| Purple-red earth snake | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Suborder: | Serpentes |
| Family: | Uropeltidae |
| Genus: | Teretrurus |
| Species: | T. sanguineus |
| Binomial name | |
| Teretrurus sanguineus | |
| Synonyms [3] | |
| |
The purple-red earth snake (Teretrurus sanguineus) is a species of nonvenomous shield tail snake, endemic to southern India. No subspecies are currently recognized. [4]
Found in southern India in Wynaad, Travancore (in Nalumukku at 1,350 m elevation and Oothu at 1,300 m), the Manimuthar Hills (in the Western Ghats of the Tinnevelly district) and Nyamakad (Western Ghats of the Kerala Munar Hills at 2,200 m).
The type locality given is "Anamallay forests; 4,000 feet elevation." [2]
Dorsum brown or purplish red. Ventrum red, blotched with black in some specimens.
Total length 22 cm (8+5⁄8 in).
Dorsal scales arranged in 15 rows at midbody (in 17 rows behind the head). Ventrals 120–150; subcaudals 5–10.
Eye distinct from the neighboring shields, of moderate size. Snout obtuse. Rostral small, but visible from above. Frontal longer than broad. Supraocular about as large as the eye, as long as or shorter than the prefrontals. Temporal about ½ the length of the parietals. Diameter of the body 22 to 28 times in the total length. Ventrals nearly two times as broad as the contiguous scales. In females dorsal scales of the tail smooth or faintly keeled. In males all the dorsal scales of the tail plus the last ventrals pluricarinate. Tail ending in a simple laterally compressed point. [5]
Craspedocephalus macrolepis, commonly known as the large-scaled pit viper, is a venomous pitviper species endemic to the Southern Western Ghats of South India. No subspecies are currently recognized.
Lycodon travancoricus, commonly known as the Travancore wolf snake, is a species of colubrid snake endemic to south India.
Melanophidium bilineatum, commonly known as the two-lined black shieldtail or iridescent shieldtail, is a species of snake endemic to India. This species was known from only three specimens and very little information is available of it in the wild.
Melanophidium punctatum, commonly known as Beddome's black shieldtail or Beddome's black earth snake, is a species of shieldtail snake endemic to the Western Ghats of India.
Platyplectrurus madurensis, commonly known as the Travancore Hills thorntail snake, Palni purple-brown worm thorntail snake, or Madurai shieldtail, is a species of uropeltid snake. It is found in southern India and, depending on the source, Sri Lanka.
Platyplectrurus trilineatus, commonly known as the Tri-striped shieldtail snake or the lined thorntail snake, is a species of uropeltid snake endemic to the Western Ghats of Southern India. Like most other shieldtail snakes, it is presumed to be a nocturnal, fossorial snake inhabiting evergreen forests. A very rare snake, about which nothing is known in terms of live colouration and natural history.
The Karnataka burrowing snake is a species of uropeltid snake endemic to India.
Rhinophis sanguineus, commonly known as the salty earth snake, is a species of uropeltid snake found in the Western Ghats of India.
Uropeltis ceylanica is a species of nonvenomous shieldtail snake in the family Uropeltidae. The species is endemic to the Western Ghats of South India. No subspecies are currently recognized as being valid, but the presence of several synonyms, many recently resurrected, calls for further taxonomic studies of this species complex. It is a burrowing snake with a pointy head equipped to penetrate the soil. It has a thick tail which looks as if it has been cut at an angle. In Kerala it's called iru thala moori, which means two headed organism, as the tail end looks like another head. It primarily eats earth worms.
Uropeltis dindigalensis, commonly known as the Dindigul uropeltis and the Sirumalai Hills earth snake, is a species of snake in the family Uropeltidae. The species is endemic to Sirumalai and surrounding hill ranges of the southern Eastern Ghats, in Dindigul district of Tamil Nadu state in South India.
Uropeltis ellioti, commonly known as Elliot's earth snake and Elliot's shieldtail, is a species of snake in the family Uropeltidae. The species is endemic to India.
Uropeltis macrolepis, commonly known as the Bombay earth snake, the Bombay shieldtail, and the large-scaled shieldtail, is a species of snake in the family Uropeltidae. The species is endemic to southern India. There are two recognized subspecies.
Uropeltis macrorhyncha is a species of nonvenomous snake in the family Uropeltidae. The species is endemic to India. There are no subspecies that are recognized as being valid.
Uropeltis maculata, also known commonly as the spotted earth snake and the spotted shieldtail, is a species of nonvenomous snake in the family Uropeltidae. The species is endemic to southern India. There are no subspecies that are recognized as being valid.
Uropeltis nitida is a species of nonvenomous shieldtail snake. The species is endemic to southern India. There are no subspecies that are recognized as being valid.
Uropeltis ocellata is a species of non-venomous shieldtail snake in the family Uropeltidae. The species is indigenous to southern India. There are no subspecies that are recognized as being valid.
Uropeltis pulneyensis, commonly known as the Indian earth snake and the Palni shieldtail, is a species of snake in the family Uropeltidae. The species is endemic to the Western Ghats of 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.
Uropeltis rubromaculata 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.
Smith's earth snake, also known commonly as the violet shieldtail, is a species of nonvenomous snake in the family Uropeltidae. The species is endemic to India.
