Amblyodipsas dimidiata
Amblyodipsas dimidiata, or the Mpwapwa purple-glossed snake, is a species of venomous rear-fanged snake in the Atractaspididae family.
Amblyodipsas dimidiata | |
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Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Reptilia |
Order: | Squamata |
Suborder: | Serpentes |
Family: | Lamprophiidae |
Genus: | Amblyodipsas |
Species: | A. dimidiata |
Binomial name | |
Amblyodipsas dimidiata (Günther, 1888) | |
Synonyms | |
Description
Black dorsally; white ventrally, and on upper lip, and on three lower rows of dorsal scales on each side.
Rostral very large, portion visible from above longer than its distance from the frontal; internasals more than twice as broad as long; supraoculars very small. Six upper labials, the third in contact with nasal and the prefrontal, third and fourth entering the eye, fifth largest and in contact with the parietal.
Dorsal scales smooth, without pits, arranged in 17 rows. Ventrals 192-215; anal divided; subcaudals 20–27, divided.
Adults may attain a total length of 47 cm (18 1⁄2 in), which includes a tail 3 cm (1 1⁄8 in) long.[3]
References
- The Reptile Database. www.reptile-database.org.
- Branch, Bill. 2005. A Photographic Guide to Snakes, Other Reptiles and Amphibians of East Africa. Struik. Cape Town. p. 67.
- Boulenger, G.A. 1896. Catalogue of the Snakes in the British Museum (Natural History), Volume III. p. 247.