To determine the diversity and distribution of amphibians in the duars region of northern West Bengal, two surveys were undertaken in 2014 and 2015 and 86 anuran amphibian specimens were collected belonging to 21 species, 15 genera and 5 families. The Bright frog (Humerana humeralis) and Point-nosed frog (Clinotarsus alticola) were two new records to the State of West Bengal. The detailed species accounts of these amphibian species along with their registration numbers, measurements, diagnostic features, colouration, habitat and distribution have been noted and this comprises the first comprehensive scientific document of the amphibians of the duars area of northern West Bengal.
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Ptyas doriae is a rare snake in northeastern India, Myanmar and southern China. The original description and subsequent accounts of this species were all very brief. We studied most of the available specimens of this species and on this basis we provide a detailed redescription of the species. We give an account of intrapopulational variation in scalation characters and colouration and we also report on a previously undescribed colour morph from Manipur, India. We have examined the holotype of Ptyas hamptoni and found that characters used to distinguish it from P. doriae are inadequate and therefore we herein synonymize the former with the latter species. We also predict the potential distribution of P. doriae by using Maximum Entropy modeling.
Salea anamallayana (Beddome, 1878) and S. horsfieldii Gray, 1845 are two endemic montane forest dwelling draconine agamid lizards from the Western Ghats (India). The original descriptions of these two species were brief and apart from their inclusion in general faunal works, they have never been the focus of a rigorous taxonomic study. In this paper we provide a detailed redescription of the types of those two species. We also reconfirm the status of the subjective synonyms of those two species. We conducted a test of niche conservatism and on the basis of the results of this analysis, we demonstrate that in spite of occurring in apparently analogous habitats, the niche of the two species have diverged significantly. We also provide notes on the distribution and natural history of S. anamallayana and S. horsfieldii.
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