Sibynophis subpunctatus
| Sibynophis subpunctatus | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Suborder: | Serpentes |
| Family: | Colubridae |
| Genus: | Sibynophis |
| Species: | S. subpunctatus
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| Binomial name | |
| Sibynophis subpunctatus | |
| Synonyms | |
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Polyodontophis subpunctatus A.M.C Duméril, Bibron & A.H.A Duméril, 1854 | |
Sibynophis subpunctatus, commonly known as Duméril's black-headed snake or Jerdon's many-toothed snake, is a species of nonvenomous colubrid snake endemic to Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka, and Nepal.
Behavior
[edit]Sibynophis subpunctatus is active by day as well as at night. It lives in leaf litter, preying on geckos, skinks, and smaller snakes.
Description
[edit]Maximum size is 18 inches (46 cm).
Rostral scale nearly twice as broad as deep; suture between the internasals a little shorter than that between the prefrontals; frontal longer than its distance from the end of the snout, as long as the parietals or a little shorter; loreal longer than deep; one preocular; two postoculars, both in contact with the parietal; temporals 1 (or 2) + 2; 9 or 10 upper labials, fifth and sixth, or fourth, fifth, and sixth, entering the eye; eighth upper labial usually excluded from the labial margin, simulating a lower anterior temporal; 4 lower labials in contact with the anterior chin shields, the first lower labial usually separated from its fellow by the mental; posterior chin shields a little longer than the anterior chin shields.
Dorsal scales in 17 rows. Ventrals 151-220 (240 according to Blanford); anal divided; subcaudals 47-76.
Pale brown above, with a vertebral series of small round black spots; usually a more or less distinct dark lateral line or series of dots; head and nape dark brown or black; lips, canthus rostralis, a transverse line between the eyes, and two broad cross-bands, one in front and one behind the nape, all yellow; the dark colour often extending along the median line, bisecting the yellow collar; lower surfaces yellow, each shield with a black dot near its outer border.[2]
Sri Lankan specimens have 157 to 176 ventrals and 52-64 subcaudals.[3]
Geographic range
[edit]Sibynophis subpunctatus occurs in Bangladesh, through most of India including the Western Ghats, Eastern Ghats and pockets of Central India as well as in Sri Lanka.[2] Specimens from the Northeast of India are probably those of Sibynophis sagittarius.[4] In Sri Lanka it is found mostly towards the west coast from Puttalam to Kalutara.[5]
References
[edit]- ^ Mohapatra, P.; Srinivasulu, C.; Ganesh, S.R. & Wickramasinghe, L.J.M. (2021). "Sibynophis subpunctatus". The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2021. IUCN: e.T172591A1347868. Retrieved 13 December 2021.
- ^ a b Boulenger, G.A. 1890. The Fauna of British India, Including Ceylon and Burma. Reptilia and Batrachia. Secretary of State for India in Council. (Taylor & Francis, Printers). London. xviii + 541 pp. (Polyodontophis subpunctatus, p. 303.)
- ^ Wall, F. 1921. Ophidia Taprobanica or the Snakes of Ceylon. Colombo Museum. (H.R. Cottle, Government Printer). Colombo, Ceylon. xxii + 581 pp. (Polyodontophis subpunctatus, pp. 84-89.)
- ^ Captain, Ashok; David J. Gower; Patrick David; Aaron M. Bauer. 2004. Taxonomic status of the Colubrid snake Sibynophis subpunctatus (Dumeril, Bibron & Dumeril, 1854). Hamadryad 28 (1): 90-94.
- ^ [1] Accessed December 2006
Other references
[edit]- Duméril, A.M.C., G. Bibron & A.H.A. Duméril 1854 Erpétologie générale ou Histoire Naturelle complète des Reptiles. Vol. 7 (partie 1). Paris, xvi + 780 S.
- Sharma, Satish Kumar 1998 Range extension of the Dumeril's black-headed snake Sibynophis subpunctatus (Dum. & Bibr., 1854) Cobra 32: 32-33.
- Vyas, Raju 1986 Extension of the range of Dumeril's black headed snake (Sibynophis subpunctatus). Hamadryad 11 (3): 24.