Journal of Threatened Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | 26 February 2022 | 14(2): 20695–20697

ISSN 0974-7907 (Online) | ISSN 0974-7893 (Print)

https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.7742.14.2.20695-20697

#7742 | Received 06 November 2021

Correction to Catalogue of herpetological specimens from Meghalaya, India at the Sálim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History (SACON)

Pandi Karthik

11^th Sengulam East Street, Solavanthan Road, Thirumangalam, Madurai 625706, Tamil Nadu, India.

karthikwildlifebiology@gmail.com

Date of publication: 26 February 2022 (online & print)

Citation: Karthik, P. (2022). Correction to Catalogue of herpetological specimens from Meghalaya, India at the Sálim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History (SACON). Journal of Threatened Taxa 14(2): 20695–20697. https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.7742.14.2.20695-20697

Copyright: © Karthik 2022. 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.

The following publication of this article (Journal of Threatened Taxa 13(11): 19603–19610). <https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.7318.13.11.19603-19610>. Chandramouli et al. 2021, in their recent publication on the catalogue of herpetological specimens from Meghalaya, India, at the Sálim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History (SACON), presented imprecise information regarding herpetofaunal collection and its geographical location. However, it is necessary to correct the following inaccuracies and publish corrigenda to help prevent the misleading information from being repeatedly published in the future.

Specimen collection acts as a crucial repository that retains historical information on species dispersal patterns for decades (Da Silva et al. 2017). Therefore, it is essential to keep a check on the original collection material and its datum. Recent, Chandramouli et al (2021) have discussed merely handy specimens, but many more have yet to be documented (Ganesh et al. 2020 and Karthik pers. com.). SACON - Sálim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History now houses about 200 species of the herpetological collection. However, the precise number (of samples) is unknown, include the major contribution from Pandi Karthik & R.S Naveen and a renowned herpetologist Dr. (Late) S. Bhupathy’s (see Ganesh et al. 2020). Nevertheless, SACON has published two series of catalogues on the care and maintenance of herpetological collections (Ganesh et al. 2020, Chandramouli et al. 2021a & 2021b). As it is catalogued and the specimens are vouchered for future studies, therefore the author ought to disclose the SACON accreditation for upholding a large number of specimens. Hence, in the future other researchers can access the specimens for taxonomical investigation, which will benefit herpetological conservation (Uetz et al. 2019).

(i) The author stated the collector name P. Karthik (instead of Pandi Karthik). The collector name is not included as an author and does not need to be abbreviated; rather, it should be the academic name. (ii) Furthermore, the author failed to follow the word-uniformity (i.e.) on species location and specimen voucher number; a few places the specimen voucher number comes along with institute acronyms (i.e., SACON VA 102) and someplace it does not (i.e., VA 72 & 73). (iii) Also, a paucity of information on preservation methods and collection permit information (follow Al-Razi et al. 2021 & Mirza et al. 2021). As a concurring collector, the specimens were fixed in 7 % formaldehyde solution and later stored in 75 % ethanol. A few specimens of tail tip tissues were preserved in 95% ethanol for molecular work prior to specimen fixation (Mirza et al. 2021). For future taxonomical investigation, the specimens and tissue samples have been deposited in Sálim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History (SACON).

Microhylidae Günther, 1858

Microhyla berdmorei (Blyth, 1856)

Location: SACON VA 102 - an adult female from Sasatgre, Meghalaya (coll. Pandi Karthik).

Megophryidae Bonaparte, 1850

Leptobrachium sp.

Location: SACON VA 57 and SACON VA 61 from Mongalgre, Meghalaya (coll. Pandi Karthik)

Comment: The author did not mention sp. collector name. Further, the author has followed Al-Razi et al. (2021), based on their syntype specimens and geographic proximity; the author assumes and referred (SACON VA 57, VA 61) as L. cf. sylheticum. There is no evidence that Al-Razi et al. 2021 study has a sample widely (including Meghalaya) to prove L. smithi complicity. The study involves samples from a single location in Bangladesh named Lawachara National Park (LNP), approximately 220 miles air distance from the location collected by Pandi Karthik. Additionally, a given location has disjunctive biogeographic, it may be a factor attribute to speciosity (Agarwal et al. 2018). It cannot be synonymized with either L. sylheticum nor with L. smithi as it was referred to as Leptobrachium sp. until the integrated taxonomy attempt on the genus.

Amphibia Gray, 1825

Anura Fischer von Waldheim, 1813

Minervarya sengupti (Purkayastha & Matsui, 2012)

Location: Two adult females (SACON VA 89, VA 97) from Mongalgre and Sasatgre, Meghalaya (coll. Pandi Karthik).

Limnonectes khasianus (Anderson, 1871)

Location: An unsexed adult (SACON VA 68) from Selbalgre, Meghalaya (coll. Pandi Karthik).

Comment: Also, the location should be uniform, author had mentioned species collection location Dimitdigre (instead of Dumitikgre).

Rhacophoridae Hoffman, 1932 (1858)

Theloderma cf. albopunctatum

Location: SACON VA 88, VA 69 - an unsexed juvenile from Selbalgre and adult female from Raid Nongbri (coll. Pandi Karthik).

Comment: The author referred (SACON VA 88, VA 96) as Theloderma baibungense. I again refer (SACON VA 88, VA 96) as a Theloderma cf. albopunctatum. Because, the species resemble to T. cf. albopunctatum based on its morphometric characters and other information provided (Mian et al. 2017). Also, conferring the geographic proximity and the molecular nest provided. Therein, I refer to the species again as T. cf. albopunctatum. Furthermore, an integrated taxonomic approach would be a substantial in resolving species-level complications.

Reptilia Laurenti, 1768

Sauria Macartney, 1802

Gekkonidae Gray, 1825

Gekko gecko (Linnaeus, 1758)

Location: SACON VR 229 - adult male from Jirang, Meghalaya (coll. Pandi Karthik). Also from Raid Nongbri, Meghalaya (yet to be vouchered).

Agamidae Gray, 1827

Calotes cf. irawadi

Location: SACON VR 205, VR 240, VR 245- six unsexed subadult specimens from Jirang, Dumitdigre, Mongalgre Meghalaya (coll. Pandi Karthik). In addition, each sample sites provided a subset of reference specimen on the genus Calotes for future taxonomical investigation. Additionally, reference specimens were collected from each sample site.

Cristidorsa planidorsata (Jerdon, 1870)

Location: SACON VR 185 and VR 169 - two adult males from Sasatgre and Daribokgre Meghalaya (coll. Pandi Karthik).

Ptyctolaemus gularis (Peter, 1864)

Location: SACON VR 238, VR 239, VR 207 - three adult males and, VR 201 - an unsexed juvenile from Lum Jusong, Daribokgre, Meghalaya (coll. Pandi Karthik).

Sphenomorphus sp.

Location: SACON VR 227 - subadult from Dumitikgre, Meghalaya (coll. Pandi Karthik).

Serpentes Linnaeus, 1758

Typhlopidae Merrem, 1820

Argyrophis diardii (Schlegel, 1839)

Location: SACON VR 187, 223 – two adult specimens from North-Eastern Hill University Campus, Shillong and Sasatgre, Meghalaya (coll. Pandi Karthik).

Indotyphlops sp.

Location: An unsexed adult specimen (SACON VA 219) from Dumitikgre, Meghalaya (coll. Pandi Karthik).

Pseudaspididae Cope, 1893

Psammodynastes pulverulentus (Boie, 1827)

Location: SACON VR 152 - a subadult specimen from Mongalgre, Meghalaya (coll. Pandi Karthik).

Colubridae Oppel, 1811

Lycodon sp.

Location: SACON VR 213, VR 215 – two subadult specimens from Padakydeng, Raid Nongbri, Meghalaya (coll. Pandi Karthik).

Oligodon cinereus (Günther, 1864)

Location: SACON VR 214 – unsexed adult from Daribokgre, Meghalaya (coll. Pandi Karthik).

Comment: The author has named SACON VR 214 as Oligodon juglandifer, but it is not. The unsexed adult road crush specimen was identified as Oligodon cinereus.

Oligodon cyclurus (Cantor, 1839)

Comment: SACON VR 254 – an unsexed adult from Tokpara, Meghalaya. The author did not mention the species collector name (not collected by Pandi Karthik).

Boiga gocool (Gray, 1834)

Location: SACON VR 190, 192 – unsexed subadults from Jirang, Meghalaya (coll. Pandi Karthik).

Dendrelaphis proarchos (Wall, 1909)

Comment: The author had stated the specimen SACON VR 210 - adult from Meghalaya (coll. Pandi Karthik). No such specimen was collected by Pandi Karthik from the genus ‘Dendrelaphis’, nevertheless, the author may have been misinformed because one sample from the genus Dendrelaphis sp. is available at SACON that perhaps collected lately from the Anaikatty.

Coelognathus radiatus (Boie, 1827)

Location: SACON VR 189 - subadult from Jirang Meghalaya (coll. Pandi Karthik).

Elaphe cantoris (Boulenger, 1894)

Comment: The specimen SACON VR 211 was not collected by Pandi Karthik, was miscommunicated.

Pareidae Romer, 1956

Pareas monticola (Cantor, 1839)

Location: The SACON VR 212 - adult from Selbalgre, Meghalaya (coll. Pandi Karthik).

Natricidae Bonaparte, 1838

Hebius khasiensis (Boulenger, 1890)

Location: SACON VR 162, VR 175, VR 177 four unsexed adults from Sasatgre, SACON VR 209, VR 225, VR 246 - three unsexed sub-adult & juvenile from North-Eastern Hill University Campus, Shillong, Meghalaya (coll. Pandi Karthik),

Fowlea piscator (Schneider, 1799)

Location: SACON VR 156 - adult male road-killed specimen from Nongsangu. SACON VA 202, 203 - adults from Raid Nongbri Meghalaya (coll. Pandi Karthik).

Sinomicrurus macclellandi (Reinhardt, 1844)

Location: SACON VR 159 - one adult from near Padakydeng Village, Meghalaya (coll. Pandi Karthik).

Naja kaouthia Lesson, 1831

Location: One juvenile (SACON VR 157) from Nonsangu, Meghalaya (coll. Pandi Karthik).

Ophiophagus hannah (Cantor, 1836)

Location: SACON VR 252 adult male was collected from Jirang, Meghalaya (coll. Pandi Karthik).

Comment: The specimen SACON VR 252 was killed by humankind, prior to the rescuer’s arrival (a local authorization letter was obtained to avoid future consequences).

Viperidae Oppel, 1811

Trimeresurus sp.

Location: One subadult (SACON VR 160) from Selbalgre, Meghalaya (coll. Pandi Karthik).

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