1 2676-685X Lorestan University Press 68 Species Diversity On the distribution of Cantor's Kukri snake Oligodon cyclurus (Cantor, 1839) (Squamata: Colubridae) from Nepal Kumar Sah Aklesh b Gautam Bivek c Bhattarai Santosh d b Central Department of Zoology, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, Nepal c Biodiversity Research and Conservation Society, Kathmandu, Nepal d National Trust for Nature Conservation-Biodiversity Conservation Center, Ratnanagar-06, Sauraha, Chitwan-44204, Nepal 1 6 2020 2 2 1 7 29 03 2020 17 05 2020 The distribution of Cantor's Kukri Snake Oligodon cyclurus has been poorly documented in its geographic range from Cambodia, China, Bangladesh, India, Laos, Myanmar, Nepal, Thailand and Vietnam. We provide confirmed locality records with notes on some aspects of natural history information for O. cyclurus. Although the species is designated as Least Concern according to IUCN Red list of Threatened Species, the species is facing multiple threats like roadkills and vindictive killing. We suggest a more detailed inventory to better understand its biology, distribution patterns, population status and molecular identity to aid in a more comprehensive global conservation action.
71 Species Diversity A roadmap to an evolutionarily significant conservation strategy for Cervus corsicanus Gippoliti Spartaco e Lai Manuela f Milana Giuliano g e Società Italiana per la Storia della Fauna “Giuseppe Altobello” Contrada Selva dell’Aquila, 1 – 86011 Baranello CB, Italy f Società Italiana per la Storia della Fauna “Giuseppe Altobello” Contrada Selva dell’Aquila, 1 – 86011 Baranello CB, Italy g Società Italiana per la Storia della Fauna “Giuseppe Altobello” Contrada Selva dell’Aquila, 1 – 86011 Baranello CB, Italy 1 6 2020 2 2 8 15 18 05 2020 22 06 2020 Recent conservation history of Cervus corsicanus Erxleben, 1777 is reviewed and future prospects discussed in the framework of increasing knowledge of its evolutionary history. This unique deer is definitively not native to Sardinia and Corsica but owes its survival to a protohistoric assisted colonization by humans. Accordingly, populations in Sardinia (and Corsica) should be managed to maintain maximum genetic diversity while minimizing ecological and economic damages in an unbalanced island ecosystem that must be perceived as “ex situ” from the evolutionary history of the deer. It is increasingly important that steps are taken to reintroduce Cervus corsicanus back to the Italian Peninsula. 74 Species Diversity Status and conservation threats to large mammals of the Laljhadi Mohana Biological Corridor, Nepal Kafle Kopila h Thanet Dol Raj i Poudel Prabin j Gautam Deepak k Thapa Goma l Bhatt Pradeep m h Institute of Forestry, Tribhuvan University, Nepal i Institute of Forestry, Tribhuvan University, Nepal j Institute of Forestry, Tribhuvan University, Nepal; Green Governance Nepal, Kathmandu, Nepal k Institute of Forestry, Tribhuvan University, Nepal; College of Forestry, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China l Department of Zoology, Prithvi Narayan Campus, Tribhuvan University, Nepal m Institute of Forestry, Tribhuvan University, Nepal 1 6 2020 2 2 16 33 01 02 2020 25 06 2020 Wildlife corridors connect isolated patches of habitat and support the movement of migratory species from one site to another. Human disturbances cause forest degradation and habitat fragmentation adding to the high risk of species extinction. We laid out 44 grids of 2 km × 2 km in Laljhadi Mohana Biological Corridor (LMBC). In each grid, we generated line transects ranging from 1.5 to 2 km and a systematic line transect survey was carried out with single replication to assess the distribution and relative abundance of large mammals. GPS coordinates were recorded for each direct sighting or indirect sign. Similarly, a local household survey (n=40) and key informant interviews (n=9) were conducted to explore the local perception about existing problems, major conflicting species habitat components, conservation threats and attitude towards the large mammals. A workshop was also held to discuss information about the conflicting species, possible solutions, and the ranking of threats based on a relative ranking system. A total of 51 individuals belonging to six species of large mammals were found in LMBC. Distribution was primarily confined to the south of the corridor, and the relative abundance, in descending order, is the Blue bull (29.4%), Asian elephant (25.5%), Spotted deer (21.5%), Wild boar (15.7%), Common leopard (5.9%) and Bengal tiger (2%). Major conservation threats were forest encroachment and habitat fragmentation (Very High), followed by grazing and forest product consumption (High), natural disaster (Medium) and illegal poaching, infrastructure construction, and invasive species (Low). The LMBC was found to support six large mammals, where mostly Asian elephants and Blue bull are using it for migration. 78 Species Diversity The Atlas of Mammals of Iran. Mahmoud Karami, Taher Ghadirian and Kaveh Faizolahi. 2016. Iran Department of the Environment, Tehran. 292 pp. Zachos Frank E. n n Natural History Museum Vienna, Burgring 7, 1010 Vienna, Austria 1 6 2020 2 2 34 35 27 06 2020 18 07 2020 Iran is a country with a very rich mammal fauna, including such iconic species as the Asiatic cheetah Acinonyx jubatus (Griffith), the Persian leopard Panthera pardus saxicolor Pocock, the Mesopotamian fallow deer Dama mesopotamica (Brooke), and the Asiatic wild ass Equus hemionus Pallas. There are no less than eight species of cat (Felidae) living in Iran today, and until recently there were even two more (the Caspian tiger Panthera tigris virgata (Illiger) and the Asiatic lion Panthera leo persica (Meyer)). For comparison, the whole European continent harbours a mere three felids. A recent atlas now adds to our knowledge on this spectacular mammalian line-up and its dissemination. The book, also available as a pdf, by Karami, Ghadirian and Faizolahi lists 183 terrestrial and 16 aquatic species of mammals (including the Caspian tiger and Asiatic lion), from the dugong and the Caspian seal Pusa caspica (Gmelin) to whales and dolphins, bats (Chiroptera) and rodents (Rodentia), from Perissodactyla to Lagomorpha and from Carnivora to Chiroptera ... 79 Species Diversity Description of a new species of Eutropis (Sauria: Scincidae) from the Central Hills of Sri Lanka with the resurrection of Eutropis lankae (Deraniyagala) Batuwita Sudesh o Udugampala Sampath p Edirisinghe Udeni o The Society for the Biodiversity Conservation, 63/4, Adikaramwatta, Yaggahapitiya, Kandy, Sri Lanka p Wildlife Conservation Society- Galle, Hiyare Reservoir, Hiyare 80056, Galle, Sri Lanka Postgraduate Institute of Agriculture, University of Peradeniya, Old Galaha Road, Peradeniya, Sri Lanka 1 6 2020 2 2 36 55 21 05 2020 30 07 2020 We reviewed the species referred to Eutropis carinata complex from Sri Lanka. We provided the data on the lectotype of Eutropis carinata along with a discussion on its synonyms. Examination of the lectotype of Sincus carinatus Schneider, 1801 (= Eutropis carinata), shows this taxon is not conspecific with Mabuya carinata lankae Deraniyagala, 1953 (= Eutropis carinata lankae). Therefore, we resurrected Eutropis lankae (Deraniyagala) as a valid species from Sri Lanka. Based on the available data, we here tentatively recognize Tiliqua rubriventris Hardwicke and Gray, 1829 (= Eutropis rubriventris) as a valid species. Also, a new species of the genus Eutropis Fitzinger is described from Sri Lanka. The new species was previously confused with E. carinata (Schneider) and may be the source of earlier records of E. beddomei (Jerdon) from the Central Hills of Sri Lanka. The new species, Eutropis resetarii sp. nov. differs from the lectotype of E. carinata by the following characters: widely (vs. narrowly) separated supranasal scales, first supraocular not in contact (vs. in contact) with frontal, third pair of chin shields separated slightly or not touching the second pair of chin shields (vs. in contact broadly with the second pair) and 30 (vs. 32) scale rows across the midbody. Eutropis resetarii sp. nov. is distinguished from E. lankae by the following characters: first loreal does not reach the dorsal surface of snout (vs. reaches in E. lankae); lower preocular larger (vs. smaller) than the anterior loreal scale; lateral border of postmental in complete contact with the first and the second (vs. first and partially the second) infralabials; third pair of chin shields not in contact or in narrow (vs. broad) contact with second pair of chin shields; palm and sole scales rounded, more or less juxtaposed (vs. tubercle-like imbricate scales); and having greater external ear opening size, 40–46% (vs. 23–38%) of eye diameter. Eutropis resetarii sp. nov. can be distinguished from all other congeners by a combination of the following characters: in having widely separated supranasals and prefrontals, lacking postnasals, prefrontals reaching lateral sides of snout, only the first supraocular in contact with frontal, six or seven supraciliaries, lower preocular as large as first loreal, two primary temporals, upper pretemporal smaller than lower and both touching parietals, parietals completely separated by interparietal; two post-supralabials, first and second pairs of chin shields separated by a single scale, third pair of chin shields not in contact or in narrow contact with second pair of chin shields; juxtaposed rounded palm and sole scales, comparatively robust digits, having greater external ear opening size (40–46% of eye diameter) and presence of 14–15 subdigital lamellae under 4th digit of pes. The new species has been recorded from the highest elevations (from ~1000 m to ~1600 m), while E. lankae has a wider distribution from coast to ~900 m. The distributional ranges of these two species are therefore allopatric. 84 Ecological Diversity Length-weight, length-length relationships and condition factor of Rutilus kutum (Actinopterygii: Cyprinidae) from the southern Caspian Sea, Iran Forouhar Vajargah Mohammad Sattari Masoud Imanpour Namin Javid Bibak Mehdi Department of Fisheries, Faculty of Natural Resources, Sowmehsara, Guilan University, Guilan, Iran Department of Fisheries, Faculty of Natural Resources, Sowmehsara, Guilan University, Guilan, Iran Department of Fisheries, Faculty of Natural Resources, Sowmehsara, Guilan University, Guilan, Iran Department of Fisheries, Faculty of Natural Resources, Sowmehsara, Guilan University, Guilan, Iran 1 6 2020 2 2 56 61 26 06 2020 15 08 2020 Fish stock assessment in the Caspian Sea requires employing some growth indicators such as length-weight relationship (LWR). Size determination in fish is more biologically relevant than age, because several ecological and physiological indicators are more size-dependent compared to age-dependent. This study aims to examine the length-weight relationship and condition factor of Rutilus kutum (Kamensky) from the southern Caspian Sea. 218 fish samples were caught using a gill net from Anzali, Astara, Kiashahr, Sari and Torkaman Port from September 2018 to February 2019. Negative allometric growth patterns were observed in Sari and Torkaman Port and positive allometric growth patterns were found in Anzali, Kiashahr and Astara stations. The fish caught from Anzali displayed the maximum condition factor. LWRs are not continuous over the year and LWR indices may vary significantly due to biological, food availability, temporal and sampling factors, and also by fish health and sex. Relative weights in fisheries studies can be used for comparing condition across different populations and species. Investigations carried out indicate that growth of R. kutum in recent years has decreased.