Robust Trapdoor Tarantula Haploclastus validus Pocock, 1899: notes on taxonomy, distribution and
natural history (Araneae: Theraphosidae: Thrigmopoeinae)
Zeeshan
A. Mirza 1, Rajesh V. Sanap 2 & Manju Siliwal 3
1 Zoology
Department, Bhavans College, Andheri (W), Mumbai, Maharashtra 400058, India
2 D5/2, Marol
Police Camp, Marol Maroshi Road, Andheri (E), Mumbai, Maharashtra 400059,
India
3 Wildlife
Information Liaison Development Society, 9-A, Lal Bahadur Colony, Peelamedu,
Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu 641004, India
Email: 1 snakeszeeshan@gmail.com
(corresponding author), 2 rajeshvsanap@gmail.com, 3 manjusiliwal@gmail.com
Date of
publication (online): 26 October 2011
Date of
publication (print): 26 October 2011
ISSN
0974-7907 (online) | 0974-7893 (print)
Editor: Ansie
Dippenaar-Schoeman
Manuscript details:
Ms # o2627
Received 15 November 2010
Final received 29 August 2011
Finally accepted 23 September 2011
Citation: Mirza, Z.A.,
R.V. Sanap & M. Siliwal (2011). Robust Trapdoor Tarantula Haploclastus
validus Pocock, 1899: notes on taxonomy, distribution and
natural history (Araneae: Theraphosidae: Thrigmopoeinae). Journal
of Threatened Taxa 3(10): 2109–2119.
Copyright: © Zeeshan A.
Mirza, Rajesh V. Sanap & Manju Siliwal 2011. Creative
Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License. JoTT allows 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.
Author
Contribution: ZM & RS carried out surveys at Aarey
Milk Colony and Matheran. MS carried out surveys at Bhimashankar Wildlife Sanctuary.
The paper received equal contribution from all the authors.
Author
Details: Zeeshan A. Mirza is a student
currently perusing a bachelor’s degree in science. He is interested in the
study of mygalomorph spider, scorpions and reptiles. He is currently working on
the biodiversity documentation of Aarey Milk Colony. He has described several
new species of scorpions and trapdoor spiders.
Rajesh V Sanap is a
graduate student interested in the study of mygalomorph spiders and scorpions.
He is currently working on the biodiversity documentation of Aarey Milk
Colony. He has described several
new species of scorpions and trapdoor spiders.
Manju Siliwal is an
arachnologist and currently is working as Research Associate at Wildlife
Information Liaison Development Society, Coimbatore. Her expertise is on
mygalomorph (primitive) spiders and has described many new species of spiders
including trapdoor spiders and tarantulas.
Acknowledegments: Authors (ZM
& RS) wish to thank Vishal Shah, Shardul Bajikar, Amit Panariya, Dr. Santosh Tunagre, VishwanathRathode for all their help and encouragement. The Dairy Ministry is thanked for
encouragements and permission to carry out surveys at Aarey Milk Colony.
Agarwal Janseva Charitable Trust is thanked for providing logistic support to
ZM and RS. Ashish Jadhav is thanked for assistance during field
work. Special thanks to Bhavan’s College for constant
support and encouragement to ZM. ZM thanks Gavin Desouza and Kunal
Ullalkar for their continued support and kind help. MS would like to thank
DEFRA / FFI Flagship Species Fund (project No. 06/16/02 FLAG) for the financial
support to the Indian Tarantula Project, during one of the survey trips this
trapdoor spider was found. MS is also grateful to the following personnel:
Sally Walker, Zoo Outreach Organisation (ZOO), Coimbatore for her encouragement
to the spider study; Sanjay Molur, WILD/ZOO for initiating the tarantula project
and Robert Raven, Queensland Museum, Australia for providing pictures of the
type specimen of H. robustus. We wish to
acknowledge Mandar Kulkarni for assistance during field workand all his help.
Abstract: The genus Haploclastusis endemic to India and is represented by six
species. One of the species H.
validus Pocock, 1899 was described from Matheran and has
remained poorly known in terms of its natural history
and distribution. During recent surveys
the species was for the first time found again since its description nearly 110
years ago. Based on the new
material collected it is redescribed and data on its natural history and
distribution are added. It is the
first record of an Indian theraphosid spider, which closes its burrow with a
trapdoor.
Keywords: Haploclastus
validus, taxonomy, Theraphosidae, trapdoor
spider, Western Ghats.
Abbreviations: ALE -
Anterior lateral eye; AMC - Aarey Milk Colony; AME - Anterior median eye; d -
dorsal; fe - femur; me - metatarsus; MOQ - Median ocular quadrate; MS - Manju
Siliwal; p - prolateral; pa - patella; PLE - Posterior lateral eye; PLS -
Posterior lateral spinnerets; PME - Posterior median eye; PMS - Posterior
median spinnerets; r - retrolateral; ta - tarsus; ti-tibia; v - ventral.
For figures, images, tables --
click here
INTRODUCTION
The
genus Haploclastus is
endemic to India and is represented by six species, namely, Haploclastus cervinus Simon, 1892, H. kayi Gravely, 1915, H. nilgirinus Pocock, 1899, H. satyanus Barman, 1978, H. tenebrosus Gravely, 1935 and H. validus Pocock, 1899 (Siliwal et al. 2005; Siliwal & Raven
2010; Platnick 2011) of which five have been reported from the Western Ghats
(Pocock 1900; Gravely 1915, 1935; Molur & Siliwal 2004). While conducting surveys in Aarey Milk
Colony, Mumbai, authors (RS & ZM) collected specimens of both sexes of the
genus Haploclastus.
Initially, it was considered a trapdoor spider of the family Ctenizidae due to
its trapdoor burrow structure and some morphological characters. After
examining the specimens under a stereomicroscope, it was identified as
belonging to the genus Haploclastus of
the family Theraphosidae based on the presence of a distinct maxillary heel,
the apical segments of the PLS being digitiform, the presence of claw tufts and
absence of a rastellum (Dippenaar-Schoeman 2002). Members of the genus Haploclastus possess numerous horizontally aligned
thorn-like setae arranged in two to three rows above and below the maxillary
suture along with long tapering modified setae aligned vertically in a diffuse
pattern on the prolateral side of the maxilla whichare distinctly present in females. The species of Haploclastus,
which had the closest distribution range to Mumbai, was H. validus from Matheran. To confirm this, surveys were carried out in Matheran,
Raighad District, Maharashtra, the type locality of H. validus. From Matheran, both male and female
specimens belonging to a single Haploclastus species
were collected. This confirms that
only one species of Haploclastusoccurs in Matheran. Moreover,
after examining male and female specimens from Matheran, it was clear that the
recent synonym of H. robustuswith H. validus by
Siliwal & Raven (2010) was valid. In addition to this, females and males from both the localities
(Matheran and Aarey Milk Colony) shared characters that were found to be
common, further supporting that the species from AMC was H. validus.
According
to Siliwal & Raven (2010), the type specimens of H. validus ispresumed to be either lost or deposited in some European museum. Therefore, redescription of this
species based on type specimens is not possible. The original description of the H. validus lacks information on the species natural
history, detailed morphometry of legs and structure of genitilia. Molur & Siliwal (2004) coined a
common name for this species as ‘Strong Large Burrowing Spider’
which needs to be changed as this species is now known to be a trapdoor
spider and hence, we propose it as ‘Robust Trapdoor Tarantula’.
MATERIAL
AND METHODS
Specimens
were collected during opportunistic surveys in different parts of
Maharashtra. Measurements were
taken with a MitutoyoTM Dial Caliper. All measurements are in mm. Spermathecae were dissected and cleared in clove oil. Total length excludes chelicerae. All illustrations were prepared with
the help of camera lucida by MS and morphological details were observed under
Labomed stereo-binocular microscope. Descriptive style follows the standardized descriptive style provided by
Siliwal & Molur (2007, 2009). All specimens are deposited at the Wildlife Information Liaison
Development Society (WILD), Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India.
Taxonomy
Haploclastus Simon, 1892
Phlogiodes Pocock 1899: 748; Pocock 1900: 179; Smith
1987: 94.
Haploclastus Simon, 1892: 269; Raven 1985:157
Type
species: Haploclastus validus Pocock,
1899
Diagnosis:Fovea deep and slightly procurved; numerous horizontally aligned thorn-like
setae in two to three rows above and below the maxillary suture along with long
tapering modified setae aligned vertically in diffuse pattern on prolateral
side of maxilla (Raven 1985).
Haploclastus validus Pocock,
1899
Haploclastus robustus Pocock, 1899: 748; Haploclastus validus, Siliwal & Raven
2010: 72
Type
material: Holotype female of H. validus (= H. robustus), Matheran, Raighad District,
Maharashtra, coll. Bombay Natural History Society, deposited at Natural History
Museum, London. Not examined.
Material
examined
1
male, 27.iv.2010, Matheran, Raighad District, Maharashtra (19000’N
& 73017’E; 800m elevation), coll. Rajesh Sanap
and Zeeshan Mirza, WILD-10-ARA-1102; 1 female, 19.ii.2010, Matheran, Raighad
District, Maharashtra (19000’N & 73017’E;
800m elevation) coll. Ashish Jadhav & Rajesh Sanap WILD-10-ARA-1103; 1
male, 24.vi.2009, Aarey Milk Colony, Mumbai, Maharashtra (1907’31’’N
& 72052’76’’E;
104m elevation), coll. Zeeshan Mirza & V. Rathode, WILD-10-ARA-543; 1
female, 28.xii.2009, Aarey Milk Colony, Mumbai, Maharashtra, (1907’31’’N
& 72052’76’’E;
104m elevation), coll. Rajesh Sanap & Zeeshan Mirza, WILD-10-ARA-544; 1
female, Bhimashankar WLS, Maharashtra, (19004’04.4”N
& 73032’20.3”E;
858m elevation), coll. Manju Siliwal, Saroj Behera & Mandar Kulkarni,
WILD-09-ARA-360.
Diagnosis
Male
- Carapace slightly shorter than metatarsus + tibia of leg I; slightly longer
than patella + femur of leg III; considerably shorter than tarsus + metatarsus
of leg IV and tibia + patella of leg I. ALE clearly larger than the rest. Embolus broad at
base, slightly twisted anteriorly and flatten, flattened end resembles a
duck’s bill which tapers into a stout point; ventrally with rows of poorly
developed keels.
Female
Carapace slightly longer than metatarsus +
tibia of leg IV; slightly shorter than twice the length of tarsus + metatarsus
of leg II. Fused seminal receptacle; brick-shaped structure with the upper edges
smooth and rounded rose to form small mounds.
Redescription
of male (Figs 1–11), WILD-10-ARA-1102
Total
length 26.10; carapace 12.46 long, 9.10 wide; abdomen 13.64 long and 9.10 wide,
chelicerae 6.96 long. Spinnerets: PMS, 1.70 long, 0.60 wide, 0.84 apart; PLS,
6.82 total length (2.58 basal, 1.80 middle, 2.44 distal; midwidths1.12, 0.86,
0.62 respectively). Morphometry of leg and palp given in
Table 1.
Colour
in life (Image 1): Carapace blackish-brown,
carapace overall covered with dense silvery curved grey hair radiating from
fovea. Abdomen covered with thick
mat of brownish-black hair. Femora, patellae and tarsi of all legs covered with brownish hair;
metatarsus and tibia of all legs covered with silvery grey hair.
Carapace(Fig. 1): Fovea procurved. Length to width 1.6,
bristles: 14 long on caput in mid-dorsal line; 9 long, 6 short anteromedially;
14 long, 12 short between PME; 3 short between AME–AME; 7 long, 4 short
on clypeal edge.
Eyes(Fig. 2): Ocular group 0.86 long, 2.14 wide;
diameter AME 0.40, PME 0.18, ALE 0.46, PLE 0.30; distance between ALE-AME 0.21,
AME-AME 0.26, PLE-PME 0.12, PME-PME 1.10; MOQ not square, 0.42 long, 0.86 front
width, 1.34 back width.
Maxillae(Figs 3 & 6): Prolateral face with randomly arranged
long bristles above and below maxillary suture. Cuspules ca. 200 in triangular patch in
anterior corner. 3.82 front length, 4.68 back length, 2.32 wide.
Maxillarylyra: No definite shape,
small spike setae above and below suture arranged randomly. No ventral brush of lyra.
Labium(Fig. 3): 1.45 long, 1.76 wide with ca. 220 cuspules
restricted to upper region of labium covering ¼ of area.
Chelicerae(Figs 4 & 5): Ectal lyrate, grove
glaborous; lyra, straight, black spines in 3–4
rows. Promarginal teeth in 2 rows: 11 outer large teeth, 6 small on inner edge
adjacent to larger teeth; 50 basomesal teeth in 3-4 rows.
Sternum(Fig. 3): 6.22 long, 5.06 wide. Oval, high in centre, sloping
gradually, reddish-brown, covered with dense mat of short black hair. Posterior tip sharp
but not separating coxae IV. Long black hair radiating margin.
Sigilla(Fig. 3): Three pairs, posterior, oval, 1.16
diameter, ca. 1.00 apart, 1.16 from margin, sub-marginal; middle, oval, 0.62
diameter, ca. 3.50 apart, ca. 0.20 from margin and anterior, marginal and
round.
Legs:Formula 4123. Leg III clearly thicker than the rest. Metatarsi I 1.50
times longer than tarsi I, metatarsi II 1.31 times longer than tarsi II,
metatarsi III 1.50 times longer than tarsi III, metatarsi IV 1.91 times longer
than tarsi IV.
Metaspines:I, 1 ventral; II, 1 ventral, 3
ventrolateral; III, 5 dorsal, 1 ventral, 6 ventrolateral; V: 1 dorsal, 1
ventral, 6 ventrolateral, 2 prolateral. Absent elsewhere.
Trichobothria: ta
I, 24 clavate, 13 long 8 short filiform, ta II, 19 clavate, 12 long, 8 short
filiform; ta III, 20 clavate, 12 long, 6 short filiform; IV, 15 clavate 10
long, 6 short filiform.
Leg
Coxae: Coxal base dorsally easily seen from
above. I longest, about 1.23 times longer than II. Coxae IV widest. Coxae I-IV covered with short and long black hair with black bristles
with pallid tips; I-II sloping forward and III-IV
sloping backwards.
Claws:Paired bare claws on all legs; palp with a single bare claw.
Abdomen
pilosity (Fig. 1): Dorsally covered with mat of
short brown hair intermixed with long black and pallid hair and ventrally with
short and long brown hair with yellow cuticle exposed.
Spinnerets(Fig. 7): Two pairs,yellowish brown covered with golden hair.
Male
Palp (Image 2, Fig. 9–11): Embolus broad at base slightly twisted
forward and flatten, flattened end resembles a duck’s
bill which tapers into a stout point. Ventrally with rows of poorly developed
keels.
Morphometry
of WILD-10-ARA-543:
Total length 26.10. Carapace 14.45 long, 9.11; chelicerae 6.10 long. Sternum:
6.22 long, 5.06 wide. Labium: 2.56 long, 2.16 wide. Abdomen
11.54 long, 8.06 wide. Spinnerets: PMS, 1.50 long, 0.58 wide, 0.60
apart; PLS, 2.08 basal, 1.76 middle, 2.02 distal; midwidths, 1.06, 0.98, 0.60
respectively; 5.86 total length.
Abdomen
pilosity: Cuticle not visible dorsally in juveniles
and sub-adults. Large adults
(especially those containing eggs in the body cavity) with cuticle entirely
exposed with a fine layer of scattered short golden hair.
Redescription
of female, WILD-10-ARA-1103:
Carapace 14.39 long, 12.60 wide,
chelicerae 7.94. Abdomen 17.50 long,
15.02 wide. Spinnerets: PMS, 2.04 long, 0.74 wide, 0.85 apart; PLS, 3.31 basal,
1.56 middle, 2.47, distal; midwidths 1.35, 1.09, 0.85, respectively and 1.30
apart. Morphometry of leg and palp given in Table 2.
Colour
in life (Image 3): Carapace reddish-brown overall with two
prominent (after preservation) black bands emerging from fovea running across
caput, entire surface covered with short black and golden hair. Abdomen black dorsally, yellowish on
ventral and ventrolateral side covered with short and long black hair. Legs overall covered with long as well
as short brown hair.
Carapace:Fovea deep, procurved. Length to width ratio 1.14.Caput raised high and eye group on a tubercle. Bristles: 11 long on caput in
mid-dorsal line; 4 long, 16 short antero-medially; 6 long, 18 short between
PME; 10 long, 13 short on clypeus edge.
Eyes:
Ratio of eye group width to length 2.4. ALE clearly larger
than rest, AME slightly larger than PLE, PLE and PME almost equal in diameter. ALE 0.58, AME 0.47,
PLE 0.32, PME 0.31; ALE-AME 0.23, AME-AME 0.40, PLE-PME 0.11, PME-PME 1.06,
ALE-PLE 0.30, PLE-PLE 1.79, ALE-ALE 1.50. Ocular group
0.80 long and 2.34 wide. MOQ 0.68 long; front
width 0.90 and back width 1.18. Clypeus absent.
Maxillae:Prolateral face with three to four rows of
thorn setae intermixed with long spine-like bristles above and below the
maxillary suture. Long spine setae
scattered above as well as below the thorn rows. Cuspules ca. 200 in a triangular patch in
the anterior corner.
Maxillarylyra (Image 4): No definite
shape, small thorn setae above and below suture arranged randomly. No ventral brush of lyra.
Labium:2.56 long, 2.16 wide, labiosternal grove
shallow, 265 cuspules similar in size to those on the
maxilla.
Chelicerae:Ectal lyrate, grove glaborous; lyra, straight, black spines in 3-4 rows. Promarginal teeth in 2 rows 15 outer
large teeth, 10 small on inner edge adjacent to the larger teeth; 49 basomesal
teeth in 3-4 rows.
Sternum:7.91 long and 5.72 wide. Longer than wide,
high at 1/3 region and gradually sloping. Posterior edge acutely sharp, not separating coxae IV. Sternum reddish-brown
with a mat of golden short hairs. Long black hair radiating from the marginal area.
Sigilla:Three pairs, posterior, oval, 1.19
diameter, ca. 1.04 apart, 1.7 from margin; middle, oval, 0.79 diameter, ca.
3.43 apart,0.04 from margin and anterior, marginal and
round.
Legs:Formula 4123. Leg III clearly thicker than
the rest. Metatarsi I 1.09 times longer than tarsi I, metatarsi II 1.22 times
longer than tarsi II, metatarsi III 1.40 times longer than tarsi III, metatarsi
IV 2.08 times longer than tarsi IV.
Metaspines:I: 1 ventral; II: 2 ventrolateral; III: 2
ventral, 6 ventrolateral, 2 dorsal; V: 1dorsal, 2 ventral, 6 ventrolateral.Absentelsewhere.
Trichobothria: ta
I, 26 clavate, 12 long 4 short filiform, ta II, 22 clavate, 12 long, 7 short
filiform; ta III, 21 clavate, 10 long, 5 short filiform; IV, 17 clavatem 10
long, 6 short filiform. Clavate in distal half in middorsal, filiform in distal 2/3rdin two rows.
Leg
coxae: Numerous short scattered spinules on
prolateral face of coxae of leg I, II, III and IV. Leg I-III with median narrow light brush, IV glabrous. II-IV with setose mound up from inner corner low mound with few
bristles. All retrolaterally lack ventral edge and ventrally with uniform
setation. Coxal base dorsally easily seen from above. I longest, about 1.11
times longer than II. Coxae IV widest. Coxae I–IV
covered with a mat of golden hair and also with long black hair; I-II sloping forward and III-IV sloping backwards.
Claws:Paired bare claws on all legs; palp with a single bare claw.
Abdomen
pilosity: Dorsally covered with a mat of short brown
hair intermixed with long black and pallid hair and ventrally with short and
long brown hair with yellow cuticle exposed.
Spinnerets:Two pairs,yellowish-brown covered with golden hair.
Spermathecae(Fig. 8): Fused seminal receptacle. A brick-shaped structure with upper edges smooth and rounded,
present to form small mounds.
Variations:
Total length 16.11–31.89 (23.14±8.03). Carapaces 7.28–14.39 (9.97±3.86) long, 6.02-12.6 (8.81±3.4)
wide. Sternum: 3.56–7.91 (5.36 ± 2.27) long, 3.07–5.72 (4.32±1.33)
wide. Labium: 0.98-2.16 (1.59±0.59) long, 1.3-2.56 (1.8±0.67) wide. Abdomen range 8.83–17.5
(13.17±4.34) long, 5.61–15.02 (9.73± 4.81) wide. Spinnerets: PMS,
1.18–2.04 (0.60 ± SD 0.60) long, 0.70–0.74 (mean ± SD 0.03) wide,
0.48–0.85 (mean ± SD 0.26) apart; PLS, 1.28–3.31 (2.07± SD 1.09)
basal, 1.05–1.56 (1.26±0.27) middle, 0.51–2.47 (1.46±0.98) distal;
midwidths, 0.98–1.35 (1.19±0.19), 0.89–1.09 (0.96±0.11), 0.70–0.85
(0.75±0.08) respectively; 2.84–7.34 (4.79±2.31) total length.
Abdomen
pilosity: Cuticle not visible dorsally in juveniles
and sub-adults. Large adults (especially those containing eggs in the body
cavity) with cuticle entirely exposed with a fine layer of scattered short
golden hair.
Distribution
India
(Image 5): Maharashtra: Matheran, Raighad District; Jauli, Satara District;
Aarey Milk Colony, Sanjay Gandhi National Park, Mumbai; Kolad, Raighad
District; Bhimashankar Wildlife Sanctuary, Pune District.
NATURAL
HISTORY
Matheran
is situated at an elevation of 800m and the forest is of semi-evergreen type.
The forest in this area is contiguous to that of Prabalgadh and Bhimashankar
Wildlife Sanctuary. Terminalia arjuna, Mallotus philippensis, Albizia amara, Ficus racemosa, Atalantia racemosa, Carvia callosa, Olea dioica, Mangifera indica, Pittosporum dasycaulon and Memycylon umbellatum (Image 6) dominate this
area. The temperature
fluctuates between 13–34 0C and the highest rainfall recorded
is 850mm. Male specimens of H. validus were commonly encountered during night
walks from June to October. A
single female was found after excavating a burrow found under a rotting log in
a private estate. The habitat at
Aarey Milk Colony is highly degraded and altered. The vegetation in the area is of deciduous type and heavily
mixed with exotic species. Some of
these include Butea monosperma, Tectona grandis, Acacia spp., Ziziphus spp., Pongamia pinnata, Cassia fistula, Mangifera indica, Gliricidia sepium, Delonix regia and Eucalyptus melliodora.
Most
of the burrows were found at the base of trees and some in the vicinity of
large boulders. All burrows had
double door entrances leading to a single tube except for the female found in
Bhimashankar, that burrow had a single entrance. The door is made up of a thin layer of silk to which the
surrounding soil adheres making the outer layer indistinguishable from its
surroundings. The door is usually ‘D’
shaped or circular, ranging from 10 to 23.62 mm in diameter and 1.80 to 4 mm thick
(Image 7). The doors are hinged to
the burrow on one side. The burrow is covered with a fine layer of silk. The entrance of the burrow of one
specimen from Aarey measured 17.74mm. The burrows are 12 inches to 24 inches deep. The burrow end is slightly wider than the entrance forming a
chamber. More than 8–10
burrows can be found at the base of a single tree.
The
male from Aarey Milk Colony was found under a rotten tree trunk during the
monsoons and the one from Matheran was dug out from its burrow in the month of
April along with its exuvia. Both
the females were dug out from their burrows. Several burrows at Aarey Milk
Colony were excavated. One of the
excavated burrows contained a female carrying an egg sac below her chelicerae
(Image 8) and the other burrows had only the egg sac silk cover from which
juveniles had already dispersed. A
burrow was found with the entrance covered with a thick layer of web covering
the entrance behind the door in the month of March. The burrow was observed till the first week of June when the
web covering was absent and a few juveniles were observed at the periphery of
the entrance inside the burrow (Image 9). This indicates that the female mates during the monsoon and post monsoon
periods and lays eggs by late winter or early summer and the juveniles disperse
before the next monsoons. With the
onset of the monsoons, males of this species can be commonly seen on roads and
they die in large numbers due to the heavy vehicular traffic in Aarey Milk
Colony in Mumbai and Kolad in Raighad District and are killed if they enter
houses. At Aarey Milk Colony, this
species has been seen in sympatry with other spiders such as Idiops bombayensis, Plesiophrictus millardi and Chilobrachys fimbriatus. This species and others are under
threat at Matheran, Kolad and Aarey Milk Colony from soil erosion (Image 10),
destruction of forests and from vehicular traffic. Anthropogenic activities like removal of soil leads to major
loss of this species.
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