''Lytorhynchus paradoxus'', commonly known as the Sindh awl-headed snake and the Sind longnose sand 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 ...

snake Snakes are elongated, Limbless vertebrate, limbless, carnivore, carnivorous reptiles of the suborder Serpentes . Like all other Squamata, squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping Scale (zoology), scales. Ma ...

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 ...

Colubridae Colubridae (, commonly known as colubrids , from la, coluber, 'snake') is a family of snakes. With 249 genera, it is the largest snake family. The earliest species of the family date back to the Oligocene epoch. Colubrid snakes are found on ever ...

. The species is native to the desert areas of

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

and

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 ...

(

Rajasthan Rajasthan (; lit. 'Land of Kings') is a state in northern India. It covers or 10.4 per cent of India's total geographical area. It is the largest Indian state by area and the seventh largest by population. It is on India's northwestern si ...

Description

The snout of ''L. paradoxus'' is long and acutely pointed. The

rostral Rostral may refer to: Anatomy * Rostral (anatomical term), situated toward the oral or nasal region * Rostral bone, in ceratopsian dinosaurs * Rostral organ, of certain fish * Rostral scale, in snakes and scaled reptiles Other uses * Rostral colu ...

has a lateral cleft. The suture between the

internasals In snakes, the internasal scales are those on top of the head between the scales that surround the nostrils. Wright AH, Wright AA (1957). ''Handbook of Snakes of the United States and Canada''. Ithaca and London: Comstock Publishing Associates. (7 ...

is shorter than that between the prefrontals and shorter than the upper part of the rostral. The

frontal Front may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''The Front'' (1943 film), a 1943 Soviet drama film * ''The Front'', 1976 film Music *The Front (band), an American rock band signed to Columbia Records and active in the 1980s and ea ...

is nearly as long as its distance from the end of the snout, as long as the parietals. The

supraocular In scaled reptiles, supraocular scales are (enlarged) scales on the crown immediately above the eye.Mallow D, Ludwig D, Nilson G. 2003. True Vipers: Natural History and Toxinology of Old World Vipers. Malabar, Florida: Krieger Publishing Company. ...

is narrow. There are three preoculars and two postoculars. The temporals are arranged 2+2 or 2+3. There are 8 upper labials, the fifth entering the eye. There are 4 lower labials in contact with the anterior

chin shields Chin shields or chinshields, genials scales on a snake are scales found on the underside of the snake's head towards the anterior and touching the lower labial scales. Chin shields to the front of the snake (towards the snout) are called anterior c ...

. The anterior chin shields are shorter but much broader than the posterior chin shields. The

dorsal scales In snakes, the dorsal scales are the longitudinal series of plates that encircle the body, but do not include the ventral scales. Campbell JA, Lamar WW (2004). ''The Venomous Reptiles of the Western Hemisphere''. Ithaca and London: Comstock Publis ...

are in 19 rows at midbody. The

ventrals In snakes, the ventral scales or gastrosteges are the enlarged and transversely elongated scales that extend down the underside of the body from the neck to the anal scale. When counting them, the first is the anteriormost ventral scale that cont ...

are slightly angulate laterally, and number 169-175. The

anal Anal may refer to: Related to the anus *Related to the anus of animals: ** Anal fin, in fish anatomy ** Anal vein, in insect anatomy ** Anal scale, in reptile anatomy *Related to the human anus: ** Anal sex, a type of sexual activity involvin ...

is divided. The

subcaudals In snakes, the subcaudal scales are the enlarged plates on the underside of the tail.Wright AH, Wright AA. 1957. Handbook of Snakes. Comstock Publishing Associates (7th printing, 1985). 1105 pp. . These scales may be either single or divided (pair ...

number 40-53. The body is cream-coloured above, with a

dorsal Dorsal (from Latin ''dorsum'' ‘back’) may refer to: * Dorsal (anatomy), an anatomical term of location referring to the back or upper side of an organism or parts of an organism * Dorsal, positioned on top of an aircraft's fuselage * Dorsal co ...

series of transverse brown spots and a less distinct lateral series of smaller spots on each side. There is a large rhomboidal brown spot on the back of the head, and a brown band behind the eye. The lower parts are white . The total length is , including the tail which is long. 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. (''Lytorhynchus paradoxus'', new combination, p. 323 + Figure 98 on p. 322).

Reproduction

''L. paradoxus'' 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

, Khandal D (2004). "First record of ''Lytorhynchus paradoxus'' (Günther, 1875) from the Republic of India, with notes on its distribution". ''Hamadryad'' 28 (1&2): 123-127. * 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. (''Lytorhynchus paradoxus'', p. 416). * Günther A (1875). "Second Report on Collections of Indian Reptiles obtained by the British Museum". ''Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London'' 1875: 224-234. (''Acontiophis paradoxa'', new species, pp. 232–233, Figure 5). * Murray JA (1884). "Additions to the Reptilian Fauna of Sind". ''Annals and Magazine of Natural History, Fifth Series'' 14: 106-111. * 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. (''Lytorhynchus paradoxus'', pp. 191–192). * Whitaker R,

(2008). ''Snakes of India: The Field Guide''. Chennai: Draco Books. 495 pp. . {{Taxonbar, from=Q3016462 Lytorhynchus Reptiles of Pakistan Reptiles described in 1875 Taxa named by Albert Günther Reptiles of India

Description

Reproduction

References

Further reading