Table Of ContentMISCELLANEOUSNOTES 149
References
Smith, M.A. (1931): The faunaofBritish India, includ- Das, I. (1991): Colourguideto the turtles and tortoises
R&A
ingCeylonandBurma.ReptiliaandAmphibia.Vol. of the Indian subcontinent. Publishing
I. Loricata, Testudines. Taylor and Francis, Lon- Limited, Avon, England. 133 pp.
don. 185 pp.
21. ADDITIONAL LOCALITY RECORDS FOR TWO INDIAN TORTOISE SPECIES
Five species of tortoises have been This species is reported to be present in
reported from the Indian subcontinent. They Dehra Dun based on a specimen collected before
are, 1. Indian starred tortoise (Geochelone 1970 in Phandowala near Dehra Dun (Frazier
elegans); 2. Travancore tortoise (Indotestudo 1992). Thepresentrecord confirms the continued
forstenii)-, 3. Elongated tortoise (/. elongata); survival oftheelongated tortoise in the sal forests
4. Asian brown tortoise (Manouria emys) and ofRajaji National Park. The Rajaji National Park
5. Afghan four-toed tortoise (Testudo hosfiel- is located at the Northwestern limit of this
dii). In the subcontinent, the Afghan four- tortoise’s distribution.
toed tortoise is distributed only in Pakistan. Indian starred tortoise (Geochelone
Updated information on the distribution of elegans
)
the Indian tortoises is available in Das The Indian starred tortoise is widely dis-
(1991). The present note gives specific tributed in semi arid states of India (Das 1991).
locality record for the'Elongated tortoise and Mudumalai wildlife sanctuary in Tamil Nadu was
Indian starred tortoise. surveyed for tortoises during 23-27 December
1991. One complete shell (carapace length 6.5
Elongated tortoise (Indotestudo elongata) cm, width 5.3 cm and plastron length 5.5 cm) in
The elongated tortoise is distributed in the tribal camp in Anaikatty, a plastron in the
north and northeast India along the distribution Irula tribal camp in Moyar and a portion of a
of the sal Shorea robusta) forest. The con- plastron in the scrubjungle nearMasinagudi was
(
tinued existence of this species in Simlipal recorded. Subsequently, C.S. Silori has recorded
Tiger Reserve, Orissa; Saranda Reserve Forest, six Indian starred tortoises from January to
Chaibassa in Bihar; Jalpaiguri forest and Buxa August 1992. Allthesesightingswereinthescrub
Tiger Reserve in West Bengal; Garo hills in jungle near Masinagudi, Moyar and Vazhaithot-
Meghalaya and Corbett National Park in Uttar tam in Mudumalai wildlife sanctuary. One shell
Pradesh has been reported (Frazier 1992). But and three photographs havebeen deposited in the
nowhere in India, is the elongated tortoise com- WII-USFWS Turtle Project collection.
mon. It is listed as endangered in the Red Data In Tamil Nadu, this species has been reported
Book of the IUCN (Groombridge 1982). from Mambakkam, Pudukottai and Ramanad (Das
On May 20, 1990, a tortoise was 1991). Thepresentrecordin theProtectedArea,i.e.
photographed by one of us (SFWS) in Siggudi Mudumalai wildlife sanctuary is an additional
forest near Kotdwara in the corridor connecting locality for the Indian starred tortoise. The highest
Rajaji andCorbettNational Parks. Thiswas later elevation at which this species has been reported
m
identified as the elongated tortoise, Indotestudo was 450 at Erinpura, Jalor district in Rajasthan.
elongata. The tortoise was found active on a The present records are at elevations between 850
m
dried stream bed intersecting the sal forest. The and 950 is a significant altitudinal extension in
colour transparency is in the collection of WII- the distribution ofthe species.
USFWS
Turtle Project. Inrecent years,theIndianstarredtortoisehas
150 JOURNAL, BOMBAYNATURALHIST. SOCIETY, Vol. 91 (1994)
been reported in more localities in south-western to conductthesurveys. We are grateful toMrB.C.
India such as south east Kerala, Kalakad wildlife Choudhury, Scientist SE, WII for going through
sanctuary, Tamil Nadu (Das 1991) and Chinnar an earlier draft of the manuscript and offering
wildlife sanctuary in Kerala (Jayson 1993). This comments. MrR. Arumugam, Research Assistant,
indicate that the species probably occurs in many Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore assisted in
more localities along the rain shadow area of the the field in Mudumalai wildlife sanctuary.
Western Ghats.
Funds for the tortoise survey in Mudumalai
wildlife sanctuary wasreceived fromthe Wildlife Mayl8,1993 S. BHUPATHY
Institute ofIndia (WII) and US Fish and Wildlife C.S. SILORI
Service Collaborative Project on Turtles and Tor- S.F. WESLEY SUNDERRAJ
toises. We are thankful to theChiefWildlifeWar- Wildlife Institute ofIndia, P.O. Box No. 18, Dehra
den,TamilNadu andUttarPradesh forpermission Dun 248001.
Refe NCES
Das, I. (1991): Colourguideto the turtles and tortoises Red Data Book. Part I. Testudines, Crocodilia,
of the Indian subcontinent. R & A Publishing Rhyncocephalia. IUCN, Gland, pp. 426.
Limited, Avon, England, pp. 133. Jayson, E.A. (1993): Starred tortoise Geochelone
Frazier, J. (1992): The land tortoises in Nepal: A elegans (Schoepff) in ChinnarWildlife Sanctuary,
review. 7. Bombaynat. Hist. Soc. 89(1): 45-54. Kerala. 7. Bombay nat. HistSoc. 90 (1): 112.
Groombridge, B. (1982): The IUCN Amphibia-Reptilia
22. THE COMMON GARDEN LIZARD CALOTES VERSICOLOR (DAUDIN)
FEEDING ON GERMINATING SEEDS OF FERONIA LIMONIA (LINN.) SWINGLE
Like other agamids the common garden versicolor digging and feeding on swollen
lizard Calotes versicolor (Daudin) is primarily cotyledons of the germinating seeds of Feronia
insectivorous butalso feeds occasionally on small limonia in poly-bags. Only those seeds which had
birds, nestlings, frogs and other small animals just thrown their radicals and whose plumules
(Daniel 1983). There is one report of this lizard were about to emerge were taken. The seed coats
feeding on unripe, cultivated beans (Daniel and of swollen seeds were left uneaten.
Shull 1964).
Recently, on 4 June 1993, while I was in- June 15, 1993 SATISH KUMAR SHARMA
specting Narayani (I) Forest Nursery near foot- Range Forest Officer, AravalliAfforestation
hillsoftheNarayaniForestblockofJhadol Forest Programme, Jhadol(F.),
Range in Udaipur district, I observed a Calotes Dist. Udaipur(Raj.), 313 702,
References
Daniel,J.C. (1983): Thebook ofIndian Reptiles. Bom- Daniel,J.C. &E.M. Shull(1964):AlistofReptilesand
bay Natural History Society, Bombay. Amphibians of Surat Dangs. 7. Bombay nat. Hist.
Soc. 60: 737-743.
23. FIRST RECORD OF MICROHYLA RUBRA (JERDON) (AMPHIBIA ANURA)
:
FROM MAHARASHTRA
Microhyla rubra (Jerdon) is a small anuran British India" volume on Reptilia and Batrachia
characterized by elliptical tongue, toothlessjaws, gave the distribution of this frog as Assam, Nel-
stout habit and two shovel shaped metatarsal lore, Madras Presidency and Ceylon. Inger and
tubercles. Boulenger (1890) in his "Fauna of Dutta (1986) in their recent overview of the am-
