Eryx conicus (Schneider, 1801)

Chandramouli, S. R., 2022, Snake fauna of the Andaman Islands, Bay of Bengal-A review of species richness taxonomy, distribution, natural history and conservation status, Zootaxa 5209 (3), pp. 301-331 : 320

Eryx conicus (Schneider, 1801)

( Fig. 9D )

Material: none.

One individual was reported from a household in Wandoor, South Andaman and rescued. Morphology: Specimen typical of the species with a stout, short body. Dorsal pattern consisting of dark brown alternate blotches on a sandy brown background.

Remarks: Members of the genus Eryx are predominantly an African / Middle-East Asian elements and are unknown from the Andaman Islands ( Whitaker and Captain, 2008). It is possible that this individual may have landed up in the Andaman Islands through human agency by pet-trade (also see Gokulakrishnan et al., 2019). As this is not a native species to the Andaman Islands, it is not considered in the analysis of the Andaman snake fauna presented below. But nevertheless it is mentioned here to sensitize about exotic snake species in the Andaman Islands.

Figures

FIGURE 9. (A) Laticauda colubrina (South Andaman), (B & C) male and female Trimeresurus andersoni (South Andaman), (D) Eryx conicus (South Andaman), (E) the snake that appears to be Hebius nicobariensis (Havelock: photo: Binu)