Eaglenest Biodiversity Project

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W. Arunachal
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Arunachal Macaque
References
Acknowledgements

Short-nosed Vinesnake
Short-nosed  Vinesnake   Ahaetulla prasina                                                                                    Doimara, Eaglenest

Herpetofauna  of  W. Arunachal Pradesh

checklist 

 by     Ramana  Athreya

          Page content :
               Snake list
               Lizard list                  
               Amphibian list        
               References                         
               Link to Herp image pages

In the lists below  :  
column 1  :  lists the name,
column 2  :  Pakke record (P)
column 3  :  Eaglenest record (E)
column 4  :  recorded elsewhere in W. Arunachal (B : below Bomdila)
column 5  :  Eaglenest Biodiversity Project record (i.e. during Nov 2003 - Dec 2004) and
column 6  :  Remarks, including code for brief notes (notes listed below the table) and IUCN redlist status.

Snakes

Family: Typhlopidae
Diard's Wormsnake Typhlops diardii 
E
Y
Common Wormsnake Ramphotyphlops braminus P



Family: Boidae
Rock Python Python molurus P E

1
Family: Colubridae
Assam Snaileater Pareas monticola                                          image
E
Y 3
Assam? Snaileater Pareas (cf.) monticola                                image
E
Y 3
Eastern Trinket Orthriophis cantoris      image     image     image
E
Y
Striped Trinket Orthriophis taeniura                                        image
E
Y
Green Ratsnake Ptyas nigromarginata
E
Y
White-barred Kukri Oligodon (cf.) Albocinctus
E
Y 1
Black-barred Kukri Oligodon cinereus                                   image
E
Y
Ornate Flying-snake Chrysopelea ornata                               image P E
Y
Sikkim False-Wolfsnake Dinodon gammiei                     image
E
Y
(Bompu) Keelback  Amphiesma sp.         image     image     image
E
Y 4
Siebold's Keelback Amphiesma sieboldii                                image
E
Y 4
Striped Keelback Amphiesma stolata P E


Checkered Keelback Xenocrophis piscator P E
Y
Himalayan Keelback Rhabdophis himalayanus                   image P E
Y
Red-necked Keelback Rhabdophis subminiatus P



Darjeeling Slendersnake Trachischium fuscum                      image
E
Y
Ochraceous Catsnake Boiga (cf.) ochracea            image     image
E
Y 5
Short-nosed Vinesnake Ahaetulla prasina      image   image   image P E
Y
Mock-Viper Psammodynastes pulverulentus                           image P E
Y
Family: Elapidae
MacClelland's Coralsnake Sinomicrurus macclellandi P



Black Krait Bungarus niger                                                       image P E
Y
Lesser Black Krait Bungarus lividus P



Banded Krait Bungarus fasciatus                             image     image
E
Y
Monocellate Cobra Naja kaouthia P



King Cobra Ophiophagus hannah P E

2
Family: Viperidae
Mountain Pit-viper Ovophis monticola                   image     image

B Y
Spot-tailed(?) Pit-viper Trimeresurus (cf.) erythrurus P




Remarks (col 6)
1 :  identified from dead and incomplete specimens
2 :  identified from description by local people -  a rather  distinctive snake
3 :  This has features of both an Indian and a south-east Asian species; specific status unclear, owing largely to a yet-to-be resolved species complex
4 :  It is not clear whether all of these are the same species or there are 2 or more species. If at least 2 then one of them may require the resuscitation of a long-subsumed taxon (Patrick David, pers comm)
5 :  The scale counts match Boiga multifasciata but according to Franck Tillack who has studied these snakes in Nepal, the scale counts of this group are very variable but the colour is indicative!
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Lizards

Family: Gekkonidae (Gekkos)
Khasi Bent-toed Gecko  Cyrtodactylus khasiensis   image   image  
E
Y
Flat-tailed Gecko  Cosymbotus platyurus                                 image P E
Y
Asian House-Gecko  Hemidactylus frenatus P E
Y
Brook's Gecko  Hemidactylus brooki P



Tucktoo Gecko Gekko gecko P



Family: Agamidae (Rough-scaled Lizards)
Montane green calotes  Calotes jerdoni P



Garden lizard  Calotes versicolor P E
Y
Dafla Mountain-Lizard  Japalura andersoniana                    image P E
Y
Blue-throated Forest-Lizard  Ptyctolaemus gularis P



Family: Scincidae (Skinks)
Spotted Forest-skink  Sphenomorphus maculatus P



Large Forest-skink  Sphenomorphus indicum P



Striped Olive Sun-skink  Mabuya dissimilis P



Speckled Sun-skink  Mabuya macularia P



Asian Sun-skink  Mabuya multifasciata P



Skink sp 1     ??                                                                                image
E


Skink sp 2     ??                                                                                image
E


Family: Lacertidae (Glass-Lizards)
Asian Long-tailed Glass-lizard Takydromus sexilineatus P



Family: Varanidae (Monitor Lizards)
Monitor Lizard Varanus bengalensis P



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Amphibians

Most of the amphibians encountered in the Eaglenest Biodiversity Project have not yet been satisfactorily identified (see the amphibian images) and so are not to be found in this table, yet.

Family: Megophyridae (Megophyrids)
White-lipped xenophrys Xenophrys lateralis P



Indo-Myanmarese xenophrys Xenophrys parva P



Family: Bufonidae (True Toads)
Himalayan toad Bufo himalayanus? P



Large-eared toad Bufo macrotis P



Common Oriental toad Bufo melanostictus P



Family: Microhylidae (Narrowmouths)
Berdmore's Narrowmouth Microhyla berdmorei? P



Ornate narrowmouth Microhyla ornata P



Family: Ranidae (True Frogs)
Long-fingered Amolops  Amolops (cf.) formosus? P



                                             Amolops gerbillus? P



Asian skitterer Euphlyctis cyanophlyctis P



South Asian Bullfrog Hoplobatrachus tigerinus P



Corrugated Bullfrog Hoplobatrachus crassus P



Asian cricket frog Limnonectes limnocharis P



Asian broadhead Limnonectus laticeps? P



North-western Trickle frog Occodozyga/Phrynoglossus borealis P



                                                     Paa liebigii? P



Plain Oriental Streamfrog Rana alticola P



Daniel's Oriental Streamfrog Rana danieli P



Silver-lined paddyfrog Rana erythraea P



Yellow-lined paddyfrog Rana taiphensi P



Family: Rhacophoridae (Old World Tree Frogs)
Lineated Polypedates Polypedates leucomystax P



Large green Rhacophorus Rhacophorus maximus P



Pied Theloderma Theloderma asperum P



                                     Philautus (cf.) annandalii P



Tuberculate Philautus Philautus andersoni P



Golden-lined Reedfrog Chirixalus vittatus P



                                             Chirixalus simus P






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References

identification
a.  Smith (1935)
b. Smith (1943)
c.  Whitaker R. & Captain A.S. (2004)

field records
1.  Agarwal I., Mistry V. & Athreya R. M. (2005)     -    All Eaglenest records
2.  Pawar S. & Birand A.  (2001)        -     All Pakke records



The major handicap in working on Arunachal snakes is the lack of reference material - the extant literature has large gaps and is often decades old! Many of the snakes we saw differed from the "nominal" pubished character-set; for this reason some of our identifications have had to remain, unavoidably, tentative, especially in the absence of collected specimens.  It was much worse with amphibians.  Any pointers to their identity will be gratefully welcomed. Much work needs to be done there and it is hoped these webpages will motivate some student to do so. Ironically, the frustration that this engenders is always balanced, and in fact outweighed, by the heady expectation that a new taxon is just around the corner, waiting to be discovered! 
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The  Eaglenest Biodiversity Project  was funded by a grant from the Rufford Foundation (UK) to Ramana Athreya.
The information contained herein may be freely used, provided that these webpages and/or the report (Athreya 2005)  are  appropriately cited. The images are copyright and may not be reproduced without permission from  Ramana Athreya
The author would appreciate an email from people, scientists and tourists alike, who found these webpages useful.

13 March 2005
Kaati Trust, Pune