Uropeltis
Encyclopedia
- Common names: shieldtails.
Uropeltis 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 nonvenomous 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...
and Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
. Currently, 23 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.
Description
Eye in the ocular shield. No supraoculars. No temporals. No mental groove. Tail obliquely truncated, ending in a large flat shield, which may be circular or oval.Species
| Species | Taxon author | Common name | Geographic range |
|---|---|---|---|
| U. arcticeps Uropeltis arcticeps Uropeltis arcticeps, commonly known as the Madurai earth snake or the Tinevelly Uropeltis, is a species of snake in the family Uropeltidae... |
(Günther, 1875) | Tinevelly 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... |
| U. beddomii Uropeltis beddomii Uropeltis beddomii, commonly known as Beddome's earth snake, is a species of snake in the family Uropeltidae. It is endemic to India.-Etymology:... |
(Günther, 1862) | Beddom's 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... |
| U. broughami Uropeltis broughami Uropeltis broughami, commonly known as Brougham's earth snake or the Sirumallay Uropeltis, is a species of snake in the family Uropeltidae... |
(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... , 1878) |
Sirumalai 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... (Palni and Sirumalai Hills, Madura district; Nilgiris) |
| U. ceylanicaT | Cuvier Georges Cuvier Georges Chrétien Léopold Dagobert Cuvier or Jean Léopold Nicolas Frédéric Cuvier , known as Georges Cuvier, was a French naturalist and zoologist... , 1829 |
Cuvier's 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... (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.... ) from Castle Rock Castle Rock -Islands:*Castle Rock , an island off the coast of the U.S. state of Alaska*Castle Rock, Hong Kong , an island of Hong Kong, part of the Po Toi Islands*Castle Rock , an island in the U.S... to Travancore Travancore Kingdom of Travancore was a former Hindu feudal kingdom and Indian Princely State with its capital at Padmanabhapuram or Trivandrum ruled by the Travancore Royal Family. The Kingdom of Travancore comprised most of modern day southern Kerala, Kanyakumari district, and the southernmost parts of... (Anaimalai 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 the Eastern Ghats Eastern Ghats The Eastern Ghats or Eastern Ghauts are a discontinuous range of mountains along India's eastern coast. The Eastern Ghats run from West Bengal state in the north, through Orissa and Andhra Pradesh to Tamil Nadu in the south passing some parts of Karnataka. They are eroded and cut through by the... in the Shevaroy Hills Shevaroy Hills Shevaroys is the anglicised name for the Servarayan which lie near the town of Salem in Tamil Nadu, India. It is a detached hill range, covering an area of 50 sq. m., with plateaus from 4000 to 5000 ft. above sea-level. They include the sanatorium and several old coffee plantations... , and in the southern Ghats from Kunjithanni (Idikki District) to Trivandrum. |
| U. dindigalensis Uropeltis dindigalensis Uropeltis dindigalensis, commonly known as the Sirumalai Hills earth snake or the Dindigul Uropeltis, is a species of snake in the family Uropeltidae... |
(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... , 1877) |
Dindigul 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... |
| U. ellioti Uropeltis ellioti Uropeltis ellioti, commonly known as Elliot's earth snake, is a species of snake in the family Uropeltidae. It is endemic to India.-Etymology:The specific name or epithet, ellioti, is in honor of Scottish naturalist Walter Elliot.... |
(Gray John Edward Gray John Edward Gray, FRS was a British zoologist. He was the elder brother of George Robert Gray and son of the pharmacologist and botanist Samuel Frederick Gray .... , 1858) |
Elliot's 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... |
| U. liura Uropeltis liura Günther's Earth Snake, Uropeltis liura, is a species of snake.Distribution:South India Type locality: Malabar.... |
(Günther, 1875) | Günther's 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... |
| U. macrolepis Uropeltis macrolepis Bombay Earth Snake, Uropeltis macrolepis, is a species of snake.Distribution:South India Type locality: "Ceylon?" [Sri Lanka]... |
(Peters Wilhelm Peters Wilhelm Karl Hartwich Peters was a German naturalist and explorer.He was assistant to Johannes Peter Müller and later curator of the Berlin Zoological Museum. In September 1842 he travelled to Mozambique via Angola. He returned to Berlin with an enormous collection of natural history specimens... , 1862) |
Bombay 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... |
| U. macrorhyncha | (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... , 1877) |
Ponachi 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: Anaimalai Hills, Madura District. |
| U. maculata | (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... , 1878) |
spotted 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... |
| U. melanogaster Uropeltis melanogaster Gray's Earth Snake is a small snake in family Uropeltidae , native to Sri Lanka. Its length is from 10 to 27 cm. This species and its relatives are generally called "earth snakes." Many have been classified previously with a different genus name, in this case Silybura... |
(Gray John Edward Gray John Edward Gray, FRS was a British zoologist. He was the elder brother of George Robert Gray and son of the pharmacologist and botanist Samuel Frederick Gray .... , 1858) |
Gray's shieldtail | Sri Lanka Sri Lanka Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the... |
| U. myhendrae Uropeltis myhendrae Boulenger's Earth Snake, Uropeltis myhendrae, is a species of snake.Distribution:South India Type locality: SouthTravancore, on the Myhendra Mountain", S 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... , 1886) |
barred 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... |
| U. nitida | (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... , 1878) |
Cochin 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 on the Cochin side of the Anaimalai Hills. |
| U. ocellata | (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... , 1863) |
Nilgiri 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: south of the Goa Gap Goa Gap The Goa Gap is one of the major passes in the Western Ghats, between the Maharashtra and Karnataka sections.... , Anaimalai, Cardomom (southern 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.... ), Munnar Hills, Nilgiri Hills and Trivandrum. |
| U. petersi Uropeltis petersi Shieldtail Earth Snake, Uropeltis petersi, is a species of snake.Distribution:South India Type locality: Anamallays, 4000 feet".Named after Wilhelm Peters , German herpetologist.... |
(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... , 1878) |
Peters' 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... |
| U. phillipsi Uropeltis phillipsi Phillips Earth Snake, Uropeltis phillipsi , is a snake of family Uropeltidae found in Sri Lanka. It has also been classified as Silybura phillipsi.... |
(Nicholls, 1929) | Phillips' shieldtail | Sri Lanka Sri Lanka Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the... |
| U. phipsonii Uropeltis phipsonii Phipson's Shieldtail Uropeltis phipsonii is a species of snake found in the Western Ghats. The species is named after H. M. Phipson, one of the founders of the Bombay Natural History Society.-Description:... |
(Mason, 1888) | Phipson's shieldtail | 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... |
| U. pulneyensis Uropeltis pulneyensis Palni Shieldtail Uropeltis pulneyensis is a species of uripeltid snake found in the Western Ghats of India.-Description:Description after Beddome : "Rostral rather obtuse, produced back between the nasals, and touching the frontals, nasals not meeting; eye small, in front of the ocular shield; no... |
(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... , 1863) |
Palni shieldtail | 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... |
| U. rubrolineata | (Günther, 1875) | red-lined 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: south of the Palghat to Bhimshankar and in the Anaimalai and Travancore Hills. |
| U. rubromaculata | (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... , 1867) |
red-spotted 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: Anaimalai Hills and Nilgiri Hills between 1,200 and 1,500 m elevation. |
| U. ruhunae Uropeltis ruhunae Uropeltis ruhunae is a species of snake in the Uropeltidae family. It is endemic to Sri Lanka.... |
Deraniyagala, 1954 | Sri Lanka Sri Lanka Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the... |
|
| U. smithi Uropeltis smithi Smith's earth snake, Uropeltis smithi, is a species of non-venomous shield tail snake. It is found mainly in the Anamallay forests of Southern Indian, in moist woods at around 1,200 m . This snake has been classified in the past as Rhinophis grandis, Silybura grandis, and Uropeltis grandis... |
Gans, 1966 | Smith's shieldtail, violet 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... |
| U. woodmasoni Uropeltis woodmasoni Woodmason's Earth Snake Uropeltis woodmasoni is a species of snake.Distribution:S India Type locality: Anamallys and Travancore [Silybura melanogaster Günther]... |
(Theobald William Theobald William Theobald was a malacologist and naturalist on the staff of the Geological Survey of India in Burma. That organization then covered Burma, as it was at the time still a part of British India.... , 1876) |
Palni shieldtail, black-bellied 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... |
- ) 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...
.
External links
- Genus Uropeltis at Systema Naturae 2000. Accessed 2 September 2007.