Amphiesma platyceps

Amphiesma platyceps
at Mussoorie, India
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Serpentes
Family: Colubridae
Subfamily: Natricinae
Genus: Amphiesma
Species: A. platyceps
Binomial name
Amphiesma platyceps
(Blyth, 1854)
Synonyms
  • Tropidonotus platyceps
    Blyth, 1854
  • Zamenis himalayanus
    Steindachner, 1867
  • Tropidonotus platyceps
    Boulenger, 1893
  • Tropidonotus firthi Wall, 1914
  • Rhabdophis platyceps
    Wall, 1923
  • Natrix platyceps
    Shaw et al., 1939
  • Amphiesma platyceps
    Malnate, 1960[1]

Amphiesma platyceps, commonly known as the Himalayan keelback, is a species of grass snake endemic to South Asia.

Geographic range

It is known from India along the sub-Himalayan region, Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Bhutan and China between 1000 to 3600 m elevation (about 3,300 to 11,800 feet).

Description

Eye moderate; rostral just visible from above; suture between the internasals as long as that between the pre-frontals or shorter; frontal longer than its distance from the end of the snout, shorter than the parietals; loreal longer than deep ; one preocular (sometimes divided); two or three postoculars; temporals 1+1, or 1+2, or 2+2; 8 upper labials, third, fourth, and fifth entering the eye; 4 or 5 lower labials in contact with the anterior chin shields, which are much shorter than the posterior chin shields.

Dorsal scales in 19 rows, faintly or feebly keeled. 177-235 ventrals; anal divided; subcaudals 75-107, also divided.

Olive-brown above, with small black spots; frequently two black parallel lines or an elliptic marking on the nape; a light, black-edged streak on each side of the head, or a black line from eye to gape (corner of mouth); belly yellowish, with or without blackish dots; frequently a black line or series of elongate blackish spots along each side of the belly; lower surface of tail frequently mottled with blackish; throat sometimes black. In life, a coral-red band is said to run along the ends of the ventrals.[2]

Total length 90 cm (3 feet); tail 23 cm (9 inches).[3]

References

  1. The Reptile Database. www.reptile-database.org.
  2. Boulenger, G. A. 1890. The Fauna of British India, Including Ceylon and Burma. Reptilia and Batrachia. Secretary of State for India in Council. (Taylor and Francis, Printers). London. xviii + 541 pp. (Tropidonotus platyceps, pp. 343-344.)
  3. Boulenger, G.A. 1893. Catalogue of the Snakes in the British Museum (Natural History), Volume I., Containing the Families...Colubridæ Aglyphæ, Part. Trustees of the British Museum (Natural History). London. xiii + 448 pp. + Plates I.-XXVIII. (Tropidonotus platyceps, p. 248.)

Further reading

External links

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