Uropeltis bhupathyi

Uropeltis bhupathyi, commonly known as the Bhupathy’s shieldtail,[4][5] is a species of snake in the family Uropeltidae. The species is endemic to the Western Ghats in southern India.[6]

Uropeltis bhupathyi
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Serpentes
Family: Uropeltidae
Genus: Uropeltis
Species:
U. bhupathyi
Binomial name
Uropeltis bhupathyi
Jins, Sampaio & Gower, 2018[2]
Synonyms[3]

Uropeltis ellioti
Kannan & Bhupathy, 1997

Etymology

U. bhupathyi is named in honour of Indian herpetologist and biologist Subramanian Bhupathy.[7][8]

Distribution

The species, although native to the Western Ghats in India, has so far only been traced in the Anaikatti hills in Coimbatore district, Tamil Nadu.[9][10][11][12]

Description

U. bhupathyi, a non-venomous burrowing species, usually feeds on earthworms.[13] It possesses over 200 ventral scales and 17 dorsal scale rows at midbody.[14][15] The tail is short and obliquely truncate. It has keeled scales. It is dark brown in colour, with yellow stripes on either side of neck and tail. It has a metallic appearance. The species has a moderately developed tail shield. The terminal scute is wide and surrounded by 8-10 scales.[16]

It grows to about 40 cm in total length.[17]

The species suffers the risk of habitat loss. It is also affected by road traffic and pesticides.[18] It also possibly suffers from a condition rendering its head deformed, reminiscent of the snake fungal disease prevalent in North America and Europe.[19]

References
  1. "New species of shieldtail snake discovered in Western Ghats".
  2. "ITIS - Report: Uropeltis bhupathyi".
  3. "Uropeltis bhupathyi".
  4. "ZooBank.org". zoobank.org. Retrieved 2022-12-25.
  5. "ITIS - Report: Uropeltis bhupathyi". www.itis.gov. Retrieved 2022-12-25.
  6. "Uropeltis bhupathyi Jins, Sampaio & Gower, 2018 | Species". India Biodiversity Portal. Retrieved 2022-12-25.
  7. "New species of shieldtail snake discovered in Western Ghats". www.downtoearth.org.in. Retrieved 2022-12-25.
  8. Perinchery, Aathira (2018-05-03). "New snake found in Western Ghats". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 2022-12-25.
  9. "Uropeltis bhupathyi". The Reptile Database. Retrieved 2022-12-25.
  10. "Zootaxa".
  11. "ResearchGate".
  12. "Uropeltis bhupathyi Jins, Sampaio & Gower, 2018 | Species". India Biodiversity Portal. Retrieved 2022-12-25.
  13. Perinchery, Aathira (2018-05-03). "New snake found in Western Ghats". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 2022-12-25.
  14. Pskhun (2018-05-01). "Species New to Science: [Herpetology • 2018] Uropeltis bhupathyi • A New Species of Uropeltis Cuvier, 1829 (Serpentes: Uropeltidae) from the Anaikatty Hills of the Western Ghats of India". Species New to Science. Retrieved 2022-12-25.
  15. "Uropeltis bhupathyi". The Reptile Database. Retrieved 2022-12-25.
  16. "Uropeltis bhupathyi Jins, Sampaio & Gower, 2018 | Species". India Biodiversity Portal. Retrieved 2022-12-25.
  17. Perinchery, Aathira (2018-05-03). "New snake found in Western Ghats". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 2022-12-25.
  18. "Scientists describe new species of shieldtail snakes found in Anaikatti hills". Mongabay-India. 2018-07-05. Retrieved 2022-12-25.
  19. "New species of shieldtail snake discovered in Western Ghats". www.downtoearth.org.in. Retrieved 2022-12-25.
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