WWW.IRCF.ORG/REPTILESANDAMPHIBIANSJOURNAL TABLE OF CONTENTS
IRCF REPTILES &NO AMPHIBIANS • 23(2):99–101 • AUG IRCF REPTILES & AMPHIBIANS • VOL15, 4 • DEC 2008 189
2016
IRCF
REPTILES & AMPHIBIANS
C O N S E R V AT I O N A N D N AT U R A L H I S T O R Y
T A B L E
O F
C O N T E N T S
A Leucistic Indian Rock Python, Python molurus (Linnaeus 1758), from Andhra Pradesh, India
FEATURE ARTICLES
Chasing Bullsnakes (Pituophis catenifer sayi) in Wisconsin: On the Road to Understanding the Ecology and Conservation of the Midwest’s Giant Serpent ...................... Joshua M. Kapfer
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The Shared History of Treeboas (Corallus grenadensis) and Humans on Grenada: A Hypothetical Excursion ............................................................................................................................Robert W. Henderson
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RESEARCH ARTICLES
The Texas Horned Lizard in Central and Western Texas ....................... Emily Henry, Jason Brewer, Krista Mougey, and Gad Perry
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The Knight Anole (Anolis equestris) in Florida 1, V. Vasudeva Rao1, and V. Nagulu2 B. Laxmi ............................................. Brian J.Narayana Camposano, Kenneth L. Krysko, Kevin M. Enge, Ellen M. Donlan, and Michael Granatosky
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All India Network Project on Vertebrate Pest Management, PJTS Agricultural University, Rajendranagar, Hyderabad-500030, Telangana, India CONSERVATION ALERT (
[email protected]) World’s Mammals 2 in Crisis ............................................................................................................................................................. 220 Department of Zoology (Rtd. Prof.), Osmania University, Hyderabad, 500007, India More Than Mammals ...................................................................................................................................................................... The “Dow Jones Index” of Biodiversity ...........................................................................................................................................
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HUSBANDRY
Captive Care of the Central Netted Dragon ....................................................................................................... 226 © search for “albino he Indian Rock Python, Python molurus (Linnaeus 1758), animals are abundant Shannon (e.g., Plummer a Google is a large non-venomous pythons” generated over 400,000 results). P R O F I L E snake found in much of tropical and subtropical southern Asia. The ................................................................................................ species is The destruction of Michael such L.an unusual Kraigand Adler:southeastern A Lifetime Promoting Herpetology Treglia 234 snake was regrettawidely distributed Con the Indian Subcontinent (Smith 1943; ble, but sadly reflects the attitudes of many Indians. Guptha OMMENTARY Das 2002; Whitakerand Captain 2004, 2008) and has been (2013) advocated the conservation of Indian Rock Pythons, The Turtles Have Been Watching Me ........................................................................................................................ Eric Gangloff 238 categorized as Schedule-I in the Indian Wildlife Protection noting an urgent need to conserve the species and create an BOOK REVIEW Act of 1972, is listed in CITES Appendix I (CITES 2016), awareness among local people about pythons and other wild Threatened Amphibians of the World edited by S.N. Stuart, M. Hoffmann, J.S. Chanson, N.A. Cox, but has not been assessed for the IUCN Red List since the life in and around the Seshachalam R. Berridge, P. Ramani, and B.E. Young .............................................................................................................. Robert Powell Forest 243 of Andhra Pradesh. recent elevation of P. bivittatus (Jacobs et al. 2009), which Acknowledgements ................................. 245 CONSERVATION REPORTS: Summaries of Published Conservation Research Reports had been considered a subspecies ofRESEARCH P. molurus. NATURAL HISTORY RESEARCH REPORTS: Summaries of Published Reports on Natural History ................................. 247 We thank the Indian Council of248 Agricultural Research During faunalstudies from...................................................................................................................................................................................... June 2014 to December 2015 NEWBRIEFS for providing necessary facilities. The EDITORIAL INFORMATION 251 All India Network in the Srikakulam District, Andhra Pradesh,..................................................................................................................................................... we encountered FOCUS ON CONSERVATION: A Project You Can Support ............................................................................................... 252 Project on Vertebrate Pest Management; Prof. Jayashankar, several dead individuals killed by local villagers. One of the Telangana State Agricultural University, Telangana; East snakes (Fig. 1) found on 9 September 2015 near Laxmipuram Coast Energy Private Ltd., Hyderabad; and the Andhra village (18°32.112'N, 84°11.481'E), Kotabommali Mandal, Pradesh Forest Department provided support in the field. Tekkali Range, Srikakulam District, Andhra Pradesh, along Back Cover. Michael Kern Front Cover. Shannon Plummer. the eastern Indian coast (Fig. 2) was unusually Totat et velleseque audant mo Totat et vellesequecolored. audant mo This estibus inveliquo velique rerchilLiterature Cited estibus inveliquo rerchil evidently leucistic snake was about 1.5 m invelique total length erspienimus, quos accullabo. Ilibus erspienimus, quos accullabo. Ilibus CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and milky-white except for gold and grayapicto diamond-shaped aut dolor invere pe Appendices. dolum aut dolor invere pe dolum andapicto Flora). 2016. . maionsequat eumque maionsequat eumque markings on the dorsum. This was fugiatis in sharp contrast with the Das,fugiatis I. 2002. A Photographic Guide to Snakes and Other Reptiles of India. New moditia erere nonsedis ma sectiamoditia erere nonsedis ma sectiatur Holland Publishers, London, UK. prevalent color pattern of the species, which is whitish or yelma derrovitae voluptam, as quos tur ma derrovitae voluptam, as Dobosz, B.S., K. Kohlmann, K. Goryczko, and H. Kuzminski. 2008. Growth and lowish with blotches ranging from accullabo. tan to dark brown, often vitality in yellow forms of rainbow trout. Journal of Applied Ichthyology 16: varying with terrain and habitat. Whitaker (1987) indicated 117–20. that snakes from the upland forests of the Western Ghats and Guptha, M.B. 2013. Need for conservation of Indian Rock Python (Python molurus) (Linnaeus 1758). World Journal of Zoology 8: 126–126. Assam are darker, whereas those from the Deccan Plateau and Jacobs, H.J., Auliya, M. and Böhme, W. 2009. On the taxonomy of the Burmese the eastern coast are usually lighter. Python, Python molurus bivittatus Kuhl, 1820, specifically on the Sulawesi Leucism, a reduction in multiple types of pigments, is population. Sauria 31(3): 5–11. a condition expressed as a partial loss of pigmentation in an Lillywhite, H.B. 2008. Dictionary of Herpetology. Krieger Publishing Co., Malabar, Florida. animal resulting in white, pale, or patchy coloration of the Smith, M.A. 1943. The Fauna of British India, Ceylon and Burma, Including the skin, hair, feathers, scales, or cuticle, but not the eyes (e.g., Whole of the Indo-Chinese Sub-region. Reptilia and Amphibia. Vol. III.— Lillywhite 2008). Leucism often is confused or equated with Serpentes. Taylor and Francis, London, UK. albinism (total lack of all pigments) or amelanism (lack of Whitaker, R. 1987. Common Indian Snakes. A Field Guide. Macmillan Company of India Ltd., Chennai, India. melanin but presence of other pigments). Leucistic, amelaWhitaker, R. and A. Captain. 2004. Snakes of India. The Field Guide. Draco Books, nistic, and albino individuals are rare in nature (e.g., Dobosz Chennai, India. et al. 2008), presumably due to reductions in fitness largely Whitaker, R. and A. Captain. 2008. Snakes of India. The Field Guide. Draco Books, Chennai, India. attributable to deficient crypsis, although captive-bred
Copyright © 2016. B. Laxmi Narayana. All rights reserved.
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Fig. 1. Leucistic Indian Rock Python (Python molurus) killed by local villagers at Laxmipuram, Srikakulam, Andhra Pradesh, India. Photographs by the senior author.
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Fig. 2. Google Earth© maps showing the location where the leucistic Indian Rock Python (Python molurus) was found in Laxmipuram, Srikakulam, India.
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