Submitted manuscripts/ manuscripts in preparation.
1. Soni S.*$, V. Apte, P. Joshi & V. P. Cyriac$. Barking up the wrong frog: A global synthesis on the prevalence of misdirected amplexus in anuran amphibians. In Prep [submitted to Biological Journal of the Linnean Society]
2. Raut, M., A. Sharma & V. P. Cyriac*. Habitat features influence oviposition site selection in the Indian Goldenback frog Indosylvirana indica in the Western Ghats of India. [under review in Tropical Ecology].
3. Goni B.*,… [35 other authors including V. P. Cyriac]…, S. Meiri. Rare snakes are common: Patterns and attributes of the world’s smallest-ranging snakes. [to be submitted Conservation Letters].
2. Raut, M., A. Sharma & V. P. Cyriac*. Habitat features influence oviposition site selection in the Indian Goldenback frog Indosylvirana indica in the Western Ghats of India. [under review in Tropical Ecology].
3. Goni B.*,… [35 other authors including V. P. Cyriac]…, S. Meiri. Rare snakes are common: Patterns and attributes of the world’s smallest-ranging snakes. [to be submitted Conservation Letters].
Publications.
25. Cyriac, V.P.*, S.R. Ganesh, Z. Madani, A. Gosh, V. Kulkarni & K. Shanker (accepted). Phylogenetic systematics of the shieldtail snake genus Teretrurus Beddome, 1886 (Squamata, Uropeltidae) reveals extensive cryptic diversity and novel geographic spread in the Western Ghats of India. Bulletin of the Society of Systematic Biologists.
24. Cyriac V. P.*, A. Mohan, K.P. Dinesh, V. Torsekar, A. Jayarajan, P. Swamy, S.P. Vijayakumar & K. Shanker (2024). Diversifying in the mountains: understanding frog diversification in the Western Ghats escarpment, a global biodiversity hotspot. Evolution, qpae006 . DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/evolut/qpae006. pdf.
23. Karanth D.N., M. S. Bhise, H. N. Praveen & V. P. Cyriac* (2024). Observations on arthropod predation of uropeltid snakes (Uropeltidae Cuvier, 1829) from the Western Ghats, India. Hamadryad, 40 (1 & 2).
22. Sampaio F.L.*, J. J. Day, M. Wickramasinghe, V. P. Cyriac, [11 other authors], D. J. Gower*. A near-complete species-level molecular phylogeny of uropeltid snakes harnessing historical natural history collections as a DNA source. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 178: 1055-7903. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ympev.2022.107651. pdf.
21. Cyriac, V. P.* , S. Dharwadkar, A. Mital & A. V. Mohan* (2022). 70 years of Herpetology in India: insights into shifts in focal research areas and gender ratios among authors. Amphibia-Reptilia. DOI:10.1163/15685381-bja10088. pdf.
20. Cyriac V.P.*, K. Bagde, L. Kumar & G. Martin (2022). Should I stay or should I go: escape behaviour in Russell's viper, Daboia russelii (Shaw & Nodder, 1797) in India's agricultural landscapes. Animal Biology. 72: 117–132. DOI 10.1163/15707563-bja10072. pdf.
19. Pyron A.R.*, V.P. Cyriac, S.R. Ganesh. A.K. Mallik, A. de Silva, A.N. Srikanthan & K. Shanker. First report of hemipenial variation among some genera and species of Shieldtail snakes (Serpentes: Uropeltidae). Ichthyology & Herpetology, 110(2): 299–314. DOI: 10.1643/h2021024. pdf.
18. Cyriac V.P.* & P.K. Umesh (2021). Natural history of the gecko Hemidactylus prashadi: demography, spatial partitioning, diet, and reproduction in a human-altered habitat. Herpetological Conservation and Biology, 16(2): 325–336. pdf.
17. Sayyed A., V. P. Cyriac, A. Pradeshi, S. Sulakhe* (2021). Dwarfs of the fortress: A new cryptic species of dwarf gecko of the genus Cnemaspis Strauch, 1887 (Squamata, Gekkonidae) from Rajgad fort in the northern Western Ghats of Maharashtra, India. Evolutionary Systematics. 5: 25–38. DOI 10.3897/evolsyst.5.62929. pdf.
16. Sampaio F.L., S. Narayanan, V. P. Cyriac, V. Govindappa & D. J. Gower* (2020). A new Indian species of Rhinophis Hemprich, 1820 closely related to R. sanguineus Beddome, 1863 (Serpentes: Uropeltidae). Zootaxa, 4881 (1): 001–024. pdf.
15. Sayyed A*$, V.P. Cyriac$ & R. Dileepkumar (2020). A new cryptic species of Cnemaspis Strauch, 1887 (Squamata: Gekkonidae) belonging to the C. littoralis complex from Anakkal, Palakkad, Kerala, India. Amphibian & Reptile Conservation, 14(13): 31 – 45 (e251). pdf.
14. Cyriac, V. P.* & U. Kodandaramaiah (2020). Warning signals promote morphological diversification in fossorial uropeltid snakes. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 191 (2): 468 – 481. pdf.
13. Cyriac, V. P.*, M. J. Palot, K. Deuti, P. K. Umesh (2020). A preliminary 16S rRNA phylogeny of the Indian Cnemaspis Strauch, 1887 (Squamata: Gekkonidae) with the description of two new cryptic species from the C. wynadensis clade. Vertebrate Zoology, 70 (2): 171 – 193. pdf.
12. Cyriac, V. P., S. Narayanan, P. K. Umesh, F. L. Sampaio & D. J. Gower* (2020). A new species of Rhinophis Hemprich, 1820 (Serpentes: Uropeltidae) from the Wayanad region of peninsular. Zootaxa, 4778 (2): 329–342. pdf
11. Cyriac, V. P.* & U. Kodandaramaiah (2019). Conspicuous colours reduce predation rates in fossorial uropeltid snakes. PeerJ. 7:e7508 doi: 10.7717/peerj.7508. pdf
10. Cyriac, V. P.* & U. Kodandaramaiah (2019). Don't waste your time: predators avoid prey with conspicuous colors that signal long handling time. Evolutionary Ecology. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10682-019-09998-9. pdf
9. Cyriac, V. P.*, A. Johny, P. K. Umesh, M. J. Palot & P. D. Campbell (2019). Rediscovery of Cnemaspis nilagirica Manamendra-Arachchi, Batuwita and Pethiyagoda, 2007 (Squamata: Gekkonidae) from Kerala, India with notes on its morphology and distribution. Zootaxa, 4586 (1): 098–108. pdf
8. Cyriac, V. P.*, A. Johny, P. K. Umesh, & M. J. Palot (2018). Description of two new species of Cnemaspis Strauch, 1887 (Squamata: Gekkonidae) from the Western Ghats of Kerala, India. Zootaxa, 4459 (1): 085–100. pdf
7. Cyriac, V. P.*, & U. Kodandaramaiah (2018). Digging their own macroevolutionary grave: fossoriality as an evolutionary dead-end in snakes. Journal of Evolutionary Biology. 31: 587–598. doi: 10.1111/jeb.13248 (preprint on PaleorXiv )
6. Cyriac, V. P.*, & U. Kodandaramaiah (2017). Paleoclimate determines diversification patterns in the fossorial snake family Uropeltidae Cuvier, 1829. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 116, 97-107. pdf
5. Zachariah A, Cyriac V. P, Chandramohan B, Ansil BR, Mathew J, Raju DV & R. K. Abraham* (2016). Two new species of Raorchestes (Anura: Rhacophoridae) from the Silent Valley National Park in the Nilgiri Hills of the Western Ghats, India. Salamandra. 52(2): 63–76. pdf
4. Abraham, R.K.*, J. Mathew, V. P. Cyriac, A. Zachariah , D. V. Raju & A. Zachariah. (2015). A novel third species of the Western Ghats endemic genus Ghatixalus (Anura: Rhacophoridae), with description of its tadpole. Zootaxa, 4048 (1): 101-113. http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4048.1.6. pdf
3. Abraham, R.K.*, A. Zachariah & V. P. Cyriac. (2015). A reappraisal of the rhacophorid bush frog Raorchestes flaviventris (Boulenger, 1882), with an evaluation of the taxonomic status of R. emeraldi Vijayakumar, Dinesh, Prabhu and Shankar, 2014. Zootaxa, 4048 (1): 090–100.http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4048.1.5. pdf
2. Cyriac, V.P.* & P.K. Umesh. (2014). Description of a new ground-dwelling Cnemaspis Strauch, 1887 (Squamata: Gekkonidae) from Kerala, allied to C. wynadensis (Beddome, 1870). Russian Journal of Herpetology, 21 (3): 187-194. pdf
1. Cyriac V.P.* & P.K. Umesh. (2013).Current status of Cnemaspis littoralis (Jerdon, 1853) (Sauria: Gekkonidae) with designation of a neotype. Taprobanica, 5 (1): 36-43. http://dx.doi.org/10.4038/tapro.v5i1.5660. pdf
24. Cyriac V. P.*, A. Mohan, K.P. Dinesh, V. Torsekar, A. Jayarajan, P. Swamy, S.P. Vijayakumar & K. Shanker (2024). Diversifying in the mountains: understanding frog diversification in the Western Ghats escarpment, a global biodiversity hotspot. Evolution, qpae006 . DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/evolut/qpae006. pdf.
23. Karanth D.N., M. S. Bhise, H. N. Praveen & V. P. Cyriac* (2024). Observations on arthropod predation of uropeltid snakes (Uropeltidae Cuvier, 1829) from the Western Ghats, India. Hamadryad, 40 (1 & 2).
22. Sampaio F.L.*, J. J. Day, M. Wickramasinghe, V. P. Cyriac, [11 other authors], D. J. Gower*. A near-complete species-level molecular phylogeny of uropeltid snakes harnessing historical natural history collections as a DNA source. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 178: 1055-7903. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ympev.2022.107651. pdf.
21. Cyriac, V. P.* , S. Dharwadkar, A. Mital & A. V. Mohan* (2022). 70 years of Herpetology in India: insights into shifts in focal research areas and gender ratios among authors. Amphibia-Reptilia. DOI:10.1163/15685381-bja10088. pdf.
20. Cyriac V.P.*, K. Bagde, L. Kumar & G. Martin (2022). Should I stay or should I go: escape behaviour in Russell's viper, Daboia russelii (Shaw & Nodder, 1797) in India's agricultural landscapes. Animal Biology. 72: 117–132. DOI 10.1163/15707563-bja10072. pdf.
19. Pyron A.R.*, V.P. Cyriac, S.R. Ganesh. A.K. Mallik, A. de Silva, A.N. Srikanthan & K. Shanker. First report of hemipenial variation among some genera and species of Shieldtail snakes (Serpentes: Uropeltidae). Ichthyology & Herpetology, 110(2): 299–314. DOI: 10.1643/h2021024. pdf.
18. Cyriac V.P.* & P.K. Umesh (2021). Natural history of the gecko Hemidactylus prashadi: demography, spatial partitioning, diet, and reproduction in a human-altered habitat. Herpetological Conservation and Biology, 16(2): 325–336. pdf.
17. Sayyed A., V. P. Cyriac, A. Pradeshi, S. Sulakhe* (2021). Dwarfs of the fortress: A new cryptic species of dwarf gecko of the genus Cnemaspis Strauch, 1887 (Squamata, Gekkonidae) from Rajgad fort in the northern Western Ghats of Maharashtra, India. Evolutionary Systematics. 5: 25–38. DOI 10.3897/evolsyst.5.62929. pdf.
16. Sampaio F.L., S. Narayanan, V. P. Cyriac, V. Govindappa & D. J. Gower* (2020). A new Indian species of Rhinophis Hemprich, 1820 closely related to R. sanguineus Beddome, 1863 (Serpentes: Uropeltidae). Zootaxa, 4881 (1): 001–024. pdf.
15. Sayyed A*$, V.P. Cyriac$ & R. Dileepkumar (2020). A new cryptic species of Cnemaspis Strauch, 1887 (Squamata: Gekkonidae) belonging to the C. littoralis complex from Anakkal, Palakkad, Kerala, India. Amphibian & Reptile Conservation, 14(13): 31 – 45 (e251). pdf.
14. Cyriac, V. P.* & U. Kodandaramaiah (2020). Warning signals promote morphological diversification in fossorial uropeltid snakes. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 191 (2): 468 – 481. pdf.
13. Cyriac, V. P.*, M. J. Palot, K. Deuti, P. K. Umesh (2020). A preliminary 16S rRNA phylogeny of the Indian Cnemaspis Strauch, 1887 (Squamata: Gekkonidae) with the description of two new cryptic species from the C. wynadensis clade. Vertebrate Zoology, 70 (2): 171 – 193. pdf.
12. Cyriac, V. P., S. Narayanan, P. K. Umesh, F. L. Sampaio & D. J. Gower* (2020). A new species of Rhinophis Hemprich, 1820 (Serpentes: Uropeltidae) from the Wayanad region of peninsular. Zootaxa, 4778 (2): 329–342. pdf
11. Cyriac, V. P.* & U. Kodandaramaiah (2019). Conspicuous colours reduce predation rates in fossorial uropeltid snakes. PeerJ. 7:e7508 doi: 10.7717/peerj.7508. pdf
10. Cyriac, V. P.* & U. Kodandaramaiah (2019). Don't waste your time: predators avoid prey with conspicuous colors that signal long handling time. Evolutionary Ecology. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10682-019-09998-9. pdf
9. Cyriac, V. P.*, A. Johny, P. K. Umesh, M. J. Palot & P. D. Campbell (2019). Rediscovery of Cnemaspis nilagirica Manamendra-Arachchi, Batuwita and Pethiyagoda, 2007 (Squamata: Gekkonidae) from Kerala, India with notes on its morphology and distribution. Zootaxa, 4586 (1): 098–108. pdf
8. Cyriac, V. P.*, A. Johny, P. K. Umesh, & M. J. Palot (2018). Description of two new species of Cnemaspis Strauch, 1887 (Squamata: Gekkonidae) from the Western Ghats of Kerala, India. Zootaxa, 4459 (1): 085–100. pdf
7. Cyriac, V. P.*, & U. Kodandaramaiah (2018). Digging their own macroevolutionary grave: fossoriality as an evolutionary dead-end in snakes. Journal of Evolutionary Biology. 31: 587–598. doi: 10.1111/jeb.13248 (preprint on PaleorXiv )
6. Cyriac, V. P.*, & U. Kodandaramaiah (2017). Paleoclimate determines diversification patterns in the fossorial snake family Uropeltidae Cuvier, 1829. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 116, 97-107. pdf
5. Zachariah A, Cyriac V. P, Chandramohan B, Ansil BR, Mathew J, Raju DV & R. K. Abraham* (2016). Two new species of Raorchestes (Anura: Rhacophoridae) from the Silent Valley National Park in the Nilgiri Hills of the Western Ghats, India. Salamandra. 52(2): 63–76. pdf
4. Abraham, R.K.*, J. Mathew, V. P. Cyriac, A. Zachariah , D. V. Raju & A. Zachariah. (2015). A novel third species of the Western Ghats endemic genus Ghatixalus (Anura: Rhacophoridae), with description of its tadpole. Zootaxa, 4048 (1): 101-113. http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4048.1.6. pdf
3. Abraham, R.K.*, A. Zachariah & V. P. Cyriac. (2015). A reappraisal of the rhacophorid bush frog Raorchestes flaviventris (Boulenger, 1882), with an evaluation of the taxonomic status of R. emeraldi Vijayakumar, Dinesh, Prabhu and Shankar, 2014. Zootaxa, 4048 (1): 090–100.http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4048.1.5. pdf
2. Cyriac, V.P.* & P.K. Umesh. (2014). Description of a new ground-dwelling Cnemaspis Strauch, 1887 (Squamata: Gekkonidae) from Kerala, allied to C. wynadensis (Beddome, 1870). Russian Journal of Herpetology, 21 (3): 187-194. pdf
1. Cyriac V.P.* & P.K. Umesh. (2013).Current status of Cnemaspis littoralis (Jerdon, 1853) (Sauria: Gekkonidae) with designation of a neotype. Taprobanica, 5 (1): 36-43. http://dx.doi.org/10.4038/tapro.v5i1.5660. pdf