The Team Madhurima Das Arundhati Purkayastha Arpita Dutta Somlee Gupta Sumit Das Gyanendra Deka Bhim B Biswa Anirban Chaudhuri Jayaditya Purkayastha Acknowledgements First and foremost, I would like to thank The Rufford Foundation, the sponsor, of this research work for financial support, without whose support, this piece of work would have not been possible. We thank Help Earth for their continued support. We thank the following departments/institutions for supporting the different stages in the making of this work: Forest Departments of Assam, Arunchal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram and West Bengal; Assam State Biodiversity Board, Assam State Zoo/Botanical Garden, Zoological Society of India, Gauhati University, Arya Vidyapeeth College, Assam Science Technology and Environmental Council, Mizoram University, Aaranyak, Prerana, US National park Service. We thank the Temple Authorities of all the temples studied so far under this project, the fishing community of Deeporbeel, Forests officials of Chandubi, headman and community leaders Amchang WLS and Garbhanga RF. My gratitude to my teachers, colleagues and friends, Saibal Sengupta, Aaron Bauer, Gernot Vogel, Indraneil Das, Anwaruddin Choudhury, Anhai K Johari, Chandan K Bora, Nripen Kalita, Patrick David, P C Bhattacharjee, Sushi K Dutta. Thanks also too Abhijit Das, M Firoz Ahmed, Kaushik Deuti, B H C K Murthy, Stephen Mahony, Masafumi Matsui, Varad Giri, Ashok Captain, Romulus Whitaker, Darrel Frost, Peter Uetz, Uwe Fritz, Peter Paul van Dijk, Brian D Home, Anders G J Rhodin, Peter Praschag, Shailendra Singh, H T Lalremsanga, V L Hrima, Lallawmsanga Tetea Zeon, Zodina Fanai, Hriatzuala Sailo and Chittaranjan Baruah. Thank you to my team, you are my strength: Madhurima Das, Arundhati Purkayastha, Anirban Chaudhuri, Arpita Dutta, Sumit Das, Gyanendra Deka, Bhim B Biswa, Suraj S Chauhan and Somlee Gupta. Lastly thank you Jane Raymond for your prompt responses to all my emails, no matter how trivial they were. Objective: 1 A checklist of herpetofauna residing in Urban Shillong and compare the data with our past data herpetofauna from Urban Guwahati. Results Our checklist contains 15 amphibian and 51 reptilian species from Shillong which adds up to 66 species of herps. We know that with more surveys we can surely add to this list. In our past surveys we have listed 17 amphibian and 46 reptilian species from Guwahati. We added 4 more turtle’s species from Guwahati, thus adding to a total number of 67 species. Comparative assessment of amphibians and reptiles of Shillong and Guwahati. Checklist of Amphibians of Shillong English Name Scientific Name Brown Horn Frog Megalophrys parva Himalaya Toad Duttaphrynus himalayanus Asian Common Toad Duttaphrynus melanostictus Jerdon’s Tree Frog Hyla annectans Berdmore’s Narrow-Mouthed Frog Microhyla berdmorei Ornate Narrow-Mouthed Frog Microhyla ornata Skittering Frog Euphlyctis cyanophlyctis Corrugated Frog Limnonectes khasianus The Green Mountain Frog Odorrana livida Shillong Bubble-Nest Frog Raorchestes shillongensis Annandale’s Bush Frog Raorchestes annandalii Twin-Spotted Tree Frog Rhacophorus bipunctatus Giant Tree Frog Rhacophorus maximus Terai Tree Frog Polypedates teraiensis Checklist of Reptiles of Shillong English Name Scientific Name Indian Roofed Turtle Pangshura tecta Indian Flapshell Turtle Lissemys punctata Khasi Hills Bent-Toed Gecko Cyrtodactylus khasiensis Jerdon’s Day Gecko Cnemaspis jerdonii Flat-Tailed House Gecko Hemidactylus platyurus Common House Gecko Hemidactylus frenatus Brooke’s House Gecko Hemidactylus brookii Kachin Smooth Gecko Hemidactylus aquilonius Tokay Gecko Gekko gecko Green Fan-Throated Lizard Ptyctolaemus gularis Jerdon’s Forest Lizard Calotes jerdoni Oriental Garden Lizard Calotes versicolor Smooth-Scaled Mountain Japalura planidorsata Indian Forest Skink Sphenomorphus indicus Spotted Forest Skink Sphenomorphus maculatus Bronze Grass Skink Eutropis macularia Many-Striped Skink Mabuya multifasciata Asian Glass Lizard Ophiosaurus gracilis Bengal Monitor Lizard Varanus bengalensis Brahminy Blind Snake Ramphotyphlops braminus Diard’s Worm Snake Typhlops diarii Burmese Python Python bivittatus Common Snail Eater Pareas monticola Gunther’s Reed Snake Liopeltis frenatus Green Trinket Snake Gonyosoma prasinus Copper-Headed Trinket Snake Coelognathus radiate Twin-Spotted Wolf Snake Oreocryptophis porphyraceus Oriental Ratsnake Ptyas mucosa Light-Barred Kukri Snake Oligodan albocinctus Gunther’s Kukri Snake Oligodan cinereus Collared Black-Headed Snake Lycodon jara Checkered Snake Xenochrophis piscator Brown Trapezoid Snake Rhabdops bicolor Blyth’s Reticulated Snake Blythia reticulata Mountain Worm-Eating Snake Trachischium monticola False Cobra Pseudoxenodon macrops Orange-Collared Keelback Rhabdophis himalayanus Red-Necked Keelback Rhabdophis subminiatus Yunnan Keelback Amphiesma parallelum Buff Striped Keelback Amphiesma stoltum Wall’s Keelback Amphiesma xenura Green Cat Snake Boiga cyanea Common Mock Viper Psammodynastes pulverulentus MacClelland’s Coral Snake Sinomicrurus macclellandi Greater Black Krait Bungarus niger King Cobra Ophiophagus hannah White-Lipped Pit Viper Trimeresurus albolabris Red-Tailed Bamboo Pit Viper Trimeresurus erythrurus Medo Bamboo Pitviper Trimeresurus medoensis Mountain Pitviper Ovophis monticola Checklist of Amphibians and Reptiles of Guwahati Class: Amphibians Frogs and Toads Family: Bufonidae Common Asian Toad Duttaphrynus melanostictus (Schneider, 1799) Family: Megophryidae Red-Eyed Frog Leptobrachium smithi (Matsui, Nabhitabhata and Panha, 1999) Family: Microhylidae Ornate Narrow-mouthed Frog Microhyla ornate (Duméril and Bibron, 1841) Family: Rhacophoridae Garo Hills Bush Frog Philautus garo (Boulenger, 1919) Six-lined Tree Frog Polypedates teraiensis (Dubios, 1987) Family: Dicroglossidae Nepal Cricket Frog Fejervarya nepalensis (Dubois, 1975) Pierre’s Cricket Frog Fejervarya pierrei (Dubois, 1975) Small Cricket Frog Fejervarya syhadrensis (Annandale, 1919) Terai Cricket Frog Fejervarya teraiensis (Dubois, 1975) Skittering Frog Euphlyctis cyanophlyctis (Schneider, 1799) Skittering Frog Hoplobatrachus tigerinus (Daudin, 1802) Family: Ranidae Assam Hills Frog Clinotarsus alticola (Boulenger, 1882) Theobald’s Ranid Frog Hylarana tytleri (Theobald, 1868) Bhamo Frog Humerana humeralis (Boulenger, 1887) Cope’s Assam Frog Sylvirana leptoglossa (Cope, 1868) Sengupta’s Cascade Frog Amolops assamensis (Sengupta et al., 2008) Caecilian Family: Ichthyophiidae Garo Hills Caecilian Ichthyophis garoensis (Pillai and Ravichandran, 1999) Class: Reptilia Lizards Family: Agamidae Common Garden Lizard Calotes versicolor (Daidin, 1802) Blue-throated Lizard Ptyctolaemus gularis (Peters, 1864) Family: Gekkonidae Common House Gecko Hemidactylus frenatus (Duméril and Bibron, 1836) Brook’s House Gecko Hemidactylus brookii (Gray, 1845) Garnot’s House Gecko Hemidactylus garnotii (Duméril and Bibron, 1836) Flat-tailed House Gecko Hemidactylus platyurus (Scheider, 1792) Yellow-bellied Gecko Hemidactylus flavoviridis (Rüppell, 1835) Northern House Gecko Hemidactylus aquilonius (McMahan and Zug, 2007) Tokay Gecko Gekko gecko (Linnaeus, 1758) Assamese Day Gecko Cnemaspis assamensis (Das and Sengupta, 2000) Khasi Hills Bent-toed Gecko Cyrtodactylus khasiensis (Jerdon, 1870) Family: Scindae Many Lined Skink Eutropis multifasciata (Kuhl, 1820) Bronze Skink Eutropis macularia (Blyth, 1853) Spotted Forest Skink Sphenomorphus maculates (Blyth, 1853) Family: Varanidae Bengal Monitor Lizard Varanus bengalensis (Daudin, 1802) Snakes Family: Typhlopidae Brahminy Blindsnake Ramphotyphlops braminus (Daudin, 1803) Diard’s Blindsnake Typhlops diardii (Schlegal, 1839) Family: Biodae Burmese Python Python bivittatus (Kuhl, 1820) Family: Colubridae Rainbow Water Snake Enhydris (Schneider, 1799) Common Wolf Snake Lycodon aulicus (Linnaeus, 1758) Assam Snail Snake Pareas monticola (Cantor, 1839) Rat Snake Ptyas mucosa (Linnaeus, 1758) Indo-Chinese Rat Snake Ptyas korros (Schlegal, 1837) Red-necked Keelback Rhabdophis subminiatus (Schlegal, 1837) Painted Bronzeback Dendrelaphis proarchos (Wall, 1909) White-barred Kukri Snake Oligodon albocinctus (Cantor, 1839) Buff Striped Keelback Amphiessma stolatum (Linnaeus, 1758) Eastern Cat Snake Boiga gokool (Gray, 1835) Checkered Keelback Xenochrohis piscator (Schneider, 1799) Bar-necked Keelback Xenochrohis schnurrenbergeri (Kramer, 1977) Painted Keelback Xenochrohis cerasogaster (Cantor, 1839) Common Mock Viper Psammodynastes pulverulentus (Boie, 1827) Copper-headed Trinket Snake Coelognathus radiates (Schlegal, 1837) Long-nosed Whip Snake Ahaetulla nasuta (Laćèpede, 1789) Ornate Flying Snake Chrysopelea ornata (Shaw, 1802) Family: Elapidae Binocled Cobra Naja (Linnaeus, 1758) Monocled Cobra Naja kaouthia (Lesson, 1831) Banded Krait Bungarus fasciatus (Schneider, 1801) Turtles and Tortoises Family: Trionychidae Ganges Soft-shellled Turtle Nilssonia gangeticus (Kuvier, 1825) Black Soft-shelled Turtle Nilssonia nigricans (Anderson, 1875) Black Soft-shelled Turtle Nilssonia hurum (Gray, 1831) Family: Geoemydidae Assam Roofed Turtle Pangshura sylhetenis (Jerdon, 1870) Indian Tent Turtle Pangshura tentoria (Gray, 1834) Indian Roofed Turtle Pangshura tecta (Gray, 1831) Indian Eyed Turtle Morenia petersi (Anderson, 1879) Objective: 2 Support turtles (providing basking spots, breeding facilities, cleaning up of ponds, providing fish spawns, awareness programme for temple authorities) in the already identified 12 temple ponds and carry on survey for identification of more such temple ponds from Northeast India. Results During the project period we have identified two more temple ponds with turtles in them namely 1. Kachakanti Mandir, Udharband, Assam and 2. Baneshwar Temple, Cooch Behar, West Bengal. We have conducted a day long workshop for temple authorities and had a discussion involving them, officials from Forest Department, Biodiversity Board, District Administration and Media. Based on the meeting we came up with recommendations for protecting such ponds and making them more habitable for the turtles. Based on the recommendation of the meeting we assisted 4 temple ponds. Haigrib Madhab Temple, Gorokhiya Goshair Than, Nagshankar, Ugratara by creating breeding and basking sites for turtles, releasing fingerling, installation of hoardings with information pertaining to turtles and on do’s and don’ts in these ponds. We have carried out awareness programme on this issue for school students. We also have observed World Turtle Day. Workshop on management of turtles in the temple ponds of Assam Left: Interaction between turtle expert and members of temple bodies; Right: Brain storming session presided by Mr A K Johari, Member-Secretary State Biodiversity Board Left: Member of temple pond expressing the requirements of the ponds; Right: Member of a temple pond facilitated. Creation of turtle breeding site at Nagshankar Sonitpur Left: Turtle moving towards breeding site at Nagashankar; Right: An unhatched egg at breeding site Creation of turtle breeding site at Haigraib Madheb Temple, Hajo Sign