Uropeltis shorttii (Beddome, 1863)

Pyron, Robert Alexander, Ganesh, Sumaithangi Rajagopalan, Sayyed, Amit, Sharma, Vivek, Wallach, Van & Somaweera, Ruchira, 2016, A catalogue and systematic overview of the shield-tailed snakes (Serpentes: Uropeltidae), Zoosystema 38 (4), pp. 453-506 : 498

publication ID	https://doi.org/10.5252/z2016n4a2
publication LSID	urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:BFFD82EF-50C9-42BF-8493-DF57591EA4FF
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/03A82A47-8330-FFA8-FEC8-F944FAD1789C
treatment provided by	Felipe (2021-03-03 17:02:42, last updated by Plazi 2023-11-01 22:57:55)
scientific name	Uropeltis shorttii (Beddome, 1863)
status

Treatment

( Fig. 9D View FIG )

Silybura shorttii Beddome, 1863a: 45 View in CoL .

TYPE MATERIAL. — Five syntypes: BMNH 1874.4.29.737-739 (= 1946.1.15.91-94), and MNHN-RA-1895.100.

TYPE LOCALITY. — Near Salem, Shevaroy hills, Tamil Nadu state, India.

DISTRIBUTION. — Endemic to the Shevaroy hills (Salem District of Tamil Nadu state, India) in the southern Eastern Ghats, at elevations> 1300 m (see Ganesh et al. 2014; Ganesh 2015; Ganesh & Arumugam 2016).

DESCRIPTION

Maximum total length c. 360 mm, ventrals 137-156, subcaudals 10-12, dorsal scales in 17 rows at midbody (see Gower 2006; Ganesh et al. 2014). Tail is Smith’s (1943) state II (our Type V), resembling that of U. ceylanica or U. macrolepis in being sharply truncated at a c. 45° angle, with thickened, enlarged, bi- or tri-carinate shield scales, and terminating in an enlarged, rugose scute with two points. Snout is “Alternate Rounded”. Distinctive color-pattern, having a blackish brown dorsum and venter, with irregular partial crossbands of bright yellow down the length of the body.

REMARKS

This species (see Beddome 1863a) was recently resurrected from the synonymy of Uropeltis ceylanica (see Ganesh et al. 2014), from which it is clearly distinct based on geographic distribution and color pattern. A recent field study ( Ganesh & Arumugam 2016) in its type locality yielded further sightings of this point-endemic species. We did not examine the types; a lectotype should be chosen by future revisers.

References

BEDDOME R. H. 1863 a. - Further notes upon the snakes of the Madras Presidency; with descriptions of new species. Madras Quarterly Journal of Medical Science 6: 41 - 48.

GANESH S. R., AENGALS R. & RAMANUJAM E. 2014. - Taxonomic reassessment of two Indian shieldtail snakes in the Uropeltis ceylanicus species group (Reptilia: Uropeltidae). Journal of ThreatenedTaxa 6: 5305 - 5314. https: // doi. org / 10.11609 / JoTT. o 3636.5305 - 14

GANESH S. R. 2015. - Shieldtail snakes (Reptilia: Uropeltidae. - the Darwin's finches of south Indian snake fauna?, in KANNAN, P. (Ed.) Manual on Identification and Preparation of Keys of Snakes with Special Reference to their Venomous Nature in India. Proceedings by Government Arts College, Udhagamandalam, Tamilnadu, India, 13 - 24.

GANESH S. R. & ARUMUGAM M. 2016. - Species richness of montane herpetofauna of southern Eastern Ghats, India: a historical resume and a descriptive checklist. Russian Journal of Herpetology 23: 7 - 24.

GOWER D. J. & ABLETT J. D. 2006. - Counting ventral scales in Asian anilioid snakes. Herpetological Journal 16: 259 - 263.

SMITH M. A. 1943. - The Fauna of British India, Ceylon and Burma, Including the Whole of the Indo-Chinese Sub-Region. Reptilia and Amphibia. Vol. 3 (Serpentes). Taylor & Francis, London, 583 p.