''Uropeltis beddomii'', commonly known as Beddome's earth 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 ...

Uropeltidae The Uropeltidae, also known Common name, commonly as the shieldtails or the shield-tailed snakes, are a Family (biology), family of primitive, nonvenomous, burrowing snakes native to peninsular India and Sri Lanka. The name is derived from the Gr ...

. The species is

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 ...

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 ...

Etymology

''U. beddomi'' is named after

Richard Henry Beddome Colonel Richard Henry Beddome (11 May 1830 – 23 February 1911) was a British military officer and naturalist in India, who became chief conservator of the Madras Forest Department. In the mid-19th century, he extensively surveyed several ...

(1830–1911), British army officer and

botanist Botany, also called , plant biology or phytology, is the science of plant life and a branch of biology. A botanist, plant scientist or phytologist is a scientist who specialises in this field. The term "botany" comes from the Ancient Greek wo ...

Geographic range

''U. beddomii'' is found in southern

(

Anaimalai Hills The Anamala or Anaimalai, also known as the Elephant Mountains, are a range of mountains in the southern Western Ghats of central Kerala ( Idukki district, Ernakulam district, Palakkad district, Thrissur district) and span the border of wes ...

). The type locality is "Anamallay Hills".

Description

The dorsum of ''U. beddomii'' is brown, with a yellow streak on each side of the neck. A yellow crossband is at the base of the tail, but not on the sides of the tail. The ventrum is brown mixed with yellow. The longest specimen in the type series collected by Col. Beddome is a female in total length (including tail).

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 behind the head, and in 17 rows at midbody.

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 ...

number 180-188;

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 six or seven (females). The snout is acutely pointed, strongly projecting. 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 ...

is strongly compressed, keeled above, the portion visible from above two fifths the length of the shielded part of the head. The

nasals In phonetics, a nasal, also called a nasal occlusive or nasal stop in contrast with an oral stop or nasalized consonant, is an occlusive consonant produced with a lowered velum, allowing air to escape freely through the nose. The vast majorit ...

are in contact with each other behind 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 longer than broad. The eye is very small, less than ½ the length of the ocular. The diameter of body goes 33 to 44 times in the total length. The ventrals are less than twice as large as the contiguous dorsal scales. The end of the tail is subtruncate, convex, or somewhat flattened dorsally, the scales with 3 to 5 strong keels. The terminal scute has a transverse ridge and two points. Boulenger GA (1893). ''Catalogue of the Snakes in the British Museum (Natural History). Volume I., Containing the Families ... Uropeltidæ ...'' London: Trustees of the British Museum (Natural History). (Taylor and Francis, printers). xiii + 448 pp. + Plates I-XXVIII. (''Silybura beddomii'', pp. 153-154).

Reproduction

''U. beddomii'' is

viviparous Among animals, viviparity is development of the embryo inside the body of the parent. This is opposed to oviparity which is a reproductive mode in which females lay developing eggs that complete their development and hatch externally from the m ...

References

* Beddome RH (1864). "Descriptions of New Species of the Family Uropeltidæ from Southern India, with Notes on other little-known Species". ''Annals and Magazine of Natural History, Third Series'' 13: 177-180. (''Silybura beddomii'', p. 179). * Günther A (1862). "On new Species of Snakes in the Collection of the British Museum". ''Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., Third Series'' 9: 52-59 + Plates IX & X. (''Silybura beddomii'', new species, pp. 56–57). * Günther ACLG (1864). ''The Reptiles of British India.'' London: The Ray Society. (Taylor and Francis, printers). xxvii + 452 pp. + Plates I–XXVI. (''Silybura beddomii'', p. 190 + Plate XVII, figure F wo views of head. * Sharma RC (2003). ''Handbook: Indian Snakes''. Kolkata: Zoological Survey of India. 292 pp. . * 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. ("''Uropeltis beddomei'' ic, p. 78). * Whitaker R,

Captain A Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

(2008). ''Snakes of India: The Field Guide''. Chennai: Draco Books. 495 pp. . {{Taxonbar, from=Q3013434 Uropeltidae Reptiles of India Endemic fauna of the Western Ghats Reptiles described in 1862 Taxa named by Albert Günther

Etymology

Geographic range

Description

Reproduction

References

Further reading