IRCFREPTILES&AMPHIBIANS•23(2):99–101•AUG2016

A Leucistic Indian Rock Python, Python molurus (Linnaeus 1758),

from Andhra Pradesh, IndiaB. Laxmi Narayana1, V. Vasudeva Rao1, and V. Nagulu2

1AllIndiaNetworkProjectonVertebratePestManagement,PJTSAgriculturalUniversity,Rajendranagar,Hyderabad-500030,Telangana,India(narayana.laxmi8@gmail.com)

2DepartmentofZoology(Rtd.Prof.),OsmaniaUniversity,Hyderabad,500007,India

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IRCF REPTILES & AMPHIBIANS • VOL15, NO 4 • DEC 2008 189TABLE OF CONTENTS

T A B L E O F C O N T E N T S

F E A T U R E A R T I C L E S

Chasing Bullsnakes (Pituophis catenifer sayi) in Wisconsin: On the Road to Understanding the Ecology and Conservation of the Midwest’s Giant Serpent ...................... Joshua M. Kapfer 190

The Shared History of Treeboas (Corallus grenadensis) and Humans on Grenada: A Hypothetical Excursion ............................................................................................................................Robert W. Henderson 198

R E S E A R C H A R T I C L E S

The Texas Horned Lizard in Central and Western Texas ....................... Emily Henry, Jason Brewer, Krista Mougey, and Gad Perry 204 The Knight Anole (Anolis equestris) in Florida

.............................................Brian J. Camposano, Kenneth L. Krysko, Kevin M. Enge, Ellen M. Donlan, and Michael Granatosky 212

C O N S E R V A T I O N A L E R T

World’s Mammals in Crisis ............................................................................................................................................................. 220 More Than Mammals ...................................................................................................................................................................... 223 The “Dow Jones Index” of Biodiversity ........................................................................................................................................... 225

H U S B A N D R Y

Captive Care of the Central Netted Dragon ....................................................................................................... Shannon Plummer 226

P R O F I L E

Kraig Adler: A Lifetime Promoting Herpetology ................................................................................................ Michael L. Treglia 234

C O M M E N T A R Y

The Turtles Have Been Watching Me ........................................................................................................................ Eric Gangloff 238

B O O K R E V I E W

Threatened Amphibians of the World edited by S.N. Stuart, M. Hoffmann, J.S. Chanson, N.A. Cox, R. Berridge, P. Ramani, and B.E. Young .............................................................................................................. Robert Powell 243

CONSERVATION RESEARCH REPORTS: Summaries of Published Conservation Research Reports ................................. 245 NATURAL HISTORY RESEARCH REPORTS: Summaries of Published Reports on Natural History ................................. 247 NEWBRIEFS ...................................................................................................................................................................................... 248 EDITORIAL INFORMATION ..................................................................................................................................................... 251 FOCUS ON CONSERVATION: A Project You Can Support ............................................................................................... 252

Front Cover. Shannon Plummer.Totat et velleseque audant mo estibus inveliquo velique rerchil erspienimus, quos accullabo. Ilibus aut dolor apicto invere pe dolum fugiatis maionsequat eumque moditia erere nonsedis ma sectiatur ma derrovitae voluptam, as quos accullabo.

Back Cover. Michael KernTotat et velleseque audant mo

estibus inveliquo velique rerchil erspienimus, quos accullabo. Ilibus

aut dolor apicto invere pe dolum fugiatis maionsequat eumque

moditia erere nonsedis ma sectia-tur ma derrovitae voluptam, as

IRC

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REPTILES & AMPHIBIANSC O N S E R V AT I O N A N D N AT U R A L H I S T O R Y

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The Indian Rock Python, Python molurus(Linnaeus1758),isalargenon-venomoussnakefoundinmuchoftropical

and subtropical southern and southeastern Asia. The species is widelydistributedontheIndianSubcontinent(Smith1943;Das2002;Whitaker and Captain2004,2008)andhasbeencategorizedasSchedule-IintheIndianWildlifeProtectionActof1972,islistedinCITESAppendixI(CITES2016),buthasnotbeenassessedfortheIUCNRedListsincetherecent elevation of P. bivittatus(Jacobsetal.2009),whichhad been considered a subspecies of P. molurus. DuringfaunalstudiesfromJune2014toDecember2015in the Srikakulam District, Andhra Pradesh, we encountered severaldeadindividualskilledbylocalvillagers.Oneofthesnakes(Fig.1)foundon9September2015nearLaxmipuramvillage(18°32.112'N,84°11.481'E),KotabommaliMandal,Tekkali Range, Srikakulam District, Andhra Pradesh, along theeasternIndiancoast(Fig.2)wasunusuallycolored.Thisevidently leucistic snakewasabout1.5m in total lengthandmilky-whiteexceptforgoldandgraydiamond-shapedmarkings on the dorsum. This was in sharp contrast with the prevalent color pattern of the species, which is whitish or yel-lowish with blotches ranging from tan to dark brown, often varyingwithterrainandhabitat.Whitaker(1987)indicatedthatsnakesfromtheuplandforestsoftheWesternGhatsandAssam are darker, whereas those from the Deccan Plateau and the eastern coast are usually lighter. Leucism, a reduction in multiple types of pigments, is a condition expressed as a partial loss of pigmentation in an animal resulting in white, pale, or patchy coloration of the skin,hair,feathers,scales,orcuticle,butnottheeyes(e.g.,Lillywhite2008).Leucismoftenisconfusedorequatedwithalbinism(totallackofallpigments)oramelanism(lackofmelaninbutpresenceofotherpigments). Leucistic, amela-nistic,andalbinoindividualsarerareinnature(e.g.,Dobosz etal.2008),presumablyduetoreductionsinfitnesslargelyattributable to deficient crypsis, although captive-bred

animalsareabundant(e.g.,aGoogle© search for “albino pythons”generatedover400,000results). The destruction of such an unusual snake was regretta-ble, but sadly reflects the attitudes of many Indians. Guptha(2013)advocatedtheconservationofIndianRockPythons,noting an urgent need to conserve the species and create an awareness among local people about pythons and other wild-life in and around the Seshachalam Forest of Andhra Pradesh.

AcknowledgementsWe thank the Indian Council of Agricultural Research for providing necessary facilities. The All India Network ProjectonVertebratePestManagement;Prof.Jayashankar,TelanganaStateAgriculturalUniversity,Telangana;East Coast Energy Private Ltd.,Hyderabad; and theAndhraPradesh Forest Department provided support in the field.

Literature CitedCITES(ConventiononInternationalTradeinEndangeredSpeciesofWildFauna

andFlora).2016.Appendices.<https://cites.org/eng/app/appendices.php>.

Das,I.2002. A Photographic Guide to Snakes and Other Reptiles of India. New Holland Publishers, London, UK.

Dobosz,B.S.,K.Kohlmann,K.Goryczko,andH.Kuzminski.2008.Growthandvitality in yellow forms of rainbow trout. Journal of Applied Ichthyology16:117–20.

Guptha,M.B.2013. NeedforconservationofIndianRockPython(Python molu-rus)(Linnaeus1758).World Journal of Zoology 8:126–126.

Jacobs,H.J.,Auliya,M.andBöhme,W.2009.OnthetaxonomyoftheBurmesePython, Python molurus bivittatusKuhl,1820,specificallyontheSulawesipopulation. Sauria 31(3):5–11.

Lillywhite,H.B.2008.Dictionary of Herpetology.KriegerPublishingCo.,Malabar,Florida.

Smith,M.A.1943.The Fauna of British India, Ceylon and Burma, Including the Whole of the Indo-Chinese Sub-region. Reptilia and Amphibia. Vol. III.—Serpentes. Taylor and Francis,London,UK.

Whitaker,R.1987.Common Indian Snakes. A Field Guide. Macmillan Company of India Ltd., Chennai, India.

Whitaker,R.andA.Captain.2004.Snakes of India. The Field Guide. Draco Books, Chennai, India.

Whitaker,R.andA.Captain.2008.Snakes of India. The Field Guide. Draco Books, Chennai, India.

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Fig. 1. LeucisticIndianRockPython(Python molurus) killed by local villagers at Laxmipuram, Srikakulam, Andhra Pradesh, India. Photographs by the senior author.

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NARAYANA ET AL. IRCFREPTILES&AMPHIBIANS•23(2):99–101•AUG2016

Fig. 2. GoogleEarth©mapsshowingthelocationwheretheleucisticIndianRockPython(Python molurus) was found in Laxmipuram, Srikakulam, India.