Melanophidium
Encyclopedia
- Common names: (none).
Melanophidium is a genus
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
of non-venomous shield tail snakes found in southern 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...
. Currently, three species
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...
are recognized.
Geographic range
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...
in the Western Ghats
Western Ghats
The Western Ghats, Western Ghauts or the Sahyādri is a mountain range along the western side of India. It runs north to south along the western edge of the Deccan Plateau, and separates the plateau from a narrow coastal plain along the Arabian Sea. The Western Ghats block rainfall to the Deccan...
: in the Peermede Hills
Peermade
Peermade, also transliterated as Perumade, Peerumed, Peerumade or Peermede, is a hill station in the state of Kerala, India...
in Kerala
Kerala
or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....
and the Anamalai Hills
Anaimalai Hills
The Anaimalai Hills is a range of mountains in the Western Ghats in Tamil Nadu and Kerala states of South India. The name "Anaimalai" derives from the Tamil word 'Ana' meaning elephant and 'Mala' meaning hill, thus Elephant Hill. The highest peak of the Anaimalai Hills is Anamudi, , located in the...
in Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu is one of the 28 states of India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the union territory of Pondicherry, and the states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh...
.
Species
| Species | Taxon author | Common name | Geographic range |
|---|---|---|---|
| M. bilineatum Melanophidium bilineatum Two-lined Black Shieldtail or Iridescent Shieldtail, Melanophidium bilineatum is a species of snake found in Wayanad situated in the Western Ghats in South India... |
Beddome Richard Henry Beddome Colonel Richard Henry Beddome was a British military officer in India, chief conservator of the Madras Forest Department and a naturalist... , 1870 |
Two-lined black shieldtail | Southern 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... in the Western Ghats Western Ghats The Western Ghats, Western Ghauts or the Sahyādri is a mountain range along the western side of India. It runs north to south along the western edge of the Deccan Plateau, and separates the plateau from a narrow coastal plain along the Arabian Sea. The Western Ghats block rainfall to the Deccan... : in Peria and Tirhoot Peaks, west of Manantoddy. |
| M. punctatum Melanophidium punctatum Beddome's Black Shieldtail, Melanophidium punctatum, is a species of shieldtail snake found in the Western Ghats of India.-Description:... |
Beddome, 1871 | Beddome's black shieldtail | Southern India in the Western Ghats: in Travancore (1200-1500 m elevation) and the Anamalai Hills Anaimalai Hills The Anaimalai Hills is a range of mountains in the Western Ghats in Tamil Nadu and Kerala states of South India. The name "Anaimalai" derives from the Tamil word 'Ana' meaning elephant and 'Mala' meaning hill, thus Elephant Hill. The highest peak of the Anaimalai Hills is Anamudi, , located in the... , and in Telawadi, Goa Frontier. |
| M. wynaudense Melanophidium wynaudense Indian Black Earth Snake Melanophidium wynaudense is a species of snake found in the Western Ghats.-Description:Beddome : "Scales round the body 15, round the neck 16 or 17; rostral scarcely produced back between the nasals; no supraorbital; muzzle more obtuse than in P... T |
(Beddome, 1863) | Indian black earth snake | Southern India in the Western Ghats: in Manantoddy District and Coorg Kodagu Kodagu , also known by its anglicised former name of Coorg, is an administrative district in Karnataka, India. It occupies an area of in the Western Ghats of southwestern Karnataka. As of 2001, the population was 548,561, 13.74% of which resided in the district's urban centres, making it the least... , at 900-1500 m elevation. |
- ) Not including the nominate subspecies.
T) Type species
Type species
In biological nomenclature, a type species is both a concept and a practical system which is used in the classification and nomenclature of animals and plants. The value of a "type species" lies in the fact that it makes clear what is meant by a particular genus name. A type species is the species...
.