Updated checklist of snakes with the first record of Spalerosophis arenarius in Gujarat and range extensions of five species of snakes in the northern region of Gujarat, India

Authors

  • Jaydeep Maheta At- Kanjipura, Ta- Viramgam, Dist.- Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India
  • Ranjeet Thakor Sadbhavana Foundation, Nasmedgam, Gujarat, India
  • Prakash Shankhala Sadbhavana Foundation, Nasmedgam, Gujarat, India
  • Dinesh Prajapati At- Saradarpura, Ta.- Vadgam, Dist.- Banaskantha, Gujarat, India
  • Atulsinh Zala At- Vav, Ta.- Satalasan, Dist.-Mehsana, Gujarat, India
  • Laxman Bharavad At- Chitroda, Ta.- Idar, Dist.- Sabarkantha, Gujarat, India
  • Hasti Panseriya Department of Life Sciences, Bhaktakavi Narsinh Mehta University, Junagadh, Gujarat, India
  • Shruti Patel WCB Research Lab, Department of Life Sciences, HNG University, Patan

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.17161/randa.v30i1.18403

Keywords:

North Gujarat, Spalerosophis arenarius, systematic checklist, snake diversity

Abstract

A complete checklist of herpetofaunal species is required in order to understand species richness and distribution, especially of reptiles. India has a total of 279 snake species, whereas Gujarat only has 60, leaving many opportunities for researchers to further investigate snake diversity in the state. The purpose of this study is to explore snake diversity in the northern region of Gujarat state, a region which comprises five districts, including four protected habitats. The data was collected through surveying forested habitat, examining road kills, and collecting rescue data from volunteers. The study recorded a total of 33 species from seven families showing a high diversity of snake species in the study area. Among them, Spalerosophis arenarius (Boulenger, 1890) was recorded for the first time in the state. With 22 species, Colubridae is the most commonly occurring snake family of the area. North Gujarat has a rich diversity of snakes and we suggest more detailed research on snake diversity and distribution in the future.

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Published

2023-03-13

Issue

Vol. 30 No. 1 (2023): Reptiles & Amphibians

Section

Notes

License

Copyright (c) 2023 Jaydeep Maheta; Ranjeet Thakor, Prakash Shankhala, Dinesh Prajapati, Atulsinh Zala, Laxman Bharavad, Hasti Panseriya; Shruti Patel

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

Copyright is held by the authors. Articles in R&A are made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International license.

How to Cite

Maheta, J., Thakor, R., Shankhala, P., Prajapati, D., Zala, A., Bharavad, L., Panseriya, H., & Patel, S. (2023). Updated checklist of snakes with the first record of Spalerosophis arenarius in Gujarat and range extensions of five species of snakes in the northern region of Gujarat, India. Reptiles & Amphibians, 30(1). https://doi.org/10.17161/randa.v30i1.18403