Distribution of Lygosoma guentheri (Peter, 1879) (Reptilia: Scincidae) in Andhra Pradesh, India

 

S.M. Maqsood Javed 1, M. Seetharamaraju 2, K. Thulsi  Rao 3, Farida Tampal 4& C. Srinivasulu 5

 

1, 4 World Wide Fund for Nature-India (WWF), APSO, 818, Castle Hills, Road No. 2, Near NMDC, Vijayanagar Colony, Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh 500057, India

2, 5 Wildlife Biology Section, Department of Zoology, University College of Science, Osmania University, Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh 500057, India

3 Eco-Research and Monitoring Laboratories, Nagarjunasagar Srisailam Tiger Reserve, Sundipenta, Kurnool District, Andhra Pradesh 518102, India

Email: 1javedwwf2007@gmail.com

 

 

 

Date of publication (online): 26 April 2010

Date of publication (print): 26 April 2010

ISSN 0974-7907 (online) | 0974-7893 (print)

 

Editor: S. Bhupathy

 

Manuscript details:

Ms # o2092

Received 05 November 2008

Final received 24 February 2010

Finally accepted 26 March 2010

 

Citation: Javed, S.M.M., M. Seetharamaraju, K.T. Rao, F. Tampal & C. Srinivasulu (2010). Distribution of Lygosoma guentheri (Peter, 1879) (Reptilia: Scincidae) in Andhra Pradesh, India. Journal of Threatened Taxa 2(4): 837-840.

 

Copyright: © S.M. Maqsood Javed, M. Seetharamaraju, K. Thulsi Rao, Farida Tampal & C. Srinivasulu 2010. Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License. JoTTallows unrestricted use of this article in any medium for non-profit purposes, reproduction and distribution by providing adequate credit to the authors and the source of publication.

 

Acknowledgements:  The authors are very much thankful to Sri Hitesh Malhotra, IFS, Prl. Chief Conservator of Forest (Wildlife) and Chief Wildlife Warden, Sri Sunil Kumar, IFS, Addl. Prl. Chief Conservator of Forest (Wildlife), Sri A.K. Nayak, IFS, Conservator of Forests and Field Director, Nagarjunasagar Srisailam Tiger Reserve, Sri. R. Hampaiah, Chairman, Dr. V.B. Ramana Murthy, Member Secretary, Andhra Pradesh Biodiversity Board for their constant support and encouragement. We are also grateful to Dr. Rajesh Gopal, IFS, Inspector General of Forests, Ministry of Environment and Forests for funding support and encouragements. SMMJ and FT expresses gratitude to Sri Anil Kumar V. Epur, Chairman, WWF-AP State Committee, Hyderabad, Sri Ravi Singh, Secretary General & CEO, WWF-India, New Delhi for constant support and encouragement. CS acknowledges CSIR, New Delhi for funding; CS and SRR thank the Head, Department of Zoology, OsmaniaUniversity, Hyderabad for encouragement and facilities.  We also thank Dr. Hemant V. Ghate, Modern College, Pune; Mr. Raju Vyas, Sayaji BaugZoo, Vadodara and Mr. R. Sreekar, Biodiversity Research and Conservation Society, Secunderabadfor constructive suggestions and helping with references. Lastly, we would like to thank Mr. P.S.M. Srinivas, Manager Corporate for exploring new places and all the WWF-Staff of APSO, Hyderabad for their constant support and timely suggestions.

 

 

For Images & Tables – click here

 

Family Scincidae is the largest among lizards, comprising more than 1300 species (Bauer 1998).  Of the five subfamilies recognized, the subfamily Lygosominae is the most speciosecontaining over 600 species in 45 genera (Griffith et al. 2000).   The genus Lygosoma Gray, 1828 includes forms that are terrestrial and semi-fossorial and belong to Mabuya group.  In India, the genus Lygosoma Gray, 1828 includes nine species, of which Günther’s Supple Skink Lygosoma guentheri (Peter, 1879) was reported only from the Western Ghats from Gujarat to Kerala (Smith 1935; Daniel 1962).  Rao et al. (2005) reported its presence in the Eastern Ghats based on a specimen collected in the central NallamalaiHills, Andhra Pradesh.  Recently, Srinivasulu & Das (2008) recognized its presence in theNallamalai Hills. This paper provides information on the distribution, habits and habitat of L. guentheri in Andhra Pradesh

One adult specimen (106mm) of L. guentheri was captured, examined and released by SMMJ from the Bhimaram (18050’N & 79042’E), Adilabad District on 15 June 2007, around 1300hr.  A juvenile (dead) specimen (measurement not taken, as the specimen was shriveled) was collected on 12 June 2008, around 1400hr by MS from Gandhavaari Gudem (17001’N & 79014’E), Nalgonda District. On 07 May 2008, around 1645hr, this species was recorded by KTR near Isukagundem (15036’N & 78048’E) in Gundla Brahmeswaram Metta (GBM) Wildlife Sanctuary, PrakashamDistrict.  Only the specimen of Gandhavaari Gudem, Nalgonda District has been deposited in the Natural History Museum, Osmania University (NHM.OU.REP.1-2008).  Data on the morphometryof Bhimaram specimen is given in Table 1.  Details of distribution have been provided in Image 1.

Diagnosis: Lygosoma guentheri (Peter, 1879) is closely allied toLygosoma punctata Gmelin, 1799, but distinctly differs as follows (L. guentheri vs. L. punctata): Distance between the axilla and groin measures three to three-and-a-half times the length between snout to fore-limb (vs. distance between the axilla and groin measures two to two and three-quarter times the length between snout to fore-limb); ear-opening is small without lobules (vs. ear-opening is half of the eye-opening with one or two small lobules anteriorly); 24 to 26 scales round the body and 87 to 100 scales on mid-dorsal region (vs. 24 to 28 scales round the body and 62 to 76 scales on mid-dorsal region); the ad-pressed limbs fail to meet by three to four times of the length of the fore-limb (vs. ad-pressed limbs fail to meet by twice the length of the fore-limb) (Boulenger 1890; Smith 1935).

Description: Body is slender, elongate and depressed at the mid dorsal region from the back of the head to the base of a tail (Image 2).  Limbs are well developed with five fingers and five toes.  Snout obtuse, supranasals are entire and in contact with one another behind the rostral. Lower eyelid possesses an undivided semitransparent disc.  Frontal is about as long as the fronto-parietals and inert-parietals together (Image 4).  Ear opening is small without projecting lobules. Fronto-nasal is little broader than long and connected with frontal.  Prefrontals are small, widely separated with one another.  Seven supra labials are present, the fifth below the middle of the eye is longer than the adjacent labials (Image 3).  About 96 scales are present down the middle of the dorsal side and 26 scales are present round the middle of the body, dorsal scales are largest. The ad-pressed limbs fail to meet by three times of the length of the fore-limb. Digits short with well developed nails; fourth toe is slightly longer than the third and possessing 14 feebly keeled lamellae beneath.  Tail is thick and slender at the base.  This is a dark brown skink, uniform plain without any markings or streaks. Dark basal spot is present in all the scales on the dorsal and lateral side including tail.  Ventral side yellowish-white and only few scales possess black spot at the base.  In the juveniles these spots are confluent into longitudinal lines (Boulenger 1890; Smith 1935).

L. guentheri is a terrestrial, insectivorous and diurnal in habit (Molur & Walker 1998).  Most of the specimens were found under tightly fixed stones in the habitats with thick ground vegetation (Image 6).  During the survey at one of the aforesaid locations a L. guentheri was observed feeding on the ants of Camponotus genus (Image 7).  L. guentheri is recorded from three locations and found occupying variety of micro habitats close to water sources with plenty of shade (Image 5) and humidity. The habitat at Bhimaram and Isukagundem location composes a pure Tectona grandis (teak) plantation near a seasonal stream surrounded by a southern tropical dry deciduous to thorny dry deciduous forests type and the ground floor was full of leaf litter and condition of soil is sandy.  While at Gandhavaari Gudem, a dead juvenile specimen was found under a Tamarind tree very close to human settlements.

L. guentheri was until recently considered endemic to the Western Ghats; known locality records of this species are Ahemdabad, Ahawa, Pawagadh, Vansda, Vadodara, Gamdi and Sindhrot in Gujarat (Vyas 2006), Matheran, Sholapur, Kurduwadi andPune in Maharashtra (Smith 1935; Chopra 1964; Sharma 2002), Goa (Sharma 2002), Belgaum and Uttara Kannada in Karnataka (Smith 1935; Sharma 2002; Ali et al. 2006), and also reported from Kerala (Smith 1935; Sharma 2002). Further surveys are needed to confirm the occurrence of this species in Kerala.  The species seems to be more widely distributed than currently known (Image 1).

 

References

 

Ali, S., M.D.S. Chandran & T.V. Ramachandra(2006). Faunal assemblages in Myristicaswamps of Central Western Ghats, Karnataka, India. In: Anon. (ed.) Proceedings of the Symposium on Environment Education & Ecosystem Conservation. Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore.

Bauer, A.M. (1998). Lizards, pp.126–173.In: Cogger, H.G. & R.G. Zweifel(eds.). Encyclopedia of Reptiles and Amphibians, second edition. Academic Press, San Deigo, 240pp.

Boulenger, G.A. (1890). The Fauna of British India, Including Ceylon and Burma. Reptilia and Batrachia. Taylor & Francis, London, xviii + 541pp.

Chopra, R.N. (1964). Notes on Some Lizards of Poona. Journal of the University of Poona (Science & Technology) 28: 39-42pp.

Daniel, J.C. (1962). Extension of the range of the skinkRiopa guentheri (Gray). Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society 59(3): 965.

Griffith, H., A. Ngo & R.W. Murphy (2000). A cladistic evaluation of the cosmopolitan genus Eumeces Wiegmann (Reptilia,Squamata, Scincidae). Russian Journlaof Herpetology 7(1): 1-16.

Molur, S. & S. Walker (eds.) (1998).  Reptiles of India. Biodiversity Conservation Prioritisation Project (BCPP) India, Endangered Species Project – Conservation Assessment and Management Plan (C.A.M.P.) workshops.  Zoo Outreach Organisation & CBSG, India, Coimbatore, India, 175pp.

Sharma, R.C. (2002). Fauna of India, Reptilia, Vol. – II, Sauria.  Zoological Survey of India, Calcutta, 430pp.

Smith, M.A. (1935). Fauna of British India including Ceylon and Burma.  Reptilia and Amphibia, Volume II, Sauria.  Today and Tomorrow’s Printers & Publishers, New Delhi, Indian Reprint 1974, 440pp.

Srinivasulu, C. & I. Das (2008). The herpetofauna of NallamalaHills, Eastern Ghats, India: an annotated checklist, with remarks on nomenclature, taxonomy, habitat use, adaptive types and biogeography. Asiatic Herpetological Research 11: 110-131.

Rao, K.T., H.V. Ghate, M. Sudhakar, S.M.M. Javed & I.S.R. Krishna (2005). Herpetofauna of Nallamalai Hills, Eastern Ghats, Andhra Pradesh, with eleven new records from the region including ten new records for the State. Zoos’ Print Journal 20(1): 1737-1740+web supplement 1737i.

Tikader, B. & R.C. Sharma (1992). Handbook of Indian Lizards. Zoological Survey of India, Calcutta, 250pp.

Vyas, R. (2006). Note on record length of Lygosoma guentheri and its distribution in Gujarat State. Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society 103(1): 107-108.