Coronella brachyura

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Indian Smooth Snake

Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Serpentes
Family: Colubridae
Genus: Coronella
Species: C. brachyura
Binomial name
Coronella brachyura
(Günther, 1866)

Indian Smooth Snake Coronella brachyura is a species of snake found in India.

[edit] Description

The following description is based on Malcolm Smith's Fauna of British India Reptilia and Batrachia volume: (p. 195)

Nostril large, between two nasals; internasals 0.3 to 0.5 as long as the prefrontals ; frontal nearly as broad as long, in contact with a large preocular ; loreal longer than high ; 2 postoculars ; temporals 2+2 ; 8 supralabials, 4th and 5th touching the eye ; anterior genials larger than the posterior, the latter separated by two or three series of small scales. Scales in 23:23:19 rows ; ventrals large, rounded ; tail rather short. Ventrals 200-224 ; Caudals 46-53 ; Anals 1.

Hemipenis extending to the 13th caudal plate, not forked. The distal half is calyculate, the cups being large and with scalloped edges ; the proximal half is spinose, two or three spines at the base being much larger than the others (bad specimen).

Olive-brown above, with indistinct light variegations on the anterior half of the body and head ; lower parts whitish. Total length : males 515, tail 75 ; females 460, tail 55 mm.

Range. Northern India. Poona district and Visapur, near Bombay ; S.E. Berar.

A rare snake.

[edit] References

  • Günther,A. 1866 Fifth account of new species of snakes in the collection of the British Museum. Ann. Mag. nat. Hist. (3) 18: 24-29

[edit] External links

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