IRCF REPTILES & AMPHIBIANS • 27(1):42–43 • APR 2020

A Leucistic Checkered Keelback, Fowlea piscator (Serpentes: Natricidae),

from Mizoram, IndiaKhan Ashaharraza1, Lalbiakzuala2, and Hmar Tlawmte Lalremsanga2

1Department of Wildlife and Biodiversity Conservation, North Orissa University, Baripada-757003, Mayurbhanj, Odisha, India (ashaharrazakhan@gmail.com)2Department of Zoology, Mizoram University, Aizawl-796004, Mizoram, India (htlrsa@yahoo.co.in)

42

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

F

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

Copyright © 2020. Khan Ashaharraza. All rights reserved.

WWW.IRCF.ORG/REPTILESANDAMPHIBIANSJOURNAL

Color abnormalities in animals can occur as the result of an excess or deficiency of pigments in some parts or in

the entire body. Albinism is a complete lack of pigmenta-tion, whereas leucism is characterized by reduced integumen-tary pigmentation but normally-colored eyes (Acevedo and Aguayo 2008). Leucistic snakes have diminished numbers of iridophores and probably very low numbers or no melano-phores and xanthophores (Bechtel 1991). The Checkered Keelback (Fowlea piscator; formerly Xenochrophis piscator) is widely distributed throughout south-ern Asia (Wallach et al. 2014) and is perhaps the most abun-dant snake in India (Whitaker and Captain 2004). However, the taxonomy is not completely resolved and still cryptic species might be hidden under this name (Vogel and David 2012). On 15 June 2019, we collected a leucistic juvenile Fowlea piscator from Tuivamit, Aizawl District, Mizoram (24°44'51.36"N; 92°40'86"E; 874 m asl). The specimen was preserved and deposited in the Departmental Museum of Zoology, Mizoram University, Aizawl (MZMU-1091;

Fig. 1). The snake lacked integumentary pigmentation, but the eyes were normally pigmented (Fig. 2). Although Mahabal and Takur (2014) and Deshmukh et al. (2020) pre-viously reported albinistic or leucistic Checkered Keelbacks from peninsular India, this is the first report from northeast-ern India and the first record from the state of Mizoram.

AcknowledgementsWe thank Liandawla (Chief Wildlife Warden, Environment, Forest and Climate Change Department, Government of Mizoram, India) for issuing collection permit No. A.33011/2/99-CWLW/225. We also thank DST-SERB, New Delhi, for providing financial assistance for labora-tory facilities under EMR number EMR/2016/002391. KA extends his gratitude to Pratyush Mohapatra, Saipari Sailo (Central Zone Regional Center, Zoological Survey of India, Jabalpur), and Vivek Sharma for help with the literature and curatorial support, and to Zothangliana, Department of Zoology, Mizoram University, for help collecting the snake.

Fig. 1. A leucistic Checkered Keelback (Fowlea piscator; MZMU-1091) from Tuivamit, Mizoram, India. Scale bar = 10 mm. Photograph by Khan Ashaharraza.

IRCF Reptiles & Amphibians ISSN 1098-6324

43

Literature CitedAcevedo, J. and M. Aguayo. 2008. Leucistic South American sea lion in Chile,

with a review of anomalously color in otariids. Registro en Chile de leucismo en lobo marino comun, con una revision de las coloraciones anormales en otaridos. Revista deBiología Marina y Oceanografía 43: 413–417.

Deshmukh, R.V., S.A. Deshmukh, S.A. Badhekar, J. Rewatkar, V.P. Pachare, and S.B. Kawale. 2020. First records of albinism or leucism in six species of snakes from central India. Reptiles & Amphibians 26: 174–179.

Bechtel, H.B. 1991. Inherited color defects. Comparison between humans and

snakes. International Journal of Dermatology 30: 243–246.

Mahabal, A. and S. Thakur. 2014. Instances of aberrant colors and patterns among the Indian herpetofauna: A review. Russian Journal of Herpetology 21: 80–88.

Vogel, G. and P. David. 2012. A revision of the species group of Xenochrophis pisca-tor (Schneider, 1799) (Squamata: Natricidae). Zootaxa 3473: 1–60.

Wallach, V., K.L. Williams, and J. Boundy. 2014. Snakes of the World: A Catalogue of Living and Extinct Species. CRC Press, Boca Raton, Florida.

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

IRCF REPTILES & AMPHIBIANS • 27(1):42–43 • APR 2020ASHAHARRAZA ET AL.

Fig. 2. A typically colored Checkered Keelback (Fowlea piscator) (left) and a leucistic individual (right) from Tuivamit, Mizoram, India. Photographs by Hmar Tlawmte Lalremsanga.