Submitted date: 01 December 2019 Accepted date: 30 April 2020 Published date: 21 May 2020 Pp. 59–70, pls. 22–24.
A NEW BENT-TOED GECKO SPECIES OF THE GENUS Cyrtodactylus GRAY, 1827 (SQUAMATA : GEKKONIDAE) FROM THE WEST BALI NATIONAL PARK, BALI, INDONESIA
A.A. Thasun Amarasinghe*, Awal Riyanto, Mumpuni & Lee L. Grismer *Corresponding author. E-mail: thasun@rccc.ui.ac.id
Abstract A new bent-toed gecko species of the genus Cyrtodactylus is described herein from West Bali National Park on the island of Bali, Indonesia. The Cyrtodactylus from Bali have been recognized as C. fumosus for nearly a century. However, recent detailed examination of the type material of C. fumosus has revealed that Balinese Cyrtodactylus represent at least one different species. A morphological examination of the new species and samples from different biogeographic regions revealed that the new species is similar to C. seribuatensis from Pulau Seribuat in West Malaysia. Morphologically, the new species can be distinguished from its congener by having 40–43 femoro-precloacal pores (vs 10–12 precloacal pores, 14–16 femoral pores), 40–48 ventral scales between ventrolateral folds (vs 28–39), 24–29 rows of dorsal tubercles (vs 27–35), and presence of tubercles on lateral skinfold (vs absent).
Key words :Cyrtodactylus fumosus, Sundaland, Taman Nasional Bali Barat, taxonomy
Abstract We redescribe the poorly-known peninsular India endemic colubrid snake Lycodon travancoricus based on its traceable syntype. We elaborate on the geographic range of the species and reveal its distribution in several disjunct hill ranges scattered across its range – the Western Ghats, the Eastern Ghats and the Central Indian Highlands. Discussions about a suggested relegation of its status as a subspecies of the widespread L. aulicus are revisited, in light of new knowledge on the species complex to which it belongs. Our perusal of extralimital records allocated to this species reveals frequent incorrect identification and provenance of specimens. Our results bolster the view that the existing diagnosis is sufficient to distinguish this species from regional congeners supporting its continued recognition as a valid species restricted to peninsular India.
Key words : distribution, Eastern Ghats, identification, Indian peninsula, syntype, Western Ghats
Submitted date: 01 December 2019 Accepted date: 11 March 2020 Published date: 21 May 2020 Pp. 39–49, pls. 15–18.
TAXONOMY AND DISTRIBUTION OF Liopeltis calamaria (GÜNTHER, 1858) (REPTILIA : COLUBRIDAE), INCLUDING REDESCRIPTION OF THE SYNTYPES
A.A. Thasun Amarasinghe*, Suranjan Karunarathna, Patrick D. Campbell, S.R. Ganesh & Gernot Vogel *Corresponding author. E-mail: thasun@rccc.ui.ac.id
Abstract Liopeltis calamaria, a rare non-venomous colubrid snake of South Asia, is redescribed. Its syntypes and all the available type specimens of its recognized synonyms are examined, including information about the respective populations found across India and Sri Lanka. Our literature compilation and mapping analyses reveal three distinct populations – (I) Sri Lankan (probably also present in some parts of South India as well), (II) Peninsular Indian, and (III) Himalayan / Nepalese, separated by the Palk Strait and the Indo-Gangetic plains respectively.
Key words : India, population variation, reed snake, sexual dimorphism, Sri Lanka, synonyms
EDITORIAL: Cladonotus bhaskari: a call for improving ethical standards in taxonomic journals
A.A.Thasun Amarasinghe Co-editor-in-chief: Taprobanica, the journal of Asian Biodiversity
We are in a period of mass extinctions, when many species of animals, plants and other organisms are disappearing through direct or indirect human activities. Yet, the declining numbers of expert taxonomists represents a barrier to identifying, studying and protecting threatened species. This is especially true in developing countries such as Sri Lanka. How can we enjoy and protect something if we don‘t know it is out there to enjoy and protect? As urgent as the description of newly discovered species is, such descriptions must necessarily take place in the context not only of the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature (ICZN) but also a sound ethical framework including adherence to local laws. Even urgently needed taxonomic research cannot be justified if it breaches ethical guidelines or the laws of the countries in which the organisms of interest originate, as the following cases illustrate.
Utilization of food plant species and abundance of hanuman langurs (Semnopithecus entellus) were studied between January 2009 and August 2010 in Pench Tiger Reserve, Madhya Pradesh (78° 55’ to 79° 35' E and 21° 8' to 22° N), India.