Uropeltis beddomii

Uropeltis beddomii
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Serpentes
Family: Uropeltidae
Genus: Uropeltis
Species: U. beddomii
Binomial name
Uropeltis beddomii
(Günther, 1862)
Synonyms
  • Silybura beddomii
    Günther, 1862[2]

Uropeltis beddomii, commonly known as Beddome's earth snake, is a species of snake in the family Uropeltidae. It is endemic to India.

Etymology

The specific name or epithet, beddomii, is in honor of Richard Henry Beddome (1830–1911), British army officer and botanist.[3]

Geographic range

It is found in southern India (Anaimalai Hills).

Type locality = "Anamallay Hills".

Description

Dorsum brown. A yellow streak on each side of the neck. A yellow crossband at the base of the tail, but not on the sides of the tail. Ventrum brown mixed with yellow.

The longest specimen in the type series collected by Col. Beddome is a female 27.5 cm (10 3⁄4 in) in total length.

Dorsal scales in 19 rows behind the head, in 17 rows at midbody. Ventrals 180-188; subcaudals 6-7 (females).

Snout acutely pointed, strongly projecting. Rostral strongly compressed, keeled above, portion visible from above two fifths the length of the shielded part of the head. Nasals in contact with each other behind the rostral. Frontal longer than broad. Eye very small, less than ½ the length of the ocular. Diameter of body 33 to 44 times in the total length. Ventrals less than twice as large as the contiguous dorsal scales. End of tail subtruncate, convex, or somewhat flattened dorsally, the scales with 3 to 5 strong keels. Terminal scute with a transverse ridge and two points.[4]

Footnotes

  1. ↑ Srinivasulu, C.; Srinivasulu, B.; Ganesan, S.R. & Vijayakumar, S.P. (2013). "Uropeltis beddomii". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2014.3. International Union for Conservation of Nature. Retrieved 21 January 2015.
  2. ↑ The Reptile Database. www.reptile-database.org.
  3. ↑ Beolens B, Watkins M, Grayson M. 2011. The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. ISBN 978-1-4214-0135-5. (Uropeltis beddomii, p. 21).
  4. ↑ Boulenger GA. 1893. Catalogue of the Snakes in the British Museum (Natural History). Volume I., Containing the Families ... Uropeltidæ ... London: Trustees of the British Museum (Natural History). (Taylor and Francis, printers). xiii + 448 pp. + Plates I- XXVIII. (Silybura beddomii, pp. 153-154).

Further reading

  • Beddome RH. 1864. Descriptions of New Species of the Family Uropeltidæ from Southern India, with Notes on other little-known Species. Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist. (3) 13: 177-180.
  • Günther A. 1862. On new Species of Snakes in the Collection of the British Museum. Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist. (3) 9: 52-59 + Plates IX & X. (Silybura beddomii, pp. 56–57).
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