| Smith's earth snake | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Suborder: | Serpentes |
| Family: | Uropeltidae |
| Genus: | Uropeltis |
| Species: | U. grandis |
| Binomial name | |
| Uropeltis grandis (Beddome, 1867) | |
| Synonyms [2] | |
| |
Smith's earth snake (Uropeltis grandis), also known commonly as the violet shieldtail, is a species of nonvenomous snake in the family Uropeltidae. The species is endemic to India.
U. grandis is found in the Anaimalai Hills of Kerala, southern India. [2]
U. grandis had been classified in the past as Rhinophis grandis Beddome, Silybura grandis (Beddome), and Uropeltis grandis (Beddome). [3] In 1966 Carl Gans renamed this species Uropeltis smithi in honor of American herpetologist Hobart M. Smith. [4]
Smith's earth snake, like all shieldtail snakes, has a characteristic pointed head and flattened tail. [5]
The dorsum is dark violet. The venter is dark violet with alternating large yellow spots or crossbands.
Adults may attain 48 cm (18+7⁄8 in) in total length (including tail).
The smooth dorsal scales are arranged in 19 rows at midbody (in 21 rows behind the head). The ventrals number 198-218; and the subcaudals number 6-12.
The snout is pointed. The rostral is ⅓ or ¼ the length of the shielded part of the head. The portion of the rostral visible from above is longer than its distance from the frontal. The nasals are either in contact with each other behind the rostral, or separated from each other by the rostral. The frontal is longer than broad. The eye is very small, its diameter less than ½ the length of the ocular shield. The diameter of the body goes 30 to 40 times into the total length. The ventrals are about two times as large as the contiguous scales, and are pluricarinate posteriorly in males. The tail is round or slightly laterally compressed, and the dorsal scales of the tail are strongly pluricarinate. The terminal scute has two small spines. [6]
The preferred natural habitat of U. grandis is moist forest, at altitudes of 1,200–1,400 m (3,900–4,600 ft). [1] [2]
U. grandis is viviparous. [2]
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.
Uropeltis beddomii, commonly known as Beddome's earth snake, is a species of snake in the family Uropeltidae. The species is endemic to India.
Uropeltis broughami, commonly known as Brougham's earth snake or the Sirumalai shieldtail, is a species of snake in the family Uropeltidae. The species is endemic to the Western Ghats in southern 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 liura, commonly known as the Ashambu shieldtail and Günther's earth snake, is a species of snake in the family Uropeltidae. The species is endemic to India.
Uropeltis macrolepis, commonly known as the Bombay earth snake, is a species of snake in the family Uropeltidae. It is endemic to southern India.
Uropeltis macrorhyncha is a nonvenomous shield tail snake species endemic to India. No subspecies are currently recognized.
Uropeltis maculata is a nonvenomous shield tail snake species endemic to southern India. No subspecies are currently recognized. Its common name is spotted earth snake.
Uropeltis myhendrae, commonly known as Mahendragiri earth snake or the Myhendra Mountain Uropeltis, is a species of snake in the family Uropeltidae. It is endemic to Western Ghats.
Uropeltis nitida is a species of nonvenomous shield tail snake. It is endemic to southern India. No subspecies are currently recognized.
Uropeltis ocellata is a non-venomous shield tail snake species found in southern India.
Uropeltis petersi, commonly known as the Peter's earth snake, is a species of nonvenomous snake in the family Uropeltidae. It is endemic to India.
Uropeltis phipsonii, commonly known as Phipson's shieldtail, is a species of snake in the family Uropeltidae. The species is endemic to India.
Uropeltis pulneyensis, commonly known as the Palni shieldtail, is a species of uropeltid snake endemic to the Western Ghats of India.
Uropeltis rubrolineata is a nonvenomous shield tail snake species endemic to southern India. No subspecies are currently recognized.
Uropeltis rubromaculata is a nonvenomous shield tail snake species endemic to southern India. No subspecies are currently recognized.
Uropeltis woodmasoni, commonly known as Wood-Mason's earth snake or Woodmason's earth snake, is a species of snake in the family Uropeltidae. The species is endemic to India.
Uropeltis melanogaster, or Gray's earth snake, is a species of small snake in the family Uropeltidae, endemic to Sri Lanka.
