Plectrurus perrotetii

Plectrurus perottetii
	Nilgiri burrowing snake or Perrotet's shield-tail snake
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Suborder:	Serpentes
Family:	Uropeltidae
Genus:	Plectrurus
Species:	P. perrotetii
Binomial name
	Plectrurus perrotetii; A.M.C. Duméril, Bibron & A.H.A. Duméril, 1854
Synonyms
	Plectrurus perroteti [sic] ; A.M.C. Duméril, Bibron ; & A.H.A. Duméril, 1854; Plectrurus perrotetii [sic] ; — McDiarmid, Campbell ; & Touré, 1999; Plectrurus perrotetii [sic] ; — Wallach et al., 2014;

Last updated December 28, 2023

Plectrurus perrotetii, commonly known as the Nilgiri burrowing snake or Perrotet's shield-tail snake,^[1] is a species of harmless snake in the family Uropeltidae. The species is endemic to India.

Etymology

The specific name, perrotetii or perroteti, is in honour of French naturalist George Samuel Perrottet (1793–1867).^[2]

Geographic range

P. perrotetii is found in the Western Ghats and hills of southern India.

Description

P. perrotetii is a small snake, growing to a maximum of 44 cm (17+1⁄4 in) in total length (including tail). The head is pointed, and the tail is blunt. It has smooth, glossy scales and is brown in colour.

Biology

Like the common worm snake ( Ramphotyphlops braminus ), Plectrurus perrotetii is also often mistaken for earthworms, upon which it feeds. It is considered an endangered species, and little else is known about this snake.

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References

1 2 Species Plectrurus perroteti at The Reptile Database . www.reptile-database.org
↑ 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. (Plectrurus perroteti, p. 203).