Biology:Uropeltis bhupathyi
| Uropeltis bhupathyi | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Suborder: | Serpentes |
| Family: | Uropeltidae |
| Genus: | Uropeltis |
| Species: | U. bhupathyi
|
| Binomial name | |
| Uropeltis bhupathyi Jins, Sampaio & Gower, 2018[2]
| |
| Synonyms[3] | |
|
Uropeltis ellioti | |
Uropeltis bhupathyi, commonly known as the Bhupathy’s shieldtail,[4][5] is a species of snake in the family Uropeltidae. The species is endemic to the Western Ghats in southern India .[6]
Etymology
U. bhupathyi is named in honour of Indian herpetologist and biologist Subramanian Bhupathy.[7][8]
Distribution
The species, although native to the Western Ghats in India, has so far only been traced in the Anaikatti hills in Coimbatore district, Tamil Nadu.[9][10][11][12]
Description
U. bhupathyi, a non-venomous burrowing species, usually feeds on earthworms.[13] It possesses over 200 ventral scales and 17 dorsal scale rows at midbody.[14][15] The tail is short and obliquely truncate. It has keeled scales. It is dark brown in colour, with yellow stripes on either side of neck and tail. It has a metallic appearance. The species has a moderately developed tail shield. The terminal scute is wide and surrounded by 8-10 scales.[16]
It grows to about 40 cm in total length.[17]
The species suffers the risk of habitat loss. It is also affected by road traffic and pesticides.[18] It also possibly suffers from a condition rendering its head deformed, reminiscent of the snake fungal disease prevalent in North America and Europe.[19]
References
- ↑ "New species of shieldtail snake discovered in Western Ghats". https://www.downtoearth.org.in/news/wildlife-biodiversity/new-species-of-shieldtail-snake-discovered-in-western-ghats-60423.
- ↑ "ITIS - Report: Uropeltis bhupathyi". https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=1094115#null.
- ↑ "Uropeltis bhupathyi". https://reptile-database.reptarium.cz/species?genus=Uropeltis&species=bhupathyi.
- ↑ "ZooBank.org" (in en-us). https://zoobank.org/References/C7CBCC78-312C-4AAF-B3D2-DA4AD73E139D.
- ↑ "ITIS - Report: Uropeltis bhupathyi". https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=1094115#null.
- ↑ "Uropeltis bhupathyi Jins, Sampaio & Gower, 2018 | Species" (in en). https://indiabiodiversity.org/species/show/282613.
- ↑ "New species of shieldtail snake discovered in Western Ghats" (in en). https://www.downtoearth.org.in/news/wildlife-biodiversity/new-species-of-shieldtail-snake-discovered-in-western-ghats-60423.
- ↑ Perinchery, Aathira (2018-05-03). "New snake found in Western Ghats" (in en-IN). The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/energy-and-environment/new-snake-found-in-western-ghats/article23763921.ece.
- ↑ "Uropeltis bhupathyi". https://reptile-database.reptarium.cz/species.php?genus=Uropeltis&species=bhupathyi.
- ↑ "Zootaxa". https://www.biotaxa.org/Zootaxa/article/view/zootaxa.4415.3.1.
- ↑ "ResearchGate". https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Holotype-of-Uropeltis-bhupathyi-sp-nov-NCBS-AU173-Upper-two-images-show-whole_fig2_324951561.
- ↑ "Uropeltis bhupathyi Jins, Sampaio & Gower, 2018 | Species" (in en). https://indiabiodiversity.org/species/show/282613.
- ↑ Perinchery, Aathira (2018-05-03). "New snake found in Western Ghats" (in en-IN). The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/energy-and-environment/new-snake-found-in-western-ghats/article23763921.ece.
- ↑ Pskhun (2018-05-01). "Species New to Science: [Herpetology • 2018 Uropeltis bhupathyi • A New Species of Uropeltis Cuvier, 1829 (Serpentes: Uropeltidae) from the Anaikatty Hills of the Western Ghats of India"]. http://novataxa.blogspot.com/2018/05/uropeltis-bhupathyi.html.
- ↑ "Uropeltis bhupathyi". https://reptile-database.reptarium.cz/species.php?genus=Uropeltis&species=bhupathyi.
- ↑ "Uropeltis bhupathyi Jins, Sampaio & Gower, 2018 | Species" (in en). https://indiabiodiversity.org/species/show/282613.
- ↑ Perinchery, Aathira (2018-05-03). "New snake found in Western Ghats" (in en-IN). The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/energy-and-environment/new-snake-found-in-western-ghats/article23763921.ece.
- ↑ "Scientists describe new species of shieldtail snakes found in Anaikatti hills" (in en-US). 2018-07-05. https://india.mongabay.com/2018/07/scientists-describe-new-species-of-shieldtail-snakes-found-in-anaikatti-hills/.
- ↑ "New species of shieldtail snake discovered in Western Ghats" (in en). https://www.downtoearth.org.in/news/wildlife-biodiversity/new-species-of-shieldtail-snake-discovered-in-western-ghats-60423.
Wikidata ☰ Q63184309 entry
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