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Crocodylus palustris LESSON, 1831

IUCN Red List - Crocodylus palustris - Vulnerable, VU
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Higher TaxaCrocodylidae (Crocodylia, crocodiles)
Subspecies 
Common NamesE: Mugger crocodile, Swamp crocodile, Marsh crocodile
G: Sumpfkrokodil 
SynonymCrocodilus palustris LESSON 1831: 121
Crocodilus vulgarts var. indicus GRAY 1831: 58
Crocodilus bombifrons GRAY 1844: 59
Crocodilus trigonops GRAY 1844: 62
Crocodilus palustris — BOULENGER 1889: 285
Crocodilus palustris — DE ROOIJ 1915: 339
Oocodylus palustris palustris — DERANIYAGALA 1936: 282
Crocodylus palustris palustris — WERMUTH & MERTENS 1961: 369
Crocodylus palustris palustris — WERMUTH & MERTENS 1977: 146
Crocodylus palustris — KING & BURKE 1989
Crocodylus palustris — ZIESMANN et al. 2007
Crocodylus palustris kimbula — HARPORT 2015 
DistributionBangladesh, Iran, India (Gujarat, Rajasthan, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha etc.), Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, possibly areas of Indochina

Type locality: Mainland India;  
Reproductionoviparous. Exhibits temperature‐dependent sex determination (TSD) fide Cornejo-Páramo et al. 2020 (and references therein). 
TypesHolotype: unlocated fide King & Burke 1989.
Holotype: BMNH 1947.3.6.36-37 (44.3.30.11-12) [trigonops] 
DiagnosisAdditional details, e.g. a detailed description or comparisons (806 characters), are available for collaborators and contributors. Please contact us for details. 
CommentSynonymy: mostly after WERMUTH & MERTENS 1977.

King & Burke 1989 noted that the type locality was “restricted to Ganges by Lesson (1831: 305, not Lesson 1831: 121 which is a different publication)”. However, this is incorrect. Lesson 1831: 305 stated that “ "ce crocodile ne va jamais dans le Gange", which means that this species never enters the Ganges, so this is not a restriction of the type locality. (Note: Lesson 1831 is sometimes cited as 1834 because this work was published in sections until 1834).

The common name, “mugger” is a corruption of the Hindi word “magar”, meaning “monster of the waters”. 
EtymologyNamed after Latin palustris = marshy, swampy. 
References
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  • Bhatnagar, Chhaya & Meenakshi Mahur 2010. Observations on feeding behavior of a wild population of Marsh Crocodile in Baghdarrah Lake, Udaipur, Rajasthan. Reptile Rap (10): 16-18 - get paper here
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  • Brazaitis, P. 1981. Maxillary Regeneration in the Marsh Crocodile, Crocodylus palustris Journal of Herpetology 15 (3): 360-362. - get paper here
  • Brock, J. 1994. Die Farben und Zeichnungsmuster der Krokodile. Sauria 16 (3): 27-36 - get paper here
  • Burn, P.E. 1908. Notes on the Common Indian Crocodile (Crocodilus palustris). J. Bombay nat. Hist. Soc. 18: 689 - get paper here
  • Chhetry, Damodar 2010. DIVERSITY OF HERPETOFAUNA IN AND AROUND THE KOSHI TAPPU WILDLIFE RESERVE. BIBECHANA 6: 15-17 - get paper here
  • Cornejo-Páramo, P., Lira-Noriega, A., Ramírez-Suástegui, C. et al. 2020. Sex determination systems in reptiles are related to ambient temperature but not to the level of climatic fluctuation. BMC Evol Biol 20: 103 - get paper here
  • Dave, Urvi; Nikunj Bhatt 2021. Basking behavior of Marsh Crocodiles (Crocodylus palustris) in Pond Deva, Anand District, Gujarat, India. Reptiles & Amphibians 28 (1): 26-29 - get paper here
  • De Silva, M. C. et al. 2011. Mugger crocodile (Crocodylus palustris Lesson, 1831) preys on a radiated tortoise in Sri Lanka. Taprobanica 3 (1): 38-41 - get paper here
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  • Gramentz, D. 2011. Gefährdung und „Schutz“ des Sumpfkrokodils (Crocodylus palustris) und des Leistenkrokodils (Crocodylus porosus) auf Sri Lanka. Reptilia (Münster) 16 (87): 36-45 - get paper here
  • Gray, J. E. 1831. A synopsis of the species of Class Reptilia. In: Griffith, E & E. Pidgeon: The animal kingdom arranged in conformity with its organisation by the Baron Cuvier with additional descriptions of all the species hither named, and of many before noticed [V Whittaker, Treacher and Co., London: 481 + 110 pp. [1830] - get paper here
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