Sibynophis subpunctatus
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Jerdon's Many-tooth Snake | ||||||||||||||||
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Scientific classification | ||||||||||||||||
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Binomial name | ||||||||||||||||
Sibynophis subpunctatus (Duméril & Bibron, 1854) |
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Synonyms | ||||||||||||||||
Polyodontophis subpunctatus |
Jerdon's Many-tooth Snake or Dumeril's black-headed snake Sibynophis subpunctatus is a species of snake found in India (Maharashtra (Pune district) ) and Sri Lanka.
A species of non venomous snake found in India (Maharashtra (Pune (=Poona) district) ) and Sri Lanka.These snakes are active by the day as well as the night. Lives in leaf litter, preys on geckos, skinks, and smaller snakes. Maximum size is 18 inches.
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[edit] Description
Rostral nearly twice as broad as deep; suture between the internasals a little shorter than that between the prefrontals; frontal longer than its distance from the end of the snout, as long as the parietals or a little shorter; loreal longer than deep; one preocular; two postoculars, both in contact with the parietal; temporals 1 (or 2) +2; 9 or 10 upper labials, fifth and sixth, or fourth, fifth, and sixth, entering the eye; eighth upper labial usually excluded from the labial margin, simulating a lower anterior temporal; 4 lower labials in contact with the anterior chin-shields, the first usually separated from its fellow by the mental; posterior chin-shields a little longer than the anterior. Dorsal scales in 17 rows. Ventrals 151-220 (240 according to Blanford); anal divided; subcaudals 47-76. Pale brown above, with a vertebral series of small round black spots; usually a more or less distinct dark lateral line or series of dots; head and nape dark brown or black; lips, canthus rostralis, a transverse line between the eyes, and two broad cross-bands, one in front and one behind the nape, yellow; the dark colour often extending along the median line, bisecting the yellow collar; lower surfaces yellow, each shield with a black dot near its outer border.[1]
Sri Lankan specimens have 157 to 176 ventrals and 52-64 subcaudals.[2]
[edit] Distribution records
Found in the Western Ghats and Sri Lanka.[1] Records from Mulshi, Pune. Specimens from the Northeast of India are probably those of Sibynophis sagittarius.[3] In Sri Lanak it is found mostly towards the west coast from Puttalam to Kalutara.[4]
[edit] Cited references
- ^ a b Boulenger, G. A. 1890. Fauna of British India. Reptilia and Batrachia
- ^ Wall, F. (1921) Snakes of Ceylon
- ^ Captain, Ashok;Gower, David J.;David, Patrick;Bauer, Aaron M. (2004) Taxonomic sttus of the Colubrid snake Sibynophis subpunctatus (Dumeril, Bibron & Dumeril, 1854). Hamadryad 28(1):90-94.
- ^ [1] Accessed December 2006
[edit] Other references
- Duméril, A.M.C., G. Bibron & A.H.A. Duméril 1854 Erpétologie générale ou Histoire Naturelle complète des Reptiles. Vol. 7 (partie 1). Paris, xvi + 780 S.
- Sharma, Satish Kumar 1998 Range extension of the Dumeril's black-headed snake Sibynophis subpunctatus (Dum. & Bibr., 1854) Cobra 32: 32-33
- Vyas, Raju 1986 Extension of the range of Dumeril's black headed snake (Sibynophis subpunctatus). Hamadryad 11 (3): 24