Captain's wood snake (''Xylophis captaini''), also known commonly as Captain's xylophis, is a species of snake in the family Pareidae. The species is endemic to India.

Geographic range

The holotype of ''X. captaini'' is from Kanam, Kottayam district, in the state of Kerala and was found in 2000. Captain's wood snake has been recorded at low altitudes on the western side of the southern part of the Western Ghats, south of the Palakkad Gap.

Habitat

The preferred natural habitat of ''X. captaini'' is forest at altitudes from sea level to , but it has also been found in disturbed areas such as plantations.

Description

A small species of snake, ''X. captaini'' does not exceed in total length (including tail).

Behavior

''X. captaini'' is

nocturnal Nocturnality is an animal behavior characterized by being active during the night and sleeping during the day. The common adjective is "nocturnal", versus diurnal meaning the opposite. Nocturnal creatures generally have highly developed sens ...

, and burrows in leaf litter, humus, and soil to a depth of .

Diet

''X. captaini'' preys predominantly on earthworms.

Reproduction

''X. captaini'' is

oviparous Oviparous animals are animals that lay their eggs, with little or no other embryonic development within the mother. This is the reproductive method of most fish, amphibians, most reptiles, and all pterosaurs, dinosaurs (including birds), and ...

Etymology

The

specific name Specific name may refer to: * in Database management systems, a system-assigned name that is unique within a particular database In taxonomy, either of these two meanings, each with its own set of rules: * Specific name (botany), the two-part (bino ...

, ''captaini'', and the common names, Captain's wood snake and Captain's xylophis, are in honor of Indian herpetologist

Ashok Captain Ashok Captain (born 4 September 1960) is an Indian herpetologist who has authored books and papers on Indian snakes. He was also a competing cyclist from 1977 to 1989. Eponyms Captain's wood snake (''Xylophis captaini)'' and Ashok's bronzeback ...

for his work on Indian snakes. Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). ''The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles''. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. . (''Xylophis captaini'', p. 47).