Uropeltis jerdoni

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Uropeltis jerdoni
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Suborder:	Serpentes
Family:	Uropeltidae
Genus:	Uropeltis
Species:	U. jerdoni
Binomial name
Uropeltis jerdoni Ganesh, Punith, Adhikari & Achyuthan, 2021

Uropeltis jerdoni, also known as the Jerdon's shieldtail snake, is a species of snake belonging to the family Uropeltidae. This recently described species is known from the Devarayanadurga hills, abutting the Bangalore suburbs in Bangalore Rural District and the bordering Tumkur district of Karnataka State in South India.^[1]

Etymology[]

Named in honour of Dr. Thomas Caverhill Jerdon (1811–1872), a pioneering English naturalist who worked extensively on Indian fauna. He described some of the foremost reptiles from Bangalore, including Mysore day gecko.

Identification[]

A species of Uropeltis from the Bangalore uplands, characterized by having the following combination of characters: (1) a truncate and flattened caudal shield with a circumscribed concave disc; (2) part of rostral scale visible from above subequal to its distance from frontal scale; (3) rostral partially separating nasal scales; (4) 17: 17: 17 dorsal scale rows; (5) 140–148 ventral scales and 7–9 pairs of subcaudal scales; (6) dark blackish-grey above, powdered with minute yellow specks, yellow lateral stripes on neck and tail; ventrolateral region with yellow mottling; venter black.^[1]

Distribution and habitat[]

Uropeltis jerdoni is a fossorial and nocturnal species that feeds on earthworms. It was described from the Devarayanadurga hills near Tumkur town. This species occurs in moist forest floor and under the humus-rich top soil, in hilly deciduous forest terrain.

References[]