| Uropeltis | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Ceylon earth snake, U. ceylanica | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Suborder: | Serpentes |
| Family: | Uropeltidae |
| Genus: | Uropeltis Cuvier, 1829 |
| Synonyms | |
| |
Uropeltis is a genus of nonvenomous shield tail snakes endemic to peninsular India. As of 2022, 26 species are recognized as being valid. [2]
Most Uropeltis species are found in hills of peninsular India, mainly in southwestern parts of the country, including the Western Ghats and to some extent, also in the Eastern Ghats and in hills of Central India. [1]
Species in the genus Uropeltis share the following characters. The eye is in the ocular shield. There are no supraoculars nor temporals. There is no mental groove. The tail is conical or obliquely truncated, terminating in a small scute, the end of which is square, or bicuspid with the points side by side. [3]
| Species [2] [4] | Taxon author [2] [4] | Common name | Geographic range [1] [4] |
|---|---|---|---|
| U. arcticeps | (Günther, 1875) | Tinevelly shieldtail | Tirunelveli Hills |
| U. beddomii | (Günther, 1862) | Beddome's shieldtail | Anaimalai Hills |
| U. bhupathyi | Jins, Sampaio & Gower, 2018 | Bhupathy's shieldtail | Tamil Nadu |
| U. bicatenata | (Günther, 1875) | two-chained shieldtail | Pune Hills |
| U. broughami | (Beddome, 1878) | Brougham's shieldtail | Palni Hills |
| U. ceylanica T | Cuvier, 1829 | Cuvier's shieldtail | Western Ghats south of Goa |
| U. dindigalensis | (Beddome, 1877) | Dindigul shieldtail | Sirumalai Hills |
| U. ellioti | (Gray, 1858) | Elliot's shieldtail | Hills of peninsular India |
| U. grandis | (Beddome, 1867) | Smith's earth snake | Anaimalai Hills |
| U. jerdoni | Ganesh, Punith, Adhikari & Achyuthan, 2021 | Jerdon’s shieldtail snake | India (Karnataka) |
| U. liura | (Günther, 1875) | Günther's shieldtail | Southern Western Ghats |
| U. macrolepis | (W. Peters, 1862) | Bombay shieldtail | Northern Western Ghats |
| U. macrorhyncha | (Beddome, 1877) | Ponachi shieldtail | Anaimalai Hills |
| U. maculata | (Beddome, 1878) | spotted shieldtail | Anaimalai Hills |
| U. madurensis | (Beddome, 1878) | Madura earth snake | Meghamalai |
| U. myhendrae | (Beddome, 1886) | barred shieldtail | Agasthyamalai Hills |
| U. nitida | (Beddome, 1878) | Cochin shieldtail | Anaimalai Hills and Nelliyampathi |
| U. ocellata | (Beddome, 1863) | Nilgiri shieldtail | Western Ghats south of Nilgiris |
| U. petersi | (Beddome, 1878) | Peters' shieldtail | Anaimalai Hills |
| U. phipsonii | (Mason, 1888) | Phipson's shieldtail | Northern Western Ghats |
| U. pulneyensis | (Beddome, 1863) | Palni shieldtail | Southern Western Ghats |
| U. rajendrani | Ganesh & Achyuthan, 2020 | Rajendran's shieldtail | Southern Eastern Ghats |
| U. rubrolineata | (Günther, 1875) | red-lined shieldtail | Southern Western Ghats |
| U. rubromaculata | (Beddome, 1867) | red-spotted shieldtail | Anaimalai Hills |
| U. shorttii | (Beddome, 1863) | Shevaroy Hills earth snake | Yercaud |
| U. woodmasoni | (W. Theobald, 1876) | Palni shieldtail, black-bellied shieldtail | Palni Hills |
* Not including the nominate subspecies.
T Type species. [1]
Nota bene : A taxon author in parentheses indicates that the species was originally described in a genus other than Uropeltis.
The Uropeltidae, also known commonly as the shieldtails or the shield-tailed snakes, are a family of primitive, nonvenomous, burrowing snakes native 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.
Melanophidium wynaudense, commonly known as the Indian black earth snake, is a species of snake in the family Uropeltidae. The species is endemic to 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.
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 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 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.
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 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.
Rhinophis phillipsi, commonly known as Phillips' earth snake, is a species of nonvenomous snake in the family Uropeltidae. The species is endemic to Sri Lanka.
Rhinophis is a genus of nonvenomous shield tail snakes found in Sri Lanka and South India. Currently, 24 species are recognized in this genus. Of the 24 species, 18 are endemic to Sri Lanka, while 6 are endemic to South India.
Plectrurus perrotetii, commonly known as the Nilgiri burrowing snake or Perrotet's shieldtail, is a species of harmless snake in the family Uropeltidae. The species is endemic to India.
Rhinophis blythii, or Blyth's earth snake, is a species of snake in the family Uropeltidae. The species is endemic to the rain forests and grasslands of Sri Lanka.
Uropeltis madurensis, the Madurai shieldtail, is a small, fossorial, non venomous, snake of the family Uropeltidae, endemic to the Western Ghats of South India.
