Meghalaya subtropical forests

The Meghalaya subtropical forests is a montane subtropical moist broadleaf forest ecoregion of eastern India. The ecoregion covers an area of 41,700 square kilometers (16,100 sq mi), encompassing the Khasi Hills, Garo Hills, and Jaintia Hills of India's Meghalaya state, and adjacent portions of Assam state. The ecoregion is one of the most species-rich in India with a rich diversity of birds, mammals, and plants.

Setting

The ecoregion covers those portions of the Khasi, Garo, and Jaintia hills lying above 1000 meters elevation. The subtropical forests lie between the tropical lowland lowland Lower Gangetic Plains moist deciduous forests to the south and west, and the Brahmaputra Valley semi-evergreen forests to the north.

It is one of the wettest ecoregions in the world, with some places, notably Mawsynram and Cherrapunji, receiving up to eleven meters of rain in a year.

Flora

It is a center of diversity for the tree genera Magnolia and Michelia, and the families Elaeocarpaceae and Elaeagnaceae. Over 320 species of orchids are native to Meghalaya. The endemic pitcher plant (Nepenthes khasiana) is now an endangered species.

Fauna

The ecoregion is home to 110 species of mammals, none of which are endemic. Species include the tiger (Panthera tigris), Clouded Leopard (Pardofelis nebulosa), Asian Elephant (Elephas maximus), Dhole or Asiatic Wild Dog (Cuon alpinus), Sun Bear (Ursus malayanus), Sloth Bear (Melursus ursinus), Smooth-coated Otter (Lutrogale perspicillata), Indian Civet (Viverra zibetha), Chinese Pangolin (Manis pentadactyla), Indian Pangolin (Manis crassicaudata), Assamese Macaque (Macaca assamensis), Bear Macaque (Macaca arctoides), Capped Leaf Monkey (Semnopithecus pileatus), and Hoolock Gibbon (Hylobates hoolock).

See also

• List of ecoregions in India

References

Wikramanayake, Eric; Eric Dinerstein; Colby J. Loucks; et al. (2002). Terrestrial Ecoregions of the Indo-Pacific: a Conservation Assessment. Island Press; Washington, DC.

External links

• Meghalaya subtropical forests (World Wildlife Fund)
• Flora of Meghalaya (Government of Meghalaya)