MISCELLANEOUSNOTES References Annandale, N. (1915): Herpetological notes and westernIndia.PartIII.J.Bombaynat.Hist.Soc. 12: description.Rec.IndianMus. II:341-347. 506-522. Bhaduri,J.L.(1944):AnoteonRanacrassaJerdon,with Dutta,S.K.(1997): AmphibiansofIndiaandSri Lanka extensionofitsrange.J. Bombaynat. Hist.Soc. 44: (Checklist & Bibliography). Odyssey Publishing 481-483. House,Bhubaneswar,India. Bordoloi, S.C. & M.M. Bora (1999): First record of Kirtisinghe,P.(1957):TheAmphibiaofCeylon.(Privately Hoplobatrachus crassus (Jerdon 1853) from Published).Colombo. northeasternregioninAssamandArunachalPradesh. Romer,J.D.(1949):HerpetologicalobservationinAssam J. Bombaynat. Hist. Soc. 96: 158-159. andBengal.J. Bombaynat. Hist. Soc. 48:374-376. Boulenger,G.A.(1920):AmonographoftheSouthAsian, Sarkar, A.K., M.L. Biswas & S. Ray (1992): Fauna of Papuan,MelanesianandAustralianfrogofthegenus West Bengal: Amphibia. State Fauna Series, Rana. Rec. IndianMus. 20: 17-20. ZoologicalSurveyofIndia,3:67-100. Chanda,S.K.(1994):Anura(Amphibia)ofnorthernIndia. Smith, M.A. (1929): On acollection ofamphibians and Mem. Zool. Surv. India. 18: 1-143. reptilesfromtheupperreachesofBrahmaputra.Rec. Daniel, J.C. (1975): Field guide to the amphibians of IndianMus. 31: 71-SO. 16. FIRST RECORD OF THE SUNFISH RANZANIA LAEVIS (PENNANT) (PISCES OSTEICHTHYES PERCIFORMES MOLIDAE) : : : FROM THE WEST BENGAL COAST AjuvenileRanzania laevis (Pennant) was sunfish as Tetraodon truncatus (op. cit. Fraser- caught in a trawl net on November 28, 1998, Brunner 1951). Further, in 1798 Pennant approximately 2 km offshore from Sankarpur described a specimen from Sri Lanka (formerly harbour at Medinipur (= Midnapore) coast of Ceylon) as Balistes truncatus (op.cit. WestBengal (21°36’N, 87°30' E) inthe Bay of Deraniyagala 1944). However, all the species Bengal. The specimen (Regn No. MARC/ZSI/ were further synonymised as Ranzania laevis mm 87) measured 494 in standard length. (op. cit. Fraser-Brunner 1951). Fraser-Brunner Depth of body 50.8%, head 37.65% in (1951) and Fischer and Bianchi (1984) stated standard length, diameter of eye 15.05% in that laevis is the only species under the genus head length. Mouth aperture wide, measured Ranzania. Hence, the specimen described as mm mm 24 (vertical) and 13 (horizontal). Fin R. truncatus (Retzius) by Chhapgar (1964) is formula D.16, A.16, P.13, C.21, Pelvic fins the same species as R. laevis. Three more absent. specimens ofR. laevis were captured from the Fraser-Brunner (1951) has reported its west coast of Sri Lanka (op. cit. Deraniyagala occurrence in all seas except polar seas. At the 1944). They were reported in 1798, 1911 and same time, he stated that the species is rather 1941 by Pennant, Pearson and Deraniyagala rare and its occurrence unpredictable. The respectively, ofwhich one was recorded from sunfish (R. laevis) is distributed in tropical and Katys harbour which is nearerthe Indian coast. subtropical waters of the Atlantic, Indian and Scott(1983)inFAOspeciesidentificationsheets Pacific Oceans(Nelson 1984). Chhapgar(1964) (op. cit. Fischer and Bianchi 1984) mentioned reported Ranzania truncata (Retzius) from the the occurrence of the species only in fishing Mumbai (formerly Bombay) coast. In 1776, areas 34 and 51. Talwar et al. (1992) did not Pennant first describedthe sunfish as Ostracion mention its occurrence from the coastal waters laevis and in 1785, Retzius described the ofWestBengal. , 288 JOURNAL BOMBAYNATURAL HISTORYSOCIETY. 97(2). AUG. 2000 . MISCELLANEOUS NOTES Hence, this is the first occurrence of R. September 22, 1999 S. KAR laevis not only from coastal West Bengal, but R. CHAKRABORTY from the entire east coast ofIndia. Zoological Survey ofIndia F.P.S. Bldg, 27JawaharlalNehru Road, Acknowledgement Calcutta 700 016, WestBengal, India. MITRA S. WethanktheDirector,Zoological Survey T.K. CHATTERJEE of India, for permission to carry out the Marine Aquarium cum Research Centre, work. Digha, Medinipur, WestBengal, India. Refer NCES Chha(pRgaanrz,anBi.aF.t(r1u9n64c)a:taOcRceutrzrieunsc)eoinftBheomobblaoyngwsautnefriss.h FrasMeorl-iBdrauen)n.erB,ulAl..(B1r9it5.1)M:uTsh.eONcate.anHSisutn.fis(Zhoeosl(.F)am1i(l6y):: J. Bombaynat. Hist. Soc. 61:453-456,Fig. 1. 89-121. Deraniyagala, P.E.P. (1944): Some whale sharks and Nelson,J.S.(1984):FishesoftheWorld.JohnWileyand sunfishes captured offCeylon.J. Bombaynat. Hist. Sons,NewYork,p.523. Soc. 44(3):427-430,pi. 1,Fig.2. Talwar,P.K.,P.Mukherjee,D.Saha,S.N.Paul&S.Kar Fischer, W. & G. Bianchi (1984): FAO species (1992): Marineandestuarinefishes.Zool.Surv. India: identification sheets for fishery purposes. Western StateFaunaSeries3: FaunaofWestBengal (Part2): IndianOcean(Fishingarea51)(FAO:Rome).Vol.III. 243-342. FISHES OF CHIMMONY AND PEECHI-VAZHANI WILDLIFE SANCTUARIES, 17. KERALA, INDIA (With one text-figure) The Western Ghats immediately south of Mukundapuram taluka in Thrissur district (10° thePalghatgaparetopographicallycomplexand 22'-10° 29' N and 76° 25'-76° 34' E). This among the most heterogeneous areas in the Sanctuary is a stretch of forest comprising of entireWesternGhatswithregardtobio-climatic mainly evergreen forests, moistteak forests and zones, forest vegetation and endemic species moist mixed deciduous forests. The Chimmony (Nair 1991). Only by taking into consideration Sanctuary, along the southwestern flanks ofthe the complex topography of Parambikulam, Nelliampathiescontiguouswithandfurthersouth Peechi-Vazhani and Chimmony Wildlife ofPeechi extending east to Parambikulam, was Sanctuaries in Kerala with the adjacent declaredasaWildlifeSanctuaryinAugust 1984. AnamalaiWildlife SanctuaryinTamilNaducan The Sanctuary arearanges in altitude from50to the full potential of this tract be realized. The 1,116mabovemsl (Nair 1991). TheChimmony fish fauna ofParambikulam Wildlife Sanctuary Sanctuary is separated from the Parambikulam wasreportedbyBijuetal. (1999). Sofar,nobody Sanctuary to its east by a stretch offorest along hadstudiedthePeechi-Vazhani andChimmony the catchment area of Kannankuzhithodu in Wildlife Sanctuaries. The present survey KodasseryReserveForest. indicates the diversity ofthe fish fauna in these Peechi-VazhaniWildlifeSanctuary:The Sanctuaries. Peechi-Vazhani Sanctuary lies in Thrissur and Chimmony Wildlife Sanctuary: The Thalapilly taldkas ofThrissur district (10° 28'- Chimmony Wildlife Sanctuary is situated in 10° 40' N and 76° 17'-76°29’ E) (Nair 1991). JOURNAL, BOMBAYNATURAL HISTORYSOCIETY, 97(2), AUG. 2000 289