''Gerrhopilus thurstoni'', or Thurston's worm snake, is a
species
In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...
of harmless
blind snake
The Scolecophidia, commonly known as blind snakes or thread snakes, are an infraorder of snakes. They range in length from . All are fossorial (adapted for burrowing). Five families and 39 genera are recognized. The Scolecophidia infraorder is mos ...
in the
family
Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...
Gerrhopilidae. The species is native to western
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 ...
. No recognized
subspecies
In biological classification, subspecies is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (morphology), but that can successfully interbreed. Not all species ...
exist.
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 ...
, ''thurstoni'', is in honor of British zoologist
Edgar Thurston.
Geographic range
In western India, ''G. thurstoni'' has been found in southern
Goa
Goa () is a state on the southwestern coast of India within the Konkan region, geographically separated from the Deccan highlands by the Western Ghats. It is located between the Indian states of Maharashtra to the north and Karnataka to the ...
, from sea level to approximately 1,200 m elevation (4,000 feet),
[ and in ]Kerala
Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South ...
.[
The type locality given is "''Nilgiri Hills, Brit. Ostindien'' ".][
]
Habitat
The preferred natural habitat
In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species habitat can be seen as the physical ...
of ''G. thurstoni'' is forest
A forest is an area of land dominated by trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, and ecological function. The United Nations' ...
.
Description
''G. thurstoni'' may attain a total length (including tail) of . The body is light brown or yellowish dorsally, and paler ventrally. The snout and the anal region are whitish.[ Smith MA (1943).]
Reproduction
''G. thurstoni'' 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 ...
.[
]
References
Further reading
* Boettger O (1890). "''Neue Schlange aus Ostindien'' ". ''Berichte über die Senckenbergische Naturforschende Gesellschaft in Frankfurt am Main'' 1890: 297-298. (''Typhlops thurstoni'', new species). (in German and Latin).
* Boulenger GA (1893). ''Catalogue of the Snakes in the British Museum (Natural History). Volume I., Containing the Families Typhlopidæ ...'' London: Trustees of the British Museum (Natural History). (Taylor & Francis, printers). xiii + 448 pp. + Plates I-XXVIII. ("''Typhlops thurstonii'' ic, p. 26).
* Hedges SB, Marion AB, Lipp KM, Marin J, Vidal N (2014). "A taxonomic framework for typhlopid snakes from the Caribbean and other regions (Reptilia, Squamata)". ''Caribbean Herpetology'' (49): 1-61. (''Gerrhopilus thurstoni'', new combination).
* Procter JB (1924). "Description of a new ''Typhlops'' from S. India and Notes on ''Brachyophidium'' and ''Platyplectrurus'' ". ''Annals and Magazine of Natural History, Ninth Series'' 13: 139-142. (''Typhlops walli'', 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. (''Typhlops thurstoni'', p. 49).
Gerrhopilus
Reptiles of India
Endemic fauna of the Western Ghats
Reptiles described in 1890
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