Rhinophis travancoricus

Rhinophis travancoricus, commonly known as the Travancore shieldtail or Tamil Nadu earth snake,[1] is a species of uropeltid snake endemic to India.

Rhinophis travancoricus
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Serpentes
Family: Uropeltidae
Genus: Rhinophis
Species:
R. travancoricus
Binomial name
Rhinophis travancoricus
Boulenger, 1892

Geographic range

It is found in southern India (Travancore, Trivandrum, Peermade, Ernakulam).

Type locality: "near Trevandrum, at the 6th mile-stone towards Vambayam".

Description

Dark purplish brown, scales on the sides and on the ventrum edged with whitish. Anal region black. Ventral surface of tail yellow.

The total length of the type specimen is 17 cm (6 3⁄4 in).

Dorsal scales in 17 rows at midbody (in 19 rows behind the head). Ventrals 146; subcaudals 6.

Snout acutely pointed. Rostral slightly laterally compressed, not keeled, about ⅓ the length of the shielded part of the head. Nasals separated by the rostral. Eye in the ocular shield. No supraoculars. Frontal longer than broad. No temporals. No mental groove. Diameter of body 34 times in the total length. Ventrals about 1½ times the size of the contiguous scales. Tail ending in a large convex rugose shield, which is neither truncated nor spinose at the end. Caudal disc slightly shorter than the shielded part of the head.[2]

Footnotes
  1. The Reptile Database. www.reptile-database.org.
  2. Boulenger, G.A. 1893. Catalogue of the Snakes in the British Museum (Natural History). Volume I., Containing the Families...Uropeltidæ... Trustees of the British Museum (Natural History). London. pp. 140, 143; Plate IX., figures 3., 3a., 3b.

Further reading
  • Boulenger, G.A. 1893. Description of a new Earth-Snake from Travancore. J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc. 7 (3): 318, 1 Plate [1892].


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