Aspidura deraniyagalae

Aspidura deraniyagalae
Conservation status
	; Critically Endangered (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Suborder:	Serpentes
Family:	Colubridae
Genus:	Aspidura
Species:	A. deraniyagalae
Binomial name
	Aspidura deraniyagalae; Gans & , 1982

Aspidura deraniyagalae, commonly known as Deraniyagala's rough-sided snake, the Sri Lanka rough-sided snake, and කදු මැඩිල්ලා (kandu medilla) in Sinhala, is a colubrid species endemic to Sri Lanka.

Etymology[]

The specific name, deraniyagalae, is in honor of Sri Lankan zoologist Paules Edward Pieris Deraniyagala.^[2]

Geographic range[]

Aspidura deraniyagalae is known from the eastern slopes of the central highlands of Sri Lanka. Localities recorded are Namunukula, Kanawarella, Spring Valley, and Pindarawatta, at elevations of around 1,520 m (4,990 ft).

Description[]

Aspidura deraniyagalae is a small snake. The head is indistinct from the neck, and the body is cylindrical in cross section. The dorsum is light beige to dark brown. The head is dark-pigmented. The venter is blackish-brown, with lighter mottling.

Scalation[]

Aspidura deraniyagalae has the following scalation. The dorsal scales are arranged in 17 rows at midbody. Preoculars are present, forming a part of the anterior border of the orbit of the eye. The 2 postoculars are in contact with the parietal. Ventrals 117–122. Subcaudals 13–26.

Reproduction[]

Sexually mature females of A. deraniyagalae produce about 2 to 4 eggs at a time.

References[]

^ Wickramasinghe, L.J.M. (2021). "Aspidura deraniyagalae". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2021: e.T197195A123311992. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
^ Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. ISBN 978-1-4214-0135-5. (Aspidura deraniyagalae, p. 70).