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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] 
Diagnosis 
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
  • Avadhani, R. 2006. The Mugger, Crocodylus palustris, monster of the waters. Reptilia (GB) (45): 66-69 - get paper here
  • 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
  • Bhattarai S, Pokheral CP, Lamichhane BR, Regmi UR, Ram AK, Subedi N. 2018. Amphibians and reptiles of Parsa National Park, Nepal. Amphibian & Reptile Conservation 12(1): 35–48 (e155)
  • Bhattarai S., Gurung A., Lamichhane BR., Regmi R., Dhungana M., Kumpakha B. and Subedi N. 2020. Amphibians and Reptiles of Chure Range, Nepal. President Chure Terai-Madhesh Conservation Development Board and National Trust for Nature Conservation, Khumaltar, Lalitpur, Nepal
  • 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
  • Dinets, Vladimir. 2011. Crocodylus palustris (mugger crocodile) signaling behavior. Herpetological Review 42 (3): 424 - get paper here
  • Dutta, S.K., M.V. Nair, P.P. Mohapatra and A.K. Mahapatra. 2009. Amphibians and reptiles of Similipal Biosphere Reserve. Regional Plant Resouce Centre, Bhubaneswar, Orissa, India - get paper here
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  • Gour, Rahul, Nikhil Whitaker & Ajay Kartik. 2022. Status and distribution of Mugger Crocodile Crocodylus palustris in the southern stretch of river Cauvery in Melagiris, India. Journal of Threatened Taxa 14(3): 20733–20739. - get paper here
  • 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
  • Gray, J.E. 1844. Catalogue of Tortoises, Crocodilians, and Amphisbaenians in the Collection of the British Museum. British Museum (Natural History), London. viii + 80 p. - get paper here
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  • Karunarathna, Suranjan D. M. S. and A. A. Thasun Amarasinghe 2011. A PRELIMINARY SURVEY OF THE REPTILE FAUNA IN NILGALA FOREST AND ITS VICINITY, MONARAGALA DISTRICT, SRI LANKA. Taprobanica 3 (2): 69-76 - get paper here
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  • King, F. Wayne & Burke, Russel L. 1989. Crocodilian, Tuatara, and Turtles Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference. [type catalogue] Assoc. Syst. Coll., Washington, DC, xxii + 216 pp.
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  • Lesson, R.P. 1831. Reptiles. pp. 291-336, pls. 1-7. In: I.G.S. Bélanger (ed.), Voyage aux Indes-Orientales, par le Nord de l'Europe, les Provinces du Caucase, la Géorgie, l'Armenie, et la Perse, . . . pendant les années 1825-29. Zoologie. A. Bertrand, Paris. xxxix + 535 p. [published in sections from 1831-1834] - get paper here
  • Lesson, R.P. 1831. Catalogue des Reptiles qui font partie d'une Collection zoologique recueille dans l'Inde continentale ou en Afrique, et apportée en France par M. Lamare-Piquot. Bulletin des Sciences Naturelles et de Géologie, Paris. 25 (2): 119-123 - get paper here
  • Madawala, Majintha; Thilina D Surasinghe, Anslem De Silva, Dinesh Gabadage, Madhava Botejue, Indika Peabotuwage, Dushantha Kandambi, Suranjan Karunarathna 2019. Reappraisal of Herpetofauna Recorded from Jaffna Peninsula in Northern Sri Lanka with Remarks on Conservation, Diversity, and Distribution. Russ. J. Herpetol. 26 (5): 247-260 - get paper here
  • Manhas, Amit; Rajni Raina, and Ashwani Wanganeo 2018. Reptilian diversity of the Bhopal Region in the State of Madhya Pradesh in central India. IRCF Reptiles & Amphibians 25 (2): 104–114 - get paper here
  • Meganathan, P.R.; Bhawna Dubey, Mark A. Batzer, David A. Ray, Ikramul Haque 2010. Molecular phylogenetic analyses of genus Crocodylus (Eusuchia, Crocodylia, Crocodylidae) and the taxonomic position of Crocodylus porosus. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 57 (1): 393-402 - get paper here
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  • Mobaraki, A., M. Erfani, E. Abtin, J. C. Brito, W. C. Tan, T. Ziegler & D. Rödder 2023. Last chance to see? Iran and India as strongholds for the Mugger Crocodile (Crocodylus palustris). Salamandra 59 (4): - get paper here
  • Mobaraki, Asghar; Elham Abtin, Haji Gholi Kami, and Bahram H. Kiabi 2013. Reproductive biology of the Mugger Crocodile, Crocodylus palustris, in Iran (Reptilia: Crocodylidae). Zoology in the Middle East 59 (3): - get paper here
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  • Patel, Harshil; Raju Vyas, Bhautik Dudhatra, Vaibhav Naik, Ashish Chavda, Devendra Chauhan, Amit Vaghashiya, Ramesh Vagadiya and Pranav Vaghashiya 2019. Preliminary report on Herpetofauna of Mount Girnar, Gujarat, India. Journal of Animal Diversity 1 (2): 9–35
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  • Pitman, C.R.S. 1913. The Contents of a Marsh Crocodile's (Crocodilus palustris) Stomach,. J. Bombay nat. Hist. Soc. 22: 641 - get paper here
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