| Rhinophis goweri | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Suborder: | Serpentes |
| Family: | Uropeltidae |
| Genus: | Rhinophis |
| Species: | R. goweri |
| Binomial name | |
| Rhinophis goweri Aengals & Ganesh, 2013 | |
Rhinophis goweri, also known as Gower's shieldtail snake, is a recently described, little-known species of snake of the family Uropeltidae. It is endemic to the Eastern Ghats of Tamil Nadu in South India. [1] [2] [3]
Rhinophis goweri can be identified by the following combination of characters: midbody scale rows 17; convex caudal shield as long as or longer than shielded part of head; rostral not more than half as long as shielded part of head, separating prefrontal scales for more than half their length; ventral scales 215; venter and outermost scale rows without large spots; uniform dark grayish brown above and off-white heavily powdered with brown below; tail distinctly reddish orange below; dorsum uniform and unpatterned. [4] [5]
This species was named after Dr. David Gower, a herpetologist with the Natural History Museum, London, for his work on these snakes. [1]
This species was first described from Bodha Malai bordering Namakkal and Salem district of Tamil Nadu state. Later, surveys in other hills of Eastern Ghats revealed its presence in Kolli Hills, in Namakkal district. [6]
This species is slow-moving, nocturnal, fossorial, and lives in the tropical wet forests covering the higher slopes (>900 m (3,000 ft) asl) of the hills. It is thought to feed on earthworms like other snakes of the family Uropeltidae. It becomes more active during monsoon. It has been recorded from an elevation of up to 1,370 m (4,490 ft) asl, atop Kolli Hills in dense forests as well as coffee and pineapple plantations and mixed fruit orchards. [6]
The Eastern Ghats are a discontinuous range of mountains along India's eastern coast. The Eastern Ghats run from the northern Odisha through Andhra Pradesh to Tamil Nadu in the south passing some parts of Karnataka as well as Telangana. They are eroded and cut through by four major rivers of peninsular India, viz. Godavari, Mahanadi, Krishna, and Kaveri. The cradle of Eastern Ghats is Villupuram district in Tamil Nadu.
The Uropeltidae, the shieldtail or shield-tailed snakes, are a family of primitive, nonvenomous, burrowing snakes endemic to peninsular India and Sri Lanka. The name is derived from the Greek words ura ("tail") and pelte ("shield"), indicating the presence of the large keratinous shield at the tip of the tail. Seven or eight genera are recognized, depending on whether Teretrurus rhodogaster is treated in its own genus or as part of Brachyophidium. The family comprises over 50 species. These snakes are not well known in terms of their diversity, biology, and natural history.
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.
Collared Cat Snake, Boiga nuchalis is a species of nocturnal, tree-dwelling, rear-fanged colubrid snake endemic to southwestern India.
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.
Rhinophis oxyrhynchus, also known as Schneider's earth snake or Schneider's shieldtail, is a species of uropeltid snake endemic to Sri Lanka.
Rhinophis travancoricus, commonly known as the Travancore shieldtail or Tamil Nadu earth snake, is a species of uropeltid snake endemic to India.
Uropeltis ceylanica is a nonvenomous shield tail snake species endemic to the Western Ghats of South India. No subspecies are currently recognized; but the presence of several synonyms, many recently resurrected, calls for further taxonomic studies of this species complex.
Uropeltis dindigalensis, commonly known as the Sirumalai Hills earth snake or the Dindigul Uropeltis, is a species of snake in the family Uropeltidae. It is endemic to Sirumalai and surrounding hill ranges of Southern Eastern Ghats, in Dindigul district of Tamil Nadu state in South India.
Uropeltis ellioti, commonly known as Elliot's earth snake, is a species of snake in the family Uropeltidae. The species is endemic to India.
Uropeltis nitida is a species of nonvenomous shield tail snake. It is endemic to southern India. No subspecies are currently recognized.
Uropeltis pulneyensis, commonly known as the Palni shieldtail, is a species of uropeltid snake endemic to the Western Ghats of India.
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.
Uropeltis is a genus of nonvenomous shield tail snakes endemic to peninsular India. As of 2017, 23 species are recognized.
Rhinophis is a genus of nonvenomous shield tail snakes found in Sri Lanka and South India. Currently, 22 species are recognized in this genus. Of the 22 species, 17 are endemic to Sri Lanka, while 5 are endemic to South India.
Kolli Hills or Kolli Malai is a small mountain range located in Western Tamil Nadu and spread over the Namakkal district of India. The mountains rise to 1300m in height and cover an area of approximately 280 km2. They are part of the Eastern Ghats, which is a mountain range that runs mostly parallel to the east coast of South India. The mountain is a site of pilgrimage, because of the Arapaleeswarar temple, but the area is also popular with Motor cycle enthusiasts because of the high altitude motor-able terrain with 70 hairpin bends.
Teretrurus rhodogaster is a species of nonvenomous shield tail snake, endemic to the Western Ghats of India. It is known as Wall's shield tail snake, Palni Mountain burrowing snake, or red-bellied shieldtail.
Uropeltis shorttii, also known as the Shevaroy Hills earth snake or Shortt's shieldtail snake, is a species of non-venomous snake endemic to the Southern Eastern Ghats of India. This species was first described as Silybura shorttii by Richard Henry Beddome, in 1863. It is found only in the Shevaroy Hills of Salem district in Tamil Nadu state in South India. This species was misclassified into Uropeltis ceylanica, a snake endemic to the Western Ghats, for a long time, till a recent taxonomic study proved it to be a distinct species with a very narrow geographic range. It is a burrowing snake, presumed to be nocturnal; feeding on soft-bodied worms. Becomes active during the rains. This is a "data deficient" species, as it is yet to assessed for its conservation status.
Uropeltis rajendrani commonly known as the Rajendran's shieldtail, is a species of snake belonging to the family Uropeltidae. This recently described species is known only from a few hills in the Southern Eastern Ghats, in Namakkal and the bordering Salem district of Tamil Nadu State in South India.
Uropeltis madurensis, the Madurai shieldtail, is a small, fossorial, non venomous, snake of the family Uropeltidae, endemic to the Western Ghats of South India.