Ahaetulla perroteti

Last updated

Ahaetulla perroteti
A.perrotiiiti.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Serpentes
Family: Colubridae
Subfamily: Ahaetuliinae
Genus: Ahaetulla
Species:
A. perroteti
Binomial name
Ahaetulla perroteti
Synonyms [2] [3]
  • Psammophis perroteti
    A.M.C. Duméril, Bibron & A.H.A Duméril, 1854
  • Dryophis tropidococcyx
    Günther, 1858
  • Psammophis perroteti
    — Günther, 1860
  • Tropidococcyx perroteti
    Theobald, 1868
  • Dryophis perroteti
    Boulenger, 1890
  • Ahaetulla perroteti
    Das, 1996
Close-up of the head Bronze-headed Vine Snake (Ahaetulla perroteti) by Sandeep Das.jpg
Close-up of the head

Ahaetulla perroteti, known commonly as the bronze-headed vine snake, [4] Perrotet's vine snake, [1] or the Western Ghats bronzeback, [3] is a species of mildly venomous, rear-fanged snake in the family Colubridae. The species is endemic to the Western Ghats in South India. [3]

Contents

Etymology

The specific name, perroteti, is in honor of French naturalist George Samuel Perrottet (1793–1867). [5]

Description

See snake scales for terminology.

A. perroteti has the following characters. The snout is obtusely pointed and projecting, without dermal appendage, not quite twice as long as the eye. There is no loreal; the internasals and prefrontals are in contact with the labials. The frontal is longer than its distance from the end of the snout, as long as the parietals. There is one preocular, in contact with the frontal, and one postocular. The temporals are arranged 1+2 or 2+2. There are 8 (rarely 9) upper labials, the fourth and fifth entering the eye. The 4 lower labials are in contact with the anterior chin shields, which are as long as the posterior chin shields. [6]

The dorsal scales are in 15 rows at midbody, and those on the sacral region are keeled. The ventrals number 138-140. The anal is divided, and the subcaudals number 70-82. [6]

Males are bright green above, yellowish or pale green beneath, with a green lateral line. Females are drab brownish grey with a yellowish venter. [6]

The total length (including tail) is 2 ft (61 cm). The tail is 5.5 in (14 cm). [6]

Distribution

A. perroteti is endemic to the Nilgiri Hills of the Western Ghats, in south India. It occurs in high-elevation hills, above 1,600 m (5,200 ft), of Kerala and Tamil Nadu states. This species is known from the Upper Nilgiris, including Mukurthi National Park, Silent Valley and Vellarimala or Camel's Hump and Siruvani peak. Perhaps it has the smallest geographic range of all Indian Ahaetulla species.[ citation needed ]

Biology

A. perroteti is a diurnal, terrestrial snake found actively moving about on open montane grassland above the tree line. It feeds mainly on lizards and frogs. It is seen basking in full sunlight. It rarely if ever ascends trees.[ citation needed ]

Reproduction

A. perroteti is viviparous. [3]

Related Research Articles

<i>Ahaetulla nasuta</i> Species of venomous, snake

Ahaetulla nasuta, also known as Sri Lankan green vine snake and long-nosed whip snake, is a venomous, slender green tree snake endemic to Sri Lanka.

<i>Ahaetulla dispar</i> Species of reptile

Ahaetulla dispar, the Gunther's vine snake, is a species of tree snake endemic to the Western Ghats. It is primarily restricted to the Shola forests of the Southern Western Ghats where it is found often on high-elevation montane grasslands and the low shrub belts.

<i>Ahaetulla pulverulenta</i> Species of snake

Brown-speckled whipsnake or brown vine snake is a species of colubrid vine snake endemic to Sri Lanka.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nilgiri keelback</span> Species of snake

The Nilgiri keelback, also known commonly as Beddome's keelback, is a species of snake found in the Western Ghats in India. The species is named after Richard Henry Beddome, 1830–1911, British army officer and naturalist. It was first discovered near the Nilgiris but is now known more widely from the Western Ghats. This snake is terrestrial and feeds on toads.

<i>Amphiesma monticola</i> Species of snake

Amphiesma monticola, also known as the Wynad keelback, is a harmless colubrid snake species endemic to the Western Ghats of India, where it has been recorded in the Kodagu and Wayanad regions.

<i>Boiga forsteni</i> Species of snake

Boiga forsteni, also known commonly as Forsten's cat snake, is a species of mildly venomous rear-fanged snake in the family Colubridae. The species is endemic to South Asia.

<i>Platyceps gracilis</i> Species of snake

Platyceps gracilis, commonly known as the graceful racer or slender racer, is a species of snake endemic to West India.

<i>Dendrelaphis pictus</i> Species of snake

Dendrelaphis pictus, commonly known as either the common bronzeback, painted bronzeback, or Indonesian bronzeback, is a species of colubrid snake found in Southeast Asia.

<i>Dieurostus</i> Genus of snakes

Dieurostus is a genus of snake in the family Homalopsidae. The genus Dieurostus is monotypic, containing only the species Dieurostus dussumieri, commonly known as Dussumier's water snake, or the Kerala mud snake. The species, which is mildly venomous and rear-fanged, is endemic to Kerala, in southwestern India. It was formerly thought to be found in Bangladesh, although its distribution there is now disputed.

<i>Sibynophis subpunctatus</i> Species of snake

Sibynophis subpunctatus, commonly known as Duméril's black-headed snake or Jerdon's many-toothed snake, is a species of nonvenomous colubrid snake endemic to Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka, and Nepal.

Psammophis leithii, commonly called the Pakistan sand racer, Pakistani ribbon snake, or Leith's sand snake, is a species of rear-fanged snake in the family Psammophiidae. The species is native to South Asia. It is harmless to humans.

<i>Lytorhynchus paradoxus</i> Species of snake

Lytorhynchus paradoxus, commonly known as the Sindh awl-headed snake and the Sind longnose sand snake, is a species of snake in the family Colubridae. The species is native to the desert areas of Pakistan and India (Rajasthan).

<i>Calliophis nigrescens</i> Species of reptile

Calliophis nigriscens, commonly known as the black coral snake or striped coral snake, is a species of venomous elapid snake endemic to the Western Ghats, India.

<i>Calliophis bibroni</i> Species of snake

Calliophis bibroni, commonly known as Bibron's coral snake, is a species of venomous snake in the family Elapidae. The species is native to India.

<i>Xylophis perroteti</i> Species of snake

Xylophis perroteti, commonly known as Perrotet's mountain snake and the striped narrow-headed snake, is a species of snake in the family Pareidae. The species is endemic to the Western Ghats of India.

Uropeltis myhendrae, commonly known as Boulenger's earth snake, the Mahendragiri earth snake, and the Myhendra Mountain uropeltis, is a species of snake in the family Uropeltidae. The species is endemic to India.

Uropeltis petersi, commonly known as Peter's earth snake, Peters' shieldtail, and the shieldtail earth snake, is a species of nonvenomous snake in the family Uropeltidae. The species is endemic to India.

Uropeltis rubrolineata is a species of nonvenomous shieldtail snake in the family Uropeltidae. The species is endemic to southern India. There are no subspecies that are recognized as being valid.

<i>Ahaetulla</i> Genus of snakes

Ahaetulla, commonly referred to as Asian vine snakes or Asian whip snakes, is a genus of colubrid snakes distributed throughout tropical Asia. They are considered by some scientists to be mildly venomous and are what is commonly termed as 'rear-fanged' or more appropriately, opisthoglyphous, meaning their enlarged teeth or fangs, intended to aid in venom delivery, are located in the back of the upper jaw, instead of in the front as they are in vipers or cobras. As colubrids, Ahaetulla do not possess a true venom gland or a sophisticated venom delivery system. The Duvernoy's gland of this genus, homologous to the venom gland of true venomous snakes, produces a secretion which, though not well studied, is considered not to be medically significant to humans.

<i>Plectrurus perrotetii</i> Species of snake

Plectrurus perrotetii, commonly known as the Nilgiri burrowing snake or Perrotet's shield-tail snake, is a species of harmless snake in the family Uropeltidae. The species is endemic to India.

References

  1. 1 2 Srinivasulu, C.; Srinivasulu, B.; Deepak, V.; Achyuthan, N.S. (2013). "Ahaetulla perroteti". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2013: e.T172654A1360027. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2013-1.RLTS.T172654A1360027.en . Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  2. Günther A (1860). "Note on Psammophis perroteti ". Annals and Magazine of Natural History, Third Series6: 428-429.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Ahaetulla perroteti at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database. Accessed 16 January 2019.
  4. Laladhas KP, Oommen OV, Sudhakaran PR (2015). Biodiversity Conservation – Challenges for the Future. Sharjah, United Arab Emirates: Bentham Science Publishers. ISBN   9781681080215.
  5. 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. (Ahaetulla perroteti, p. 203).
  6. 1 2 3 4 Boulenger GA (1890). The Fauna of British India, Including Ceylon and Burma. Reptilia and Batrachia. London: Secretary of State for India in Council. (Taylor & Francis, printers). xviii + 541 pp. (Dryophis perroteti, p. 368).

Further reading