Reptiles and Amphibians of the Bhagwan Mahaveer Wildlife Sanctuary

Over 160 species of reptiles are known from the Western Ghats, however they are in general highly elusive.  54% of these are snakes, ranging from the smallest snake in the world – the Brahminy Worm Snake – to the King Cobra, the world’s largest venomous snake. Of the remaining species, 40% are lizards – half of which are endemic. New species of amphibian are still being discovered, with those described showing a remarkable 80% endemism. The lists of reptiles and amphibians resident in the Bhagwan Mahaveer Wildlife Sanctuary here below are based mainly on sight records and should by no means be considered exhaustive.   

 

   Key to symbols used throughout this checklist:
 1  very common
 2  common
 3  fairly common
 4  uncommon
 5  rare
 r  resident
 e  endemic to the Western Ghats within India
 **  endemic to India
 *  endemic to the Indian Subcontinent
 !  highly venomous
 (!)  moderately venomous
 B  recorded in/around Backwoods Camp

 

 5r    B   Brahminy/Common Worm Snake   Ramphotyphlops braminus
 5r**    B  Beaked Worm Snake  Grypotyphlops acutus
 5re  !  B  Striped Coral Snake  Calliophis nigrescens
 5r    B  Buff-striped Keelback  Amphiesma stolatum
 5r/e    B  Indian (Montane) Trinket Snake  Coelognathus helena (monticollaris)
 5r    B  Variegated Kukri Snake  Oligodon taeniolatus
 5r*    B  Banded/Common Kukri Snake  Oligodon arnensis
 5r  (!)  B  Ornamental Flying Snake  Chrysopelea ornate
 1r*    B  Bronzeback Tree Snake  Dendrelaphis tristis
 5r*    B  Duméril's Black-headed/Jerdon's Many-toothed Snake  Sibynophis subpunctatus
 3r    B  Checkered Keelback Water Snake  Xenochropis piscator
 5re      Beddome's/Nilgiri Keelback  Amphiesma beddomei
 1r  (!)  B  Common Vine Snake  Ahaetulla nasuta
 5r*  (!)    Brown Vine Snake  Ahaetulla pulverenta
 2r    B  Indian Rat Snake   Ptyas mucosa
 5r*  !  B  Spectacled Cobra  Naja naja
 5r  !  B  King Cobra  Ophiophagus hannah
 5r      Barred Wolfsnake  Lycodon striatus
 5r**    B  Travancore Wolfsnake  Lycodon travancoricus
 5r      Common Wolfsnake  Lycodon aulicus
 5r*  !    Common Indian Krait  Bungarus caeruleus
 5r*  (!)    Forsten's Cat Snake  Boiga forsteni
 5r*  (!)    Ceylon Cat Snake  Boiga ceylonensis
 5r  (!)    Common Indian Cat Snake  Boiga trigonata
 5r  !    Saw-scaled Viper  Echis carinatus
 5r      Common Sand Boa  Gongylophis conicus
 1re    B  Whitaker's Boa  Eryx whitakeri
 3r    B  Indian Rock Python  Python molurus molurus
 5r  !  B  Russell's Viper  Daboia russelii
 4r*  !  B  Hump-nosed Pit Viper  Hypnale hypnale
 5r**  !    Malabar Pit Viper  Trimeresurus malabaricus
 2r*    B  Green Keelback  Macropisthedon plumbicolor
 5r**  !    Bamboo Pit Viper  Trimeresurus gramineus
         
 3r      Green Forest Lizard/Southern Green Calotes  Calotes calotes
 1r*    B  Roux's Forest Lizard  Calotes rouxii
 1r    B  Indian Garden Lizard  Calotes versicolor
 2re    B  Western Ghats Flying Lizard  Draco dussumieri
 5r    B  Fan-throated Lizard  Sitana ponticeriana
 4r    B  Four-clawed Gecko  Gehyra mutilata
 2r    B  Asian House Gecko  Hemidactylus frenatus
 5r    B  Bark/Marbled Tree Gecko  Hemidactylus leschenaultii
 1r    B  Spotted Rock Gecko  Hemidactylus maculatus
 4r*    B  Spotted Supple/Snake Skink  Lygosoma punctata
 2r*    B  Keeled Grass/Common Skink  Mabuya carinata
 2r    B  Bronze Grass/Little Skink  Mabuya macularia
 4re    B  Beddome's Skink  Mabuya beddomii
 4r    B  Bengal/Common Indian Monitor  Varanus bengalensis
         
 3r    B  Common Indian Toad  Bufo melanostictus
 5r**    B  Jerdon's Narrow-mouthed Frog  Ramanella montana
 4re    B  Bombay/Konkan Bush Frog  Philautus bombayensis
 4r*    B  White-nosed/Marten's Bush Frog  Philautus leucorhinus
 2r    B  Bamboo/East Asian Tree Frog  Polypedates leucomystax
 1r    B  Common Tree Frog  Polypedates maculatus
 4re    B  Malabar Gliding/Flying Frog  Rhacophorus malabaricus
 1r    B  Skittering/Skipper Frog  Euphlyctis cyanophlyctis
 3r      Jerdon's Bull Frog  Hoplobatrachus crassus
 1r    B  Indian Bull Frog  Hoplobatrachus tigerinus
 4re    B  Brown Leaping Frog  Indirana semipalmatus
 2r      Paddyfield Frog  Limnonectes limnocharis
 4r      Hill Cricket Frog  Limnonectes syhadrensis
 4r**    B  Fungoid Frog  Rana malabaricus
 5r*      Bronzed Frog  Rana temporalis
 5r**      Indian Burrowing Frog  Tomopterna breviceps
 4r    B  Dobson's Burrowing Frog  Tomopterna dobsoni

 

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