Aspidura guentheri

Aspidura guentheri
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Serpentes
Family: Colubridae
Genus: Aspidura
Species: A. guentheri
Binomial name
Aspidura guentheri
Ferguson, 1876

Aspidura guentheri, commonly known as Günther's rough-sided snake[1] or කුඩා මැඩිල්ලා (kuda medilla) in Sinhala, is a species of colubrid snake endemic to Sri Lanka. It is the smallest member of the genus Aspidura.

Etymology

The specific name, guentheri, is in honor of German-born British herpetologist Albert Günther.[1][2]

Geographic range

A. guentheri is a burrowing snake restricted to the lowlands of Sri Lanka. Localities recorded include Ratnapura, Deniyaya, Yapitikanda, Kandilpana, Kosgama, Kalutara, and Balangoda at elevations of 100–500 m (330–1,640 ft).

Description

Head indistinct from neck, body cylindrical. Dorsum brown, mottled with dark brown. Forehead dark. A pale neck band present. Vertebral and lateral rows of dark spots. Venter light brown.

Scalation

Midbody dorsal scale rows 17. Preoculars present. A single postocular in contact with parietal. Ventrals 103-122. Subcaudals 18-29.

Ecology

Diet comprises mainly earthworms.

Reproduction

Clutches of 1 to 3 eggs are laid.

References

  1. 1 2 "Aspidura guentheri FERGUSON 1876". The Reptile Database. www.reptile-database.org.
  2. 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. (Aspidura guentheri, pp. 110-111).

Further reading

External links

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