Short Communication: Herpetofauna diversity at the University of Palangka Raya, Indonesia

Abstract

Abstract. Maulidi A, Purnaningsih T, Maulina A, Gunawan YE, Rizki M. 2020. Short Communication: Herpetofauna diversity at University of Palangka Raya, Indonesia. Biodiversitas 21: 4509-4514. Research on herpetofauna at the University of Palangka Raya (UPR) is vital as there has been no official data so far and remains to be anecdotal evidence from various members of the university. The present study aimed to analyze and report the herpetofauna diversity on the Tunjung Nyaho Campus. It was conducted between October 2019 and November 2019. Herpetofauna data were collected using the Visual Encounter Survey (VES) method. Diurnal and nocturnal surveys were carried out between 07:00-10:00 and 19:00-22:00, respectively. The results showed that as many as 12 species of herpetofauna were present, including six species of reptiles from six families and six species of amphibians from four families. Comparative diversity analyses of these species, unburned, post-burnt, and around building, indicated that the unburned area had a relatively high diversity (2.06) compared to the other two (0.86 and 0.88, respectively). However, the evenness index (E) for the herpetofauna community in all three locations was > 0.70. The resulting species list from this study consisted of two species with threatened statuses under the IUCN Red List, i.e., Ophiophagus hannah (VU), and Cuora amboinensis (EN).

Diversity of Snake Rescued From Residential Areas in Greater Jakarta Metropolitan Area, Indonesia

“…The number of other venomous snakes found are mostly low, less than 5 incidents, but it also includes the king cobra Ophiophagus hannah. The species is mostly found in natural areas (Stuart et al 2012), however it is also reported found in area near human settlements not only in Indonesia but also in India and Hong Kong (Shankar et al 2013, Maulidi et al 2020, Yue et al 2019. The king cobra is also popular as pet snake, even in the city (Kusrini et al 2020), thus making it possible that accidently loose snake from captivity to roam in highly urbanized areas.…”