Journal of Threatened
Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | 26 February 2022 | 14(2): 20698–20700
ISSN 0974-7907
(Online) | ISSN 0974-7893 (Print)
https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.7899.14.2.20698-20700
#7899 | Received 21
February 2022
Reply to the “Correction to
Catalogue of herpetological specimens from Meghalaya, India at the Sálim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History
(SACON)” by P. Karthik
S.R. Chandramouli
1, R.S. Naveen 2, S. Sureshmarimuthu
3, S. Babu 4, P.V. Karunakaran 5 &
Honnavalli N. Kumara 6
1 Department of Ecology and
Environmental Sciences, School of Life Sciences, Pondicherry University,
Puducherry 605014, India.
2–6 Sálim
Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History, Anaikatty,
Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu 641108, India.
1 findthesnakeman@gmail.com
(corresponding author), 2 naveen89240@gmail.com, 3 mailme.sureshmarimuthu@gmail.com,
4 sanbabs@gmail.com (corresponding
author), 5 karunakaran.pv@gmail.com, 6 honnavallik@gmail.com
Date of publication: 26 February 2022 (online & print)
Citation: Chandramouli, S.R., R.S.
Naveen, S. Sureshmarimuthu, S. Babu,
P.V. Karunakaran & H.N. Kumara
(2022). Reply to the
“Correction to Catalogue of herpetological specimens from Meghalaya, India at
the Sálim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural
History (SACON)” by P. Karthik. Journal of Threatened Taxa 14(2): 20698–20700. https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.7899.14.2.20698-20700
Copyright: © Chandramouli et al. 2022. Creative Commons Attribution 4.0
International License. JoTT allows unrestricted use, reproduction, and
distribution of this article in any medium by providing adequate credit to the
author(s) and the source of publication.
In a recent issue of the Journal
of Threatened Taxa, we published a catalogue of hereptofaunal
specimens collected from Meghalaya as a part of an on-going project entitled
“Characterization of Community Reserves and Assessment of their Conservation
Values in Meghalaya” (Chandramouli et al. 2021a).
Strangely, Karthik (2021) has
‘reacted’ to our publication with a ‘corrigendum’ with claims of “imprecise and
misleading information” having been presented. Therefore, we are constrained to
respond to his allegations in this publication. In principle, errata and
corrigenda are published either by the authors of a publication (us) or the
publisher (JoTT, in this case). Therefore, Karthik
(2021) is not entitled to be titled as a corrigendum to the article that the
author was not a part of. To begin with, the author P. Karthik (hereafter PK),
who was hired on a temporary basis as a Junior Research Biologist for this
project, collected a part of the specimens presented in the catalogue (Chandramouli et al. 2021a) and was initially invited to be
a co-author, when the publication was conceived. However, PK voluntarily
declined to be a part of this exercise with a request to remove his name from
the authors list. His decision was respected by the other principal
investigators. We hereby convey the fact
that for the publication of another article (Chandramouli
et al. 2021b) from the same project, involving the same team, PK was also a
co-author (Chandramouli
et al., 2021a). Had he not declined our offer of co-authorship for the
publication on the catalogue (Chandramouli et al.
2021b), he would have been a part of this publication as well. It is
unreasonable on the part of PK to accuse and relegate the efforts of Chandramouli et al. (2021b) in his response. We present our
arguments for his allegations below in a point-wise manner:
“Recent, Chandramouli
et al. (2021b) have discussed merely handy specimens, but many more have yet to
be documented (Ganesh et al. 2020 and Karthik pers. com.). SACON - Sálim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural
History now houses about 200 species of the herpetological
collection.” (sic.)
Response: The title of our article
“Catalogue of herpetological specimens from Meghalaya, India at the Sálim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History
(SACON)” clearly states that we are dealing only with the herpetological
collections from the state of Meghalaya and not the rest.
“As it is catalogued and the
specimens are vouchered for future studies, therefore the author ought to
disclose the SACON accreditation for upholding a large number of specimens.”
(sic.)
Response: PK himself was a co-author in
Ganesh et al. (2020) cataloguing a part of the collections at SACON and hence,
the above statement is self-contradictory. The specimens were collected with
proper permits from the state forest department of Meghalaya. It is an on-going
study and hence, all the collected specimens are under the custody of SACON. In
future if any taxonomic work on these specimens is addressed then those
specimens will be deposited in an accredited repository.
The author stated the collector
name P. Karthik (instead of Pandi Karthik). The
collector name is not included as an author and does not need to be
abbreviated; rather, it should be the academic name.
Response: The author (PK) himself has
published articles (Ganesh et al., 2020; Chandramouli
et al., 2021a) as “P. Karthik” and the same has been followed here. In
addition, the official records submitted to SACON by him mentions his name as
“P. Karthik”. Moreover, it is immaterial and inconsequential to expand his
first name, as long as he has been credited for the collection (see
Acknowledgements in Chandramouli et al. 2021b).
Furthermore, the author failed to
follow the word-uniformity (i.e.) on species location and specimen voucher
number; a few places the specimen voucher number comes along with institute
acronyms (i.e., SACON VA 102) and someplace it does not (i.e., VA 72 & 73).
Response: As the publication deals with
the collections from Meghalaya at SACON, it is not necessary to repeat the
institutional acronym SACON in each entry and whether or not to mention it is
solely at the discretion of the authors and the journal format. To substantiate
this, we point out that Karthik (2021) himself mentions the voucher numbers of
certain samples e.g. Calotes cf. irrawadi
as “SACON VR 205, VR 240, VR 245”, wherein, VR 240, VR 245 do not bear the
prefix SACON, and is presumed to be understood.
Also, a paucity of information on
preservation methods and collection permit information (follow Al-Razi et al. 2021 & Mirza et al. 2021). As a concurring
collector, the specimens were fixed in 7 % formaldehyde solution and later
stored in 75 % ethanol. A few specimens of tail tip tissues were preserved in
95% ethanol for molecular work prior to specimen fixation (Mirza et al. 2021).
For future taxonomical investigation, the specimens and tissue samples have
been deposited in Sálim Ali Centre for
Ornithology & Natural History (SACON).
Response: The concerned authorities: i.e.,
the Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife) and Chief
Wildlife Warden (CWLW), Meghalaya, and officers of the Forest and Environment Department,
Government of Meghalaya have been duly acknowledged in our publication for
according permits for the study, based on which P. Karthik and other
researchers of this project were permitted to visit and collect data /
specimens from Meghalaya. It is to be noted that the permission was given to
the project. In fact, it is to be
questioned as to how Karthik (2021) can be published since the scientist to
whom permission was granted does not feature in Karthik (2021). The information
on whether or not tissues have been extracted and stored at SACON is irrelevant
and unnecessary for this publication.
Locality information of Microhyla berdmorei
(SACON VA 102) Minervarya sengupti
(VA 89, 97), Limnonectes khasianus (VA 68), Hemidactylus
frenatus (VR 222), Hemidactylus
sp. (VR 171), Gekko gecko (VR 229), Calotes cf. irawadi (VR 205,
VR 240-245), Calotes emma
(VR 150, 151), Cristidorsa planidorsata (VR 185 and VR 169), Ptyctolaemus
gularis (VR 238-239, VR 207, VR 201), Sphenomorphus sp. (VR 227), Argyrophis
diardi (VR 187, VR 223), Indotyphlops
sp. (VR 219), Psammodynastes pulverulentus (VR 152), Lycodon
sp. (VR 213, VR 215), Oligodon juglandifer (VR 124), Boiga
gocool (VR 190, VR 192), Dendrelaphis
proarchos (VR 210), Coelognathus
radiatus (VR 189), Elaphe cantoris
(VR 211), Pareas monticola
(VR 212), Hebius khasiense
(VR 209, VR 225, VR 246), Fowlea piscator
(VR 202, 203), Sinomicrurus maclellandi (VR 159), Naja
kaouthia (VR 157) and Ophiophagus
hannah (VR 252) and Trimeresurus
sp. (VR 160).
Response: Despite being aware of the
information on their origin, PK has neither documented and submitted this
information to the project PIs, nor informed us when the first draft of the
catalogue was shared with him while inviting him to be a co-author. It is
unjust and unfair on the part of PK, engaged as a Junior Research Biologist, to
have deliberately concealed all this information from the PIs and to raise a
query on their origin now, after publication. Nevertheless, as fellow
scientists, we are happy that PK has managed to furnish this vital information
at least now that we take to be good for the larger benefit of science.
“Theloderma
cf. albopunctatum
Location: SACON VA 88, VA 69 - an
unsexed juvenile from Selbalgre and adult female from
Raid Nongbri (coll. Pandi
Karthik).
Comment: The author referred
(SACON VA 88, VA 96) as Theloderma baibungense. I again refer (SACON VA 88, VA 96) as a Theloderma cf. albopunctatum.
Because, the species resemble to T. cf. albopunctatum
based on its morphometric characters and other information provided (Mian et al. 2017). Also, conferring the geographic
proximity and the species complicity in the molecular nest. Therein, I refer to
the species again as T. cf. albopunctatum.
Additionally, an integrated taxonomic approach would be detrimental in
resolving species-level complicity.”
Response: Frost (2021), under the accounts
of Theloderma albopunctatum
states that “populations from northeastern India, Myanmar, to and including
Thailand are provisionally attached to this species but likely represent a
complex of unnamed species”. Therefore, we disagree with the unsubstantiated
claims made by Karthik (2021) who failed to fully substantiate his claims by
describing the specimens.
8. “Oligodon
cinereus (Günther, 1864)
Location:
SACON VR 214 – unsexed adult from Daribogkre,
Meghalaya (coll. Pandi Karthik).
Comment: The
author has named SACON VR 214 as an Oligodon
juglandifer, but it is not. The unsexed adult
road crush specimen was identified as an Oligodon
cinereus.”
Response: Karthik (2021) without any idea
of the specimen in question makes an emphatic, premature statement on the
identity of SACON VR 214. The road-killed O. cinereus
which he states to be from Daribokgre, is presently
not traceable in the collections and VR 214, which is a totally different
specimen has been identified by us as O. juglandifer.
9. “Dendrelaphis proarchos
(Wall, 1909)
Comment: The author had stated
the specimen SACON VR 210 - adult from Meghalaya (coll. Pandi
Karthik). No such specimen was collected by Pandi
Karthik from the genus ‘Dendrelaphis’,
nevertheless, the author may have been misinformed because one sample from the
genus Dendrelaphis sp. is available at SACON
that perhaps collected from the Anaikatty”.
Response: Perhaps the collector
information could have been misconstrued. But yet, we could not help ourselves
but to wonder, how could PK comment so emphatically about the provenance of a
specimen that he himself states to not have collected. Moreover, there has been
a team of seven members involved in the project who were at Meghalaya, one of
whom could have been its collector.
In conclusion, it is apparent
that the intentions of Karthik (2021) have just been defamation of the article
published by Chandramouli et al. (2021b) which he
voluntarily declined to be a part of. Our explanations clearly point at the
personal lamentations rather than scientific concerns of Karthik (2021). We
strongly discourage such unethical practices in scientific forums.
References
Chandramouli, S.R., R.S. Naveen, S. Sureshmarimuthu, S. Babu, P.V. Karunakaran & H.N. Kumara
(2021b). Catalogue of
herpetological specimens from Meghalaya, India at the Salim Ali Centre for
Ornithology and Natural History. Journal of Threatened Taxa 13(11): 19603–19610. https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.7318.13.11.19603-19610
Chandramouli, S.R., P. Karthik, R. Naveen, S.
Babu, P. Karunakaran &
H. Kumara (2021a). A Two-colored Forestsnake, Smithophis bicolor
(Blyth 1855) (Reptilia: Natricidae),
from the Khasi Hills, Meghalaya, India. Reptiles & Amphibians 28(1):
24–25.
Frost, D.R.
(2021). Amphibian
Species of the World: an Online Reference. Version 6.1 (accessed on
02-Dec-2021). Electronic Database accessible at
https://amphibiansoftheworld.amnh.org/index.php. American Museum of Natural
History, New York, USA. https://doi.org/10.5531/db.vz.0001
Ganesh, S.R.,
S. Bhupathy, P. Karthik, B. Rao & S. Babu (2020). Catalogue of herpetological specimens from peninsular
India at the Sálim Ali Centre for Ornithology &
Natural History (SACON), India. Journal of Threatened Taxa 12(9):
16123–16135. https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.6036.12.9.16123-16135
Karthik, P.
(2022). Correction
to Catalogue of herpetological specimens from Meghalaya, India at the Sálim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History
(SACON). Journal of Threatened Taxa 14(2): 20695–20697. https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.7742.14.2.20695-20697