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Asiatic Herpetological Research, Vol. 11

2008

The Herpetofauna of Nallamala Hills, Eastern Ghats, India: An
Annotated Checklist, With Remarks on Nomenclature, Taxonomy,
Habitat Use, Adaptive Types and Biogeography
C. SRINIVASULU1 AND INDRANEIL DAS2,*
1

Wildlife Biology Section, Department of Zoology,
Osmania University, Hyderabad 500 007, Andhra Pradesh, India,
2
Institute of Biodiversity and Environmental Conservation,
Universiti Malaysia Sarawak, 94300 Kota Samarahan, Sarawak, Malaysia.
*Corresponding author E-mail: idas@ibec.unimas.my; hamadryad2004@hotmail.com
Abstract.- We present an inventory of the herpetofauna of the Nallamala Hills, Eastern Ghats, south-eastern India. The
fauna, as currently known, includes 20 species of amphibians belonging to 14 genera in six families and 64 speciesof reptiles belonging to 42 genera in 15 families. Divided in habitat types, the herpetofauna can be classified into
species tolerant of disturbed habitats; exclusively scrub species (and for reptiles, from rocky biotopes); scrub and bordering agricultural fields; and exclusively mesic forest species. For one species, lack of ecological information precludes its allocation to a specific habitat category. Significant diversity of squamates (including gekkonids, scincids,
and colubrids) are known from these ranges, several of which endemic or largely restricted to scrub forests ofPeninsular India. Mesic forests remain poorly explored, and support hitherto undescribed species among the herpetofauna. Adaptations seen amongst the herpetofauna of the Nallamala Hills include a diversity of dietary and habitat
types, including, among amphibians, ant specialists; predators of small vertebrates; folivores; fossorial; terrestrial;
aquatic or aquatic-margin; and arboreal forms. Amongst reptiles, adaptive types includes ant- and worm-eaters; predator of crop pests; predator of small or medium-sized vertebrate prey; egg-predators; fish-eaters; frog- and toadeaters; and one near-exclusive snake-eater. In terms of habitat usage, reptiles exceed amphibians in species richness,on account of their greater capacity of surviving in relatively arid regions.
The Eastern Ghats contributes significantly to both species richness and endemicity of the Indian region, including representatives of endemic genera and species. Nonetheless, these hills continue to receive less attention for conservation compared to the relatively better-known Western Ghats.
Keywords.- Amphibians, reptiles, biodiversity, ecology, Nallamala Hills, Eastern Ghats, India.

Introduction
Nallamala Hills (14º 26' – 16º 31' N and 78º 30' – 80º 10'E) are a group of low hill ranges with an average altitude
of ca. 500 m in the central Eastern Ghats complex in thestate of Andhra Pradesh, south-eastern India (Fig. 1).
From the Palnad Basin in the north to the Tirupati Basinin the south, the Nallamala Hills runs for a distance of
ca. 430 km with an average width of 30 km (Anon,
1965; Srinivasulu and Nagulu, 2002). An unbroken
chain of rugged hills with precipitous cliffs covering an
area of ca. 7,640 km2, it encompasses six districts(Nalgonda, Mahbubnagar, Kurnool, Cuddapah,
Prakasam and Guntur) in Andhra Pradesh State.
Running parallel to it in the south-eastern side is theBalapalli and Palakonda Ranges, while on the westernside, towards the north, are the Erramala Range. The
vegetation is typically of the southern tropical dry deciduous and southern tropical moist deciduous forest types
intermingled with scrub (Champion and Seth, 1968),
although the Nallamalas show representatives of many

© 2008 by Asiatic Herpetological Researchvegetation types known from the Eastern Ghats, including dry deciduous, moist deciduous, dry evergreen,
riverine and scrub forest (see R. K. Rao, 1998; R. S.
Rao, 1998). Dry deciduous forests are dominant.
Common species found here include Antidesma acidum,
Canthium parviflorum, Cerisoides turgida, Cissus pallida, Cochlospermum religiosum, Colebrookea oppositifolia, Dalbergia lanceolaris, Dalbergia paniculatum,
Diospyros melanoxylon, Ehretai laevis, Lagerstroemia
parviflora, Pterocarpus marsupium, Syzygium alternifolium, and Tamilnadia uliginosa. A forest type with
Boswellia serrata and Chloroxylon swietenia as thedominant species occurs near Chalama, a Terminalia
coriacea and Anogeisus latifolia type occur in eastern
Nallamala, a Phoenix type with Phoenix loureivie as thedominant species forming a pure stand on rocky substrata occur between Ramannapenta and Gundla
Brahmeshwaram Metta Wildlife Sanctuary (GBM).
Moist deciduous forests are restricted to sheltered sites
with high rainfall such as GBM, upper Ahobilam andIskagundam; common species include: Careya arborea,

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70 O

90 O

80 O

17 O
River Krishna

Northern
Nallamala
Hills

30 O

INDIA

Mācherla

20 O

AndhraPradeshAmrābād

Lingāl10 O

Chilakaluripet

Kolhāpur
400 KmSrīsailamRiver Krishna

80

O

Velugodu

CentralNallamalaHills

Srīgiripādu

16 O

Markāpur

CumbumOngoleNandyāl
AndhraPradeshGiddalūr• Hyderabad

Bay ofBengalĀllagadda
River Krishna

14 O

Nallamala
Hills

Southern
Nallamala
Hills

15 O

Proddatūr
Bay ofBengalCuddapah

100 KmNellore100 Km
14 O
78

O

79

O

80

O

Figure 1. Maps showing the location of the Nallamala Hills, Andhra Pradesh, south-eastern India. On top left, map ofIndia, showing Andhra Pradesh State; on bottom left, map of Andhra Pradesh, showing location of Nallamala Hills; andon right, the Nallamala Hills, with localities mentioned in the text.

Dillenia pentagyna, Ficus hispida, Barleria strigosa,
Adiantum lunulatum, Oroxylona indicum, Trema orientalis and Pimpinella wallichiana. The Nallamalas arehome to many endemic species of Eastern Ghats including: Andrographis nallamalayana, Ericaulon lushingtonii, Dicliptera beddomei, Premna hamiltonii,
Euphorbia
linearifolia
var.
nallamalayana,
Rostellularia vahlii, Andrographis beddomei,
Rostellularia vahlii var. rupicola, Boswellia ovalifoliata,
Cycas
beddomei,
Chaemaesyce
linearifolia,
Chaemaesyce senguptae, Crotalaria madurensis,
Crotalaria paniculata nagarjunakondensis, Indigofera
barberi, Pterocarpus santalinus, Albizia sikharamensis,
and Eriolaena lushingtonii. Pterocarpus marsupium andCycas beddomii are well known endemics. Anotherinteresting feature of the flora is the exhibition of gigantism as exemplified by the shrubby climber Marsdenia
tenacissima, the leaves of which measure up to 32 cm.
Other climbers such as Bauhinia vahlii and Enteda
pursetha are dominant over other vegetation. The climate is generally hot and dry with temperatures rising
up to 43–45°C during May and dropping to 8–12°C in
December. The Nallamala Hills receive on an average
900–1,000 mm rainfall annually.

The Nallamala Hill Range has been conveniently
divided into three zones (Fig. 1): i.) the Northern
Nallamala Hills (the expanse of hill ranges between the
Palnad Basin and the River Krishna that flows approximately 130 km through the hills); ii.) the Central
Nallamala Hills (the expanse of hill ranges between theRiver Krishna and the British railway track between
Nandyal and Guntur passing through Chalama, Bogada,and Diguvametta); and iii.) the Southern Nallamala Hills(the expanse of hills between the British railway track
and the Tirupati basin near Rajampet (14º 11' N and 79º
10' E). Two contiguous protected areas, theNagarjunasagar Srisailam Tiger Reserve and the Gundla
Brahmeshwaram Metta Wildlife Sanctuary (with a collective area of 4,762 km2) have been set aside to conserve the rich biodiversity of this tract.
The first of the faunal surveys conducted in the
Nallamala Hills dates back to 1930 when the ornithologist, Sálim Ali (1896–1987), of the Bombay Natural
History Society, collected bird specimens from
Mannanur and Farahabad on the Amrabad Plateau in the
Northern Nallamala Hills during the Hyderabad State
Ornithological Survey (see Lozupone et al., 2004, for agazetteer of localities; Srinivasulu and Nagulu, 2002).

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Subsequently, the Zoological Survey of India conducted
two faunistic surveys to collect vertebrate fauna in thevicinity of the area in the Northern Nallamala Hills thatwas to be submerged due to the construction of the
Nagarjunasagar Dam on River Krishna. Between 1980
to present date many surveys and other studies (Agrawal
and Bhattacharyya, 1976; Bhushan 1986, 1994;Murthy,
1968, 1986; Nagulu et al., 1998; Rao et al., 1997; Rao et
al. 1999; Rao et al., 2005; Rao et al., 2004a,b,c,d; Reddy
et al., 2004; Sharma, 1969, 1971, 1976; Srinivasulu andNagulu, 2002; Srinivasulu and Rao, 1999; Srinivasulu
and Rao, 2000; Srinivasulu, 2001b, 2002, 2003) havebeen conducted documenting the faunal elements foundin the Nallamala Hills.
HISTORY OF HERPETOFAUNAL STUDIESThe earliest zoological collections from these hill ranges
were made by Thomas Claverhill Jerdon (1811–1872), a
member of the Asiatic Society, and also an important
contributor to mammalogy, ornithology, and herpetology (see Das, 2004, for a brief biographic account).
Jerdon’s papers were published in the Journal of the
Asiatic Society of Bengal. As Civil Surgeon of Nellore
in 1842, Jerdon collected extensively in the then poorlyknown region between Madras and Nellore, discovering
many novelties amongst the vertebrate fauna, and most
famously, the Jerdon's courser, Rhinoptilus bitorquatus(see an account in Bhushan, 2003). As a result of his collections during the time, the following now familiar herpetological species were described by Jerdon himself:
Microhyla rubra (Jerdon, 1854), Hoplobatrachus crassus (Jerdon, 1854), Hemidactylus subtriedrus Jerdon,
1853, and Oligodon taeniolatus (Jerdon, 1853).
The Zoological Survey of India undertook the firstherpetological survey of the Nallamala Hills, between
1962 and 1963 (reported by Murthy, 1968; Sharma,
1969; 1971; 1976). As part of the Eastern Ghats
Herpetological Survey, Dr. Hem Singh Pruthi (?–1953),
Plant Protection Adviser to the Government of India andentomologist with the ZSI (see Lal, 1954, for an obituary), collected herpetofauna from the Nallamala Hills in1929 which were identified by Dr. Malcolm Arthur
Smith. Under the State Faunal Diversity Documentation
Project, initiated by the Survey, additional specimens
were collected from localities in the Nallamala Hills(Murthy, 1986; Sanyal et al., 1993; Sarkar et al., 1993).
The first author of the present report made observations on the herpetofauna of Northern and Central
Nallamala Hills between late 1995 and early 2000. A
research team from the Department of Zoology,
Osmania University, Hyderabad, also documented theherpetofaunal diversity while executing an Andhra
Pradesh Forest Department-sponsored project on theeffects of man-made barriers on wildlife in Gundla

2008

Brahmeshwaram Metta Wildlife Sanctuary in theCentral Nallamala Hills, between 1998 and 2000.
Observations on the herpetofaunal diversity made during these two studies between 1995 and 2000 have been
listed in an unpublished document (Srinivasulu, 2001a).
The Andhra Pradesh Forest Department, in collaboration
with Department of Botany, Sri Krishnadevaraya
University, Anantapur (for flora) and Department of
Zoology, Osmania University, Hyderabad (for fauna)
initiated All Taxa Biodiversity Inventorization Project in2001 (Rao et al., 2004e) in which the first author was
involved. Voucher specimens of amphibians and reptiles
collected during this project have been deposited in theState Forest Department’s Eco-Resource Monitoring
Lab, located in Sunnipenta, Kurnool District. Between 3– 16 June 2003, CS along with a research scholar from
Zoological Survey of India, Hyderabad, and other volunteers visited Nagarjunasagar Srisailam Tiger Reserveto study the voucher specimens of the herpetofauna in
Eco-Resource Monitoring Lab, Sunnipenta and collectfresh voucher specimens to be deposited in the National
Zoological Collection housed at the Freshwater
Biological Station of the Zoological Survey of India,
Hyderabad, India (Srinivasulu et al., 2006).

Materials and Methods
Literature review and faunistic surveys by the firstauthor for acquiring voucher specimens, both for the
Andhra Pradesh Forest Department (January 2001 toJune 2003) and the Zoological Survey of India (June2003), and records of observations made by the firstauthor between December 1995 to December 2004 in
the Nallamala Hills form the basis of the diversity ofherpetofauna reported here. Voucher specimens collected following techniques detailed in Heyer et al. (1994),
including collections along 100–200 m transects andsampling within 50 sq m quadrats, at elevations between
150–570 m ASL. Vegetation in the area of sampling isdry deciduous and scrub forest types. Several moist
decidous forest patches were also surveyed, including
along seasonal streams, particularly for amphibians.
Specimens were preserved and were deposited both at
the State Forest Department Collection housed at ERM
Labs, Sunnipenta, Kurnool District and the National
Zoological Collection at the Freshwater Biological
Station, Zoological Survey of India, Hyderabad. Certain
large-growing (and threatened/protected) species considered easily-identifiable in the field (e.g., Crocodylus
palustris and Python molurus) were not collected.
Photographic vouchers were deposited in the Natural
History Museum at the Department of Zoology,
Osmania University, Hyderabad. All records from thesouthern Nallamala Hills are based on sight records.

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The annotated lists of amphibians and reptiles provided below include information on their distribution in
the Nallamala Hills, their habitat and qualitative impressions of abundance. Details of the vouchers are also provided. If the voucher specimen/s and/or photographic
voucher are present, they are indicated by [S] or [P] followed by abbreviation of the place where housed.
Abbreviations used include: ZSIK (National ZoologicalCollection, Zoological Survey of India, Kolkata), ZSIH(National Zoological Collection, Freshwater Biological
Station, Zoological Survey of India, Hyderabad), ERM(Eco-Resource Monitoring Lab, Andhra Pradesh Forest
Department, Sunnipenta), and NHMOU (Natural
History Museum, Department of Zoology, Osmania
University, Hyderabad). Nomenclatural remarks concerning species are for those names that are different
from that generally prevailing in the literature in Indian
herpetology, especially the Fauna of British India volumes by Smith (1931–43).

Results
The herpetofauna of the Nallamala Hills, as currently
known, includes 20 species of amphibians belonging to
12 genera in four families and 64 species of reptiles
belonging to 42 genera in 15 families. Recently, Rao etal. (2005) published an account of herpetofauna of the
Nallamala Hills putting on record about 66 species ofherpetofauna (including 18 species of amphibians in 11
genera in 4 families and 48 species of reptiles in 34 genera in 12 families) based on collections made from 16
locations between 15º 35'N (Isukagundam) to 16º 37' N(Vijayapuri) and 78º 39'E (Saileshwaram) to 79º 17' E(Vijayapuri) between November 2001 and September
2004. Rao et al.’s (2005) paper suffers from numerous
problems (including misidentifications and erroneous
nomenclature, in addition to dubious first record
claims), and grossly under-represents the herpetofaunaof the region, while ignoring to emphasize the endemic
reptiles of the Nagarjunasagar area.
Of the herpetofaunal species listed in this work,
voucher specimens of 76 species are either at the
National Zoological Collection of the Zoological Surveyof India, at Kolkata (48 species) and Hyderabad (20species) or in the Eco-Resource Monitoring Laboratory,
Sunnipenta (62 species). Vouchers of 11 species are at
Kolkata, and 14 are at Sunnipenta. Eight taxa listed inthis report are either based on literature reports or onsightings.

113

Annotated List of Amphibians
Order: Anura
Family: Bufonidae
1. Bufo stomaticus Lütken, 1862
Bufo stomaticus C. F. Lütken. 1862. Vidensk. Meddr.
Danske Naturh. Foren. 1862: 305.
Northern (Sarkar et al., 1993; Srinivasulu et al., 2006),
Central (Srinivasulu et al., 2006) and Southern
Nallamala Hills. Scrub, open forests and near agricultural fields. Common. [S] ZSIK (A1844, A1141), ZSIH(ZSI/FBS/N/1148, 1150–1153).
2. Bufo scaber Schneider, 1799
Bufo scaber J. G. Schneider. 1799. Hist. Nat. Amph.:
222.
Northern (Srinivasulu et al., 2006), Central (Rao et al.,2005; Srinivasulu et al., 2006) and Southern Nallamala
Hills. Scrub, open forests and near agricultural fields.
Uncommon. [S] ERM (ERMA–5a); [P] NHMOU(NHMOU.Amph.P.1–03).
Remarks: First record claim from the region by Rao etal. (2005) is erroneous as it has been already reported
from the Nallamala Hills by Subba Rao et al. (1994).
Dubois and Ohler (1999) showed that Bufo scaber
Schneider, 1799 has priority over Bufo fergusonii
Boulenger, 1892.
3. Duttaphrynus melanostictus (Schneider, 1799):
Bufo melanostictus J. G. Schneider. 1799. Hist. Nat.
Amph.: 216.
Northern (Rao et al., 2005; Sarkar et al., 1993;
Srinivasulu et al., 2006), Central (Rao et al., 2005;
Sarkar et al., 1993; Srinivasulu et al., 2006) andSouthern Nallamala Hills. Scrub, open forests and near
agricultural fields. Abundant. [S] ZSIK (A1144, A1145,
A1845, A1997–98, A8373–75, A8377–81), ERM(ERMA–1a).

Family: Dicroglossidae
4. Euphylyctis cyanophlyctis (Schneider, 1799)
Rana cyanophlyctis J. G. Schneider. 1799. Hist. Nat.
Amph.: 137.
Northern (Rao et al., 2005; Sarkar et al., 1993;
Srinivasulu et al., 2006), Central (Rao et al., 2005;
Sarkar et al., 1993; Srinivasulu et al., 2006) andSouthern Nallamala Hills. Scrub, open forests and near
agricultural fields. Abundant. [S] ZSIK (A6941, A6943,
A1948, A8424–26, A1108–13, A1130, A1989, A7810–
11, A6947, A1131–32, A1830–34, A1838, A1941–47),

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ERM (ERMA–3a); [P] NHMOU (NHMOU.Amph.P.7–
03).
Remarks: Euphlyctis Fitzinger, 1843 was revived fromsynonymy of Rana Linnaeus, 1758 by Dubois (1992).
5. Euphylyctis hexadactylus (Lesson, 1834)
Rana hexadactyla R. P. Lesson. 1834. Voyage IndesOrient.: 331.
Northern (Rao et al., 2005; Srinivasulu et al., 2006),
Central (Rao et al., 2005; Srinivasulu et al., 2006) andSouthern Nallamala Hills. Scrub, open forests and near
agricultural fields. Abundant. [S] ERM (ERMA–10a);[P] NHMOU (NHMOU.Amph.P.8–03).
6. Fejervarya cf. limnocharis (Gravenhorst, 1829)
Rana limnocharis J. L. C. Gravenhorst. 1829. Rept.
Mus. Zool. Vratis. Delic. Mus. Zool: 42.
Northern (Sarkar et al., 1993; Srinivasulu et al., 2006),
Central (Rao et al., 2005; Srinivasulu et al., 2006) andSouthern Nallamala Hills. Scrub, open forests and near
agricultural fields. Common. [S] ZSIK (A8438–40,
A7813–14, A1990, A6946), ERM (ERMA–17a); [P]NHMOU (NHMOU.Amph.P.9–03).
Remarks: Fejervarya Bolkay, 1915 was recognized as asubgenus of Rana Linnaeus, 1758 by Dubois (1992),
and as a genus by Iskandar (1998).
7. Hoplobatrachus crassus (Jerdon, 1854) Jerdon’s
Bull Frog
Rana crassa T. C. Jerdon. 1854. J. Asiatic Soc. Bengal
22(5): 531.
Northern (Sanyal et al., 1993; Srinivasulu et al., 2006),
Central (Rao et al., 2005) and Southern Nallamala Hills.
Scrub, open forests and near agricultural fields.
Abundant. [S] ZSIK (A1843, A6945, A8409–14), ERM(ERMA–13a); [P] NHMOU (NHMOU.Amph.P.10–03).
Remarks: Hoplobatrachus Peters, 1863 was revived
from synonymy of Rana Linnaeus, 1758 by Dubois(1992). See also Grosjean et al. (2004).
8. Hoplobatrachus tigerinus (Daudin, 1803)
Rana tigerina F.-M. Daudin. 1803. Hist. Nat.: 64; Pl.
XX.
Northern (Sanyal et al., 1993; Srinivasulu et al., 2006),
Central (Rao et al., 2005; Sanyal et al., 1993;
Srinivasulu et al., 2006) and Southern Nallamala Hills.
Scrub, open forests and near agricultural fields.
Abundant. [S] ZSIK (A6944, A8443–45, A1138–39,
A1995), ZSIH (ZSI/FBS/N/1145), ERM (ERMA–15a).
9. Sphaerotheca breviceps (Schneider, 1799)
Rana breviceps J. G. Schneider. 1799. Hist. Nat. Amph.:
140.
Northern (Srinivasulu et al., 2006), Central (Rao et al.,2008

2005; Sanyal et al., 1993; Srinivasulu et al., 2006) andSouthern Nallamala Hills. Scrub, open forests and near
agricultural fields. Abundant. [S] ZSIK (A8400, A8448,
A1940), ZSIH (ZSI/FBS/N/1143, 1144, 11461, 1147,
1155–58), ERM (ERMA–12a); [P] NHMOU(NHMOU.Amph.P.11–03).
Remarks: Rao et al. (2005) included an erroneously
identified photograph (image 13 at www.zoosprint.org/),
which is, in fact, that of Sphaerotheca dobsoni, a taxon
that also is present in the Nallamala Hills (see below). In
support of long-separated evolutionary lineages, representing distinct monophyletic radiations of the Africa,
Madagascar and southern Asia, Vences et al. (2000)
argued for the partition of Tomopterna into three lineages. Thus, the earliest available name for the Asian
species is Sphaerotheca.
10. Sphaerotheca dobsonii (Boulenger, 1882)
Rana dobsonii G. A. Boulenger. 1882. Cat. Bat. British
Mus.: 32; Pl. 3, Fig. 1.
Northern (Srinivasulu et al., 2006), Central (Srinivasulu
et al., 2006) and Southern Nallamala Hills. Scrub, open
forests and near agricultural fields. Uncommon. [P]NHMOU (NHMOU.Amph.P.12–03).
11. Sphaerotheca rolandae (Dubois, 1983)
Rana (Tomopterna) rolandae A. Dubois. 1983. Alytes:2(4): 163.
Northern (Srinivasulu et al., 2006), Nallamala Hills.
Open
forests.
Rare.
[P]
NHMOU
(NHMOU.Amph.P.13–03).
Remarks: Rao et al.’s (2005) claim of this taxon (asTomopterna rolandae) as the first record from Andhra
Pradesh is based on erroneous identification. The voucher specimen and the photograph included in the report
are that of Sphaerotheca breviceps (image 14 atwww.zoosprint.org /).

Family: Microhylidae
12. Kaloula taprobanica Parker, 1934
Kaloula pulchra taprobanica H. W. Parker. 1934.
Monogr. Frogs. Microhylidae: 86.
Northern (Rao et al., 2005) and Central (Rao et al.,2005; Srinivasulu et al., 2006) Nallamala Hills. Open
forests and scrub areas. Uncommon. [S] ZSIH(ZSI/FBS/N/1159), ERM (ERMA–4a); [P] NHMOU(NHMOU.Amph.P.2–03).
Remarks: The first record of its occurrence in Andhra
Pradesh reported by Rao et al. (2005) is erroneous, as
Sivakumar et al. (2003) had reported its occurrence in
the State from Sriharikota Island Nellore District. Rao etal. (in review, a) puts on record for its occurrence in the
Nallamala Hills.

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13. Microhyla ornata (Duméril and Bibron, 1841)
Engystoma ornatum A.-M.-C. Duméril & G. Bibron.
1841. Erp. Gen. 8: 745.
Northern (Sarkar et al., 1993; Srinivasulu et al., 2006),
Central (Rao et al., 2005; Sarkar et al., 1993; Srinivasulu
et al., 2006) and Southern Nallamala Hills. Scrub, open
forests and near agricultural fields. Common. [S] ZSIK(A1846–48, A7817, A8451, A1140, A1996), ZSIH(ZSI/FBS/N/1141, 1160), ERM (ERMA–8a); [P]NHMOU (NHMOU.Amph.P.3–03).
14. Microhyla rubra (Jerdon, 1854)
Engystoma rubrum T. C. Jerdon. 1854. J. Asiatic Soc.
Bengal 22(2): 534.
Northern (Srinivasulu et al., 2006), Central (Rao et al.,2005; Sarkar et al., 1993; Srinivasulu et al., 2006) andSouthern Nallamala Hills. Scrub, open forests and near
agricultural fields. Uncommon. [S] ZSIK (A8463–64),
ERM (ERMA–6a); [P] NHMOU (NHMOU.Amph.P.4–
03).
15. Ramanella variegata (Stoliczka, 1872)
Callula variegata F. Stoliczka. 1872. Proc. Asiatic Soc.
Bengal 1872(6): 111.
Central (Srinivasulu et al., 2006) and Southern
Nallamala Hills. Scrub and open to close forests.
Uncommon. No vouchers, based on sightings.
16. Uperodon globulosus (Günther, 1864)
Cacopus globulosus A. C. L. G. Günther. 1864. Reptiles
British India: 416.
Central (Rao et al., 2005; Srinivasulu et al., 2006;
Srinivasulu et al., 2006) Nallamala Hills. Scrub andopen forests. Rare. [S] ZSIH (ZSI/FBS/N/1138), ERM(ERMA–7a); [P] NHMOU (NHMOU.Amph.P.5–03).
17. Uperodon systoma (Schneider, 1799)
Rana systoma J. G. Schneider. 1799. Hist. Nat. Amph.:
144.
Northern (Rao et al., 2005; Srinivasulu et al., 2006),
Central (Rao et al., 2005; Srinivasulu et al., 2006) andSouthern Nallamala Hills. Scrub, open forests and near
agricultural
fields.
Common.
[S]ZSIH(ZSI/FBS/N/1142, 1149, 1154), ERM (ERMA–2a); [P]NHMOU (NHMOU.Amph.P.6–03).

Family: Petropedetidae
18. Indirana leithii (Boulenger, 1888)
Rana leithii G. A. Boulenger. 1888. Ann. & Mag. nat.
Hist. Ser. 6, 2: 506.
Northern (Srinivasulu et al., 2006) and Central(Srinivasulu et al., 2006) Nallamala Hills. Scrub forests.
Rare. [S] ERM (ERM/A24).

115

Remarks: Indirana Laurent, 1986 was revived from synonymy of Rana Linnaeus, 1758 by Dubois (1992). This
species had been sighted on two occasions near
Rollapenta in Central Nallamalla Hills and on one occasion near Ahobilam in Southern Nallamala Hills by the
first author (Srinivasulu et al., 2006), who has also studied a single specimen in the collection of ERM Labs
(ERM/A24), Sunnipenta that had been identified by
Varad Giri of the BNHS.

Family: Ranidae
19. Hylarana sp.
Central (Rao et al., 2005; Rao et al., in review, b)
Nallamala Hills. Riparian forest. Rare. [S] ERM(ERMA–14a).
Remarks: The systematic status of the population,referred to Rana temporalis (Günther, 1864) by previous
workers, is under study by the second author, whoassigns it to Dubois' (1992) subgenus Sylvirana, elevated to generic rank in Frost et al. (2006). Currently thisgeneric name is a synonym of Hylarana (See Frost et al.,2007).

Family: Rhacophoridae
20. Polypedates maculatus (Gray, 1834)
Hyla maculata J. E. Gray. 1834. Ill. Indian Zool.: Pl.
LXXXII; Fig. 1.
Northern (Rao et al., 2005; Sanyal et al., 1993;
Srinivasulu et al., 2006), Central (Rao et al., 2005;
Sanyal et al., 1993; Srinivasulu et al., 2006) andSouthern Nallamala Hills. Scrub, open forests and near
agricultural fields. Abundant. [S] ZSIK (A8403), ZSIH(ZSI/FBS/N/1140, 1161), ERM (ERMA–11a); [P]NHMOU (NHMOU.Amph.P.14–03).

Annotated List of Reptiles
Order: Crocodilia
Family: Crocodylidae
1. Crocodylus palustris Lesson, 1831
Crocodylus palustris R. P. Lesson. 1831. Bull. Sci. Nat.
Geol. 25: 121.
Northern Nallamala Hills. Under the Central
Government sponsored crocodile rehabilitation programme, some crocodiles were reintroduced both at
backwaters of Nagarjunasagar Reservoir in Vijaypuri
vicinity, Srisailam Reservoir and Ethipothala (describedby Srinivas et al., 1999). Their numbers have dwindled
due to poaching, but some crocodiles do survive in boththese areas. No vouchers, based on the literature andindirect evidence.

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Asiatic Herpetological Research, Vol. 11

Order: Chelonia
Family: Geoemydidae
2. Melanochelys trijuga (Schweigger, 1812)
Emys trijuga A. F. Schweigger. 1812. Prod. Monogr.
Chel.: 310.
Northern, Central and Southern Nallamala Hills.
Waterbodies, streams and rivers. Uncommon. No vouchers, based on sightings.
Remarks: Assumed, on the basis of locality, to belong to
the nominotypical form.
3. Pangshura tentoria (Gray, 1834)
Emys tentoria J. E. Gray. 1834. Proc. Zool. Soc. London
1834(2): 54.
Northern, Central and Southern Nallamala Hills.
Waterbodies, streams and rivers. Uncommon. No vouchers, based on sightings.
Remarks: Allocated to Pangshura Gray, 1869 rather
than Kachuga Gray, 1856 by Spinks et al. (2004).

Family: Testudinidae: Tortoises
4. Geochelone elegans (Schoepff, 1795)
Testudo elegans J. D. Schoepff. 1795. Hist. Test. 3: 111;
Pl. XXV.
Northern (Rao et al., 2005), Central (Rao et al., 2005)
and Southern Nallamala Hills. Scrub forests and near
agricultural fields. Common. [S] ERM (ERMR–5a).
Remarks: First reported from the Nallamala Hills by
Subba Rao et al. (1994).

Family: Trionychidae
5. Nilssonia gangetica (Cuvier, 1825)
Trionyx gangeticus G. L. C. F. D. Cuvier. 1825.
Recherch Ossemens Foss. 5: 203.
Northern Nallamala Hills (Sharma, 1971). Waterbodies,
streams and rivers. Uncommon. [S] ZSIK (R21238).
Remarks: The generic nomen Aspideretes Hay, 1904,
was revived from the synonymy of Trionyx Geoffroy
Saint-Hillaire, 1809 by Meylan (1987). Praschag et al.
(2007) placed Aspideretes in the synonymy of Nilssonia,
but provided an incorrect (feminine) termination of thespecies name.
6. Nilssonia leithii (Gray, 1872)
Trionyx Leithii J. E. Gray. 1872. Ann. & Mag. nat. Hist.
ser. 4 10: 334.
Northern (Sharma, 1971; Sanyal et al., 1993) andSouthern Nallamala Hills. Waterbodies, streams andrivers. Uncommon. [S] ZSIK (R21403).

2008

7. Lissemys punctata (Bonnaterre, 1789)
Testudo punctata M. Bonnaterre. 1789. Tableau Encycl.
Method. Nat.: 30.
Northern (Sanyal et al., 1993), Central and Southern
Nallamala Hills. Waterbodies, streams and rivers.
Common. [S] ZSIK (Specimen not traceable).

Order: Squamata
Family: Agamidae
8. Calotes rouxii (Duméril & Bibron, 1837)
Calotes rouxii A.-M.-C. Duméril & G. Bibron. 1837.
Erp. Gén. 4: 407.
Northern (Rao et al., 2005), Central (Rao et al., 2005)
and Southern Nallamala Hills. Rocky outcrops in open
and scrub forests, and agricultural fields. Common. [S]ZSIH (ZSI/FBS/N/1172), ERM (ERMR–10a); [P]NHMOU (NHMOU.Rep.P.1–03).
9. Calotes versicolor (Daudin, 1802)
Agama versicolor F.-M. Daudin. 1802. Hist. nat. Rept.
3: 395; Pl. XLIV.
Northern (Rao et al., 2005; Sharma, 1971; Sanyal et al.,1993), Central (Rao et al., 2005) and Southern
Nallamala Hills. Rocky outcrops in open and scrub
forests, and agricultural fields. Abundant. [S] ZSIK(R20249–60, R20181–85, R21286–88, R21289,
R21431–33, R21367, R21275, R21434–35, R21276,
R21422–25, R21277–80, R21368–70, R21281,
R21283–85, R24456, R20293, R20214–15), ZSIH(ZSI/FBS/N/1165, 1169), ERM (ERMR–12a).
10. Psammophilus blanfordanus (Stoliczka, 1871)
Charasia blanfordana F. Stoliczka. 1871. Proc. AsiaticSoc. Bengal 1871(9): 194.
Northern (Sanyal et al., 1993; Sharma, 1971), Central
and Southern Nallamala Hills. Rocky outcrops in open
and scrub forests. Common. [S] ZSIK (R21436,
R24685, R24659).
11. Psammophilus dorsalis (Gray in Griffith &Pidgeon, 1831)
Agama Dorsalis J. E. Gray in: E. Griffith & E. Pidgeon.
1831. Class Reptilia 9: 56.
Northern (Rao et al., 2005; Sharma, 1971), Central (Raoet al., 2005) and Southern Nallamala Hills. Rocky outcrops in open and scrub forests. Common. [S] ZSIK(R21291, R20295), ERM (ERMR–11a).
12. Sitana ponticeriana Cuvier, 1829
Sit. (= Sitana) ponticeriana G. J.-L.-N.-F. D. Cuvier.
1829. Reg. Anim. 2: 43.
Northern (Rao et al., 2005; Sharma, 1971; Sanyal et al.,2008

Asiatic Herpetological Research, Vol. 11

1993), Central (Rao et al., 2005; Sanyal et al., 1993) andSouthern (Sanyal et al., 1993) Nallamala Hills. Rockyoutcrops in open and scrub forests and agricultural
fields. Abundant. [S] ZSIK (R20284, R21256, R21270,
R21413–15, R2127–72, R21348–50, R21267, R21257,
R21419–21, R21258–61, R21253–56, R21269,
R21357–64, R24436, R24439, R20178, R20216,
R21262–68, R21352, R21416, R21357–62, R24668,
R24455, R24462, R20223, R20294, R24684), ZSIH(ZSI/FBS/N/1166, 1170, 1171), ERM (ERMR–9a); [P]NHMOU (NHMOU.Rep.P.2–03).

Family: Chamaeleonidae
13. Chamaeleo zeylanicus Laurenti, 1768
Chamaeleo zeylanicus J. N. Laurenti. 1768. Syn. Rept.:
46.
Northern (Rao et al., 2005), Central (Rao et al., 2005)
and Southern Nallamala Hills. Open and scrub forests,
and agricultural fields. Common. [S] ERM (ERMR–13a); [P] NHMOU (NHMOU.Rep.P.1–01).

Family: Gekkonidae
14. Cnemaspis sp.
Remarks: An unidentified species of Cnemaspis was
encountered in Central and Southern Nallamala Hills.
Three specimens that were collected by the first author,
deposited in the Eco-Resources Monitoring Labs,
Sunnipenta in March 2002, were lost due to attack by
ants. Specimens were collected from the leaf litter in adry stream near Chinnarutla. Rare. [S] ERM (Lost).
Cnemaspis otai Das and Bauer (2000) is known from
Vellore region, in extreme northern Tamil Nadu State,adjacent to Andhra Pradesh, and the Nallamala specimens may be either this nominal species, or an undescribed species.
15. Hemidactylus bowringii (Gray, 1845)
Doryura bowringii J. E. Gray. 1845. Cat. Lizards British
Mus.: 156.
Northern (Sanyal et al., 1993) Nallamala Hills. Inhabits
human-altered habitats and other dilapidated man-madestructure. Rare. [S] ZSIK (R24465).
16. Hemidactylus brookii (Gray, 1845)
Hemidactylus brookii J. E. Gray. 1845. Cat. Lizards
British Mus.: 153.
Northern (Rao et al., 2005; Sharma, 1971; Sanyal et al.,1993), Central (Rao et al., 2005) and Southern
Nallamala Hills. Open forests, old temples, also humancommensal, found in houses and other dilapidated manmade structures. Abundant. [S] ZSIK (R21240–44,
R24669, R21404–05, R23237, R24435, R20179,

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R23687, R23699), ZSIH (ZSI/FBS/N/1174), ERM(ERMR–2a).
17. Hemidactylus flaviviridis Rüppell, 1835
Hemidactylus flaviviridis E. Rüppell. 1835. Neue
Wirbelth.-Fauna Abyss., Amph. 18: Pl. 6; Fig. 2.
Northern, Central (Rao et al., 2005) and Southern
Nallamala Hills. Human commensal, found in houses
and other man-made structures. Uncommon. [S] ZSIH(ZSI/FBS/N/1173), ERM (ERMR–3a).
18. Hemidactylus frenatus Duméril & Bibron, 1836
Hemidactylus frenatus A.-M.-C. Duméril & G. Bibron.
1836. Erp. Gén. 3: 366.
Northern (Sanyal et al., 1993), Central (Rao et al., 2005)
and Southern Nallamala Hills. Open forests, old temples, also human commensal, found in houses and otherdilapidated man-made structures. Common. [S] ZSIK
(R23700), ERM (ERMR–30a).
19. Hemidactylus giganteus Stoliczka, 1871
Hemidactylus giganteus F. Stoliczka. 1871. Proc. AsiaticSoc. Bengal 1871(9): 193.
Northern (Rao et al., 2005; Sanyal et al., 1993), Central(Rao et al., 2005) and Southern Nallamala Hills. Open
forests, old temples, and other dilapidated man-madestructures. Uncommon. [S] ZSIK (R21411–12), ZSIH(ZSI/FBS/N/1167, 1168), ERM (ERMR–1a).
20. Hemidactylus leschenaultii Duméril & Bibron,
1836
Hemidactylus leschenaultii A.-M.-C. Duméril & G.
Bibron. 1836. Erp. Gén. 3: 364.
Northern (Rao et al., 2005; Sanyal et al., 1993), Central(Rao et al., 2005) and Southern Nallamala Hills. Open
forests, old temples, also human commensal, found inhouses and other dilapidated man-made structures.
Common. [S] ZSIK (R20180, R23693, R24458,
R24466, R24660, R24510, R24513), ERM (ERMR–4a).
21. Hemidactylus reticulatus Beddome, 1870
Hemidactylus reticulatus R. H. Beddome. 1870. Madras
Monthly J. Med. Sci. 1: 33.
Northern (Sanyal et al., 1993), Central (Rao et al., 2005)
and Southern Nallamala Hills. Rocky outcrops in open
and scrub forests. Uncommon. [S] ZSIK (R21245–46,
R21247–53, RR21346, R21343–45, R21406–10,
R23216), ERM (ERMR–17a).
22. Hemidactylus triedrus (Daudin, 1802)
Gecko triedrus F.-M. Daudin. 1802. Hist. nat. Rept. 4:
155.
Northern (Rao et al., 2005; Sanyal et al., 1993), Central(Rao et al., 2005) and Southern Nallamala Hills. Scrub,
open forests and near agricultural fields. Common. [S]118

Asiatic Herpetological Research, Vol. 11

ZSIK (21239, R24509, R24512), ERM (ERMR–7a).

Family: Lacertidae
23. Ophisops jerdoni (Blyth, 1853)
Ophisops jerdoni E. Blyth. 1853. J. Asiatic Soc. Bengal
22: 653.
Northern (Rao et al., 2005; Sanyal et al., 1993; Sharma,1971), Central (Rao et al., 2005) and Southern
Nallamala Hills. Scrub, open forests and near agricultural fields. Abundant. [S] ZSIK (R21302–14, R21381–92,
R21440, R24661, R24670), ZSIH (ZSI/FBS/N/1176–
1178), ERM (ERMR–18a).
24. Ophisops leschenaultii (Milne-Edwards, 1829)
Lacerta leschenaultii H. Milne-Edwards. 1829. Ann.
Sci. nat. 16: 86; Pl. VI; Fig. 9.
Northern (Sanyal et al., 1993; Sharma, 1971), Central(Murthy, 1986) and Southern Nallamala Hills. Scrub,
open forests and near agricultural fields. Uncommon.
[S] ZSIK (R21296–97, R21438–39).
25. Ophisops minor (Deraniyagala, 1971)
Cabrita jerdoni minor P. E. P. Deraniyagala. 1971.
Ceylon J. Sci. 32(1): 104; Fig. 1.
Northern (Rao et al., 2005; Sanyal et al., 1993; Sharma,1971), Central (Rao et al., 2005; Sanyal, et al., 1993)
and Southern Nallamala Hills. Scrub, open forests andnear agricultural fields. Common. [S] ZSIK (R21298–
301, R21377–80, R24440, R24459, R24464), ERM(ERMR–8a).
Remarks: Reviewed by Böhme and Bischoff (1991). See
also nomenclatural remarks in Arnold (1989).

Family: Scincidae
26. Lygosoma ashwamedhi Sharma, 1969
Riopa ashwamedhi R. C. Sharma. 1969. Bull. Syst.
Zool., Calcutta 1(2): 73; Fig. 2.
Endemic to Andhra Pradesh, known only from type
locality. Northern (Sharma, 1969, 1971; Sanyal et al.,1993) Nallamala Hills. Rocky scrub forests. Rare. [S]ZSIK (R21173–77, R21179).
27. Lygosoma guentheri (Peters, 1879)
Eumeces guntheri W. C. H. Peters. 1879. S.-Ber. Ges.
Naturf. Freunde Berlin 1879(3): 36.
Central (Rao et al., 2005) Nallamala Hills. Scrub forest.
Rare. [S] ERM (ERMR–43a).
Remarks: Hitherto known only from the Western Ghats,from Gujarat to Kerala States (Daniel and Shull,"1963";1964; Daniel, 1962; Smith, 1935: 322), this is
the first record of the species from the Eastern Ghats,

2008

28. Lygosoma punctata (Linnaeus, 1758)
Scincus punctatus C. Linnaeus. 1758. Syst. Nat. 10th ed.
1: 209.
Northern (Sanyal et al., 1993; Sharma, 1971), Central
and Southern Nallamala Hills. Scrub, open forests andnear agricultural fields. Common. [S] ZSIK(21294,
R21376, R20327, R20318), ZSIH (ZSI/FBS/N/1175);[P] NHMOU (NHMOU.Rep.P.3–03).
29. Eutropis carinata (Schneider, 1801)
Scincus carinatus J. G. Schneider. 1801. Hist. Amphib.:183.
Northern (Rao et al., 2005; Sanyal et al., 1993; Sharma,1971), Central (Rao et al., 2005; Sanyal et al., 1993) andSouthern Nallamala Hills. Scrub, open forests and near
agricultural fields. Common. [S] ZSIK (R21292–93,
R21373–75, R21437, R20313, R21437, R24438,
R24457, R24463, R23694, R24511), ZSIH(ZSI/FBS/N/1179, 1180), ERM (ERMR–15a); [P]NHMOU (NHMOU.Rep.P.4–03).
Remarks: Mausfeld et al. (2002) suggested partitioning
the genus Mabuya Fitzinger, 1826 into several genera,
allocating the Asian species to Eutropis Fitzinger, 1843.
30. Eutropis macularia (Blyth, 1853)
Euprepes macularius E. Blyth. 1853. J. Asiatic Soc.
Bengal 22: 652.
Northern (Sanyal et al., 1993; Rao et al., 2005), Central(Sanyal et al., 1993; Rao et al., 2005) and Southern
Nallamala Hills. Scrub, open forests and near agricultural fields. Common. [S] ZSIK (R24437, R23701), ERM(ERMR–16a).
31. Eutropis nagarjuni Sharma, 1969
Mabuya nagarjuni R. C. Sharma. 1969. Bull. Syst.
Zool., Calcutta 1(2): 71; Fig. 1.
Endemic to Andhra Pradesh. Northern (Sanyal et al.,
1993; Sharma, 1969, 1971) Nallamala Hills. Rocky
scrub forests. Rare. [S] ZSIK (R21170–72), ZSIH(ZSI/FBS/N/1164); [P] NHMOU (NHMOU.Rep.P.5–
03).
Remarks: The photo purported to be of Mabuya beddomei (Jerdon, 1870) in Rao et al. (2005; image 30 atwww.zoosprint.org/) is that of Eutropis nagarjuni(Sharma, 1969), as shown by Srinivasulu et al. (2005).

Family: Varanidae
32. Varanus bengalensis (Daudin, 1802)
Tupinambis bengalensis F.-M. Daudin. 1802. Hist. nat.
Rept. 3: 67.
Northern (Rao et al., 2005; Sanyal et al., 1993; Sharma,1971), Central (Rao et al., 2005) and Southern
Nallamala Hills. Scrub, open forests and near agricultur-

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Asiatic Herpetological Research, Vol. 11

al fields. Common. [S] ZSIK (R21315, R21441–42),
ERM (ERMR–26a).
Remarks: For a history of the name Varanus monitor
Linnaeus, 1758, a junior synonym of Tupinambis bengalensis Daudin, 1802, see Mertens (1946; 1956; 1957)
and Sprackland (1982).

Family: Boidae
33. Eryx conicus (Schneider, 1801)
Boa conica J. G. Schneider. 1801. Hist. Amphib. 2: 268.
Northern (Rao et al., 2005; Sanyal et al., 1993; Sharma,1971), Central (Rao et al., 2005) and Southern
Nallamala Hills. Scrub, open forests and near agricultural fields. Common. [S] ZSIK (R21331), ERM (ERMR–
14a).
34. Eryx johnii (Russell, 1801)
Boa Johnii P. Russell. 1801. Continuation AccountIndian Serpents: 18; Pl. xvi–xvii.
Northern (Rao et al., 2005; Sanyal et al., 1993; Sharma,1971), Central (Rao et al., 2005) and Southern
Nallamala Hills. Scrub, open forests and near agricultural fields. Common. [S] ZSIK (R21332–33), ERM(ERMR–22a).

Family: Pythonidae
35. Python molurus (Linnaeus, 1758)
Coluber molurus C. Linnaeus. 1758. Syst. Nat. 10th ed.
1: 225.
Northern, Central (Rao et al., 2005) and Southern
Nallamala Hills. Rocky scrub, open forests and near
agricultural fields. Uncommon. No vouchers collected,
based on sightings.

Family: Colubridae
36. Ahaetulla nasuta (Lacepède, 1789)
Coluber nasuta B.-G.-É. de L. V.-S.-I. Lacepède. 1789.
Hist. Nat. Serp. 1: 100.
Northern, Central and Southern Nallamala Hills. Scrub,
open forests and near agricultural fields. Common. [S]ERM (ERMR–6a).
Remarks: Rao et al., (2005) did not include this taxon in
their catalogue, but provided its picture (image 42 at
www.zoosprint.org/). In their list they included the subspecies, Ahaetulla nasutus isabellinus (Wall). The single
specimen based on which the presence is reported by
Rao et al. (2005) requires further studies to confirm thevalidity of the so-called subspecies, whose correct termination of subspecies nomen should be rendered isabellina, to match the gender of the genus.

119

37. Amphiesma stolatum (Linnaeus, 1758)
Coluber stolatus C. Linnaeus. 1758. Syst. Zool. 10thed.: 219.
Northern, Central (Rao et al., 2005) and Southern
Nallamala Hills. Scrub, open forests and near agricultural fields. Uncommon. [S] ERM (ERMR–27a).
Remarks: The gender of Amphiesma Duméril, Bibron
and Duméril, 1854 has been treated erroneously treatedas feminine since it was resurrection by Malnate (1960).
Toriba (1994) showed that the genus is neuter, and thetermination of the species name should therefore be stolatum (see also David et al., 1998).
38. Argyrogena fasciolata (Shaw, 1802)
Coluber fasciolatus G. Shaw. 1802. Gen. Zool.: 528.
Northern, Central (Rao et al., 2005) and Southern
Nallamala Hills. Scrub, open forests and near agricultural fields. Common. [S] ERM (ERMR–28a).
Remarks: Revived from the synonymy of Coluber for C.
fasciolata Shaw, 1802, by Wilson (1967).
39. Atretium schistosum (Daudin, 1803)
Coluber schistosus F.-M. Daudin. 1803. Hist. Nat. Rept.
6: 132.
Northern, Central and Southern Nallamala Hills. Near
waterbodies and paddy fields. Common. No vouchers,
based on sightings.
40. Boiga forsteni (Duméril, Bibron & Duméril, 1854)
Triglyphodon forsteni A.-M.-C. Duméril, G. Bibron &A.-H.-A. Duméril. 1854. Erp. Gén. 7: 1077.
Northern, Central (Rao et al., 2005) and Southern
Nallamala Hills. Scrub, open forests and near agricultural fields. Uncommon. [S] ERM (ERMR–20a).
41. Boiga trigonata (Schneider in Bechstein, 1802)
Coluber trigonatus J. G. Schneider in: J. M. Bechstein.
1802. La Cepede’s Nat. Amphib.: 256; Pl. 40; Fig. 1.
Northern (Sanyal et al., 1993; Sharma, 1971), Central(Rao et al., 2005) and Southern Nallamala Hills. Scrub,
open forests and near agricultural fields. Common. [S]ZSIK (R21457), ERM (ERMR–37a).
42. Coelognathus helena (Daudin, 1803)
Coluber helena F.-M. Daudin. 1803. Hist. nat. Rept. 6:277; Pl. LXXVI.
Northern (Rao et al., 2005; Sharma, 1971; Sanyal et al.,1993), Central (Rao et al., 2005) and Southern
Nallamala Hills. Scrub, open forests and near agricultural fields. Common. [S] ZSIK (R21334), ZSIH(ZSI/FBS/N/ 1181), ERM (ERMR–32a); [P] NHMOU(NHMOU.Rep.P.6–03).
Remarks: Coelognathus Fitzinger, 1843, was revived
from the synonymy of Elaphe Fitzinger in: Wagler,

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Asiatic Herpetological Research, Vol. 11

1833, by Helfenberger (2001a; b), based on visceral andvertebrae morphology and allozyme variations.
43. Coluber bholanathi Sharma, 1976
Coluber bholanathi R. C. Sharma. 1976. Comp. Physiol.
Ecol. 1(3): 106; Fig. 1.
Endemic to Andhra Pradesh, known only from type
locality. Northern (Sanyal et al., 1993; Sharma, 1976)
Nallamala Hills. Scrub and open forests. Rare. [S] ZSIK(R21335–37).
44. Dendrelaphis tristis (Daudin, 1803)
Coluber tristis F.-M. Daudin. 1803. Hist. nat. Rept. 6:
430.
Northern (Rao et al., 2005), Central (Rao et al., 2005)
and Southern Nallamala Hills. Scrub, open forests andnear agricultural fields. Common. [S] ERM (ERMR–25a); [P] NHMOU (NHMOU.Rep.P.2–01).
45. Enhydris enhydris (Schneider, 1799)
Hydrus enhydris J. G. Schneider. 1799. Hist. Amphib. 1:
245.
Northern and Central (Rao et al., 2005) Nallamala Hills.
Scrub, open forests and near agricultural fields.
Uncommon. No vouchers collected, based on sightings.
46. Liopeltis calamaria (Günther, 1858)
Cyclophis calamaria A. C. L. G. Günther. 1858. Cat.
Colubrine Snakes British Mus.: 250.
Central (Rao et al., 2005) Nallamala Hills. Scrub andopen forests. Rare. [S] ERM (ERMR–29a).
47. Lycodon aulicus (Linnaeus, 1758)
Coluber aulicus C. Linnaeus. 1758. Syst. Nat. 10th ed 1:
220.
Northern, Central (Rao et al., 2005) and Southern
Nallamala Hills. Scrub, open forests and near agricultural fields. Common. [S] ERM (ERMR–35a).
48. Lycodon striatus (Shaw, 1802)
Coluber striatus G. Shaw. 1802. Gen. Zool.: 527.
Northern, Central (Rao et al., 2005) and Southern
Nallamala Hills. Scrub, open forests and near agricultural fields. Uncommon. [S] ERM (ERMR–44a).
Remarks: First record claim from the region by Rao etal. (2005) is erroneous as it has been already reported
from the Nallamala Hills by Subba Rao et al. (1994).
49. Lycodon travancoricus (Beddome, 1870)
Cercaspis travancoricus R. H. Beddome. 1870a. Madras
Monthly J. Med. Sci. 1: 169.
Central (Rao et al., 2005) Nallamala Hills. Scrub andopen forests. Rare. [S] ERM (ERMR–38a).

2008

50. Macropisthodon plumbicolor (Cantor, 1839)
Tropidonotus plumbicolor T. Cantor. 1839. Proc. Zool.
Soc. London 1829(7): 54.
Northern, Central (Rao et al., 2005) and Southern
Nallamala Hills. Scrub, open forests and near agricultural fields. Common. [S] ERM (ERMR–36a).
51. Oligodon arnensis (Shaw, 1802)
Coluber arnensis G. Shaw. 1802. Gen. Zool.: 526.
Northern, Central (Rao et al., 2005) and Southern
Nallamala Hills. Scrub, open forests and near agricultural fields. Common. [S] ERM (ERMR–41a).
52. Oligodon taeniolatus (Jerdon, 1853)
Coronella taeniolata T. C. Jerdon. 1853. J. Asiatic Soc.
Bengal 22(6): 528.
Northern (Rao et al., 2005; Sharma, 1971; Sanyal et al.,1993), Central (Rao et al., 2005) and Southern
Nallamala Hills. Scrub, open forests and near agricultural fields. Uncommon. [S] ZSIK (R21450–51, R24460),
ERM (ERMR–42a).
53. Oligodon travancoricus (Beddome, 1877)
Oligodon travancoricum R. H. Beddome. 1877. Proc.
Zool. Soc. London 1877(4): 685.
Northern (Sanyal et al., 1993), Central and Southern
Nallamala Hills. Scrub, open forests and near agricultural fields. Uncommon. [S] ZSIK (R21338).
54. Ptyas mucosa (Linnaeus, 1758)
Coluber mucosus C. Linnaeus. 1758. Syst. Nat. 10th ed
1: 216.
Northern (Rao et al., 2005; Sharma, 1971; Sanyal et al.,1993), Central (Rao et al., 2005) and Southern
Nallamala Hills. Scrub, open forests and near agricultural fields. Common. [S] ZSIK (R21446–47, R21449),
ERM (ERMR–39a); [P] NHMOU (NHMOU.Rep.P.3–
01).
Remarks: David and Das (2004) showed that the correct
termination of the species nomen should be mucosa,rather than mucosus, to match the gender of the generic
nomen.
55. Sibynophis subpunctatus (Duméril, Bibron &Duméril, 1854)
Oligodon subpunctatum A.-M.-C. Duméril, G. Bibron &A.-H.-A. Duméril. 1854. Erp. Gén. 7: 58.
Central Nallamala Hills. Scrub and open forests. Rare.
[S] ERM (ERMR–40a).
Remarks: The taxon Sibynophis subpunctatus (Duméril,Bibron & Duméril, 1854), has been recently been resurrected from the synonymy of Sibynophis sagittaria(Cantor, 1839) by Captain et al. (2004).

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Asiatic Herpetological Research, Vol. 11

56. Xenochropis piscator (Schneider, 1799)
Hydrus piscator J. G. Schneider. 1799. Hist. Amphib. 1:
247.
Northern (Sharma, 1971; Rao et al., 2005; Sanyal et al.,1993), Central (Rao et al., 2005) and Southern
Nallamala Hills. Scrub, open forests and near agricultural fields. Common. [S] ZSIK (R21339, R21452,
R21454–55).

Family: Elapidae
57. Bungarus caeruleus (Schneider, 1801)
Pseudoboa caerulea J. G. Schneider. 1801. Hist.
Amphib. 2: 284.
Northern (Rao et al., 2005; Sanyal et al., 1993; Sharma,1971), Central (Rao et al., 2005) and Southern
Nallamala Hills. Scrub, open forests and near agricultural fields. Common. [S] ZSIK (R21458–59), ERM(ERMR –24a).
58. Calliophis melanurus (Shaw, 1802)
Coluber melanurus G. Shaw. 1802. Gen. Zool.: 552.
Northern (Sanyal et al., 1993; Sharma, 1971) Nallamala
Hills. Scrub forests. Rare. [S] ZSIK (R21460).
59. Naja naja (Linnaeus, 1758)
Coluber naja C. Linnaeus. 1758. Syst. Nat. 10th ed. 1:
221.
Northern (Rao et al., 2005; Sanyal et al., 1993; Sharma,1971), Central (Rao et al., 2005) and Southern
Nallamala Hills. Scrub, open forests and near agricultural fields. Common. [S] ZSIK (R21461), ERM (ERMR–
33a); [P] NHMOU.

Family: Typhlopidae
60. Grypotyphlops acutus (Duméril, Bibron &Duméril, 1844)
Onychocephalus acutus A.-M.-C. Duméril, G. Bibron &A.-H.-A. Duméril. 1844. Érp. Gen. 6: 333.
Northern (Sanyal et al., 1993; Sharma, 1971), Central
and Southern Nallamala Hills. Scrub, open forests andnear agricultural fields. Common. [S] ZSIK (R21330).
Remarks: Wallach (2003) revived Gyptotyphlops Peters,
1881 from the synonymy of Rhinotyphlops Fitzinger,
1832, to accommodate the present species.
61. Ramphotyphlops braminus (Daudin, 1803)
Eryx braminus F.-M. Daudin. 1803. Hist. Nat. Gen.
Rept. 7: 279.
Northern (Sanyal et al., 1993; Sharma, 1971), Central(Rao et al., 2005) and Southern Nallamala Hills. Scrub,
open forests and near agricultural fields. Common. [S]121

ZSIK (R21316–20, R21327–29, R21394–99), ERM(ERMR–19a).

Family: Viperidae
62. Daboia russelii (Shaw & Nodder, 1797)
Coluber russelii G. Shaw & F. P. Nodder. 1797. Nat.
Misc. 8: Pl. 108.
Northern (Rao et al., 2005; Sanyal et al., 1993; Sharma,1971), Central (Rao et al., 2005) and Southern
Nallamala Hills. Scrub, open forests and near agricultural fields. Common. [S] ZSIK (R21341), ERM (ERMR–
34a).
Remarks: Although Obst (1983) revived Daboia Gray,
1842 from the synonymy of Vipera Laurenti, 1768, hisconcept of the genus included Daboia Gray, 1842,
Macrovipera Reuss, 1927, Pseudocerastes Boulenger,
1896 and the Vipera xanthina (Gray, 1849) complex.
Hermann et al. (1992) separated these genera from eachother, and from Vipera Laurenti, 1768, restricting
Daboia to Vipera russelii Shaw & Nodder, 1797. Forcomments on the spelling of the specific name, see
Dowling (1993) and Adler et al. (2000).
63. Echis carinatus (Schneider, 1801)
Pseudoboa carinatus J. G. Schneider. 1801. Hist.
Amphib. 2: 285.
Northern (Sanyal et al., 1993; Sharma, 1971), Central(Rao et al., 2005) and Southern Nallamala Hills. Scrub,
open forests and near agricultural fields. Common. [S]ZSIK (R21342, R21401–02, R24461) ERM (ERMR–
23a).
64. Trimeresurus gramineus (Shaw, 1802)
Coluber gramineus G. Shaw. 1802. Gen. Zool.: 420.
Northern, Central (Rao et al., 2005) and Southern
Nallamala Hills. Scrub, open forests and near agricultural fields. Common. [S] ZSIH (ZSI/FBS/N/1182, 1183),
ERM (ERMR–31a).
ERRONEOUS OR DOUBTFUL RECORDS
In addition to the records presented in the preceding
pages, the following species have been recorded fromthe Nallamala Hills in the literature. These have beenshown to be in error, stemming from the use of incorrect
names or from misidentifications.
Bufo hololius Günther, 1876, which had beenreportedly collected by Pillai and Murthy (1983) fromNagarjunasagar area (also cited by Sarkar et al., 1993),
has not been included in this list as this taxon is known
only from type specimen and all other specimens
assigned to this nomen need reevaluation, according to
Dubois and Ohler (1999).

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Polypedates leucomystax (Gravenhorst, 1829), hasbeen recorded from the Nallamala Hills by Rao et al.
(2005), and earlier, from the Eastern Ghats, by Pillai and
Murthy (1983). The records possibly refers to either P.
maculatus or another member of this complex, since
Gravenhorst's species (type locality: Java) is a mesic
area frog, approaching the present study area only in thenortheast of the country (see Dutta, 1997).
In a series of papers dealing with the ecology andphysiology of squamate reptiles, Subba Rao (1970;1972) and Subba Rao and Rajabai (1972a; 1972b; 1974)
recorded Calotes nemoricola from Tirupati, and Subba
Rao (1994) recorded this species from the Nallamala
Hills. Whitaker and Das (1990) showed this to be erroneous identifications for the widespread Calotes versicolor (Daudin, 1802).
Subba Rao et al. (1994) reported Eutropis beddomei(Jerdon, 1870) from all districts encompassing the
Nallamala Hills range. Recently Rao et al. (2005) also
reported it from Vijayapuri and Mallelatheertham in
Northern Nallamala Hills. This nominal species isrestricted to the Western Ghats of south-western Indiaand south-central Sri Lanka (Smith, 1943). As mentioned earlier, Rao's (2005) image 30 represents
Eutropis nagarjuni Sharma, 1969.
Rao et al. (2005) listed Cerberus rynchops(Schneider, 1799) from Sundipenta/Sikharam, within
the Nallamala Range. This is an estuarine/coastal
species (see Das, 2002b; Whitaker and Captain, 2004),
and its record in the literature from the Eastern Ghats
Complex (e.g., Pillai and Murthy, 1983) may be fromthe plains.
Sibynophis sagittarius (Cantor, 1839) was reportedby Rao et al. (2005), based on a specimen collected from
Sunnipenta. This taxon was previously reported from thearea southeast of the Nallamala Hills, from Sriharikota
Island, Nellore District, by Rao and Sekar (1993).
Sibynophis subpunctatus (Duméril, Bibron & Duméril,1854) was recently resurrected from the synonymy of S.
sagittarius (Cantor, 1839) by Captain et al. (2004) for
this population. A record of this species from East
Godavari District by Sanyal et al. (1993) is erroneous, as
the specimen is from Godaveri (27° 34′ N and 85° 22′E), 10 km southeast of Kathmandu, central Nepal.
REMARKS ON HABITAT USE
Divided in habitat types, the amphibian fauna of
Nallamala Hills can be classified into: 1. Human commensals or otherwise tolerant of disturbed habitats (14species: Bufo stomaticus, Duttaphrynus melanostictus,
Kaloula taprobanica, Microhyla ornata, M. rubra,
Uperodon globulosus, U. systoma, Ramanella variegata, Euphylyctis cyanophlyctis, E. hexadactylus,
Fejervarya cf. limnocharis, Hoplobatrachus crassus, H.

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tigerinus, and Polypedates maculatus); 2. Exclusively
scrub forest species (four species: Bufo scaber,
Sphaerotheca breviceps, S. dobsonii, and S. rolandae);and 3. Exclusively mesic forest species (two species:
Hylarana sp. and Indirana leithii). Corresponding classification for reptiles include: 1. Human commensals or
taxa otherwise tolerant of disturbed habitats (sevenspecies: Calotes versicolor, Hemidactylus bowringii, H.
brookii, H. flaviviridis, H. frenatus, H. leschenaultii, andPtyas mucosa); 2. Exclusively scrub forest species orfrom rocky biotope (21 species: Geochelone elegans,
Psammophilus blanfordanus, P. dorsalis, Sitana ponticeriana, Hemidactylus reticulatus, H. triedrus,
Ophisops jerdoni, O. leschenaultii, O. minor, Lygosoma
ashwamedi, L. guentheri, L. punctata, Eutropis macularia, Varanus bengalensis, Eryx conicus, E. johnii,
Python molurus, Coluber bholanathi, Liopeltis calamaria, Sibynophis subpunctatus, and Calliophis melanurus); 3. Scrub and bordering agricultural fields (22species: Hemidactylus giganteus, Chamaeleo zeylanicus, Eutropis carinata, Ahaetulla nasuta, Amphiesma
stolatum, Argyrogena fasciolata, Boiga forsteni, B. trigonata, Coelognathus helena, Dendrelaphis tristis,
Lycodon aulicus, L. striatus, Oligodon arnensis, O. taeniolatus, O. travancoricus, Bungarus caeruleus, Naja
naja, Grypotyphlops acutus, Ramphotyphlops braminus,
Daboia russelii, Echis carinatus, and Trimeresurusgramineus); 4. Exclusively mesic forest species (three
species: Calotes rouxii, Cnemaspis sp., and Lycodon travancoricus); 5. Wetland species (10 species: Crocodylus
palustris, Melanochelys trijuga, Pangshura tentoria,
Nilssonia gangetica, N. leithii, Lissemys punctata,
Atretium
schistosum,
Enhydris
enhydris,
Macropisthodon plumbicolor, and Xenochropis
piscator); and 6. Habitat category unknown (onespecies: Eutropis nagarjuni).
In summary, all six microhylids, two bufonids, fiveranids, one rhacophorid, in addition to one agamid, fivegekkonids and one colubrid are human commensals.
Human activities may promote creation or maintenanceof certain habitats conducive for these species (e.g.,
perennial water sources, in the form of wells, drainage
areas, etc.). Low amphibian diversity characterize scrub
forests, where community members are such as Bufo
scaber, Sphaerotheca breviceps, S. dobsonii and S.
rolandae show xeric-region and/or fossorial adaptations(e.g., thickened skins and burrowing adaptations, suchas enlarged metatarsal tubercles on pes) and adaptations
for retaining moisture.
All turtles and crocodilians reported from the
Nallamalla Range are associated with wetlands. The solenon-aquatic species (Geochelone elegans) is a scrub forest dweller. Significant diversity of gekkonids(Hemidactylus reticulatus and H. giganteus), scincids

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Asiatic Herpetological Research, Vol. 11(Lygosoma ashwamedhi, L. guentheri, L. punctata, andEutropis macularia) and colubrids (Coluber bholanathi,
Liopeltis calamaria, and Sibynophis sagittaria) are
known from the ranges, several of these endemic (L.
ashwamedhi and C. bholanathi) or largely restricted toscrub forests of Peninsular India. All lacertids (Ophisops
jerdoni; O. leschenaultii, and O. minor) and all boids(Eryx conicus, E. johnii, and Python molurus) reported
from the Nallamalla Hills are restricted to this biotope.
Nonetheless, mesic forests remain poorly explored, perhaps for which reason both unidentified species from the
Nallamala Ranges of amphibian (Hylarana) and reptile(Cnemaspis) may represent taxa undescribed by science.
REMARKS ON ADAPTIVE TYPES
Adaptations seen amongst the amphibians of the
Nallamala Hills include a diversity of dietary and habitat
types. Representatives of ant specialists include all the
microhylid and most bufonid species locally represented. Additional categories include: predators of small vertebrates (Polypedates maculatus) and folivores(Euphlyctis hexadactylus and some E. cyanophlyctis). In
terms of gross habitat usage are the fossorial (Kaloulataprobanica, Microhyla ornata, M. rubra, Uperodon
globulosus, and U. systoma), terrestrial (Duttaphrynus
melanostictus, B. scaber, and B. stomaticus), aquatic oraquatic-margin (Euphlyctis cyanophlyctis, E. hexadactylus, Fejervarya cf. limnocharis, Hoplobatrachus crassus, and H. tigerinus) and arboreal (Polypedates maculatus and sometimes Ramanella variegata) species. At
least three species enter bathrooms of human dwellings(Ramanella variegata, Kaloula taprobanica, andPolypedates maculatus) and one (Polypedates maculatus) is known to apply a coat of protein on the surface ofits body prior to emerging for foraging, to prevent evaporative water loss. Skittering on the water surface is
known for two species (E. cyanophlyctis and juvenile E.
hexadactylus).
Adaptive types among the reptiles, when classified
by diet, include eaters of soft-bodied (e.g., ant- and
worm)
prey
(Grypotyphlops
acutusandRamphotyphlops braminus); predators of crop pests,
such as rodents (Argyrogena fasciolata, Ptyas mucosa,
and Varanus bengalensis); predator of small or mediumsized vertebrate prey (Python molurus, Crocodylus
palustris, Ptyas mucosa, Daboia russelii, Trimeresurusgramineus, and Echis carinata); egg-predators(Oligodon arnensis, O. taeniolatus and O. travancoricus); primarily fish-eaters (Crocodylus palustris,
Nilssonia gangetica, N. leithii, Atretium schistosum,
Enhydris enhydris, and Xenochrophis piscator); frogand toad-eaters (Macropisthodon plumbicolor and
Dendrelaphis tristis) and near-exclusive snake-eaters(Bungarus caeruleus and Calliophis melanurus).

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In terms of habitat usage, reptiles exceed amphibians in species richness, on account of their greater
capacity of surviving in relatively arid regions. The
regional gekkonid diversity, within the genus
Hemidactylus includes arboreal (H. bowringii, H.
brookii, H. flaviviridis, H. frenatus, and H.
leschenaultii), terrestrial (H. triedrus) and semi-fossorial (H. reticulatus) types. Usage of specific habitat types
include walls of houses (Hemidactylus bowringii, H.
brookii, H. flaviviridis, H. frenatus, and H.
leschenaultii), rupicolous habitats such as rocky boulders (Psammophilus blanfordanus and P. dorsalis); fossorial habits in terms of usage of soft substratum for burrowing (Grypotyphlops acutus and Ramphotyphlops
braminus); and arboreal species, utilizing trees or some
sort of vegetation (Ahaetulla nasuta, Boiga forsteni, B.
trigonata, Dendrelaphis tristis, Lycodon aulicus,
Calotes rouxii, Chamaeleo zeylanicus, and Lycodon travancoricus; the typhlopid Ramphotyphlops braminus isalso known to occasionally ascend trees in search ofprey). Other adaptive types shown by the fauna include
vegetation mimics (Chamaeleo zeylanicus andAhaetulla nasuta); Batesian mimicry is shown bySibynophis subpunctatus (for which the model presumably is Calliophis melanurus); bipedal locomotion(Sitana ponticeriana); and side-winding (Echis carinatus, when moving on sand or other loose substrate).
BIOGEOGRAPHY OF THE EASTERN GHATS
The Eastern Ghats remain the poor sister of the morewell-known Western Ghats, a recognized global hotspotof biological species diversity (e.g., Ward, 2002). Inger(1999) lamented about the low species richness of theamphibian fauna of the Eastern Ghats (21 species),while Das (1996) reported 84 species of reptiles, bothsignificantly different from the known diversity of theWestern Ghats, which has seen an explosion of new aswell as spectacular species discoveries in recent years(see Biju, 2001; Biju and Bossuyt, 2003). Nonetheless,enough documentation exists to reveal a highly diverse
biota of the hill ranges that run approximately parallel tothe east coast of India.
The range itself is a weathered relict of the peninsular plateau, characterized by a series of low hills that
extend from the Khondmal Hills of Orissa State, south to
the Shevaroys of central Tamil Nadu, where they meet
the Western Ghats in the Nilgiris region (descriptions inDas, 1996; Mani, 1995). The northern and southern sections of the Eastern Ghats are separated by the delta of
the River Godavari, which is approximately 130 km inwidth. Other important breaks are formed by thedrainages of the rivers Mahanadi and Krishna. The
Biligirirangan Hills, at 1,750 m, is the highest range inthe Eastern Ghats. Moisture regimes show a general gra-

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dient, from a relatively mesic northern range, with dry
and moist deciduous forests, to a relatively dry southernsubzone, with dry deciduous and thorn scrub (vegetational analysis in Legris and Meher-Homji, 1983).
Detailed analysis of faunal relationships along these hill
ranges, including comparative diversity of lineages as aneffect of breaks in the continuity of the ranges, humidity,
and elevational effects remain to be conducted.
We adopt Wikramanayake et al.'s (2002) ecoregional approach to interpreting the distribution of the regional herpetofauna. These workers have classified the IndoPacific Region (stretching from Afghanistan in the west
to New Guinea and the Solomons to the east), recognizing 129 ecoregions on the basis of vegetation, geology
and geological history. Within this framework, theNallamala Range falls within the Deccan Thorn Scrubzone (Ecoregion 23), abutting (and being influenced by)Ecoregions 21 (Central Deccan Plateau Dry Deciduous
Forest); Ecoregion 22 (South Deccan Plateau Dry
Deciduous Forest); and Ecoregion 6 (East Deccan DryEvergreen Forest). Although the Nallamala Hills also are
adjacent to Ecoregion 34 (the Godavari-Krishna mangroves), herpetofaunal influences are absent, on accountof geological-vegetational differences.
The herpetofauna of the Eastern Ghats has a long
history of exploration, commencing with Patrick Russell(1727–1805), the first Western herpetologist in India,
and medical doctor and naturalist with the British East
India Company, based at Vizagapatam (at present
Visakhapatnam). Russell explored the herpetofauna, primarily snakes, of that region and produced a two volume
folio of water colors of snakes (also including Barkudia
melanosticta (Schneider, 1801), which was published in
1796 and 1801–1802.
Collections for faunistic inventories within the
Eastern Ghats complex have also been made by McCann(1945), Pillai and Murthy (1983), Daniels and Ishwar(1993), besides the contributions of the Zoological
Survey of India in the Nallamala Hills referred to earlier.
Rao and Rao (1998) studied the ecology of Barkudia
melanosticta (as B. insularis); Bauer and Das (2000)
studied the ecology of Calodactylodes aureus in Vellore;
Das and Chanda (1998) described a new species ofPhilautus from the Visakhapatnam region; Dutta (2003)
described a new Philautus from Simlipal Hills; and Das
and Bauer (2000) described two new species ofgekkonid lizards of the genus Cnemaspis from theEastern Ghats.
Although less species rich than the more mesic adjacent regions, Ecoregion 23 supports a distinctive herpetofauna, including arid region representatives whose
relatives are Eurasian and Afro-Ethiopian (e.g.,
Chamaeleo, Ophisops, Eryx, and Echis) and the region
also supports lineages that may be termed distinctly

2008

autochthonous (i.e., Indian lineages, such as the genera
Uperodon, Ramanella, Indirana, Sphaerotheca,
Melanochelys, Pangshura, Nilssonia, Psammophilus,
Sitana, Argyrogena, Atretium, and Grypotyphlops). The
presence of representatives of Indo-Malayan elements
represented here (e.g., Kaloula, Hylarana, Calliophis,
and Trimeresurus) are explainable using Hora's (1949)
Satpura Hypothesis model, of emigration of the biota of
the Indo-Malayan region westwards. Alternative models
are available to explain the presence of these taxa in the
Eastern Ghats, including a more mesic climate in the
Indian Subcontinent up to the Eocene (van der Hammen,
1983). The climatic changes were perhaps accelerated
by widespread agriculture, specifically through the cultivation of graminaceous crops (Misra, 1983), helping
further in the conversion of what was once tropical subhumid and dry deciduous forests into savannas.
Within the Eastern Ghats herpetofauna, endemic
genera include the limbless skinks, Barkudia (with two
species, B. insularis and B. melanostictus; see Das,
2000) and Sepsophis (a monotypic genus, containing S.
punctatus). A number of species hitherto considered
endemic to the Western Ghats have in recent years beenfound within the Eastern Ghats complex, including
Indirana leithii (this report), Hylarana malabarica(Tschudi, 1838) by Daniel and Selukar (1963), a member of the genus Hylarana (this report) and Lygosoma
guentheri (Peters, 1879) (this report). Balachandran andPittie (2000) reported the occurrence of Draco fromthese hills, that they allocated to D. dussumieri Duméril& Bibron, 1837, a Western Ghats species. Eastern Ghat
endemics found in the Nallamala Range include
Hemidactylus reticulatus, Eutropis nagarjuni,
Lygosoma ashwamedhi, and Coluber bholanathi. New
species have been described from these ranges in recent
years, including the geckos Cnemaspis otai and C. yercaudensis (see Das and Bauer, 2000).
Several species known from the Eastern Ghats havenot (yet) been recorded from the Nallamala Ranges.
Some may be regional endemics or appropriate habitats
may be missing on the site under study, although theabsence of some (e.g., Calodactylodes aureus), that are
known from both north and south of the range here reinforce the argument for more sampling of the fauna.
Other Eastern Ghat endemics (e.g., Barkudia, with two
species,themonotypic
Sepsophis,
andHemiphyllodactylus aurantiacus) among the reptiles,
and Philautus terebrans and Ichthyophis peninsularis
occur in adjacent ranges of the Ghats (see Das andChanda, 1998; Pillai and Murthy, 1983), and with further collection, may prove their presence here, or be represented by hitherto unknown sister species.

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Asiatic Herpetological Research, Vol. 11

CONSERVATION AND MANAGEMENT
Parts of the Nallamala Range are within the Protected
Areas System, the levels of protection for each component varying from Forest Reserves, that lie within thejurisdiction of the Andhra Pradesh Forest Department, to
National Park, that are gazetted and their protection
implemented by the Central (= Federal) Government.
The most well-known of the protected areas is the
Nagarjunasagar Srisailam Tiger Reserve and the recently gazetted Gundla Brahmeshwaram Metta Wildlife
Sanctuary.
Conservation of amphibians and reptiles represent
special challenges, for which reason, arguments havebeen made to move away from species-based conservation strategies, to that addresses entire landscapes. Given
the large number of known components of the biodiversity of these Protected Areas, especially nonhomoeothermous members (or non-mammal and bird
species), and the general lack of expertise to identify, letalone understand, conservation requirements, this isapparently a safer approach to the conservation of biodiversity. The situation is not unique to the Eastern Ghats:in the Indo-Pacific region, centinelan extinction (orspecies loss even before their formal description) is
known for both amphibians and reptiles (Das, 2002a;
Erdelen, 2002).
A handful of the recorded species from the
Nallamala Range are human commensals, or so-called'weed-species', including, amongst amphibians:
Duttaphrynus melanostictus, B. stomaticus, Kaloulataprobanica, Microhyla ornata, M. rubra, Uperodon
globulosus, U. systoma, Ramanella variegata,
Euphylyctis cyanophlyctis, E. hexadactylus, Fejervarya
cf. limnocharis, Hoplobatrachus crassus, H. tigerinus,
and Polypedates maculatus. Scrub species of amphibians include: Bufo scaber, Sphaerotheca breviceps, S.
dobsonii, and S. rolandae). Human-commensals among
the reptiles include: Melanochelys trijuga, Lissemys
punctata, Calotes versicolor, Hemidactylus bowringii,
H. brookii, H. flaviviridis, H. frenatus, H. giganteus, H.
leschenaultii, Lygosoma punctata, Eutropis carinata,Amphiesma stolatum, Dendrelaphis tristis, Lycodon
aulicus, Ptyas mucosa, Naja naja, and Ramphotyphlops
braminus. Scrub species of reptiles include: Geochelone
elegans, Sitana ponticeriana, Chamaeleo zeylanicus,
Hemidactylus reticulatus, H. triedrus, Ophisops jerdoni,
O. leschenaultii, O. minor, Lygosoma ashwamedhi, L.
guentheri, Eutropis nagarjuni, Coluber bholanathi,
Liopeltis calamaria, Calliophis melanurus, Daboia russelii, and Echis carinatus. Two species are exclusively
rupicolous (Psammophilus blanfordanus and P. dorsalis). And only two species are considered mesic region
taxa, in that their respective congeners are exclusively
distributed in such areas (e.g., Hylarana andCnemaspis).

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Human-commensals generally refer to species tolerant of environments altered by humans. However,many still have life histories intimately dependent on
certain habitat features, such as ponds or other standing
bodies of water, substrates that serve as burrowing refugia, etc. Changes from rural to urban environments are
known to cause local extinction of amphibian species(including Sphaerotheca), through the removal of such
habitats, as observed in the Chennai region (Das,unpubl.).
Three herpetofaunal species from the Nallamala
Hills are recognised as threatened, under the Red List
categories of the IUCN (World Conservation Union; see
Hilton-Taylor, 2000). These include the turtles,
Nilssonia gangetica and N. leithii, and the crocodilian,
Crocodylus palustris (all in the 'Vulnerable' category).
In the end, species protection in countries such as
India, where the pressure on land and water are large,
can only be assured in areas within protected areas. It istherefore imperative to bring additional areas of thesehills with high diversity and/or faunal endemicity into
the country's protected areas system.

Acknowledgments
The first author thanks the successive Heads of the
Department of Zoology, Osmania University for facilities, and a Research Grant (Award No. 9/132(626)/2002
EMR–I) by Council for Scientific and Industrial
Research, New Delhi. We acknowledge Andhra Pradesh
Forest Department for research and collection permits,and logistics. The second author is grateful to theInstitute of Biodiversity, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak,
for supporting his researches on the herpetology of Asia.
We also thank M. S. Ravichandran, ZSI Kolkata, forcuratorial assistance, and Genevieve V. A. Gee,
Bhargavi Srinivasulu and an anonymous reviewer forcomments on a draft manuscript.

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Submitted: 20 June 2006
Accepted: 23 September 2007