Aspidura ceylonensis

Aspidura ceylonensis, also known as the Ceylon keelback,[1] black-spined snake, or slender mould snake,[2][3] is a colubrid snake endemic to Sri Lanka.[1][3] It is locally known as කුරුන් කරවලා (kurun karawala) or රත් කරවලා (rath karawala) in Sinhala.[2][3]

Aspidura ceylonensis
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Serpentes
Family: Colubridae
Genus: Aspidura
Species:
A. ceylonensis
Binomial name
Aspidura ceylonensis
(Günther, 1858)
Synonyms[1]
  • Haplocercus ceylonensis Günther, 1858
  • Aspidura carinata – Jan, 1862 (fide Smith, 1943)
  • Haplocercus ceylonensis — Boulenger, 1893; Wall, 1908, 1921, Smith 1943
  • Haplocercus ceylonensis — Das, 1996
  • Aspidura ceylonensis — Pyron et al. 2013; Wallach et al. 2014

Distribution

Aspidura ceylonensis is a semi-fossorial snake from submontane forests. Restricted to submontane forests and plantations of the Central Highlands, including Pussellawa, Gampola, Hatton, Knuckles, Balangoda, Pundaluoya, Ramboda, Kotagala, Namunukula, Mousakanda, Gammaduwa, and Kotmale, up to about 1,200 m (3,900 ft) of elevation.[3]

Description

Head is long and snout is broadly rounded. Neck is indistinct. The body is slender with cylindrical, short tail. Dorsal side is crimson brown with a black vertebral line, hence given the name. Dorsum of fore body is brown. Laterally there are a series of black spots in a line. Neck region has a dark brown marking. Venter is crimson colored. Adults are 50 cm (20 in) in length.[3]

Scalation

Midbody has 17 scale rows. There are 162–207 ventral scales and 37–56 subcaudal scales. The scales are smooth and iridescent.[3]

Ecology

It is a nocturnal and terrestrial snake that lives in damp soil, silted-up drains, beneath heaps of decaying leaves, and in similar places where there are earthworms, its primary prey.[3]

Reproduction

Clutches of two to five eggs are produced in the months of August to November.[3]

References
  1. Aspidura ceylonensis at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database. Accessed 10 October 2018.
  2. "Snakes of Sri Lanka". Biodiversity of Sri Lanka. Retrieved 10 October 2018.
  3. "Black-spined Snake". Sri Lanka Reptile. 1997–2009. Archived from the original on 2017-11-15. Retrieved 10 October 2018.
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