Associated Terrestrial Malacofauna of Alpine Forests in Western Himalaya, India

Abstract

The alpine forests play a crucial role in an ecosystem, for the survival of high altitudinal flora and faunal diversity. In India, alpine forests are found in Trans Himalaya biogeographic region of Ladakh Mountain, Tibetan plateau, Upper Sikkim and Upper mountain ranges of Arunachal Pradesh. In western Himalaya, these areas confined to Jammu and Kashmir State of India. The cold climate conditions and fragile mountain ranges of Alpine forests hold 39 species of molluscs belonging to 18 genera, 12 families under order Stylommatophora. The extreme cold climatic condition and low rainfall may help the molluscan diversity to adaptation and speciation. The species, Pupillamus corumasiatica, Glessula huegeli, Khasiella kashmirensis, K. sonamurgensis, Cathaica mataianensis and Anadenus jerdoni are endemic to Alpine forest ecosystem. This present communication gives a detail list of associated malacofauna of Alpine forest ecosystem and threats in western Himalaya.