HERPETOLOGICAL COLLABORATION IN VIETNAM
Nguyen Quang Truong - Institute of Ecology and Biological Resources |
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Abstract. This report gives a short overview about herpetological investigations in Vietnam. A list of new amphibian and reptile species described from Vietnam between 1980-2006 is provided.
Introduction
Vietnam has become well known for its remarkable and unique biodiversity, particularly its amphibian and reptile fauna. Numerous surveys of herpetofauna have been carried out in different areas of the country in the last decades. In the early 20th century (1924-1944), Bourret counted 177 species and sub-species of lizards, 245 species and sub-species of snakes, 45 species and sub-species of turtles, and 171 species and sub-species of amphibians for the Indochinese region [Bourret, 1936, 1941a, 1941b, 1942a, 1942b, 1943]. During the period between 1945 and 1954 no remarkable herpetological studies were undertaken, due to the infl uence of war. From 1954 to 1975, results of several surveys conducted by Vietnamese herpetologists in the north of the country included a total of 68 amphibian and 159 reptile species [Tran et al., 1981]. From the south, Campden-Main (1970) reported on 77 species of snakes in his fi eld guide. From 1976 to 1980, under the collaboration between Vietnamese and Russian institutions, several herpetological surveys were carried out in the north and the centre of Vietnam. The fi rst list and the key to all species of reptiles and amphibians of Vietnam was compiled by Dao Van Tien, including 87 species of amphibians, 77 species of lizards, 165 species of snakes, 32 species of turtles, and two species of crocodiles [Dao, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1981, 1982]. The second checklist was published by Nguyen Van Sang and Ho Thu Cuc (1996) that listed a total of 340 species including 82 amphibian and 258 reptile species. The number of herpetofaunal species increased to 458 in an updated checklist by Nguyen et al. (2005) (i.e., 162 species amphibians and 296 species of reptiles). This checklist includes 200 additional species compared with the previous checklist of the herpetofauna of Vietnam. This increase in our knowledge about the amphibian and reptile fauna is a result of herpetological cooperations throughout the last over 25 years (1980-2006).
Involved agencies
Vietnam’s herpetofauna has been studied with the collaborative involvement of scientists both from Vietnam and from overseas. Institutions and organizations from abroad include the American Museum of Natural History, New York, USA (AMNH); Appalachian State University, North Carolina, USA (ASU); Chelonian Research Institute, Florida, USA (CRI); Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, California, USA (LACM); Royal Ontario Museum, Ontario, Canada (ROM); Zoological Institute of Saint Petersburg, Russian Academy of Science, Saint Petersburg, Russia (ZISP); Zoological Research Museum Alexander Koenig, Bonn (ZFMK), and the Cologne Zoo, Cologne, Germany; National Museum of Natural Science, Taichung, Taiwan (NMNS). Institutions and organizations within Vietnam comprise Birdlife International (Birdlife); CARE International in Vietnam; Centre for Natural Resources and Environmental Studies (CRES), Fauna and Flora International - Vietnam Programme (FFI); Hanoi National University; Hanoi University of Education (HUE); Institute of Ecology and Biological Resources (IEBR), Vietnamese Academy of Science and Technology (VAST); PLAN International in Vietnam; The World Union for Conservation (IUCN); Traffi c Southeast Asia; Wildlife At Risk in Vietnam (WAR); Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS); and World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF - Indochina Program).
Fields of study and remarkable achievements
Collaboration of Vietnam’s herpetology has focused on two fi elds: discovery of herpetofaunal diversity and conservation of threatened species. Many surveys of herpetofaunal diversity have been conducted in different areas of the country, resulting in the discovery and description of three new genera, 79 new species and three new sub-species based on voucher collections from 1980 to 2006 (Table 1). Furthermore, at least 90 new records for Vietnam have been reported over this period. Results of these surveys showed that upland areas contain a high diversity of amphibian and reptile species. Several hotspots of the herpetofauna were defined in Vietnam comprising
Table 1. List of new species of reptiles and amphibians described based on voucher specimens from Vietnam (1980-2006).
No |
Scientific name |
Type locality |
AMPHIBIA |
1 |
Tylototriton vietnamensis Böhme, Schöttler, Nguyen and Köhler, 2005, |
Lục Nam, tỉnh Bắc Giang |
2 |
Leptobrachium banae Lathrop, Murphy, Orlov and Ho, 1998 KBang, |
Tỉnh Gia Lai |
3 |
Leptobrachium xanthospilum Lathrop, Murphy, Orlov and Ho, 1998 K Bang, |
Tỉnh Gia Lai |
4 |
Leptolalax bourreti Dubois, 1980 |
Sa Pa, Tỉnh Lào Cai |
5 |
Leptolalax nahangensis Lathrop, Murphy, Orlov and Ho, 1998, |
Na Hang, tỉnh Tuyen Quang |
6 |
Leptolalax pluvialis Ohler, Marquis, Swan and Grosjean, 2000 |
Sa Pa, tỉnh Lao Cai |
7 |
Leptolalax sungi Lathrop, Murphy, Orlov and Ho, 1998 |
Tam Đảo, tỉnh Vĩnh Phúc |
8 |
Leptolalax tuberosus Inger, Orlov and Darevsky, 1999 |
Kon Cha Rang, Tỉnh Gia Lai |
9 |
Ophryophryne gerti Ohler, 2003 |
Đà Lạt, tỉnh Lâm Đồng |
10 |
Ophryophryne hansi Ohler, 2003 |
Đà Lạt, tỉnh Lâm Đồng |
11 |
Vibrissaphora echinata Dubois and Ohler, 1998 |
Sa Pa, tỉnh Lào Cai |
12 |
Vibrissaphora ngoclinhensis Orlov, 2005 |
Dak Glei, tỉnh Kon Tum |
13 |
Microhyla marmorata Bain và Nguyen, 2004 |
Trà My, tỉnh Quang Nam |
14 |
Microhyla nanapollexa Bain and Nguyen, 2004 |
Trà My, tỉnh Quang Nam |
15 |
Microhyla pulverata Bain and Nguyen, 2004 |
K Bang, tỉnh Gia Lai |
16 |
Micryletta erythropoda (Tarkhnishvili, 1994) |
Mã Đà, tỉnh Dong Nai |
17 |
Amolops spinapectoralis Inger, Orlov and Darevsky, 1999 |
K Bang, tỉnh Gia Lai |
18 |
Paa bourreti Dubois, 1987 |
Sa Pa, tỉnh Lào Cai |
19 |
Rana attigua Inger, Orlov and Darevsky, 1999 |
K Bang, tỉnh Gia Lai |
20 |
Rana bacboensis Bain, Lathrop, Murphy and Ho, 2003 |
Con Cuông, tỉnh Nghệ An |
21 |
Rana banaorum Bain, Lathrop, Murphy and Ho, 2003 |
K Bang, tỉnh Gia Lai |
22 |
Rana cucae Bain, Stuart and Orlov, 2006 |
Văn Bàn, tỉnh Lao Cai |
23 |
Rana daorum Bain, Lathrop, Murphy and Ho, 2003 |
Sa Pa, tỉnh Lao Cai |
24 |
Rana hmongorum Bain, Lathrop, Murphy and Ho, 2003 |
Sa Pa, tỉnh Lao Cai |
25 |
Rana iriodes Bain and Nguyen, 2004 |
Vị Xuyên, tỉnh Hà Giang |
26 |
Rana khalam Stuart, Orlov and Tanya, 2005 |
Bạch Mã, Thừa Thiên Huế, tỉnh Lào Cai |
27 |
Rana megatympanum Bain, Lathrop, Murphy and Ho, 2003 |
Con Cuông, tỉnh Nghệ An |
28 |
Rana morafkai Bain, Lathrop, Murphy and Ho, 2003 |
K Bang, tỉnh Gia Lai |
29 |
Rana orba Stuart và Bain, 2005 |
Hương Sơn, tỉnh Hà Tĩinh |
30 |
Rana trankieni Orlov, Le và Ho, 2003 |
Phú Yên, tỉnh Sơn La |
31 |
Aquixalus (Chirixalus) ananjevae Matsui and Orlov, 2004, |
Hương Khê, tỉnh Hà Tĩnh |
32 |
Aquixalus (Rhacophorus) baliogaster (Inger, Orlov and Darevsky, 1999, |
Buon Luoi, Tram Lap và Krong Pa, tỉnh Gia Lai |
33 |
Aquixalus (Philautus) supercornutus Orlov, Ho and Nguyen, 2004, |
Bạch Mã, tỉnh Thừa Thiên Huế |
34 |
Philautus abditus Inger, Orlov and Darevsky, 1999 |
K Bang, tỉnh Gia Lai |
35 |
Philautus truongsonensis Orlov and Ho, 2005, |
Hướng Hóa, tỉnh Quang Tri |
36 |
Rhacophorus duboisi Orler, Marquis, Swan and Grosjean, 2000 |
Sa Pa, tỉnh Lào Cai |
37 |
Rhacophorus exechopygus Inger, Orlov and Darevsky, 1999 |
K Bang, tỉnh Gia Lai |
38 |
Rhacophorus hoanglienensis Orlov, Lathrop, Murphy and Ho, 2001, |
Sa Pa, tỉnh Lào Cai |
39 |
Rhacophorus orlovi Ziegler and Köhler, 2000 |
Kỳ Anh, tỉnh Hà Tĩnh |
REPTILIA |
Sauria |
1 |
Acanthosaura nataliae Orlov, Nguyen and Nguyen, 2006 |
K Bang, tỉnh Gia Lai |
2 |
Bronchocela orlovi Hallermann, 2004 |
K Bang, tỉnh Gia Lai |
3 |
Bronchocela vietnamensis Hallermann and Orlov, 2005 |
K Bang, tỉnh Gia Lai |
4 |
Leiolepis guentherpetersi Darevsky and Kupriyanova, 1993 |
Thuy Phu, tỉnh Thừa Thiên-Huế |
5 |
Cyrtodactylus paradoxus (Darevsky and Szczerbak, 1997) |
Phú Quốc, tỉnh Kiên Giang |
6 |
Cyrtodactylus phongnhakebangensis Ziegler, Rösler, Herrmann, and Vũ, 2002 |
Phong Nha-Ke Bang, tỉnh Quảng Bình |
7 |
Dixonius vietnamensis Das, 2004 |
Nha Trang, tỉnh Khánh Hòa |
8 |
Gekko grossmanni Gunther, 1994 |
tỉnh Khánh Hòa |
9 |
Gekko scientiadventura Rösler, Ziegler, Vu, Herrmann, and Böhme, 2005, |
Phong Nha – Kẻ Bàng, tỉnh Quảng Bình |
10 |
Gekko ulikovskii Darevsky and Orlov, 1994 |
tỉnh Kon Tum |
11 |
Goniurosaurus araneus Grismer, Viets, and Boyle, 1999 |
tỉnh Cao Bằng |
12 |
Hemidactylus stejnegeri Ota và Hikida, 1989 |
Ba Mun, tỉnh Quảng Ninh |
13 |
Hemidactylus vietnamensis Darevsky and Kupriyanova, 1984 |
Cúc Phương, tỉnh Ninh Bình |
14 |
Dibamus deharvengi Ineich, 1999 |
Binh Châu, tỉnh Bà Rịa-Vũng Tàu |
15 |
Dibamus greeri Darevsky, 1992 |
Kon Cha Rang, tỉnh Kon |
16 |
Dibamus kondaoensis Honda, Ota, Hikida and Darevsky, 2001 |
Con Dao, tỉnh Bà Rịa-Vũng Tàu |
17 |
Dibamus smithi Greer, 1985 |
Đà Lạt, tỉnh Lâm Đồng |
18 |
Takydromus hani Chou, Nguyen and Pauwels, 2001 |
Hương Sơn, tỉnh Hà Tĩnh |
19 |
Takydromus kuehnei vietnamensis Ziegler and Bischoff, 1999 |
Kẻ Gỗ, tỉnh Hà Tĩnh |
20 |
Leptoseps tetradactylus Darevsky and Orlov, 2005 |
Phong Nha-Kẻ Bàng, tỉnh Quảng Bình |
21 |
Lygosoma carinatum Darevsky and Orlov, 1996 |
K Bang, tỉnh Gia Lai |
22 |
Mabuya darevskii Bobrov, 1992 |
Cao Pha, tỉnh Sơn La |
|
Paralipinia Darevsky and Orlov, 1997 |
|
23 |
Paralipinia rara Darevsky and Orlov, 1997 |
K Bang, tỉnh Gia Lai |
24 |
Sphenomorphus buenloicus Darevsky and Nguyen, 1983 |
K Bang, tỉnh Gia Lai |
25 |
Sphenomorphus cryptotis Darevsky, Orlov and Ho, 2004 |
Uông Bí, tỉnh Quảng Ninh |
26 |
Sphenomorphus devorator Darevsky, Orlov and Ho, 2004 |
Uông Bí, tỉnh Quảng Ninh |
27 |
Sphenomorphus rufocaudatus Darevsky and Nguyen, 1983 |
K Bang, tỉnh Gia Lai |
28 |
Tropidophorus murphyi Hikida, Orlov, Nabhitabhata và Ota, 2002 |
Nguyên Bình, tỉnh Cao Bằng |
29 |
Tropidophorus noggei Ziegler, Vu and Quang Binh Bui, 2005 |
Ke Bang, Phong Nha |
|
Vietnascincus Darevsky and Orlov, 1994 |
|
30 |
Vietnascincus rugosus Darevsky and Orlov, 1994 |
K Bang, tỉnh Gia Lai |
31 |
Ophisaurus sokolovi Darevsky and Nguyen, 1983 |
K Bang, tỉnh Gia Lai |
Loài rắn |
32 |
Amphiesma andreae Ziegler and Le, 2006 |
Minh Hoa, tỉnh Quang Binh |
33 |
Boiga bourreti Tillack, Ziegler and Le, 2004 |
Phong Nha-Kẻ Bàng, tỉnh Quảng Bình |
34 |
Calamaria lovii ingermarxorum Darevsky and Orlov, 1992 |
K Bang, tỉnh Gia Lai |
35 |
Calamaria thanhi Ziegler and Le, 2005 |
Minh Hoa, tỉnh Quang Binh |
36 |
Opisthotrophis daovantieni Orlov, Darevsky and Murphy, 1998 |
K Bang, tỉnh Gia Lai |
37 |
Bungarus slowinskii Kuch, Kizirian, Nguyen, Lawson, Donnelly, and Mebs, 2005 |
Văn Yên, tỉnh Yen Bai |
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Triceratolepidophis Ziegler, Herrmann, David, Orlov and Pauwels, 2000 |
|
38 |
Triceratolepidophis sieversorum Ziegler, Herrmann, David, Orlov and Pauwels, 2000, |
Phong Nha Kẻ Bàng, tỉnh Quảng Bình |
39 |
Trimeresurus truongsonensis Orlov, Ryabov, Bui and Ho, 2004 |
Phong Nha Kẻ Bàng, tỉnh Quảng Bình |
TESTUDINES |
40 |
Cuora bourreti (Obst and Reimann, 1994) |
Linh Cam, tỉnh Hà Tĩnh |
41 |
Cuora mouhoti obsti Fritz, Andreas and Lehr, 1998 |
Miền trung Việt Nam |
42 |
Cuora picturata (Lehr, Fritz and Obst, 1998) |
Miền trung Việt Nam |
43 |
Cyclemys pulchristriata Fritz, Gaulke and Lehr, 1997 |
Phước Sơn, tỉnh Quảng Nam |
Fansipan Mountain in the northwestern region; Bac Son and Yen Tu mountains in the northeastern region; Truong Son Range and Tay Nguyen Plateau in the
centre of the country; and Me Kong River Basin in the south [Biodiversity Action Plan for Vietnam, 1995]. These areas contain a large expanse of primary vegetation and they still require future research At present, main threats to the herpetofauna in Vietnam are identifi ed including overexploitation for trade and consumption and habitat loss as a result of forest land alteration. Some specifi c conservation programs for reptiles and amphibians are being implemented in different protected areas in an effort to mitigate threats to the herpetofauna. Turtles are currently known as the most threatened group because of the high demand of consumption and trade in the Indochinese region. A few conservation projects for both freshwater and marine turtles have been implemented in Vietnam, and the Turtle Conservation and Ecology Project in Cuc Phuong National Park was known as the first conservation centre for reptiles in Vietnam. Moreover, governmental rescue centres for wild animals have been established in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh cities and in other national parks in Central Vietnam for releasing confiscated wildlife. The population of the Vietnamese salamander Paramesotriton deloustali, an endemic species of Vietnam, is recuperating with the efforts of the conservation project at the Tam Dao National Park and buffer zone (Nguyen and Ho, 2004).
Many results have been published as a result of this successful research collaboration (see extended references section). Several fi eld guides (e.g., Photographic guide to the turtles of Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, and Cambodia [Stuart et al., 2001]; Reptiles and amphibians of Cuc Phuong National Park [Nguyen et al., 2003]; A fi eld guide to reptiles and amphibians of Vietnam [Nguyen et al., 2005]; Amphibians and reptiles of Ba Be National Park and Na Hang Nature Reserve [Le et al., 2004]) and checklists (e.g., Herpetofauna of Vietnam. A checklist. Part 1. Amphibia [Orlov et al., 2002]; A checklist of amphibians and reptiles of Vietnam [Nguyen et al., 2005]) have appeared both in English and Vietnamese. Furthermore, a hundred articles of herpetofaunal diversity and descriptions of new taxa have been published in international and national journals during period from 1980 to 2006.
Further opportunities for collaboration
Vietnam’s herpetofauna is still imperfectly known, and many areas remain either un-explored or undersurveyed, as indicated by the numerous new species being described in such a short period of time. In order to ensure that Vietnam’s herpetofauna can be more closely understood and better protected, efforts shoule be focused in three important fi elds:
1) Diversity studies, which include fi eld surveys for presence and novel natural history information, detailed study of natural history museum specimens, and the combination of both of these in morphological and genetic studies;
2) conservation, including monitoring at population level and evaluation nof threats to herpetofauna and concomitant assignment of priority areas for herpetofaunal conservation; and 3) training for workers in the fields of sc ience and conservation: training for scientists from institutions and universities, training for natural resource managers, training for staff from protected areas, and improvement of scientific capacity (equipment, collection management, information exchange and literatures). Perhaps most important to the overall success of this enterprise are the ongoing efforts to strengthen the collaboration between scientists and conservation managers so that information can be collected, disseminated, and ultimately used to guide decision-making in a systematic and timely manner.
Acknowledgements. The author would like to thank Raoul H. Bain (American Museum of Natural History, New York, USA) and Thomas Ziegler (Cologne Zoo, Cologne, Germany) for their helpful comments on the manuscript. Altering their advice was done so at own risk and any errors in the manuscript are those of the author.
References.
Andersson, L.G. (1942): A small collection of frogs from Annam. Ark. Zool. 34A(6): 1-11.
Bain, R.H., Lathrop, A., Murphy, R.W., Orlov, N.L., Ho, C.T. (2003): Cryptic species of cascade frog from Southeast Asia: Taxonomic revision and descriptions of six new species. Amer. Mus. Novit. 3417: 1-60.
Bain, R.H., Nguyen, T.Q. (2001a): Amolops cremnobatus (Roughback torrent frog). Herpetol. Rev. 32(4): 269.
Bain, R.H., Nguyen, T.Q. (2001b): Rana chapaensis (Chapa frog). Herpetol. Rev. 32(4): 272.
Bain, R.H., Nguyen, T.Q. (2002a): Amolops spinapectoralis (Spinyback torrent frog). Herpetol. Rev. 33(1): 61.
Bain, R.H., Nguyen, T.Q. (2002b): Rana attigua. Herpetol. Rev. 33(1): 63.
Bain, R.H., Nguyen, T.Q. (2002c): Rhacophorus exechopygus (Spinybottom tree frog). Herpetol. Rev. 33(1): 64.
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