The first ever detailed study on the small carnivores of the Parambikulam Tiger Reserve (PkTR) in the southern Western Ghats, using camera trap techniques, reported 11 species. A total of 1,350 camera-trap nights were used for the study. This was supplemented with 242km of day transects and 344km of night transects using spot-lights. The small carnivores reported were the Small Indian Civet Viverricula indica, Common Palm Civet Paradoxurus hermaphroditus, Brown Palm Civet Paradoxurus jerdoni, Indian Grey Mongoose Herpestes edwardsii, Stripe-necked Mongoose Herpestes vitticollis, Brown Mongoose Herpestes fuscus, Ruddy Mongoose Herpestes smithii, Smooth-coated Otter Lutrogale perspicillata, Nilgiri Marten Martes gwatkinsii, Jungle Cat Felis chaus and Leopard Cat Prionailurus bengalensis. About 90% of the small carnivores captured in the camera traps in PKTR were members of the Viverridae family such as the Small Indian Civet (31.67%), Common Palm Civet (30%) and Brown Palm Civet (28.33%). The study recorded all the four species of mongoose known from the Western Ghats from PkTR. Two out of the 11 small carnivores belong to the ‘Vulnerable’ category on the IUCN Red List.
We are reporting four new records of Brown Mongoose Herpestes fuscus Gray, 1837 from four protected areas in Western Ghats including Peppara Wildlife Sanctuary, Shendurney Wildlife Sanctuary, Periyar Tiger Reserve and Pampadum Shola National Park and one new site record outside a protected area from Pambanar Tea plantation in Idukki dt. situated in Kerala part of southern Western Ghats. An updated distribution map of Brown Mongoose in Western Ghats is presented here.
<p><em>Raorchestes travancoricus </em>is a rare and endemic rhacophorid from southern Western Ghats. The frog was listed in the Extinct category of the IUCN Red List until June 2015, even after its rediscovery in 2004. In June 2015, the <em>R. travancoricus</em> was reassessed to Endangered category. All published reports of the species are restricted to disturbed habitats outside protected areas and the current study report the presence of the species from eight different localities from a protected area the Periyar Tiger Reserve.</p><div> </div>
A new site record for the Dobson‘s Long-tongued Fruit Bat Eonycteris spelaea (Pteropodidae, Chiroptera) is presented from Kerala, India. A revised distribution map of the species is also given. The morphometry of Eonycteris spelaea is discussed. DNA sequences have been deposited in GenBank.
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