf, Iran for the first time and provides useful information for marine ecologists, fishery managers, the conservation of marine fishes, and the online database of FishBase.
Rishi Baral, Yadav Ghimirey, Basudev Neupane, Baburam Lamichhane, Santosh Bhattarai, Karan Bahadur Shah,
Volume 4, Issue 1 (3-2022)
Abstract
Four specimens of the Large-toothed Ferret Badger Melogale personata I. Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire were found at separate sites in Marshyangdi Rural Municipality, Ward No 4, Srichaur, Tangring, Lamjung district, Nepal. The first individual was captured alive by local people on 4th January 2017 and the second was found dead on 17th January 2017. The third alive and fourth road-killed specimens of M. personata were photographed from Marshyangdi Rural Municipality, on 9th July 2020, 26th November 2021, respectively.
The species was recorded at the border region of the Annapurna Conservation Area, approximately 203 km from Kathmandu in a tropical forest alongside the Marshyangdi River. The specimens were examined carefully and identified on a morphological basis. The present account represents the first authentic record of M. personata in the Annapurna Conservation Area, moreover also for Nepal.
Paromit Chatterjee, Kamalika Bhattacharyya, Silanjan Bhattacharyya,
Volume 4, Issue 1 (3-2022)
Abstract
We present the first confirmed report of the Long-snouted Bhutan Squirrel Dremomys lokriah bhotia from the state of West Bengal, India. Previously the subspecies was known from limited localities of East Sikkim (India) and Bhutan. This article, thus, adds to the global knowledge of the subspecies with a note on its habitat and activity pattern, along with new details on it’s current global distribution.
Spartaco Gippoliti ,
Volume 4, Issue 1 (3-2022)
Abstract
Many users of taxonomic lists believe them to be based on consistent data, but this is rarely true, and biased knowledge may be the rule rather than the exception. In the present essay on the taxonomy of primates of the Horn of Africa, I show how taxonomic history has consequences for the present appreciation of primate diversity in the region, and thus in directing conservation efforts. To minimize future losses, it is necessary that international bodies recognize taxonomic checklists as works in progress, eventually encouraging further integrated approaches to taxa delimitation.
Ahmad Mahmoudi, Atilla Arslan, Masoumeh Khoshyar, Boris Kryštufek,
Volume 4, Issue 2 (6-2022)
Abstract
Although recent molecular data has advocated the distinct position of Arvicola persicus De Filippi from Iran, karyotypic and differential chromosome staining data, informative tools to describe biological diversity, are lacking. Here we present the first description of the chromosome complement of A. persicus from its type locality in Sultaniyeh, southern Alborz Mountains, Iran. Though the diploid chromosome number (2n= 36) and the fundamental number of autosomal arms (FNa= 60) did not deviate from that reported for Arvicola amphibius sensu lato in Eurasia (2n= 36, FNa= 60–68), there appear to be significant differences between A. persicus and A. amphibius s.l. in terms of C-bands and NOR-bearing autosomes. Banded karyology, therefore, provides further evidence for delimiting A. persicus as a species, which is distinct from A. amphibius.
Milan Baral, Anisha Neupane,
Volume 4, Issue 2 (6-2022)
Abstract
The Black-headed Bunting Emberiza melanocephala Scopoli is a scarce winter visitor and passage migrant bird in Nepal being recorded mainly in the eastern part of the country. Similarly, the Blue-winged Laughingthrush Trochalopteron squamatum (Gould) is an uncommon resident of Nepal with rare observations reported from central-west to eastern Nepal. Also, the Tricolored Munia Lonchura malacca (Linnaeus) is considered as a local resident in Nepal especially in the Chitwan National Park, Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve and Kathmandu Valley. None of these species have been photographed in the Pokhara Valley previously. This study presents the first photographic record of E. melanocephala and T. squamatum, and the first ever record of L. malacca from the Pokhara Valley, Nepal. Emberiza melanocephala was observed during the winter season in bushes of Ipomoea carnea while T. squamatum and L. malacca were recorded during the autumn and monsoon season in evergreen Schima-Castanopsis forest, and clumps of the reed Phragmites karka respectively.
Kalyan Mukherjee,
Volume 4, Issue 3 (9-2022)
Abstract
This paper is reporting Evolvulus nummularius (L.) L. (Convolvulaceae) as a new larval host plant for Junonia orithya (Linnaeus) (Nymphalidae) and Syzygium samarangense (Blume) Merr. and L. M. Perry (Myrtaceae), as a new larval host plant for Virachola isocrates (Fabricius) (Lycaenidae) from Raibaghini, Bankura, West Bengal, India.
Namgay Dorji, Bal Krishna Koirala, Tashi Phuntsho, Yeshi Tshering, Khandu Tshomo, Phuntsho Tobgay,
Volume 4, Issue 3 (9-2022)
Abstract
The Great slaty woodpecker Mulleripicus pulverulentus (Temminck) is a globally threatened bird species and has been categorized as Vulnerable in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. We report the first photographic evidence of M. pulverulentus from Phibsoo Wildlife Sanctuary (PWS), Sarpang district, in the Himalayan Kingdom of Bhutan. A group, comprising five individuals, of M. pulverulentus was sighted opportunistically at the study location on 19 April 2022. We recorded the nesting cavities actively used by M. pulverulentus in the forest habitat dominated by Sal trees (Shorea robusta). This study highlights the significance of protecting lowland forests, and mature Sal stands in particular, for conservation of this globally threatened species of bird.
Kado Rinchen, Bal Krishna Koirala,
Volume 4, Issue 4 (12-2022)
Abstract
We report the first record of the Tiger shrike, Lanius tigrinus Drapiez from Bhumtang District in the Himalayan Kingdom of Bhutan. The new geographical distribution of L. tigrinus in the Indian subcontinent, specifically in Bhutan, occurring at an elevation greater than 3,000 m is beyond the elevational records of the species in Southeast Asia. This range extension of the Tiger shrike at vast spatial scales, from East Asia to the Eastern Himalayan region of South Asia, provides new scientific insights.
Marian Dara T. Tagoon, Joshua L. Donato, Treaseur B. Susulan, Karyn Chrislene A. Vitor, Samuel Herbert T. Mamora, Elsa May Delima-Baron,
Volume 4, Issue 4 (12-2022)
Abstract
Data on anurans in Davao City watersheds remains depauperate. This study provides the first account of anurans of the Panigan-Tamugan watershed using visual encounter survey (VES) and microhabitat searches along fifteen 10 × 10 m belt transects. A total of 14 species belonging to 11 genera and five families were recorded for all three sampling sites in the Panigan-Tamugan Watershed. Eleven out of 14 anurans species documented in this survey are endemic to the Philippines. Anuran families recorded during the survey included Bufonidae Gray (n= 3), Dicroglossidae Anderson (n= 4), Megophryidae Bonaparte (n= 2), Ranidae Batsch (n= 1), and Rhacophoridae Hoffman (n= 4). Additional records of anurans from this study, namely Fejervarya vittigera (Wiegmann), Occidozyga laevis (Günther), Pelophryne brevipes (Peters), and Philautus worcesteri (Stejneger), increased the number of species known from watershed areas of Davao City, as they were not reported in previous inventories conducted in the city. Species richness data may not necessarily reflect the true number of species in the site. Future studies should include an increased number of transects and man hours. Although the list comprises the limited information on this taxon in watersheds, more inventories are necessary for a full understanding of anuran composition in the city's several watersheds.
Pema Dendup, Ugyen Ugyen, Rinzin Dorji, Choki Lham,
Volume 5, Issue 1 (3-2023)
Abstract
The Himalayan red panda Ailurus fulgens F. Cuvier (family Ailuridae) is a carnivore that feeds mainly on bamboo leaves and shoots. Habitat loss, fragmentation, degradation, and poaching are some of the major threats to the red panda population. In Bhutan, Ailurus fulgens is reported from within and outside protected areas; however, only a few studies (distribution, threats, and habitat correlates) have been carried out, and much remains unknown about this species. Herein, we report information on the updated distribution, habitat use, and activity pattern from by-catch images of A. fulgens occurrence from both systematic camera traps set for a country-wide tiger Panthera tigris (Linnaeus) survey (2014–2015) and other surveys during 2015–2021 from different parks and forest divisions. Ailurus fulgens was found to occur in 19 out of 20 districts in Bhutan. Regarding protected areas, they were found in eight out of eleven protected areas (Wangchuck Centennial, Jigme Dorji, Jigme Singye, Phrumsengla National Park, Bumdeling and Sakteng Wildlife Sanctuary, Jigme Kheser Strict Nature Reserve, and Royal Botanical Park) and five out of eight biological corridors (connecting Phibsoo Wildlife Sanctuary to Jigme Singye National Park, Wangchuck Centennial National Park to Jigme Singye National Park, Phrumsengla National Park to Jigme Singye National Park, Phrumsengla National Park to Bumdeling Wildlife Sanctuary, and Sakteng Wildlife Sanctuary to Jomotsangkha Wildlife Sanctuary). The majority of A. fulgens were recorded in broadleaf forest followed by mixed conifer forest and were found to be distributed at elevations between 1,520–4,331 m (mean 3,131 m). Red pandas displayed higher use of habitats including cool broadleaf and mixed conifer forests. The activity pattern of A. fulgens showed that they were mostly diurnal, with peak activities taking place between 10:00–11:00 hours.
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