Uropeltis macrolepis

Uropeltis macrolepis
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Serpentes
Family: Uropeltidae
Genus: Uropeltis
Species: U. macrolepis
Binomial name
Uropeltis macrolepis
(Peters, 1862)
Synonyms

Silybura macrolepis Peters, 1862[1]

Uropeltis macrolepis, commonly known as the Bombay earth snake, is a species of snake in the family Uropeltidae. It is endemic to southern India.

Contents

Geographic range

It is found in Maharashtra (Phansad - near Supegaon, Mahabaleshwar, Koyna, Lonavla), India. [2]

Type locality of Silybura macrolepis = "Ceylon?"

Type locality of Uropeltis macrolepis mableshwarensis = "Mahableshwar, Satara district, Bombay State", India.[3]

Description

Black or dark purplish brown dorsally and ventrally, each scale lighter-edged. A yellow stripe on the lips and sides of the neck, followed by two to five large yellow spots. A yellow stripe along each side of the tail.

Adults may attain a total length of 29.5 cm (11½ inches).

Smooth dorsal scales in only 15 rows at midbody (in 17 rows behind the head). Ventrals 128-140; subcaudals 7-9.

Snout rounded. Rostral less than ¼ of the length of the shielded part of the head, portion visible from above shorter than its distance from the frontal. Nasals in contact with each other behind the rostral. Frontal as long as or slightly longer than broad. Diameter of eye more than ½ the length of the ocular shield. Diameter of body 24 to 29 times in the total length. Ventrals twice as large as the contiguous scales. End of tail obliquely truncate, flat dorsally, with strongly bicarinate scales. Terminal scale with a transverse ridge and two points.[4]

Subspecies

Two subspecies are recognized, including the nominate race.

Footnotes

  1. ^ The Reptile Database. www.reptile-database.org.
  2. ^ Ashok Captain, personal comment.
  3. ^ Chari, V.K. (1955).
  4. ^ Boulenger, G.A. 1893. Catalogue of the Snakes in the British Museum (Natural History). Volume I., Containg the Families...Uropeltidæ... Trustees of the British Museum (Natural History). London. pp. 159-160.
  5. ^ Dahms Tierleben. www.dahmstierleben.de.
  6. ^ The Reptile Database. www.reptile-database.org.

Further reading

  • Beddome,R.H. 1886. An account of the earth snakes of the Peninsula of India and Ceylon. Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist. (5) 17: 3-33.
  • Chari, V. K. 1952. Localization of the striped variety of the rough-tailed earthsnake - Uropeltis macrolepis (PETERS) - to Mahableshwar. J. Bombay nat. Hist. Soc. 50: 950-951.
  • Chari, V. K. 1953. Some more notes on Uropeltis macrolepis (PETERS) with special reference to specimens from Mahableshwar (Western Ghats, Bombay). J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc. 51 (2): 512.
  • Chari, V. K. 1954. An addition to the list of snakes of Bombay and Salsette - Uropeltis macrolepis (PETERS) - Uropeltidae. J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc. 52 (1): 213- 214.
  • Chari, V. K. 1955. A new form of the burrowing snake, Uropeltis macrolepis (PETERS) from Mahableshwar. J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc. 52 (4): 901.
  • Peters,W.H.C. 1862. Über eine neue Art der Schlangengattung Silybura, S. macrolepis. Mber. königl. preuss. Akad. Wiss. Berlin, 1862: 901-905.
  • Sekar A G. Almeida M. R. 1994. Range extension of the Bombay shield-tail snake Uropelitis macrolepis (Peters 1861) (Serpentes: Uropeltidae). J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc. 90 (3): 520-521 [1993].
  • Whitaker, Romulus and Ashok Captain. 2008. Snakes of India, The Field Guide. Draco Books. Chennai (formerly Madras), India. 495 pp. ISBN 81-901873-0-9.

External links