Aspidura guentheri
| Aspidura guentheri | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Subphylum: | Vertebrata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Suborder: | Serpentes |
| Family: | Colubridae |
| Genus: | Aspidura |
| Species: | A. guentheri |
| Binomial name | |
| Aspidura guentheri Ferguson, 1876 | |
Aspidura guentheri, commonly known as Günther's rough-sided snake[1] or කුඩා මැඩිල්ලා (kuda medilla) in Sinhala, is a species of colubrid snake endemic to Sri Lanka. It is the smallest member of the genus Aspidura.
Etymology
The specific name, guentheri, is in honor of German-born British herpetologist Albert Günther.[1][2]
Geographic range
A. guentheri is a burrowing snake restricted to the lowlands of Sri Lanka. Localities recorded include Ratnapura, Deniyaya, Yapitikanda, Kandilpana, Kosgama, Kalutara, and Balangoda at elevations of 100–500 m (330–1,640 ft).
Description
Head indistinct from neck, body cylindrical. Dorsum brown, mottled with dark brown. Forehead dark. A pale neck band present. Vertebral and lateral rows of dark spots. Venter light brown.
Scalation
Midbody dorsal scale rows 17. Preoculars present. A single postocular in contact with parietal. Ventrals 103-122. Subcaudals 18-29.
Ecology
Diet comprises mainly earthworms.
Reproduction
Clutches of 1 to 3 eggs are laid.
References
Further reading
- Boulenger GA. 1890. The Fauna of British India, Including Ceylon and Burma. Reptilia and Batrachia. London: Secretary of State for India in Council. (Taylor and Francis, printers). xviii + 541 pp. (Aspidura guentheri, p. 290).
- Boulenger GA. 1893. Catalogue of the Snakes in the British Museum (Natural History). Volume I., Containing the Families ... Colubridæ Aglyphæ, part. London: Trustees of the British Museum (Natural History). (Taylor and Francis, printers). xiii + 448 pp. + Plates I-XXVIII. (Aspidura guentheri, p. 312 + Plate XX, figure 3).
- Ferguson W. 1876. "Description of a New Snake of the Genus Aspidura ". Proc. Zool. Soc. London 1876: 819-820 (Aspidura guentheri, new species).
- Smith MA. 1943. The Fauna of British India, Ceylon and Burma, Including the Whole of the Indo-Chinese Sub-region. Reptilia and Amphibia, Vol. III.—Serpentes. London: Secretary of State for India. (Taylor and Francis, printers). xii + 583 pp. (Aspidura guentheri, p. 338).
- Wall F. 1921. Ophidia Taprobanica or the Snakes of Ceylon. Colombo, Ceylon [Sri Lanka]: Colombo Museum. (H.R. Cottle, Government Printer). xxii + 581 pp. (Aspidura guentheri, pp. 208–209).
External links
- http://reptile-database.reptarium.cz/species?genus=Aspidura&species=guentheri
- http://www.wildreach.com/reptile/Serpentes/Aspidura%20Guentheri.php
- http://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/Aspidura_guentheri
- http://eol.org/pages/795706/overview
- http://www.biologybrowser.org/node/1230757
- http://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=700774
- http://www.gbif.org/species/5223306