Ptyas mucosus

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Oriental Ratsnake

Scientific classification

Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Suborder:	Serpentes
Family:	Colubridae
Genus:	Ptyas
Species:	P. mucosus

Binomial name

Ptyas mucosus
(Linnaeus, 1758)

Synonyms

Ptyas mucosa

Scale pattern

Dhaman or Oriental Ratsnake Ptyas mucosus is a species of snake. Distribution: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Burma (Myanmar), Cambodia, China (Zhejiang, Hubei, Jiangxi, Fujian, Guangdong, Hainan, Guangxi, Yunnan, Tibet, Hong Kong), India (Maharashtra (Pune (=Poona) district, Nasrapur), Karnataka (Castle Rock) ), Andamans, Sri Lanka, Indonesia (Sumatra, Java), Iran, Laos, West Malaysia, Nepal, Myanmar Pakistan, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkmenistan, (former) U.S.S.R., Vietnam

Race maximus: Sri Lanka

Type locality: India

1 Description
2 Gallery
3 External links
4 References

[edit] Description

Description from Boulenger's Fauna of British India: Reptilia and Batrachia volume of 1890:

Snout obtuse, slightly projecting; eye large; rostral a little broader than deep, visible from above; suture between the inter-naeals shorter than that between the prefrontals ; frontal as long as its distance from tho end of the snout, as long as the parietals or slightly shorter; usually three loreals; one large preocular, with a small subocular below ; two postoculars: temporals 2+2; 8 upper labials, fourth and fifth entering the eye; 5 lower labials in contact with the anterior chin-shields, which are shorter than the posterior; the latter in contact anteriorly. Scales more or less strongly keeled on the posterior part of the back, in 17 rows. Ventrals 190-208; anal divided; subcaudals 95-135. Brown above, frequently with more or less distinct black cross-bands on the posterior part of the body and on the tail; young usually with light cross-bands on the front half of the body. Lower surface yellowish; the posterior ventral and the caudal shields may be edged with black.

[edit] Gallery

Indian Rat Snake Ptyas mucosus Family Colubridae, Serpentes

Head.	Head with open mouth.	Top view of head.	View of temporals.
Underside of head.	Belly of snake.	Body & scales.	Body & scales.
Body & scales.	Long tail of Rat Snake.	Temporals indicated.

[edit] External links

EMBL reptile database

[edit] References

Günther, A. 1898 Notes on Indian snakes in captivity. Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist. (7) 1: 30
Lazell,J.D. 1998 Morphology and the status of the snake genus "Ptyas". Herpetological Review 29 (3): 134