Little known Asian Glass Snake Ophiosaurus gracilis sighted in upper Lohit valley in Lohit District, Arunachal Pradesh, India

 

Little known Asian Glass Snake Ophiosaurus gracilis sighted in upper Lohit valley in Lohit District, Arunachal Pradesh, India

 

                                                Dr.S.P.Sinha, Consultant (Wildlife)

 

The Asian glass lizard, Ophiosaurus gracilis (Gray, 1845), is a limbless, terrestrial lizard that has been infrequently observed in Arunchal Pradesh and in range states. The distribution of Ophiosaurus gracilis is reported to  be occur in the Himalayan foothills of north-eastern Indian states like Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Mizoram, North Bengal and Sikkim (Ahmed et.al. 2009) and southern China and in northern Indochina at elevations over 1400 m (Smith,1935), Brygoo (1987) reports specimens from 600 to 2000 m in Yunnan.  Records of the species also exist for Sichuan Province in Central China and Xizang, Tibet (He, 1987., Zhao and Adler, 1993). First record of Ophisaurus in South Vietnam (Campden, 1970) and. A photographic guide to snakes and other reptiles of peninsular Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand by Cox et.al (1998).Tikader (1967) reports death of a limbless lizard while handling.

            Very little information’s was found in context to Indian sub-continent on Asian glass lizard while going through the available literature and on web pages. Two photographs of Asian glass lizard by Kedar Bhide and a photographic guide on amphibians and reptiles of Northeast by Ahmed et.al (2009) found on the webpage.

            While conducting a faunal survey in the upper Lohit area in Lohit district of Arunachal Pradesh, an Asian Glass Lizard (O.gracilis) was found lying middle of the road on both side  dense forest with thick ground cover. Site of observation was around five Kilometres from Salangam village which is situated at the elevation of 510 m. The distance from Parshuram Kund to Salangam is approximately 40 km by road and aerial distance to Lohit River was approximately 25 km from the place where the glass lizard was found. The limbless lizard was found dead and the detached tail was still moving. The specimen was approximately 75 cm in total length. It is reported to be a secretive, possibly burrowing lizard, which lives under logs and stones and feeds on insects, molluscs, and small vertebrates (Tikader, 1967., Daniel, 1983., Nabhitabhata, 1987). According to Ahmed et.al (2009), Limbless and snake looks like lizard with movable eyelid and rectangular body scale arranged in traverse rows distinguishes it from a snake. Usually nocturnal, inhabits tropical and sub-tropical broad leaf forests in the hill (500-2500 m), found under logs, under stones, loose soil and leaf litters. Main diet is insects and earthworm. Conservation status of Asian glass lizard is rare category but there is no immediate threat. Little is known about the ecology, distribution, and natural history of this interesting species with contrast colours need a detail study.

 

Acknowledgement

Thankful to Dr Peter, Ophiosaurus group, Reptile data base, Royal Zoological Society London, Suresh, Scientist, Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, Abhitjeet Das, Aranayak, Guwahati, Assam and Varad, Bombay Natural History Society, Mumbai. I am also thankful to my wife Prof Bitapi.C.Sinha Wildlife Institute of Indi. Dehradun for their valuable comments.