''Lycodon deccanensis'', the Deccan wolf snake, is a species of nocturnal, non-venomous colubrid snake species endemic to

southern India South India, also known as Dakshina Bharata or Peninsular India, consists of the peninsular southern part of India. It encompasses the States and union territories of India, Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and T ...

. It was previously mistaken for another related species, ''

Lycodon travancoricus ''Lycodon travancoricus'', commonly known as the Travancore wolf snake, is a species of colubrid snake endemic to south India. Description ''Lycodon travancoricus'' is dark brown or black dorsally, with white crossbands and white lineolations ...

'', but later taxonomic studies revealed its distinctiveness.

Morphology

This is a rather small and slender ''Lycodon'' with large bulgy eyes. The back is coffee brown in adults, but black in juveniles, with a series of white cross bar-like patterns on the back and sides of the body, giving a white-mottled appearance.

Etymology

The snake is named after the

Deccan plateau The large Deccan Plateau in southern India is located between the Western Ghats and the Eastern Ghats, and is loosely defined as the peninsular region between these ranges that is south of the Narmada river. To the north, it is bounded by the ...

in India.

Distribution

This species was described from Devarayana Durga, a hill fort near

Bangalore Bangalore (), officially Bengaluru (), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Karnataka. It has a population of more than and a metropolitan population of around , making it the third most populous city and fifth most ...

. Other specimens were discovered from nearby hilly areas such as the

Horsley Hills Horsley Hills or Horsleykonda or Yenugulla Mallamma Konda is a series of hills in Andhra Pradesh in Madanapalle Taluka of Annamayya district and is about 9 miles from Madanapalle town. The local name of the hill was Yenugu Mallama Konda after a l ...

and Tirumalai in Chittoor district,

Andhra Pradesh Andhra Pradesh (, abbr. AP) is a state in the south-eastern coastal region of India. It is the seventh-largest state by area covering an area of and tenth-most populous state with 49,386,799 inhabitants. It is bordered by Telangana to the ...

as well as

Melagiri The Melagiris are a range of hills on the Eastern Ghats, bound by the river Cauvery on the west. Melagiri contain an expanse of 1295 km2 of dry deciduous and semi-evergreen forests. It is an elephant country and contains two traditional e ...

or Hogenekkal Hills in Krishnakgiri-Dharmapuri districts and Anaikatti Hills,

Coimbatore Coimbatore, also spelt as Koyamputhur (), sometimes shortened as Kovai (), is one of the major metropolitan cities in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is located on the banks of the Noyyal River and surrounded by the Western Ghats. Coimbato ...

district, Tamil Nadu. The snake inhabits hilly tracts (600–1100 m asl) covered with mixed

deciduous In the fields of horticulture and Botany, the term ''deciduous'' () means "falling off at maturity" and "tending to fall off", in reference to trees and shrubs that seasonally shed leaves, usually in the autumn; to the shedding of petals, aft ...

forest vegetation.

Natural history

This is a poorly-known species and its biology remains largely unknown. A nocturnal snake. Young ones were seen ascending tree trunks and building walls up to 1.5 m height, while adults were encountered on ground and as dead ones hit by vehicle while crossing roads. It is presumed to be egg-laying.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q102112253 deccanensis Reptiles described in 2020 Snakes of Asia