Boiga dightoni

Boiga dightoni
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Suborder:	Serpentes
Family:	Colubridae
Genus:	Boiga
Species:	B. dightoni
Binomial name
	Boiga dightoni; (Boulenger, 1894)
Synonyms
	Dipsas dightoni ; Boulenger, 1894; Dipsadomorphus dightonii ; — Boulenger, 1896; Boiga dightoni ; — M.A. Smith, 1943;

Boiga dightoni, commonly known as the Pirmad cat snake or the Travancore cat snake,^[2]^[3] is a species of rear-fanged colubrid endemic to the Western Ghats of India.

Etymology[]

The common name, Pirmad cat snake, refers to Peermade (also spelled Peermad, Pirmaad, Pirmed, and Pirmedu), a place in Kerala, India, elevation 3,300 feet (1,006 m).

The specific name or epithet, dightoni, is in honor of tea planter S.M. Dighton, the collector of the holotype specimen.^[3]

Geographic range[]

In India Boiga dightoni is found in the Ponmudi Hills and Travancore Hills of Kerala State, and in the Anaimalai Hills and Palni Hills of western Tamil Nadu State.^[2]

Description[]

Boiga dightoni is pale reddish-brown dorsally, with a series of salmon-red blotches. Its head is pale brown with minute blackish dots. Ventrally, it is yellowish, finely-dotted with brown. The outer ends of the ventral scales are salmon-pink. It is medium-sized, adults attaining a total length (including tail) of 1.1 m (3.6 feet).^[4]

Behavior[]

Boiga dightoni is arboreal and nocturnal.^[2]

Habitat[]

Boiga dightoni inhabits trees and shrubs in forested areas.^[2]

Diet[]

Boiga dightoni preys on lizards, including Calotes versicolor.^[2]

Venom[]

Although rear-fanged and possessing a mild venom, Boiga dightoni is not considered dangerous to humans, mainly due to its small size.^[2]

References[]

^ "Boiga dightoni ". The Reptile Database. www.reptile-database.org.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Das I (2002). A Photographic Guide to Snakes and other Reptiles of India. Sanibel Island, Florida: Ralph Curtis Books. 144 pp. ISBN 0-88359-056-5. (Boiga dightoni, p. 22).
^ ^a ^b 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. (Boiga dightoni, p. 72).
^ Boulenger GA (1896). Catalogue of the Snakes in the British Museum (Natural History). Volume III., Containing the Colubridæ (Opisthoglyphæ and Proteroglyphæ) ... London: Trustees of the British Museum (Natural History). (Taylor and Francis, printers). xiv + 727 pp. + Plates I-XXV. (Dipsadomorphus dightonii, pp. 69-70).