Uropeltis ceylanica

Uropeltis ceylanica
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Subphylum:	Vertebrata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Suborder:	Serpentes
Family:	Uropeltidae
Genus:	Uropeltis
Species:	U. ceylanica
Binomial name
Uropeltis ceylanica Cuvier, 1829
Synonyms
Uropeltis ceylanicus - Cuvier, 1829 Uropeltis Ceylanicus - Cocteau, 1833 Uropeltis ceylonica - Wagler, 1830 Pseudo-typhlops ceylanicus - Schlegel, 1839 Siluboura Ceylonicus - Gray, 1845 U[ropeltis]. Ceylonicus - Gray, 1845 [Coloburus] Ceylanicus - A.M.C. Duméril & A.H.A Duméril, 1854 Siluboura ceylonica - Gray, 1858 Silybura ceylanica - Peters, 1861 Silybura brevis - Günther, 1862 C[oloburus]. Ceylanicus - Jan, 1863 Silybura Shorttii - Beddome, 1863 Silybura shortii - Beddome, 1863 Silybura nilgherriensis - Beddome, 1863 Silybura nilgherriensis - Beddome, 1863 Silybura bicatenata - Günther, 1863 Siluboura ceylanica - Günther, 1864 Silybura bicatenata - Günther, 1864 Silybura shortii - Günther, 1864 Coloburus Ceylanicus - Jan & Sordelli, 1865 S[ilybura]. ceylonica - Günther, 1875 Silybura nilgherriensis var. Shortii - Beddome, 1886 Silybura nilgherriensis var. annulata - Beddome, 1886 Silybura brevis - Boulenger, 1893 Silybura ellioti var. annulata - Boulenger, 1893 Silybura ellioti var. shortii - Boulenger, 1893 Uropeltis ceylanicus - M.A. Smith, 1943 Uropeltis (Siluboura) ceylanicus - Mahendra, 1984 U[ropeltis]. ceylanicus shortii - Murthy, 1990 U[ropeltis]. ceylanicus bicatenata - Murthy, 1990 U[ropeltis]. ceylanicus annulata - Murthy, 1990[1]

Common names: Ceylon earth snake, Cuvier's shieldtail, Kerala shieldtail.

Uropeltis ceylanica is a non-venomous shield tail snake species found in southern India. No subspecies are currently recognized.^[2]

Geographic range

Found in southern India in the Western Ghats (Kerala) from Castle Rock to Travancore (Anaimalai Hills), in the Eastern Ghats in the Shevaroy Hills, and in the southern Ghats from Kunjithanni (Idikki District) to Trivandrum. The type locality given is "Ceylan" -- a mistake, since this species has never been found there.^[1]

References

1. ^ ^{a b} McDiarmid RW, Campbell JA, Touré T. 1999. Snake Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference, vol. 1. Herpetologists' League. 511 pp. ISBN 1-893777-00-6 (series). ISBN 1-893777-01-4 (volume).
2. ^ "Uropeltis ceylanica". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. http://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=634735. Retrieved 1 September 2007. 

Further reading

• Beddome RH. 1863. Descriptions of new species of the family Uropeltidae from Southern India, with notes on other little-known species. Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 1863: 225-229.
• Beddome, RH. 1863. Further notes upon the snakes of the Madras Presidency; with some descriptions of new species. Madras Quart. J. Med. Sci., 6: 41-48 [Reprint: J. Soc. Bibliogr. Nat. Sci., London, 1 (10): 306-314, 1940]
• Beddome RH. 1864. Description of new species of the family Uropeltidae from Southern India, with notes on other little-known species. Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist. (3) 13: 177-180
• Beddome RH. 1886. An account of the earth snakes of the Peninsula of India and Ceylon. Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist. (5) 17: 3-33.
• Cocteau TH. 1833. Sur le genre de reptiles ophidiens nommé Uropeltis par Cuvier, et description d'une espèce de ce genre. Mag. Zool. Guérin, Paris, Class. III, pl. 2.
• Gray JE. 1858. On a new genus and several new species of Uropeltidae in the collection of the British Museum. Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist. (3) 2: 376-381

External links

• Uropeltis ceylanicus at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database. Accessed 1 September 2007.