Uropeltis broughami
Encyclopedia
Uropeltis broughami, commonly known as Brougham's earth snake or the Sirumallay Uropeltis, is a species
of snake
in the family Uropeltidae. It is endemic to India
.
(Palni and Sirumalai Hills, Madura district; Nilgiris).
Type locality of Silybura broughami = "Sirumallay hills (Madura district), 5500 feet elevation".
Type locality of Silybura levingii = "Lower Pulney hills (Madura district), 4000 feet elevation".
The longest type specimen is 41 cm (16⅛ inches) in total length.
Dorsal scales in 19 rows. Ventrals 203-230; subcaudals 7-10.
Snout acutely pointed. Rostral laterally compressed, obtusely keeled above, two fifths the length of the shielded part of the head, the portion visible from above much longer than its distance from the frontal. Nasals in contact with each other behind the rostral. Frontal as long as broad, or slightly longer than broad. Eye very small, not half the length of the ocular. Diameter of body 34 to 40 times in the total length. Ventrals not twice as broad as the contiguous dorsal scales. Tail obliquely truncate, flat above, with strongly pluricarinate scales; terminal scute bicuspid.
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
of snake
Snake
Snakes are elongate, legless, carnivorous reptiles of the suborder Serpentes that can be distinguished from legless lizards by their lack of eyelids and external ears. Like all squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping scales...
in the family Uropeltidae. It is endemic to India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
.
Geographic range
It is found in southern IndiaIndia
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
(Palni and Sirumalai Hills, Madura district; Nilgiris).
Type locality of Silybura broughami = "Sirumallay hills (Madura district), 5500 feet elevation".
Type locality of Silybura levingii = "Lower Pulney hills (Madura district), 4000 feet elevation".
Description
Dorsum brown, with transverse series of small yellow black-edged ocelli. Sides with series of large yellow spots. Ventrals dark brown.The longest type specimen is 41 cm (16⅛ inches) in total length.
Dorsal scales in 19 rows. Ventrals 203-230; subcaudals 7-10.
Snout acutely pointed. Rostral laterally compressed, obtusely keeled above, two fifths the length of the shielded part of the head, the portion visible from above much longer than its distance from the frontal. Nasals in contact with each other behind the rostral. Frontal as long as broad, or slightly longer than broad. Eye very small, not half the length of the ocular. Diameter of body 34 to 40 times in the total length. Ventrals not twice as broad as the contiguous dorsal scales. Tail obliquely truncate, flat above, with strongly pluricarinate scales; terminal scute bicuspid.