Abstract
Aim The Manaslu Conservation Area (MCA), a geographically diverse protected area, is known for high diversity of flowering plants and endemism. However, information about status of herpetofauna is limited. This study aims to fill this gap by updating diversity and distribution of herpetofauna of the MCA.
 Location Sirdibas, Bihi and Prok Village Development Committees (VDCs), Gorkha district, Manaslu Conservation Area (MCA).
 Materials and methods We used a multi-prolonged strategy combining visual encounter survey (VES) along six transects (500m each) in Sirdibas, Bihi and Prok VDCs, patch sampling (PS) in two sites in Ghap and Prok VDCs and opportunistic observations (OO) along trekking trails from Sirdibas to Prok to document the presence of herpetofauna. We conducted questionnaire survey using photo-elicitation technique (PET) (n=30) to collect ethnoherpetological data.
 Key Findings We prepared a checklist of 22 species of amphibian and reptile by verification of data from VES, PS, OO and literature review. The Himalayan rock lizard, Laudakia tuberculata was common in all the study sites. The Hodgson’s racer - Elaphe hodgsonii was first described in the study area. The abundance of herpetofauna species decreased with increasing elevation (r = -0.53, P < 0.01). There was a positive association between species abundances and temperature (r = 0.49, P < 0.01). The ethnoherpetological survey revealed that the stream frogs locally called ‘Paha’ (genus ‘Amolops’, ‘Chaparana’ and ‘Paa’) were commonly consumed for food and presumed health benefits. This may impose a serious threat. We recommend similar systematic study to document and describe herpetofauna in the region.
Highlights
Herpetofauna are cold-blooded animals, that includes an array of species, namely, caecilians, newts, salamanders, toads, frogs, crocodiles, turtles, lizards, skinks and snakes
Herpetological study is an important part of biodiversity research because herpetofauna constitute high proportion of new species discovery and many more believed to be unknown to science (WWF 2009), nearly one in five reptile species (Bohm et al 2013) and one-third of the global amphibian species are threatened with extinction (Baillie et al 2004)
A total of 22 species of herpetofauna have been prepared from Manaslu Conservation Area (MCA) (Table 1)
Summary
Herpetofauna are cold-blooded animals, that includes an array of species, namely, caecilians, newts, salamanders, toads, frogs, crocodiles, turtles, lizards, skinks and snakes. Herpetological study is an important part of biodiversity research because herpetofauna constitute high proportion of new species discovery and many more believed to be unknown to science (WWF 2009), nearly one in five reptile species (Bohm et al 2013) and one-third of the global amphibian species are threatened with extinction (Baillie et al 2004). They are threatened with extinction due to habitat loss (Marsh and Trenham 2001), climate change (Kiesecker et al 2001) and hunting for food and pharmacopeia (Lannoo et al 1994). This is because the region falls between two bio geographic realms – Palaearctic and Oriental
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