Rhinophis blythii
| Rhinophis blythii | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Subphylum: | Vertebrata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Suborder: | Serpentes |
| Family: | Uropeltidae |
| Genus: | Rhinophis |
| Species: | R. blythii |
| Binomial name | |
| Rhinophis blythii Kelaart, 1853 | |
Rhinophis blythii, or Blyth's earth snake, is a species of snake in the Uropeltidae family. It is endemic to the rain forests and grasslands of Sri Lanka.[1]
Etymology
The specific name, blythii, is in honor of zoologist Edward Blyth (1810-1873), curator of the museum of the Asiatic Society of Bengal.[2][3]
Description
Dark brown dorsally and ventrally. Sides with vertical yellow spots or a wavy or zigzag stripe on the anterior half of the body. A yellow ring around the base of the tail.
Adults may attain a total length of 37 cm (14 1⁄2 in).
Dorsal scales in 17 rows at midbody (in 19 rows behind the head). Ventrals 148-162; subcaudals 4-7.
Snout acutely pointed. Eye in the ocular shield. No supraoculars. No temporals. Frontal longer than broad. No mental groove. Diameter of body 22 to 32 times in the total length. Ventrals only slightly larger than the contiguous scales. Tail ending in a large convex rugose shield, which is neither truncated nor spinose at the end. Caudal disc 1/2 to 3/5 the length of the shielded part of the head. Some of the distal dorsal scales of the tail weakly keeled.[4]
References
- ↑ Bamaradeniya, Channa N.B. 2006. The Fauna of Sri Lanka: Status of Taxonomy, Research and Conservation. Colombo, Sri Lanka: IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature). 163 pp.
- ↑ The Reptile Database. www.reptile-database.org.
- ↑ 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. (Rhinophis blythii, p. 28).
- ↑ Boulenger, G.A. 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. (Genus Rhinophis, p. 140; species Rhinophis blythii, p. 144).
Further reading
- Boulenger GA. 1890. The Fauna of British India, Including Ceylon and Burma. Reptilia and Batrachia. London: Secretary of State for India in Council. (Taylor and Francis, printers). xviii + 541 pp. (Rhinophis blythii, pp. 256–257).
- Kelaart, E.F. 1853. Descriptions of new or little-known species of Reptiles collected in Ceylon. Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., Series 2, 13: 25-31. ("Rhinophis Blythii, n. s.", pp. 26–27).
- Wall F. 1921. Ophidia Taprobanica or the Snakes of Ceylon. Colombo, Ceylon [Sri Lanka]: Colombo Museum. (H.R. Cottle, Government Printer). xxii + 581 pp. ("Rhinophis blythi [sic]", pp. 40–43, Figure 14).