Records of water snakes (Homalopsidae: Serpentes) from Gujarat State

1 Pages·1996·0.59 MB·

by  Raju Vyas

MlSCELIANEOUS NOTES 101
tunnels in damaged condition. The reason fordamage 4-5 egg shells were seen lying at the mouth oftunnel
of the eggs has not been identified. This is the sole in which a female was lying.
reason why hatchlings have never been observed in
the sanctuary where mortality rate of egg seems to August 14, 1993 R.C. GUPTA
be 100%. It is curious to note that during late May Zoology Deportment, Kurukshetra University
.
and June, it is very easy to discern the sex of the Kurukshetra, Haryana.
BHARDWAJ
animal as the females despite the inclement weather, C.S.
remain confined to the tunnels, in a bid to guard the Lecturer in Zoology, DayaI Singh College,
eggs lying inside the tunnel. On several occassions Karnal, India.
R rLNCHS
i-:i-1-
Prakash, M. (1971 ): Crocodile {Cmcodyluspalustris) breeding Bombay nut. Hist. Soc. 76(1): 167-172.
W
at the Jaipur Zoo. ./. Bombay not. Hist. Soc. 6S(3)\ 835-837. Whitaker. R. & Z. HiTAKiiR (1984): Reproductive biology of
Singh, L.A.K. (1979a): Bride Crocodile from nature mates the mugger(Cmcodyluspalustris). .1. Bombaynot. Hist. Soc.
groom in Captivity. Indian Eoresier 105(7): 546. SI(2): 297-316.
Singh, L.A.K. (1979b): Social attraction of a wild mugger Yadav, R.N. 1969): Breeding the muggercrocodile (Cmcodylus
(
(Cmcodylus palustris Lesson) towards captive mugger. ./. palustris) at Jaipur Zoo. bit. Zoo. Year Book 9: 33.
RECORDS OF WATER SNAKES (HOMALOPSIDAE: SERPENTES) FROM
23.
GUJARAT STATE
During surveys of snakes in Gujarat State, I Eye small with vertical pupil. Body colour
received five live water snakes, on February 2, 1988, uniformly dark grey, upper lip and lower jaw
from local fisherman ofNavsari, Valsad District. All white and other three rows of body scales are
were trapped in fishing nets, during fishing in the lighlgrey, belly white, with the edges being dark
estuary of Purna river. Cerberus rhyncliops was the grey.
commonest species and there was a specimen of According to Smith (1943. i-auna or British
Gerardia prevostiana. India, Vol. Ill), this species is distributed in the coasts
C. rhyncliops occurs in the estuaries of all big and in tidal rivers ofIndia, from Bombay to Malabar,
rivers of south Gujarat, but G. prevostiana is being and is reported from Sri Lanka (Kalani river), Burma
recorded for first time from Gujarat. (Gulf of Martaban) and the west coast of Malay
Measurements and Details: Snout to vent Peninsula. The present record from Purna river, 3
length 52 cm, tail length 8 cm and total length is 60 km from Navsari, Valsad District therefore extends
cm. Supralabials 7. 4lh touches the eye; infralabials the range of the species.
9 with two pairs of genials; temporals 1+2; pre,
1 1
supra and 2 postoculars; body scales smooth and October 16, 1995 RAJU VYAS
18:17: 15 in row; venlrals 154; subcaudals 35 divided; Sayaji Bang Zoo, Vadodara-3900J8.
anal plate 2; sex:male. Gujarat, India.
COMMENTS ON THE NOTE “FIRST RECORD OF MICROHYLA RUBRA (JERDON)
24.
(AMPHIBIA: ANURA) FROM MAHARASHTRA” BY KAMBLE AND GHATE
Kamble and Ghate (1994) have recorded first time from Maharashtra based on a specimen
Microhyla rubra (Jerdon) (Amphibia: Anura) for the available in the Western Regional Station; Zoological