Journal of Threatened Taxa |
www.threatenedtaxa.org | 26 September 2020 | 12(13): 16795–16818
ISSN 0974-7907 (Online) | ISSN
0974-7893 (Print)
doi: https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.6028.12.13.16795-16818
#6028 | Received 21 April 2020 |
Final received 03 September 2020 | Finally accepted 09 September 2019
Rapid multi-taxa assessment around Dhamapur Lake
(Sindhudurg, Maharashtra, India) using citizen science reveals significant
odonate records
Neha Mujumdar 1, Dattaprasad Sawant 2, Amila
Sumanapala 3, Parag Rangnekar 4 & Pankaj Koparde5
1 Bombay Natural History Society,
Hornbill House, Opp. Lion Gate, Shaheed Bhagat Singh Road, Colaba, Mumbai,
Maharashtra 400001, India.
2 Department of Community Medicine,
Seth G S Medical College and K E M Hospital, Parel, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400012,
India.
3 Department of Zoology and
Environment Sciences, University of Colombo, Colombo 00700, Sri Lanka.
4 Foundation for Environment Research and Conservation,
#407, 3-A, Susheela Seawinds, Alto-Vaddem, Vasco-da-Gama, Goa 403802, India.
5 School of Ecology &
Environmental Management, Faculty of Sustainability Studies, MIT World Peace
University, Kothrud, Pune, Maharashtra 411038, India.
1 n.mujumdar@bnhs.org
(corresponding author), 2 dattaprasad.101@gmail.com, 3 apsumanapala@gmail.com,
4 rangnekarparag@gmail.com, 5 pankajkoparde@gmail.com
Abstract: In the present work, we discuss
the results of a four-day long rapid survey around Dhamapur Lake and surrounding
freshwater habitats in the Sindhudurg District of Maharashtra through public
participation. In total, 61 odonates, 51
butterflies, 17 species of amphibians and reptiles, 90 birds, and four mammals
are documented. Our observations taken
over a brief time reflect the importance of citizen science in documenting
local biodiversity. We report
involvement of citizen scientists in recovering significant odonate records for
the state.
Keywords: Biodiversity,
conservation, freshwater ecosystem,
northern Western Ghats, Odonata, wetland.
Abbreviations: IUCN – International
Union for Conservation of Nature, WPA – Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972.
Editor: Priya
Davidar, Sigur Nature Trust, Nilgiris, India. Date of publication: 26 September 2020
(online & print)
Citation: Mujumdar,
N., D. Sawant, A. Sumanapala, P. Rangnekar & P. Koparde (2020). Rapid
multi-taxa assessment around Dhamapur Lake (Sindhudurg, Maharashtra, India)
using citizen science reveals significant odonate records. Journal of
Threatened Taxa 12(13): 16795–16818. https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.6028.12.13.16795-16818
Copyright: ©
Mujumdar et al. 2020. Creative Commons Attribution 4.0
International License. JoTT allows unrestricted
use, reproduction, and distribution of this article in any medium by providing
adequate credit to the author(s) and the source of publication.
Funding: Self funded.
Competing
interests: The authors declare no competing interests.
Author details:
Neha Mujumdar - working as scientist at Bombay Natural
History Society, Mumbai. She has documented diversity and ecological aspects of
butterflies and odonates in the Western Ghats. She is one of the admins of
DrgaonflySouthAsia. Website: https://dragonflysouthasia.wordpress.com/. Dattaprasad
Sawant - a doctor by profession and graduated from GMC JJ
Hospital, Mumbai. He is pursuing MD in Preventive and Social Medicine in Seth
GSMC and KEM Hospital, Mumbai. He is documenting Lepidoptera and Odonata diversity
of Konkan region. He has described two new Odonata species from Maharashtra
with Shantanu Joshi. Amila Prasanna
Sumanapala - a Sri Lankan field researcher primarily studying
Odonata diversity, ecology, biogeography and conservation. Also interested in
arthropods and birds. Currently pursuing M.Phil on Odonata at University of
Colombo, Sri Lanka. Parag Rangnekar - researcher
and ecologist based in Goa with interest in avian, butterfly and odonate
diversity and ecology. He has described
two new species of dragonflies from the State. He operates various
community-based ecotourism initiatives. Dr. Pankaj Koparde is an evolutionary
ecologist, working as an assistant professor at MIT World Peace University. He
is interested in science-driven conservation research and outreach. He is one
of the admins of DrgaonflySouthAsia. website: https://www.chaturullu.in/
Author
contribution: NM collected data in the field on butterflies,
odonates and herps, contributed images, prepared checklists and wrote the manuscript. DS collected data on butterflies and odonates
in the field, helped in their identification and manuscript editing, and
contributed images. AS collected data in
the field on butterflies, odonates, herps and birds, contributed images, helped
in manuscript editing. PR collected data
in the field on butterflies, odonates and birds, prepared checklists, helped in
manuscript editing. PK conceptualized
the idea and organized the field data collection drive, collected data in the
field on odonates and birds, and reviewed manuscript draft.
Acknowledgements:
We are grateful to Mr. Sachin Desai, Mr. Mohammad
Shaikh, the team Syamantak and Sindhudurg Wetland Brief Documentation
Committee, who were instrumental in helping with logistics and sharing their
knowledge on Dhamapur Lake area. We
would like to thank Dr. K.A. Subramanian (scientist-E, Zoological Survey of
India) for providing comments on unidentified odonates. We are grateful to Mr. Saunak Pal for
identification help of herpetofauna and Mr. Prosenjit Dawn for providing
critical comments on the manuscript. We
thank Mr. Samadhan Chavan, Deputy Conservator of Forests (DCF), Sawantwadi and
other forest department personnel for their encouragement and support. We are thankful to all the participants for
making the meet successful. Many thanks
to Dr. Muralidhar Gopalakrishna, Ameya Deshpande, Vaibhav Ugare, Balachandran
V., and Vivek Chandran A. for sharing their photographs.
Abstract: In the present work, we discuss
the results of a four-day long rapid survey around Dhamapur Lake and
surrounding freshwater habitats in the Sindhudurg District of Maharashtra
through public participation. In total,
61 odonates, 51 butterflies, 17 species of amphibians and reptiles, 90 birds,
and four mammals are documented. Our
observations taken over a brief time reflect the importance of citizen science
in documenting local biodiversity. We
report involvement of citizen scientists in recovering significant odonate
records for the state.
Keywords: Biodiversity, conservation,
freshwater ecosystem, northern Western
Ghats, Odonata, wetland.
Abbreviations: IUCN – International
Union for Conservation of Nature, WPA – Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972.
Introduction
The
indeterminate exploitation of the natural resources by humans has caused
considerable alterations in the ecosystem functioning and biodiversity loss
through urbanization, habitat destruction, habitat modification, and
degradation of vital freshwater resources (Gleick et al. 2001; McKinney 2002;
Diaz et al. 2006; Dudgeon et al. 2006).
Despite the current body of knowledge of environmental degradation,
several regions remain less explored in terms of data on biodiversity. The lack of knowledge on biodiversity hampers
the decision making at policy level and hence considered as one of the global
priorities when forming conservation frameworks (Meyer et al. 2015; Sorte &
Somveille 2020). In recent years,
citizen science has proved to be a beneficial tool in collecting biodiversity
data through people’s participation (Theobald et al. 2015; Chandler et al.
2017; Mckinley et al. 2017). It is used
for research, to understand distribution and possible threats to multiple taxa
like insects, amphibians, birds, and mammals (Kolby 2015; Forrester et al.
2017; Zapponi et al. 2017; Sorte & Somveille 2020). In India, the practice of citizen science has
proved as a useful tool for biodiversity documentation at finer spatial scale
(Badrinath 2015; Seshadri & Gururaja 2015; SoIB 2020).
DragonflySouthAsia
(DSA), a part of DiversityIndia (http://diversityindia.org/), is a citizen
science network of Odonata (dragonflies and damselflies) watchers and
researchers from the Indian subcontinent (https://dragonflyindmeet.wordpress.com/).
DSA has been actively involved in conservation outreach and research,
popularizing odonatology and freshwater conservation through meets and
workshops every year since 2014 (Andrew et al. 2015; Dawn & Roy 2017;
Koparde et al. 2018, 2020), and facilitating collaborative research (Mujumdar
et al. 2018). In the current survey, we
used a combination of rapid multi-taxa assessment and citizen science to
document biodiversity in Dhamapur Lake area taking odonates as target
taxa. Here, we demonstrate that peoples’
participation in science can provide reliable biodiversity data in a very short
period of time and help highlight the potential of the lake to support the
urgency to protect it.
Methods
Study area
Sindhudurg
District, situated at the southernmost tip of Maharashtra, is one of the
biodiversity rich areas of the state and includes parts of northern Western
Ghats, locally known as Sahyadri Hill ranges.
Dhamapur Lake (16.033°N & 73.593°E; 22m) is located in the Malvan
Tehsil of Sindhudurg District (Figure 1, Image 1). The climate of Malvan Tehsil remains hot and
humid throughout the year having an annual average temperature 27.1°C and
average annual precipitation of 2,865mm (Malvan summary 2020).
The lake
is a 400 years old human-made lake with an area of 22 hectares. It provides water to Malvan City (TERI
2013). The surrounding villages Dhamapur
and Walvali depend on its water for domestic use and irrigation purposes. The forest around the lake is moist deciduous
and categorised as reserve forest.
Streams having varying canopy cover, flow along one side of the lake
(Image 3), while the other side is surrounded by marshes and paddy fields
(Image 2).
Survey
sites
We
surveyed various freshwater habitats like lakes, ponds, wells, and streams
around Dhamapur Village as our focal taxon was odonates. We also surveyed the natural vegetation,
paddy-fields and forest patches around these habitats. Details of the study sites are given in Table
1 (Images 2–6).
Data
collection
The 6th
DragonflySouthAsia meet was conducted during 10–13 October 2019 wherein a total
of 25 people participated from India and Sri Lanka. A few members of Syamantak, a local community
working towards conservation of wetlands in the Sindhudurg area (http://syamantak.cfsites.org/),
also took part.
On all the
four days, we opportunistically surveyed the sites for rapid assessment of
selective invertebrates and vertebrates.
Rapid multi-taxa assessments are used to yield quick yet reliable
results. These are cost-effective,
useful to make inventories of the local biodiversity, and the information
obtained in terms of species richness can be used potentially to represent the
community structure (Oliver & Beattie 1993, 1996). We used citizen science model for data
collection and to document the maximum number of species (Chandler et al.
2017). The process involves
participation in the survey by volunteers with little or no expertise on the
taxa whose observations were verified by the experts later on.
The
participants were split into four different groups, each containing six to seven
members, to cover different habitats surrounding the lake (Image 2 &
3). They were trained in using
iNaturalist app (https://www.inaturalist.org/).
Taxa like odonates, butterflies, birds, and mammals were surveyed in the
morning hours, i.e., from 08.00h to 12.30h.
Bird activity was also recorded during afternoon hours 14.00–16.00
h. Amphibians, reptiles, nocturnal
birds, and mammals were recorded during 20.30–23.00 h. Various habitats such as the moist deciduous
forests, marshlands, open grasslands, paddy fields, and streams fed by Dhamapur
Lake were surveyed by participants (Images 7–9).
Identification
of odonates was based on field guides (Subramanian 2009) and taxonomy
monographs (Fraser 1933, 1934, 1936).
For identification, we referred to Bhakare & Ogale (2018) for
butterflies, Grimmett et al. (2011) for birds, and Menon (2014) for
mammals. Amphibians and reptiles were
identified with multiple references like Daniel (2002), Whitaker & Captain
(2004), Gururaja (2012), Padhye et al. (2015), and Pal et al. (2018). We documented most of the species in the
field using point-and-shoot digital as well as SLR cameras. In case of ambiguity, we took photographs of
the specimens on the field and later identified them to the species level with
the help of field guides and taxa experts, especially in the case of amphibians
and reptiles. All observations were
compiled in the form of checklists adding categories according to the
International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List of Threatened Species
(hereafter, IUCN) at the end of the meet (IUCN 2020). Species of odonates, butterflies, and birds
were arranged according to the family level and those of amphibians, reptiles
and mammals according to the order level using standard references like
Varshney & Smetacek (2015), Kamalakannan & Venkatraman (2017),
Subramanian & Babu (2017), Aengals et al. (2018), Bhakare & Ogale
(2018), Dinesh et al. (2019), Praveen et al. (2019), and Uetz et al. (2019).
Results
In total,
we documented 61 odonates (Table 2), 51 butterflies (Table 3), 17 species of
amphibians and reptiles (Table 4 & 5), 90 birds (Table 6), and four mammals
(Table 7) during the tenure. We
encountered the newly described Ceriagrion chromothorax Joshi &
Sawant, 2019 in both Dhamapur and Thakurwadi lakes (Image 17). As per the status provided by Wild Life
(Protection) Act, 1972 (hereafter, WPA), Doleschallia bisaltide (Cramer,
[1777]) and Hypolimnas misippus (Linnaeus, 1764) are included in
schedule I, while Cynitia lepidea (Butler, 1868) and Parthenos sylvia
(Cramer, 1775) are under schedule II among butterflies. In the case of birds, the majority of the
species, i.e., 80 out of 90 species belong to schedule IV. Three species are categorised as Near
Threatened, namely, Anhinga melanogaster Pennant, 1769, Anthracoceros
coronatus (Boddaert, 1783), and Brachypodius priocephalus (Jerdon,
1839), while Buceros bicornis Linnaeus, 1758 is Vulnerable. A. coronatus and B. bicornis
are included under schedule I whereas A. melanogaster and B.
priocephalus are under schedule IV of WPA.
The
anurans, Euphlyctis cynophlyctis (Schneider, 1799), E. hexadactylus
(Lesson, 1834), Hoplobatrachus tigerinus (Daudin, 1802), and Polypedates
maculatus (Gray, 1830) are Least Concern according to IUCN and first three
are included under schedule IV of WPA.
In order Serpentes among reptiles, Fowlea piscator (Schneider,
1799) and Ptyas mucosa (Linnaeus, 1758) belong to schedule II, Oligodon
taeniolatus (Jerdon, 1853) and Amphiesma stolatum (Linnaeus, 1758)
belong to schedule IV of WPA and remain Not Evaluated by IUCN. No species in Order Sauria is included under
WPA but categorised as Least Concern according to IUCN with exception of Calotes
versicolor (Daudin, 1802) which is Not Evaluated. The mammalian species Herpestes edwardsii
(É. Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, 1818), Macaca radiata (E. Geoffroy, 1812),
and Funambulus palmarum (Linnaeus, 1766) are Least Concern while Semnopithecus
hypoleucos Blyth, 1841 is Vulnerable as per IUCN. The first two are part of schedule II of WPA
while the latter are not included under any schedule.
Comments
on significant records of odonates
Following
odonates observed at Thakurwadi Lake on 12 October 2019 are significant records
considering their current known geographical distributions. The lake is filled with emergent and
submergent aquatic vegetation including members of family Nymphaeaceae (Image
4).
Lestes praemorsus decipiens Kirby,
1894
A pair was
observed in the marshy area of the lake.
The male was identified as Lestes praemorsus on the basis of
characters like thorax with greenish antehumeral stirpes, crenulate on the
outer sides; segment nine with dorso-lateral blue marking; blunt and curved
cerci with whitish hairs and paraprocts blackish, short with white hairs at the
tip (Image 10). The female looked
similar to the male with profound thoracic antehumeral stripes. Anal appendages
were whitish, short, and pointed (Image 11).
The species is distributed from western India to Assam (Fraser 1933),
Andaman Islands and across the northern parts of the country and consist of two
subspecies L. praemorsus sikkima Fraser, 1929 and L. praemorsus
decipiens Kirby, 1893 (Prasad & Varshney 1995; Dow & Sharma
2020). L.p. sikkima is confined
to Sikkim in northeastern India and is distinguished by having a metallic
posthumeral stripe (Fraser 1933). The
male specimen observed at the lake lacks any metallic posthumeral markings
(Image 12), thus it is concluded to be representing the widespread subspecies L.p.
dicipiens. It should, however, also
be noted that the taxonomic status of the subspecies of L. praemorsus is
insufficiently resolved (Kosterin 2019).
DS found the species in September 2017 at a natural pond with aquatic
weeds in Vimleshwar Village of the district.
Considering the distribution in the mentioned references and citizen
science portals (Anonymous 2020a), we note that these are the first confirmed
records of the subspecies from Maharashtra.
2. Platylestes cf. platystylus
A single
female individual sighted at the lake seems to be closer to Platylestes
platystylus (Rambur, 1842) based on the pterostigma (quadrate as opposite
to elongate in Lestes spp.) and thoracic markings (presence of black
spots on each side) (Image 13). We did
not collect the specimen hence species level identification was not
confirmed. We treat our record as Platylestes
cf. platystylus. The species P.
platystylus has distribution in West Bengal in India (Fraser 1933;
Prasad & Varshney 1995; Sharma 2010).
It is also reported from Tripura and Kerala on citizen science portals
(Anonymous 2020b; https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?place_id=6681&taxon_id=109709). Rison & Chandran (2020) recorded the
species from few localities in Kerala recently.
During present study, the female was seen curling abdomen on an emergent
aquatic plant, indicating probable attempt at egg-laying.
3. Pseudagrion
malabaricum Fraser, 1924
Pseudagrion
malabaricum was first reported from Maharashtra State by Tiple et
al. (2013) in the Vidarbha region.
Subsequently, this species has also been reported from Devgad Taluka and
Chaukul Village in Sindhudurg District (Anonymous 2020c). During the present survey, several adults
were observed among the reeds and grassy aquatic vegetation near the lake edge
(Image 14). The species was identified
based on the cerci being shorter than abdomen segment 10 and not bifid at apex
(Image 15). The only other Pseudagrion
species recorded in the habitat, P. microcephalum, has bifid cerci
clearly longer than the segment 10 while the morphologically similar species P.
australasiae has cerci bifid at apex as seen in profile (Fraser
1933).
4.
Gynacantha cf. khasiaca
A single
male individual was observed in the vegetation surrounding the lake. The specimen was recognised separate from the
other Gynacantha spp. recorded during the study and showed similar
characters to those of Gynacantha khasiaca MacLachlan, 1896 i.e.
paraproct longer than half of the length of cerci (Image 18) and two lateral
brownish stripes on the greenish thorax (Image 19). G. khasiaca is distributed in West
Bengal, Assam and Khasi hills in Meghalaya in India (Fraser 1936). Few studies further add the southernmost
distribution of the species to West Bengal (Mitra 2002; Payra et al. 2017). We confirm the observed specimen as Gynacantha
cf. khasiaca owing to confirmation of the mentioned limited characters
as we did not collect the specimen. It
is an interesting opportunistic record from the western India considering its
affinity to G. khasiaca with the known distribution range in northeastern
parts of the country (Mitra et al. 2010).
It requires detailed study of the specimen further to confirm its
identity.
5. Indothemis
limbata sita Campion, 1923
Indothemis
limbata was described as Trithemis limbata Selys, 1891
based on specimens from Myanmar and Malay Peninsula. A different form of the species was described
as I. limbata sita from Sri Lanka, based on the wing venation and
markings (Campion 1923). Later studies
considered I. limbata limbata to be restricted to Myanmar and southeastern
Asia and I. limbata sita to be restricted to the western India and Sri
Lanka barring one record from Odisha (Fraser 1936; Prasad & Varshney
1995). Babu et al. (2009) reported I.
limbata limbata as a new record for the state mentioning the distribution
as Odisha, West Bengal, parts of northeastern India, and Karnataka. State checklists of odonates mention the
species with the same reference (Director 2012; Tiple & Koparde 2015 ). The authors considered I. limbata sita
in the checklist of India (Subramanian & Babu 2017), but there is no
mention of the species in the Western Ghats atlas (Subramanian et al.
2018). Opportunistic observations
indicate the presence of the species from Assam (Anonymous 2020d) and Uttara
Kannada, Karnataka (https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=707419235973335&set=gm.740960425953503). These studies show that there has been a
discrepancy on the identity and distribution of both the subspecies. The new record of I. limbata limbata
from Maharashtra needs to be confirmed by re-examining the specimens and
comparing with the holotypes since all the other records of the subspecies are
from Odisha and northeastern parts India and the paper didn’t include any
illustration or image of the specimens studied.
Present
records from the lake show the presence of at least one adult (Image 20) and
one sub-adult male (abdomen with yellowish markings) (Image 21). We confirm the record as Indothemis
limbata sita based on characters of the adult male such as
hyaline wing apices and 10-1/2 antenodal nervures in the forewing (apices
bordered as blackish-brown and 11-1/2 - 12-1/2 antenodal nervures in I. limbata
limbata). At species level I.
limbata is distinguished from the congeneric species I. carnatica
(Fabricius, 1798) by black body with black anal appendages and base of hindwing
with extensive brown marking as opposite to violaceous body with white anal
appendages and small amber yellow colour at hindwing base in the latter. I. carnatica was not recorded
during the present study but is reported from peninsular India (Dow 2019). DS has observed it in Sindhudurg District
(Anonymous 2020e). Image 20 has been
used for comparison in the novel description of Bradinopyga konkanensis
from western coastal parts of the state (Joshi & Sawant 2020). We highlight this as the first confirmed
record of the subspecies from the western Maharashtra.
Discussion
Inventorying
and monitoring biodiversity at a regional scale is essential as it provides
vital information on the occurrence and distribution of local diversity, and
their associations with local habitat. A
study by Kunte et al. (1999) recommended biodiversity surveys at a local level
encompassing taxa from diverse groups and not just flagship vertebrate species
like birds and mammals. It further
states that building a network of long-term biodiversity monitoring projects
with an understanding of landscape elements (e.g., vegetation types,
microhabitats requirements of particular taxa) in ecologically sensitive areas
such as the Western Ghats is important.
The
current study dwells on two important aspects discussed as following -
a) Role of
citizen science in biodiversity documentation
The very
key aspect of citizen science is public engagement in data collection through
which they can connect with nature and make a positive contribution towards the
environment. It acts as a bridge between
researchers and the local community, including the stakeholders. The participants actively participated in the
current survey and documented different taxa of the study area with increased
interest towards local biodiversity.
Their effort resulted in the multi-taxa checklist of Dhamapur Lake and
surroundings and also added two subspecies to the state Odonata checklist. They also uploaded their observations on the
online database of iNaturalist that served the purpose of data sharing on a
broader platform.
b)
Conservation implications of Dhamapur Lake and surroundings
Among the
odonates, presence of the species Platylestes cf. platystylus and
Gynacantha cf. khasiaca, possible new records to the state (Tiple
& Koparde 2015; Koparde et al. 2020), highlights the potential of the lakes
for more systematic Odonata surveys in the future. Habitats around Dhamapur Lake support a rich
and diverse fauna. The scheduled
butterflies like D. bisaltide, P. sylvia, and C. lepidea
and the key-stone bird species such as A. coronatus and B.
bicornis are indicator species inhabiting dense moist forests. We observed a colour aberrant individual of Psilopogon
viridis (Boddaert, 1783) during the survey (Image 46). We based the species identification, in the
absence of prominent cheek and head coloration, on size and iris skin colour
(black as in P. viridis).
We speculate that the bird was either a leucistic or ino individual given
features such as normal eye pigmentation, iris skin and beak colour (Grouw
2006; Koparde et al. 2014). Habitats
around Dhamapur Lake are also known to harbour a large variety of animals
including Lutrogale perspicillata (I. Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, 1826) -
Smooth Coated Otter, a Vulnerable species according to IUCN. The biodiversity action plan prepared for
Sindhudurg and Malvan districts mentions the lake as a large wetland and as a
unique feature of Malvan Tehsil, further mentioning that the lake has the
potential to be developed as a Ramsar site, however, biodiversity has to be
studied (TERI 2013).
Biodiversity
studies have been focused at certain locations in Sindhudurg District. Places like Amboli, a hill station in
Sawantwadi Tehsil, attracts many nature enthusiasts and tourists every
year. Explorations by the researchers
have resulted in a number of scientific publications (Bhakare & Ogale 2018;
Satose et al. 2018; Rao et al. 2019) and new species (Vogel & Rooijen 2011;
Sayyed et al. 2018; Chaitanya et al. 2019) from this area. There are hardly any long-term monitoring
studies in this area facing high tourism pressure.
Current
work done over a period of just four days revealed some interesting faunal
records, especially for odonates, birds, and mammals that tried to fill the
knowledge gap on the biodiversity information of the district. The findings, though primary, form the base
for future monitoring and conservation of the Dhamapur Lake area. We recommend
systematic biodiversity surveys in this underexplored but potentially
biodiversity rich area for conservation of local freshwater ecosystems such as
the streams originating from the lake, and important rivers such as Karli
River. Data collected on the local
biodiversity can be used to target local students for awareness programmes and
to promote sustainable tourism activities without disturbing the integrity of
the lake and nearby forest, in order to avail the resources in the long run.
Table 1.
Study sites of Dhamapur lake area.
Survey
sites |
Survey
locality |
GPS
coordinates and elevation |
Habitat |
S1 |
Dhamapur
Lake (Image 1 & 2) |
16.0335°N
& 73.5939°E, 22m |
Surrounded
by moist deciduous forest and streams on one side and marshlands, paddy
fields on other |
S2 |
Stream
along Dhamapur Lake (Image 3) |
16.0325°N
& 73.5952°E, 18m |
Stream
of varied canopy cover, fed by the lake flowing alongside through
moist-deciduous and semi-evergreen vegetation; intermittent rocky areas
forming temporary puddles; presence of algae on the rock surface |
S3 |
Thakurwadi
Lake (Image 4) |
16.0112°N
& 73.6474°E, 14m |
Marshland
with aquatic vegetation |
S4 |
Kasartaka
Stream (Image 5 & 6) |
16.0448°N
& 73.5746°E, 65m |
A stream
with varying water depth from open shallow areas to areas with 0.6–0.9 m
water depth and closed canopy; intermittent grass patches and herbs along the
banks |
S5 |
Ponds
and wells |
16.0288°N
& 73.5918°E, 17m |
Temporary
and permanent water sources in nearby residential areas |
Table 2.
Checklist of Odonata (dragonflies and damselflies) species.
|
Scientific
Name |
Common
Name |
IUCN
status |
Locality
of observation |
|
Suborder
Zygoptera |
|
|
|
|
Family
Lestidae |
|
|
|
1 |
Lestes
praemorsus decipiens Kirby, 1893 |
Sapphire-eyed
Spreadwing |
LC |
TL |
2 |
Platylestes
cf. platystylus |
- |
- |
TL |
|
Family
Platystictidae |
|
|
|
3 |
Protosticta
gravelyi Laidlaw, 1915 |
Pied
Reedtail |
LC |
KS |
|
Family
Calopterygidae |
|
|
|
4 |
Vestalis
gracilis (Rambur, 1842) |
Clear-winged
Forest Glory |
LC |
S |
|
Family
Chlorocyphidae |
|
|
|
5 |
Heliocypha
bisignata (Hagen in Selys, 1853) |
Stream
Ruby |
LC |
S |
6 |
Libellago
indica (Fraser, 1928) |
Southern
Heliodor |
LC |
S |
|
Family
Euphaeidae |
|
|
|
7 |
Euphaea
fraseri (Laidlaw, 1920) |
Malabar
Torrent Dart |
LC |
S; KS |
|
Family
Platycnemididae |
|
|
|
8 |
Copera
marginipes (Rambur, 1842) |
Yellow
Bush Dart |
LC |
DL |
9 |
Copera
vittata Selys, 1863 |
Blue
Bush Dart |
LC |
DL |
10 |
Disparoneura
quadrimaculata (Rambur, 1842) |
Black-winged
Bamboo Tail |
LC |
KS |
11 |
Prodasineura
verticalis (Selys, 1860) |
Black
Bambootail |
LC |
S |
|
Family
Coenagrionidae |
|
|
|
12 |
Aciagrion
occidentale Laidlaw, 1919 |
Green-striped
Slender Dartlet |
LC |
TL |
13 |
Agriocnemis
pieris Laidlaw, 1919 |
White
Dartlet |
LC |
S; TL |
14 |
Agriocnemis
pygmaea (Rambur, 1842) |
Pygmy
Dartlet |
LC |
M; KS |
15 |
Agriocnemis
splendidissima Laidlaw, 1919 |
Splendid
Dartlet |
NE |
M; KS |
16 |
Ceriagrion
cerinorubellum (Brauer, 1865) |
Orange-tailed
Marsh Dart |
LC |
DL |
17 |
Ceriagrion
chromothorax Joshi and Sawant, 2019 |
Sindhudurg
Marsh Dart |
NE |
TL; DL |
18 |
Ceriagrion
coromandelianum (Fabricius, 1798) |
Coromandel
Marsh Dart |
LC |
DL |
19 |
Ceriagrion
rubiae Laidlaw, 1916 |
Orange
Marsh Dart |
NE |
TL |
20 |
Ischnura
rubilio Selys, 1876 |
Western
Golden Dartlet |
LC |
M |
21 |
Ischnura
senegalensis (Rambur, 1842) |
Senegal
Golden Dartlet |
LC |
TL; DL |
22 |
Mortonagrion
varralli Fraser, 1920 |
Brown
Dartlet |
DD |
DL; S |
23 |
Pseudagrion
decorum (Rambur, 1842) |
Three-striped
Blue Dart |
LC |
DL |
24 |
Pseudagrion
indicum Fraser, 1924 |
Yellow-striped
Blue Dart |
DD |
KS; S |
25 |
Pseudagrion
malabaricum Fraser, 1924 |
Malabar
Sprite |
LC |
M; TL |
26 |
Pseudagrion
microcephalum (Rambur, 1842) |
Blue
Grass Dartlet |
LC |
M; DL |
|
Suborder
Anisoptera |
|
|
|
|
Family
Aeshnidae |
|
|
|
27 |
Anax
guttatus (Burmeister, 1839) |
Blue-Tailed
Green Darner |
LC |
DL |
28 |
Anax
immaculifrons Rambur, 1842 |
Blue
Darner |
LC |
KS |
29 |
Anax
indicus Lieftinck, 1942 |
Lesser
Green Emperor |
LC |
DL |
30 |
Gynacantha
dravida Lieftinck, 1960 |
Brown
Darner |
LC |
KS |
31 |
Gynacantha
cf. khasiaca |
- |
- |
TL |
|
Family
Gomphidae |
|
|
|
32 |
Ictinogomphus
rapax (Rambur, 1842) |
Common
Clubtail |
LC |
DL |
33 |
Paragomphus
lineatus (Selys, 1850) |
Common
Hooktail |
LC |
KS |
|
Family
Macromiidae |
|
|
|
34 |
Epophthalmia
vittata Burmeister, 1839 |
Common
Torrent Hawk |
LC |
DL |
|
Family
Libellulidae |
|
|
|
35 |
Acisoma
panorpoides Rambur, 1842 |
Trumpet
Tail |
LC |
DL |
36 |
Brachydiplax
sobrina (Rambur, 1842) |
Little
Blue Marsh Hawk |
LC |
DL |
37 |
Bradinopyga
geminata (Rambur, 1842) |
Granite
Ghost |
LC |
W |
38 |
Crocothemis
servilia (Drury, 1770) |
Ruddy
Marsh Skimmer |
LC |
DL |
39 |
Diplacodes
nebulosa (Fabricius, 1793) |
Black-tipped
Ground Skimmer |
LC |
DL |
40 |
Diplacodes
trivialis (Rambur, 1842) |
Ground
Skimmer |
LC |
DL |
41 |
Hydrobasileus
croceus (Brauer, 1867) |
Amber-winged
Marsh Glider |
LC |
P |
42 |
Indothemis
limbata sita Campion, 1923 |
Restless
Demon |
LC |
TL |
43 |
Neurothemis
fulvia (Drury, 1773) |
Fulvous
Forest Skimmer |
LC |
TL |
44 |
Neurothemis
tullia (Drury, 1773) |
Pied
Paddy Skimmer |
LC |
M |
45 |
Orthetrum
chrysis (Selys, 1891) |
Brown-backed
Red Marsh Hawk |
LC |
DL |
46 |
Orthetrum
glaucum (Brauer, 1865) |
Blue
Marsh Hawk |
LC |
DL |
47 |
Orthetrum
luzonicum (Brauer, 1868) |
Tricolored
Marsh Hawk |
LC |
DL |
48 |
Orthetrum
pruinosum (Burmeister, 1839) |
Crimson-tailed
Marsh Hawk |
LC |
DL |
49 |
Orthetrum
sabina (Drury, 1770) |
Green
Marsh Hawk |
LC |
DL |
50 |
Pantala
flavescens (Fabricius, 1798) |
Wandering
Glider |
LC |
DL |
51 |
Potamarcha
congener (Rambur, 1842) |
Yellow-tailed
Ashy Skimmer |
LC |
DL |
52 |
Rhodothemis
rufa (Rambur, 1842) |
Rufous
Marsh Glider |
LC |
DL |
53 |
Rhyothemis
variegata (Linnaeus, 1763) |
Common
Picturewing |
LC |
DL |
54 |
Tetrathemis
platyptera Selys, 1878 |
Pygmy
Skimmer |
LC |
KS |
55 |
Tholymis
tillarga (Fabricius, 1798) |
Coral-tailed
Cloud Wing |
LC |
DL |
56 |
Tramea
basilaris (Palisot de Beauvois, 1805) |
Red
Marsh Trotter |
LC |
DL |
57 |
Tramea
limbata (Desjardins, 1832) |
Black
Marsh Trotter |
LC |
KS |
58 |
Trithemis
aurora (Burmeister, 1839) |
Crimson
Marsh Glider |
LC |
DL |
59 |
Trithemis
festiva (Rambur, 1842) |
Black
Stream Glider |
LC |
KS |
60 |
Zygonix
iris Selys, 1869 |
Iridescent
Stream Glider |
LC |
KS |
61 |
Zyxomma
petiolatum Rambur, 1842 |
Brown
Dusk Hawk |
LC |
W |
NE—Not
Evaluated | DD—Data Deficient | LC—Least Concern | DL—Dhamapur Lake |
KS—Kasartaka Stream | TL—Thakurwadi Lake | S—stream along Dhamapur Lake |
M—marshes | W—well | P—pond.
Table 3.
Checklist of butterflies.
|
Scientific
name |
Common
name |
IUCN
status |
WPA
schedule |
|
Family
Papilionidae |
|
|
|
1 |
Graphium
agamemnon (Linnaeus, 1758) |
Tailed
Jay |
NE |
- |
2 |
Graphium
teredon (C. & R. Felder, 1865) |
Southern
Bluebottle |
NE |
- |
3 |
Papilio
demoleus Linnaeus, 1758 |
Lime
Butterfly |
NE |
- |
4 |
Papilio
polymnestor Cramer, [1775] |
Blue
Mormon |
NE |
- |
5 |
Papilio
polytes Linnaeus, 1758 |
Common
Mormon |
NE |
- |
|
Family
Hesperiidae |
|
|
|
6 |
Aeromachus
pygmaeus (Fabricius, 1775) |
Pygmy
Scrub Hopper |
NE |
- |
7 |
Ampittia
dioscorides (Fabricius,1793) |
Bush
Hopper |
NE |
- |
8 |
Iambrix
salsala (Moore, [1866]) |
Chestnut
Bob |
NE |
- |
9 |
Oriens
goloides (Moore, [1881]) |
Ceylon
Dartlet |
NE |
- |
10 |
Parnara
guttatus (Bremer & Grey, [1852]) |
Straight
Swift |
NE |
- |
11 |
Pelopidas
sp. Walker, 1870 |
- |
NE |
- |
12 |
Spialia
galba (Fabricius, 1793) |
Indian
Skipper |
NE |
- |
13 |
Tagiades
litigiosa Moeschler, 1878 |
Water
Snow Flat |
NE |
- |
14 |
Taractrocera
ceramas (Hewitson, 1868) |
Tamil
Grass Dart |
NE |
- |
15 |
Udaspes
folus (Cramer, [1775] |
Grass
Demon |
NE |
- |
|
Family
Pieridae |
|
|
|
16 |
Catopsilia
pomona (Fabricius, 1775) |
Common
Emigrant |
NE |
- |
17 |
Delias
eucharis (Drury, 1773) |
Common
Jezebel |
NE |
- |
18 |
Eurema
hecabe (Linnaeus, 1758) |
Common
Grass Yellow |
NE |
- |
19 |
Leptosia
nina (Fabricius, 1793) |
Psyche |
NE |
- |
20 |
Pareronia
ceylanica (C. & R. Felder, 1865) |
Dark
Wanderer |
NE |
- |
21 |
Pareronia
valeria (Cramer, [1776]) |
Common
Wanderer |
NE |
- |
|
Family
Riodinidae |
|
|
|
22 |
Abisara
bifasciata Moore, 1877 |
Two-spot
Plum Judy |
NE |
- |
|
Family
Lycaenidae |
|
|
|
23 |
Acytolepis
puspa (Horsfield, [1828]) |
Common
Hedge Blue |
NE |
- |
24 |
Caleta
decidia (Hewitson, 1876) |
Angled
Pierrot |
NE |
- |
25 |
Chilades
pandava (Horsfield, [1829]) |
Plains
Cupid |
NE |
- |
26 |
Jamides
celeno (Cramer, [1775] |
Common
Cerulean |
NE |
- |
27 |
Loxura
atymnus (Stoll, 1780) |
Yamfly |
NE |
- |
28 |
Rathinda
amor (Fabricius, 1775) |
Monkey
Puzzle |
NE |
- |
|
Family
Nymphalidae |
|
|
|
29 |
Cirrochroa
thais (Fabricius, 1787) |
Tamil
Yeoman |
NE |
- |
30 |
Cupha
erymanthis (Drury, [1773]) |
Rustic |
NE |
- |
31 |
Cynitia
lepidea (Butler, 1868) |
Grey
Count |
NE |
II |
32 |
Danaus
chrysippus (Linnaeus, 1758) |
Plain
Tiger |
LC |
- |
33 |
Danaus
genutia (Cramer, [1779]) |
Common
Tiger |
NE |
- |
34 |
Doleschallia
bisaltide (Cramer, [1777]) |
Autumn
Leaf |
NE |
I |
35 |
Elymnias
hypermnestra (Linnaeus, 1763) |
Common
Palmfly |
NE |
- |
36 |
Euploea
core (Cramer, [1780]) |
Common
Crow |
LC |
- |
37 |
Euthalia
aconthea (Cramer, [1777]) |
Common
Baron |
NE |
- |
38 |
Hypolimnas
bolina (Linnaeus, 1758) |
Great
Eggfly |
NE |
- |
39 |
Hypolimnas
misippus (Linnaeus, 1764) |
Danaid
Eggfly |
NE |
I |
40 |
Junonia
almana (Linnaeus, 1758) |
Peacock
Pansy |
LC |
- |
41 |
Junonia
atlites (Linnaeus, 1763) |
Grey
Pansy |
NE |
- |
42 |
Junonia
iphita (Cramer, [1779]) |
Chocolate
Pansy |
NE |
- |
43 |
Junonia
lemonias (Linnaeus, 1758) |
Lemon
Pansy |
NE |
- |
44 |
Melanitis
leda (Linnaeus, 1758) |
Common
Evening Brown |
NE |
- |
45 |
Mycalesis
perseus (Fabricius, 1775) |
Common
Bushbrown |
NE |
- |
46 |
Neptis
hylas (Linnaeus, 1758) |
Common
Sailer |
NE |
- |
47 |
Orsotriaena
medus (Fabricius, 1775) |
Nigger |
NE |
- |
48 |
Parantica
aglea (Stoll, [1782]) |
Glassy
Tiger |
NE |
- |
49 |
Parthenos
sylvia (Cramer, 1775) |
Clipper |
NE |
II |
50 |
Tirumala
limniace (Cramer, [1775]) |
Blue
Tiger |
NE |
- |
51 |
Ypthima
huebneri Kirby, 1871 |
Common
Fourring |
NE |
- |
NE—Not
Evaluated | LC—Least Concern.
Table 4
Checklist of amphibians.
|
Scientific
name |
Common
name |
IUCN
Status |
WPA
Schedule |
|
Order
Anura |
|
|
|
|
Family
Dicroglossidae |
|
|
|
1 |
Euphlyctis
cyanophlyctis (Schneider, 1799) |
Skittering
Frog |
LC |
IV |
2 |
Euphlyctis
hexadactylus (Lesson, 1834) |
Indian
Green Frog |
LC |
IV |
3 |
Hoplobatrachus
tigerinus (Daudin, 1802) |
Indian
Bull Frog |
LC |
IV |
4 |
Sphaerotheca
sp. Günther, 1859 |
Burrowing
Frog |
- |
- |
|
Family
Ranidae |
|
|
|
5 |
Hydrophylax
bahuvistara Padhye, Jadhav, Modak, Nameer & Dahanukar, 2015 |
Fungoid
Frog |
NE |
- |
|
Family
Ranixalidae |
|
|
|
6 |
Indirana
sp. |
- |
- |
- |
|
Family
Rhacophoridae |
|
|
|
7 |
Polypedates
maculatus (Gray, 1830) |
Common
Indian Tree Frog |
LC |
- |
NE—Not
Evaluated | LC—Least Concern
Table 5.
Checklist of reptiles.
|
Scientific
name |
Common
name |
IUCN
Status |
WPA
Schedule |
|
Order
Sauria |
|
|
|
|
Family
Agamidae |
|
|
|
1 |
Calotes
versicolor (Daudin, 1802) |
Garden
Calotes |
NE |
- |
2 |
Monilesaurus
rouxii Duméril & Bibron, 1837 |
Forest
Calotes |
LC |
- |
|
Family
Gekkonidae |
|
|
|
3 |
Hemidactylus
sp. |
- |
LC |
- |
4 |
Hemidactylus
frenatus Duméril & Bibron, 1836 |
Asian
House Gecko |
LC |
- |
5 |
Hemidactylus
prashadi Smith, 1935 |
Bombay
Leaf-toed Gecko |
LC |
- |
|
Family
Scincidae |
|
|
|
6 |
Eutropis
allapallensis (Schmidt, 1926) |
Allapalli
Grass Skink |
LC |
- |
|
Order
Serpentes |
|
|
|
|
Family
Colubridae |
|
|
|
7 |
Fowlea
piscator (Schneider, 1799) |
Checkered
Keelback |
NE |
II |
8 |
Oligodon
taeniolatus (Jerdon, 1853) |
Indian
Streaked Kukri Snake |
NE |
IV |
9 |
Ptyas
mucosa (Linnaeus, 1758) |
Indian
Rat Snake |
NE |
II |
|
Family
Natracidae |
|
|
|
10 |
Amphiesma
stolatum (Linnaeus, 1758) |
Buff-striped
Keelback |
NE |
IV |
NE—Not
Evaluated | LC—Least Concern
Table 6.
Checklist of birds.
|
Scientific
Name |
Common
Name |
IUCN
Status |
WPA
Schedule |
|
Family
Accipitridae |
|
|
|
1 |
Haliastur
indus (Boddaert, 1783) |
Brahminy
Kite |
LC |
I |
2 |
Hieraaetus
pennatus (J.F. Gmelin, 1788) |
Booted
Eagle |
LC |
I |
3 |
Nisaetus
cirrhatus (J.F. Gmelin, 1788) |
Changeable
Hawk Eagle |
LC |
I |
4 |
Pernis
ptilorhynchus (Temminck, 1821) |
Oriental
Honey Buzzard |
LC |
I |
5 |
Spilornis
cheela (Latham, 1790) |
Crested
Serpent Eagle |
LC |
I |
|
Family
Aegithinidae |
|
|
|
6 |
Aegithina
tiphia (Linnaeus, 1758) |
Common
Iora |
LC |
IV |
|
Family
Alcedinidae |
|
|
|
7 |
Alcedo
atthis (Linnaeus, 1758) |
Common
Kingfisher |
LC |
IV |
8 |
Ceryle
rudis (Linnaeus, 1758) |
Pied
Kingfisher |
LC |
IV |
9 |
Ceyx
erithaca (Linnaeus, 1758) |
Oriental
Dwarf-kingfisher |
LC |
IV |
10 |
Halcyon
smyrnensis (Linnaeus, 1758) |
White-breasted
Kingfisher |
LC |
IV |
11 |
Pelargopsis
capensis (Linnaeus, 1766) |
Stork-billed
Kingfisher |
LC |
IV |
|
Family
Anatidae |
|
|
|
12 |
Dendrocygna
javanica (Horsfield, 1821) |
Lesser
Whistling-duck |
LC |
IV |
|
Family
Anhingidae |
|
|
|
13 |
Anhinga
melanogaster Pennant, 1769 |
Oriental
Darter |
NT |
IV |
|
Family
Ardeidae |
|
|
|
14 |
Ardea
alba Linnaeus, 1758 |
Great
Egret |
LC |
IV |
15 |
Ardea
cinerea Linnaeus, 1758 |
Grey
Heron |
LC |
IV |
16 |
Ardea
intermedia Wagler, 1829 |
Intermediate
Egret |
LC |
IV |
17 |
Ardeola
grayii (Sykes, 1832) |
Indian
Pond-heron |
LC |
IV |
18 |
Bubulcus
ibis (Linnaeus, 1758) |
Cattle
Egret |
LC |
IV |
|
Family
Bucerotidae |
|
|
|
19 |
Anthracoceros
coronatus (Boddaert, 1783) |
Malabar
Pied Hornbill |
NT |
I |
20 |
Buceros
bicornis Linnaeus, 1758 |
Great
Hornbill |
VU |
I |
21 |
Ocyceros
griseus (Latham, 1790) |
Malabar
Grey Hornbill |
LC |
- |
|
Family
Campephagidae |
|
|
|
22 |
Pericrocotus
cinnamomeus (Linnaeus, 1766) |
Small
Minivet |
LC |
IV |
23 |
Pericrocotus
flammeus (J.R. Forster, 1781) |
Scarlet
Minivet |
LC |
IV |
|
Family
Caprimulgidae |
|
|
|
24 |
Caprimulgus
atripennis Jerdon, 1845 |
Jerdon's
Nightjar |
LC |
IV |
|
Family
Charadriidae |
|
|
|
25 |
Vanellus
indicus (Boddaert, 1783) |
Red-wattled
Lapwing |
LC |
IV |
|
Family
Chloropseidae |
|
|
|
26 |
Chloropsis
aurifrons (Temminck, 1829) |
Golden-fronted
Leafbird |
LC |
IV |
|
Family
Cisticolidae |
|
|
|
27 |
Orthotomus
sutorius (Pennant, 1769) |
Common
Tailorbird |
LC |
IV |
28 |
Prinia
hodgsonii Blyth, 1844 |
Grey-breasted
Prinia |
LC |
IV |
29 |
Prinia
inornata Sykes, 1832 |
Plain
Prinia |
LC |
IV |
30 |
Prinia
socialis Sykes, 1832 |
Ashy
Prinia |
LC |
IV |
|
Family
Columbidae |
|
|
|
31 |
Chalcophaps
indica (Linnaeus, 1758) |
Asian
Emerald Dove |
LC |
IV |
32 |
Columba
livia J.F. Gmelin, 1789 |
Rock
Pigeon |
LC |
IV |
33 |
Spilopelia
chinensis (Scopoli, 1786) |
Spotted
Dove |
LC |
IV |
34 |
Treron
affinis (Jerdon, 1840) |
Grey-fronted
Green-pigeon |
LC |
IV |
|
Family
Corvidae |
|
|
|
35 |
Corvus
macrorhynchos Wagler, 1827 |
Large-billed
Crow |
LC |
IV |
36 |
Corvus
splendens Vieillot, 1817 |
House
Crow |
LC |
IV |
|
Family
Cuculidae |
|