Brown-speckled whipsnake or brown vine snake (''Ahaetulla pulverulenta'') is a species of tree snake

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...

. Populations in the Western Ghats of

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

are now considered a separate species, ''

Ahaetulla sahyadrensis ''Ahaetulla sahyadrensis'' is a species of tree snake endemic to the Western Ghats of India. It is also reported from Bangladesh. Taxonomy It was formerly considered conspecific with '' A. pulverulenta'' (now considered to be restricted to ...

''. It is known as හෙනකදයා (''henakadaya'') in Sinhala; this name provided the name

anaconda Anacondas or water boas are a group of large snakes of the genus '' Eunectes''. They are found in tropical South America. Four species are currently recognized. Description Although the name applies to a group of snakes, it is often used ...

Description

:''See

snake scales Snakes are elongated, limbless, carnivorous reptiles of the suborder Serpentes . Like all other squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping scales. Many species of snakes have skulls with several more joints ...

for terms used'' Snout pointed, terminating in a dermal appendage which is longer than the eye, formed below by the rostral, and covered above with numerous small scales or warts; the length of the snout, without the dermal appendage, more than twice the diameter of the eye. Nasals in contact behind the rostral appendage, or narrowly separated; no loreal; internasals and prefrontals in contact with the labials; frontal as long as its distance from the nasals, as long as the parietals or a little longer; two preoculars, with one subocular below, the upper preocular in contact with the frontal; two postoculars; temporals 2+3 or 2+2; upper labials 8, fifth entering the eye; 4 lower labials in contact with the anterior chin-shields, which are shorter than the posterior. Scales in 15 rows, ventrals 182–194; anal divided; subcaudals 154–173. Greyish, powdered with brown, with blackish transverse spots above; a dark brown rhomboidal spot on the upper surface of the head, and a brown band on each side, passing through the eye. Boulenger, George A. 1890 The Fauna of British India, Including Ceylon and Burma. Reptilia and Batrachia. Taylor & Francis, London, xviii, 541 pp. Total length 5 feet 10 inches; tail 2 feet 4 inches. File:Ahaetulla pulverulenta head profile from top.jpg, Head profile from top File:Ahaetulla pulverulenta2.jpg File:Ahaetulla pulverulenta head view and eye profile.jpg, Head view and eye profile File:Ahaetulla pulverulenta3.jpg File:Ahaetulla pulverulenta4.jpg

References

* Duméril, A. M. C., Bibron, G. & Duméril, A. H. A., 1854 Erpétologie générale ou histoire naturelle complète des reptiles. Tome septième. Deuxième partie, comprenant l'histoire des serpents venimeux. Paris, Librairie Encyclopédique de Roret: i-xii + 781-1536 * Khaire, A.;Khaire, N. 1993 Occurrence of brown whip snake Ahaetulla pulverulenta (Dum. & Bibr.) in Pune, India Snake 25: 147-148 * Venkatraman, C.;Gokula, V.;Kumar, Saravana 1997 Occurrence of brown whip snake (Ahaetulla pulverulenta) in Siruvani foothills Cobra 28: 36-37

External links

* https://www.flickr.com/photos/lal_trekila/5824193473/ * https://www.flickr.com/photos/lal_trekila/5811369272/ {{Taxonbar, from=Q2710650 Ahaetulla Snakes of Asia Reptiles of Sri Lanka Endemic fauna of Sri Lanka Reptiles described in 1854 Taxa named by André Marie Constant Duméril Taxa named by Gabriel Bibron Taxa named by Auguste Duméril

Description

References

Further reading

External links