scholarly journals Small carnivores of Silent Valley National Park, Kerala, India

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (8) ◽  
pp. 12091 ◽  
Author(s):  
Devika Sanghamithra ◽  
P. O. Nameer

A study on the small carnivores in Silent Valley National Park (SVNP), southern Western Ghats, Kerala, India was conducted from September 2015 to April 2016, using the camera trap technique.  Seven species of small carnivores were recorded during the study.  The most common species of small carnivore of SVNP was Viverricula indica (44%) followed by Paradoxurus jerdoni (20%) and Herpestes vitticollis (17%). The other small carnivores found at SVNP were Herpestes fuscus (7%), Prionailurus bengalensis (6%), Aonyx cinereus (5%) and Martes gwatkinsii (1%).  P. jerdoni and M. gwatkinsii are endemic to the Western Ghats.  We discuss the niche partitioning among small carnivores in SVNP.  

2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (11) ◽  
pp. 10880
Author(s):  
S. Nikhil ◽  
P. O. Nameer

The study of small carnivores of the montane forests of Eravikulam National Park in the southern Western Ghats, India recorded nine species of small carnivores using the camera trapping technique.  These include three species of Mongoose (Herpestidae), two species each of lesser cats (Felidae) and civets (Viverridae), one species each of Otter and Marten (Mustelidae).  They are Stripe-necked Mongoose Herpestes vitticollis, Brown Mongoose Herpestes fuscus, Indian Grey Mongoose Herpestes edwardsii, Jungle Cat Felis chaus, Leopard Cat Prionailurus bengalensis, Common Palm Civet Paradoxurus hermaphrodites, Small Indian Civet Viverricula indica, Asian Small-clawed Otter Aonyx cinereus, and Nilgiri Marten Martes gwatkinsii.  It is interesting to note that the felines (lesser cats) are the more common small carnivores in the montane forests. Felis chaus was the most abundant small carnivore, which is followed by Prionailurus bengalensis and Herpestes vitticollis.  Two species are Vulnerable as per the IUCN Red List, viz., Martes gwatkinsii and Aonyx cinereus.


2016 ◽  
Vol 8 (11) ◽  
pp. 9306 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Sreehari ◽  
P. O. Nameer

The first ever detailed study on the small carnivores of the Parambikulam Tiger Reserve (PkTR) in the southern Western Ghats, using camera trap techniques, reported 11 species.  A total of 1,350 camera-trap nights were used for the study.  This was supplemented with 242km of day transects and 344km of night transects using spot-lights.  The small carnivores reported were the Small Indian Civet Viverricula indica, Common Palm Civet Paradoxurus hermaphroditus, Brown Palm Civet Paradoxurus jerdoni, Indian Grey Mongoose Herpestes edwardsii, Stripe-necked Mongoose Herpestes vitticollis, Brown Mongoose Herpestes fuscus, Ruddy Mongoose Herpestes smithii, Smooth-coated Otter Lutrogale perspicillata, Nilgiri Marten Martes gwatkinsii, Jungle Cat Felis chaus and Leopard Cat Prionailurus bengalensis.  About 90% of the small carnivores captured in the camera traps in PKTR were members of the Viverridae family such as the Small Indian Civet (31.67%), Common Palm Civet (30%) and Brown Palm Civet (28.33%).  The study recorded all the four species of mongoose known from the Western Ghats from PkTR.  Two out of the 11 small carnivores belong to the ‘Vulnerable’ category on the IUCN Red List. 


2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (11) ◽  
pp. 16502-16509
Author(s):  
Sandeep Das ◽  
K.P. Rajkumar ◽  
K.A. Sreejith ◽  
M. Royaltata ◽  
P.S. Easa

Abstract: The Resplendent Shrub Frog, Raorchestes resplendens Biju, Shouche, Dubois, Dutta, & Bossuyt, 2010 is a Critically Endangered species endemic to the Western Ghats and was considered to be restricted to a three-square kilometer patch atop Anamudi summit.  In this study, we report 36 new locations of the species from the Anamalai massif of the southern Western Ghats.  Niche-based prediction modelling suggests that the species is restricted to Anamalai massif.  The call description of this frog is also provided for the first time. The preferred microhabitat of the frog is Chrysopogon grass clumps in the marshy/swampy montane grassland ecosystem. Restricted to a small area with controlled burning management practiced in its habitat, R. resplendens needs immediate attention.


2016 ◽  
Vol 8 (5) ◽  
pp. 8818 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vikram Aditya ◽  
Thyagarajan Ganesh

The genus Prionailurus consists of forest dwelling spotted cats ranging across most of India (Sunquist and Sunquist 2002, Menon 2003). Few studies have been done on their presence and distribution across the Eastern Ghats. The present note reports the first camera trap records of the Leopard Cat Prionailurus benghalensis Kerr, 1792 and Rusty Spotted Cat, Prionailurus rubiginosus Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, 1831 from the Papikonda National Park, situated in the northern Eastern Ghats of Andhra Pradesh. 


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (7) ◽  
pp. 18953-18955
Author(s):  
Perumal Murugan ◽  
Vellingiri Ravichandran ◽  
Chidambaram Murugan

Ophiorrhiza incarnata C.E.C.Fisch. (Rubiaceae), a threatened plant species of southern Western Ghats is rediscovered from the adjacent area of the type locality after lapse of eight decades.  Its distribution and conservation status are discussed.


Zootaxa ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 4985 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
SHAHID ALI AKBAR ◽  
HIMENDER BHARTI ◽  
MARIUSZ KANTURSKI ◽  
AIJAZ AHMAD WACHKOO

Here we describe and illustrate Syllophopsis peetersi sp. nov. from Silent Valley National Park, a biodiversity hotspot region of the Western Ghats of India. The discovery also marks a first native report of the genus from the Indian subcontinent. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) analysis was carried out to elucidate the general morphology and sensilla of the new species. The new species is similar to congeners from Madagascar, but with larger differences from species that occur elsewhere.


Zootaxa ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 4459 (1) ◽  
pp. 85 ◽  
Author(s):  
VIVEK PHILIP CYRIAC ◽  
ALEX JOHNY ◽  
P. K. UMESH ◽  
MUHAMED JAFER PALOT

Two new species of geckos of the genus Cnemaspis Strauch, 1887 are described from the southern Western Ghats of Kerala. Both species are medium to large sized Cnemaspis and can be differentiated from all other Indian congeners by a suite of distinct morphological characters. Both species are found in the high elevation forests of the two major massifs—       Anaimalai Hills and Agasthyamalai Hills and are presently known to have very restricted distributional ranges. The discovery of these novel species highlights the understudied diversity of reptiles in the high mountain ranges of the Western Ghats. 


2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 1735-1752 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anbu Aravazhi Arunkumar ◽  
Arunachalam Manimekalan

Abstract. The Western Ghats of India is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is one of the eight “hotspots” of biological diversity in the world. It is also referred to as the “Great Escarpment of India”. This paper provides information on the diversity of freshwater fish fauna of six river systems of the southern Western Ghats. The study area has been identified geographically using a GPS, and the respective topographic map has been digitized using ArcGIS software. The fish fauna were collected from various streams and rivers using cast nets, dip nets, gill nets and drag nets. Among the 31 georeferenced sites sampled from the rivers of the southern Western Ghats, a total of 64 species, belonging to 6 orders, 14 families and 31 genera, were recorded. Among them, the order Cypriniformes was dominant, with 3 families, 18 genera and 49 species (76.6 %). Principal component analysis and cluster analysis were performed to express the contribution of the variables and their influence on the species diversity. Interestingly, of the 31 sites, Thunakadavu stream, Gulithuraipatti, Athirapally, Naduthotam, Nadathittu, Mullaithodu, Thonanthikla, Noolpuzha and Sinnaru exhibited high variation in species diversity. Nearly 15 species were found to be threatened in the Western Ghats. Garra periyarensis and Cirrhinus cirrhosus are known to be vulnerable and Hemibagrus punctatus is critically endangered because of various anthropogenic activities. The study clearly indicates that certain timely measures have to be taken immediately to protect the fish fauna in the southern Western Ghats (https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.882214).


2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 11226
Author(s):  
G. Anil ◽  
Navaneeth Kishor ◽  
Naseef Gafoor ◽  
Naseer Ommer ◽  
P. O. Nameer

We present herewith some natural history information such as social behavior, aggressive behavior, vocalization, food and feeing, basking and allo-grooming, time activity pattern etc. on the Nilgiri Marten Martes gwatkinsii, the endemic and threatened mustelid of Western Ghats. The conservation recommendations were also suggested for the long-term conservation of the Nilgiri Marten. 


2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (9) ◽  
pp. 16161-16165
Author(s):  
Balakrishnan Valappil ◽  
V.K.Chandrasekharan

Complete documentation of the early stages of Eurema nilgiriensis (Yata) on the larval host plant Ventilago bombaiensis (Rhamnaceae) is presented in this paper.  In addition to this, notes on the range extensions of this species in southern Western Ghats in Kannur, Kozhikode, Wayanad, Malappuram, and Palakkad districts in Kerala is also provided. Field records from the northern Kerala part of the Western Ghats and the complete biology are reported for the first time since its description in 1990. Photographic records from seven locations since 2011 were confirmed by comparing with the original descriptions and in consultation with the author of the   species. Eggs collected from field were reared at home, and every stage observed is also reported, as well as the discovery of the host plant Ventilago bombaiensis.  It is concluded that the species is widespread in forested areas at elevations from 70m to 1,000m.


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