Tag Archives: Thailand

Thailand snails discoveries

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Perrottetia aquilonaria, one of the newly described species. Credit: Somsak Panha

From Wildlife Extra:

A new species on every mountain – Extraordinary evolution in Thailand

Tiny colourful snails are in danger of extinction with vanishing limestone ecosystems

April 2013. Three new species from the genus Perrottetia were described from north and north-eastern Thailand. The species show extraordinary endemism, with each of these colourful snails occurring as “One Hill One Species”. This is a very peculiar phenomenon where each one of these highly endemic snails is specific and the only one inhabiting a certain mountain range. They live in rock crevices, feeding on even smaller snails, insect larvae and some earthworms species. These beautiful animals are now at risk from extinction with the destruction of limestone ecosystems.

Limestone ecosystems in the world are now being destroyed at an alarming rate. This means we are losing biodiversity resources, a tendency especially threatening for the hot spot areas like Thailand. The new research findings show that key terrestrial invertebrates, such as several new bright carnivorous land snails are still persisting in such areas and are being described even from the highly endangered quarried sites. This demonstrates that there are still remnants of some fundamental ecosystem, which lives and is struggling for survival, a great experience for mankind to learn.

Researchers from Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok and the Natural History Museum in London (Thanit Siriboon, Chirasak Sutcharit, Fred Naggs and Somsak Panha) discovered many new taxa of the brightly coloured carnivorous terrestrial snails family Streptaxidae. Terrestrial snails are primarily herbivores and only a few groups like this one are carnivorous. The animals come from several limestone areas across the world, including some threatened by human exploitation, especially by quarrying.

Ecosystem destruction

“The three new Perrottetia species exhibit distinct morphological characteristics, which make for a great example for evolutionary studies in unstable environments,” comments one of the authors, Dr Somsak Panha. “More than 50% of limestone ecosystems in this region have been or still are being destroyed. This astonishing case of biodiversity persistence gives a valuable reason to put effort in the conservation of this important world ecosystem. “

The study was published in the open access journal ZooKeys.

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New snake discovery in Sri Lanka

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This video says about itself:

Crocodile Hunter – Island of Snakes

Feb 12, 2012

Steve Irwin travels to Sri Lanka to help laborers contend with some of the most venomous snakes in the world. And, for the first time in his life, he goes head-to-head with a man-eating Mugger crocodile.

All rights belong to Discovery Communications, Inc.

This video says about itself:

Thailand Blind Snake Not Poisonous. Smallest Snake in World?

These are super small snakes from Thailand. I found 2 in my restroom. They climb up through the drain from outside. I lost one of these small black snakes in the house – don’t tell “da wife”.

The name of this snake: Brahminy Blind Snake

Very common in Thailand. In just about every potted plant we have it seems like, as well as climbing up through our drains. They eat termite and ant eggs primarily. They can’t bite you – their mouths are too small. They live in the dark – inside the soil – just like a worm, but not worms.

Google “Ramphotyphlops braminus” the technical name, and check out the Wikipedia entry. Looks a lot like this one – right?

From Wildlife Extra:

New genus of snake recognised on Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka is a much bigger hotspot for biodiversity than previously known

March 2013. An assistant biology professor from George Washington University has discovered a new genus of the blindsnake in Sri Lanka.

Using DNA sequencing to determine its relationship to other snakes, Dr. Pyron thought the blindsnake -found right in the yard of an environmental agency office-would be a new species. Amazingly it turned out to be a complete new genus.

“When we sequenced the snake’s DNA, we discovered that it was an entirely new lineage of blindsnake,” Dr. Pyron said. “It’s still a blindsnake, but a new genus, a group of blindsnakes that had never been described.”

60 known species of snakes in Sri Lanka

Along with the discovery of the new group, Dr. Pyron and researchers confirmed the identity of 60 known species of snakes in Sri Lanka, using DNA sequencing technology on 40 of them to help researchers understand how various snakes are related to each other and their evolutionary relationship to other species around the world.

“We found that Sri Lanka has been colonized by snakes at least five times by totally different snake groups, which have each diversified heavily within the island,” said Dr. Pyron, a Robert F. Griggs Assistant Professor of Biology.

That means that even though researchers know a lot about the snakes on the island, there’s still more to be discovered-and previous research to be corrected.

Sri Lanka is a much bigger hotspot for biodiversity than previously known

“The DNA data are telling us new stories about how they are related, completely contradicting what we thought we knew,” he said. “It tells us that Sri Lanka is a much bigger hotspot for biodiversity than previously known, and harbours massive richness.”

Researchers can also use the findings to draw conclusions about evolutionary biology and species diversity more broadly.

Their findings, which appear in the March edition of the journal Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, show just how rich snake biodiversity is on the island.

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Thais jailed for free speech

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This video is about lèse majesté persecution in Thailand.

In Thailand, people get long jail sentences for free speech about the king; even if it is not about the king.

From the New York Times in the USA:

Thai Court Gives 10-Year Sentence for Insult to King

By THOMAS FULLER

Published: January 23, 2013

BANGKOK — A Thai court on Wednesday sentenced a labor activist and former magazine editor to 10 years in prison for insulting Thailand’s king, the latest in a string of convictions under the country’s strict lese majeste law.

The case of Somyot Pruksakasemsuk, 51, was different from previous lese majeste cases because Mr. Somyot directly challenged the law itself, saying it violated the right to free expression.

Thailand’s constitutional court swept aside that challenge last month and laid out the justification for the law, saying the king deserves “special protection” under the law because he is the “center of the nation.”

“The king holds the position of head of state and is the main institution of the country,” the court ruled. Insulting the king, the court said, “is considered an act that wounds the feelings of Thais who respect and worship the king and the monarchy.”

Mr. Somyot was not the author of the two articles that the court said violated the law – the writer, Jakrapob Penkair, a former government spokesman, has fled to Cambodia. But as the editor of the magazine, which was called The Voice of Taksin and is now defunct, Mr. Somyot was responsible for its content, the court said.

Similar to a decision last week, where an anti-government protester was sentenced to two years in prison for insulting the king, the articles never mentioned the king’s name.

The first article is a jumbled tale about a family that plots to kill millions of people to maintain its power and quash democracy. The court ruled on Wednesday that the writer was describing the Chakri dynasty of Thailand’s current King, Bhumibol Adulyadej.

The second article is a fictional tale about a ghost who haunts Thailand and plots massacres. The court ruled that the author was comparing the ghost to King Bhumibol.

“There is no content identifying an individual,” the court said. “But the writing conveyed connection to historical events.”

International human rights groups immediately criticized the verdict. Human Rights Watch said it would “further chill freedom of expression in Thailand.”

Amnesty International called the verdict a “regressive decision – Somyot has been found guilty simply for peacefully exercising his right to freedom of expression and should be released immediately.”

The European Union issued a statement saying the ruling undercuts “Thailand’s image as a free and democratic society.”

The United Nations human rights chief, Navi Pillay, criticized the “extremely harsh” jail sentence as a setback for protection of human rights in Thailand and expressed her support for moves to amend Thailand’s lese majeste laws.

Mr. Somyot’s sentence “sends the wrong signals on freedom of expression in Thailand. The court’s decision is the latest indication of a disturbing trend in which lese-majesty charges are used for political purposes,” Ms. Pillay said in a statement released in Geneva on Wednesday.

Thailand’s lese majeste law calls for prison sentences of three to 15 years in jail for “whoever defames, insults or threatens the king, the queen, the heir to the throne or the regent.”

The court added one year to Mr. Somyot’s 10 year-sentence for a separate case where Mr. Somyot was accused of libeling a general involved in the 2006 coup.

Mr. Somyot, who has been denied bail since being arrested in 2011, was brought to the courtroom in shackles. His lawyers said he would appeal the verdict.

Ms. Pillay also criticized Mr. Somyot’s lengthy pre-trial detention, repeated denial of bail and his appearance in court wearing shackles. “People exercising freedom of expression should not be punished in the first place,” Ms. Pillay said.

His wife, Sukanya Pruksakasemsuk, said she was concerned about her husband’s health because he suffers from high blood pressure and gout.

“Is it reasonable to send someone to 11 years in jail for expressing something?” she said. “I don’t think so.”

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Good Asian tiger news

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This video is called The Truth About Tigers – Part 1 – a film by Shekar Dattatri.

This is Part 2.

And here is Part 3.

From Wildlife Extra:

Good news for tigers in India, Thailand and Russia

Tigers Roar Back: Good news for iconic big cats in India, Thailand, and Russia at last

December 2012. The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) has announced significant progress for tigers in three key landscapes across the big cat’s range due to better law enforcement, protection of additional habitat, and strong government partnerships.

The successes are much-needed good news as tiger numbers worldwide continue to hover at all-time lows due to the combined threat of poaching, loss of prey, and habitat destruction. It is thought that only 3,200 tigers exist in the wild.

Indian tiger numbers soar in Western Ghats

The news begins in south-western India where WCS research and conservation efforts that began 25 years ago now show a major rebound of tigers in the Western Ghats region of Karnataka State. Over 600 individuals have been identified to date from camera trap photos during the last decade in this mountainous landscape.

Saturation levels

In Nagarahole and Bandipur National Parks, tigers have actually reached saturation levels, with surplus young tigers spilling out into forest-reserves and dispersing using secured forest corridors through a landscape that holds over a million human beings. The combination of strict government-led anti-poaching patrols, voluntary relocation of villages away from tiger habitats, and the vigilant local presence of WCS conservation partners watching over tigers has led to the rebound of big-cat populations and their prey. In newer tiger reserves including Bhadra and Kudremukh, numbers have increased by as much as 50 percent after years of neglect and chronic poaching were tackled.

Thailand sees record tiger numbers in key protected area

In Thailand, WCS conservationists report a tiger comeback in Huai Kha Khaeng (HKK) Wildlife Sanctuary – a 2,700 square kilometre (1,042 square mile) protected area in the vast Western Forest Complex. WCS has worked closely with Thai authorities to beef up enforcement and anti-poaching patrols in the region. Last year, a notorious poaching ring was busted, and this year the gang leaders were given prison sentences of up to five years – the most severe punishments for wildlife poaching in Thailand’s history. Since their capture, there have been no known tiger or elephant poaching incidents in the park. Tiger numbers have been rising steadily in the park since 2007, with a record 50-plus tigers counted last year.

Russia develops new anti-poaching laws and protected areas

Meanwhile in Russia, government officials are drafting a new law that will make transport, sales, and possession of endangered animals a criminal offense rather than just a civil crime. This will close a loophole that currently allows poachers to claim they found endangered species like tigers already dead and thus avoid stiffer criminal penalties for poaching.

New protected areas

Russia is making progress in creating additional protected areas for tigers, too, declaring a new corridor called Central Ussuri Wildlife Refuge on October 18. The new refuge acts as a linkage between the Sikhote-Alin tiger population in Russia, which is the main population of Amur tigers, and some of the best tiger habitat in China’s Heilongjiang Province in the Wandashan Mountains. The creation of the new refuge ensures that tigers have the capacity to move across the international border between Russian and China in this region. WCS first identified this key corridor in 1999 after conducting joint wildlife surveys with Chinese and Russian scientists there.

WCS President and CEO Cristián Samper said: “Tigers are clearly fighting for their very existence, but it’s important to know that there is hope. Victories like these give us the resolve to continue to battle for these magnificent big cats. While the news about tigers has been bleak, these recent developments clearly show how smart strategies and strong partnerships are ensuring tigers are saved for centuries to come.”

WCS is looking to replicate these successes in other parts of the tiger’s range. WCS has over 300 people working on the ground to conserve tigers in the most important tiger sites in seven of the ten remaining countries with tigers. We collaborate with local governments and partners to implement a suite of proven tiger conservation interventions, including improved law enforcement and enlarging and consolidating tiger habitat, that are tailored to each specific country and site.

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New Mekong region animal discoveries

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This video is called New Species Thrive in Mekong.

From Wildlife Extra:

126 new species identified in Mekong region in 2011 – Including Beelzebub bat

Extraordinary new species discoveries in the Greater Mekong
December 2012. A new bat named after its devilish appearance, a subterranean blind fish, a ruby-eyed pit viper, and a frog that sings like a bird are among the 126 species newly identified by scientists in the Greater Mekong region in 2011, and described in a new WWF report, Extra Terrestrial.

Bats

Among the ten species highlighted in the report is the aptly named Beelzebub’s tube-nosed bat, a diminutive but demonic-looking creature known only from Vietnam. Beelzebub’s bat, like two other tube-nosed bats discovered in 2011, depends on tropical forest for its survival and is especially vulnerable to deforestation. In just four decades, 30 per cent of the Greater Mekong’s forests have disappeared.

“While the 2011 discoveries affirm the Mekong as a region of astonishing biodiversity, many new species are already struggling to survive in shrinking habitats,” said Nick Cox, Manager of WWF-Greater Mekong’s Species Programme. “Only by investing in nature conservation, especially protected areas, and developing greener economies, will we see these new species protected and keep alive the hope of finding other intriguing species in years to come.”

Walking fish

A new ‘walking’ catfish species (Clarias gracilentus), discovered in freshwater streams on the Vietnamese island of Phu Quoc, can move across land using its pectoral fins to stay upright while it wiggles forward with snake-like movements. And a dazzling miniature fish (Boraras naevus), just 2cm in length, was found in southern Thailand and named after the large dark blotch on its golden body (naevus is Latin for blemish).

A pearly, rose-tinted fish from the carp family was found in the Xe Bangfai catchment, a Mekong River tributary in Central Laos that runs 7km underground through limestone karst. The cave-dwelling Bangana musaei is totally blind and was immediately assessed as vulnerable due to its restricted range.

The Mekong River supports around 850 fish species and the world’s most intensive inland fishery. Laos’ determination to construct the Xayaburi dam on the mainstream of the Mekong River is a significant threat to the Mekong’s extraordinary biodiversity and the productivity of this lifeline through Southeast Asia that supports the livelihoods of over 60 million people.

“The Mekong River supports levels of aquatic biodiversity second only to the Amazon River,” added Cox. “The Xayaburi dam would prove an impassable barrier for many fish species, signalling the demise for wildlife already known and as yet undiscovered.”

Frogs

A new species of tree frog discovered in the high-altitude forests of northern Vietnam has a complex call that makes it sound more like a bird than a typical frog. While most male frogs attract females with repetitive croaks, Quang’s tree frog spins a new tune each time. No two calls are the same, and each individual mixes clicks, whistles and chirps in a unique order.

When it comes to frogs in the genus Leptobrachium, the eyes have it. Among its more than 20 species, there is a remarkable variety of eye colouration. Leptobrachium leucops, discovered in 2011 in the wet evergreen and cloud forest in Southern Vietnam, is distinguished by its striking black and white eyes.

21 reptiles

A staggering array of 21 reptiles was also newly discovered in 2011, including the ruby-eyed green pit viper (Trimeresurus rubeus) in forests near Ho Chi Minh City. This new jewel of the jungle also winds its way along the low hills of southern Vietnam and through eastern Cambodia’s Lang Bian Plateau.

Pygmy python

A short-tailed python species was found in a streambed in the Kyaiktiyo Wildlife Sanctuary in Myanmar. The elusive pygmy python (Python kyaiktiyo) has not been found again despite repeated surveys, so little is known of its ecology, distribution or threats. However, the 1.5 metre-long python is likely at risk from threats faced by other pythons, including habitat loss, and illegal hunting for meat, skins, and the exotic pet trade.

Poaching

“Poaching for the illegal wildlife trade poses one of the greatest threats to the existence of many species across Southeast Asia,” added Cox. “To tackle this threat, WWF and TRAFFIC launched a global campaign this year to increase law enforcement, impose strict deterrents and reduce demand for endangered species products.”

1,710 new species since 1997!

Extra Terrestrial spotlights 10 species newly identified by science, among the 82 plants, 13 fish, 21 reptiles, 5 amphibians and 5 mammals all discovered in 2011 within the Greater Mekong region of Southeast Asia that spans Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam and the south-western Chinese province of Yunnan. Since 1997, an incredible 1,710 new species were newly described by science in the Greater Mekong.

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Giant honeybee migration

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This video is called Giant honey bees – Life in the Undergrowth – BBC Attenborough.

From PLOS ONE:

Migrating Giant Honey Bees (Apis dorsata) Congregate Annually at Stopover Site in Thailand

Willard S. Robinson

Biology Department, Casper College, Casper, Wyoming, United States of America

Giant honey bees (Apis dorsata) of southern Asia are vital honey producers and pollinators of cultivated crops and wild plants. They are known to migrate seasonally up to 200 km. It has been assumed their migrations occur stepwise, with stops for rest and foraging, but bivouacking bees have rarely been seen by scientists.

Here I report discovery of a site in northern Thailand where bivouacs appeared in large congregations during the wet seasons of 2009 and 2010. The bivouac congregation stopover site is a small mango orchard along the Pai River. Bivouacs rested in branches of mango and other tree species in the immediate vicinity.

Departures were preceded by dances indicating approximate direction and apparently, distance of flights. Such consistent stopover sites likely occur throughout southern Asia and may support critical, vulnerable stages in the life history of giant honey bees that must be conserved for populations of the species to survive. …

Published: September 19, 2012