Ptyas mucosus

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Oriental Ratsnake

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 colubrid snake.

1 Distribution
2 Description
3 Gallery
4 References

[edit] Distribution

Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Burma (Myanmar), Cambodia, China (Zhejiang, Hubei, Jiangxi, Fujian, Guangdong, Hainan, Guangxi, Yunnan, Tibet, Hong Kong), all over India, Andamans, Sri Lanka, Indonesia (Sumatra, Java), Iran, Laos, West Malaysia, Nepal, Myanmar, Pakistan (Sindh area), Taiwan, Thailand, Turkmenistan, (former) U.S.S.R., Vietnam

Type locality: India.

[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. The Top colour can range from a stripes yellow to Black and is commonly mistaken for a Cobra.

[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] 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