Rhinophis travancoricus Boulenger, 1893

Pyron, Robert Alexander, Ganesh, Sumaithangi Rajagopalan, Sayyed, Amit, Sharma, Vivek, Wallach, Van & Somaweera, Ruchira, 2016, A catalogue and systematic overview of the shield-tailed snakes (Serpentes: Uropeltidae), Zoosystema 38 (4), pp. 453-506 : 486

Rhinophis travancoricus Boulenger, 1893

Rhinophis travancoricus Boulenger, 1893b: 318 .

TYPE MATERIAL. — Holotype: BMNH 1892.10 .5.2.

TYPE LOCALITY. — Vicinity of Thiruvanthapuram (Trivandrum), southern Kerala state (formerly the Kingdom of Travancore), India.

DISTRIBUTION. — India, in the southern Western Ghats from Thattekad to Kanyakumari, typically found mainly on of western slopes <800 m, but ranging from c. 0-1335 m (see Ferguson 1895, 1902; Smith 1943; Rajendran 1985; Wallach et al. 2014; Ganesh 2015).

DESCRIPTION

Maximum total length c. 240 mm, ventrals 132-148, subcaudals 5-9, dorsal scales in 17 rows at midbody (see Smith 1943; Rajendran 1985). Typically exhibits a non-descript color-pattern, with a purplish-brown dorsal and ventral coloration, dorsoventral and ventral scales with whitish-yellow margins, and underside of tail yellow.

REMARK

Relatively few specimens of this species seem to be known, though it has been recorded at localities other than the type locality since its description ( Boulenger 1893b; Rajendran 1985).