''Wallophis brachyura'', known
commonly as the Indian smooth snake or ''suvaro saap'', 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 rare harmless snake 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
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 ...
to
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 ...
.
Geographic range
''W. brachyura'' is found in isolated localities in the state of
Maharashtra
Maharashtra (; , abbr. MH or Maha) is a states and union territories of India, state in the western India, western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. Maharashtra is the List of states and union te ...
in western peninsular India.
[
]
Habitat
The preferred 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 ''W. brachyura'' is dry plains.[
]
Description
The following description is based on Malcolm Smith (1943):
Nostril large, between two nasals; internasals 0.3 to 0.5 as long as the prefrontals; frontal nearly as broad as long, in contact with a large preocular; loreal longer than high; 2 postoculars; temporals 2+2; 8 supralabials, 4th and 5th touching the eye; anterior genials larger than the posterior, the latter separated by two or three series of small scales. Scales in 23:23:19 rows; ventrals large, rounded; tail rather short. Ventrals 200–224; Caudals 46–53; Anals 1.
Hemipenis extending to the 13th caudal plate, not forked. The distal half is calyculate, the cups being large and with scalloped edges; the proximal half is spinose, two or three spines at the base being much larger than the others (bad specimen).
Olive-brown above, with indistinct light variegations on the anterior half of the body and head; lower parts whitish.
Total length: males , tail ; females , tail .
Range. Northern India. Poona
Pune (; ; also known as Poona, (List of renamed Indian cities and states#Maharashtra, the official name from 1818 until 1978) is one of the most important industrial and educational hubs of India, with an estimated population of 7.4 million ...
district and Visapur
Visapur is a small village near the town of Dapoli, in Ratnagiri district, Maharashtra state in Western India. The 2011 Census of India
The 2011 Census of India or the 15th Indian Census was conducted in two phases, house listing and popul ...
, near Bombay
Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second- ...
; S.E. Berar.
A rare snake.
Diet
The diet of ''W. brachyura'' is unknown.[ Das I (2002). ''A Photographic Guide to Snakes and other Reptiles of India''. Sanibel Island, Florida: Ralph Curtis Books. 144 pp. . (''Coronella brachyura'', p. 29).]
Reproduction
The manner of reproduction of ''W. brachyura'' is unknown.[
]
References
Further reading
* 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. (''Coronella brachyura'', p. 309).
* Günther A (1866). "Fifth Account of new Species of Snakes in the Collection of the British Museum". ''Annals and Magazine of Natural History, Third Series'' 18: 24-29 + Plates VI-VII. (''Zamenis brachyurus'', new species, p. 27 + Plate VI, figure A).
* Smith MA (1943). ''The Fauna of British India, Ceylon and Burma, Including the Whole of the Indo-Chinese Sub-region. Reptlia and Amphibia. Vol. III.—Serpentes.'' London: Secretary of State for India. (Taylor and Francis, printers). xii + 583 pp. (''Coronella brachyura'', pp. 194–195, Figure 60).
External links
*
*https://web.archive.org/web/20030908232013/http://itgmv1.fzk.de/www/itg/uetz/herp/photos/Coronella_brachyura.jpg
*http://www.indianaturewatch.net/displayimage.php?id=465144
{{Taxonbar
Colubrids
Reptiles described in 1929
Taxa named by Franz Werner