Uropeltis Cuvier, 1829

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 : 488-489

Uropeltis Cuvier, 1829

Uropeltis Cuvier, 1829: 76 .

Siluboura Gray, 1845: 142. Type species: Uropeltis ceylanica Cuvier, 1829 , by monotypy. The unjustified emendation Silybura Peters, 1861 later entered widespread usage (e.g., Beddome 1886; Boulenger 1893a).

Coloburus Duméril in Duméril & Duméril, 1851: 224. Type species: Uropeltis ceylanica Cuvier, 1829 , by monotypy.

TYPE SPECIES. — Uropeltis ceylanica Cuvier, 1829 , by subsequent designation of Fitzinger (1843).

INCLUDED SPECIES. — Uropeltis arcticeps , U. beddomii , U. bicatenata , U. broughami , U. ceylanica , U. dindigalensis , U. ellioti , U. grandis , U. liura , U. macrolepis , U. macrorhyncha , U. maculata , U. madurensis , U. myhendrae , U. nitida , U. ocellata , U. petersi , U. phipsonii , U. pulneyensis , U. rubrolineata , U. rubromaculata , U. shorttii , and U. woodmasoni .

DIAGNOSIS. — Uropeltis can be distinguished from all other amniotes by the characters given for the family, and from other uropeltids by united oculars, nasals in contact (except U. pulneyensis and some U. grandis ), no temporal, no mental groove, dorsal scales in 15-19 rows at midbody, Oberhäutchen dentitions that are> 1.7 mm and 51-80% of the total cell size in all species examined thusfar ( U. phipsonii , U. ellioti , and U. ceylanica ; Gower 2003), and shortened, compressed tail that is either 1) rounded with keeled dorsal scales terminating in a somewhat enlarged convex cap formed by the terminal scute (Type III), 2) shortened, heavily truncated tail ending in a distinct flattened disc covered in multicarinate scales, with a terminal scute bearing multiple distinct points (Type IV), or 3) shortened, heavily truncated tail ending in a convex disc covered in multicarinate scales with a terminal scute bearing multiple distinct points (Type V; Fig. 3 ).

DISTRIBUTION. — Peninsular India, mainly in the Western Ghats of eastern Kerala and southwestern Tamil Nadu, with some species extending North as far as Surat, Dangs ( Uropeltis macrolepis ) and into the Central Indian hills and the Eastern Ghats ( U. ellioti and U. shorttii ; see Smith 1943; Rajendran 1985; McDiarmid et al. 1999; Whitaker & Captain 2004; Ganesh et al. 2014; Wallach et al. 2014; Ganesh 2015).

DESCRIPTION

For the 15 specimens from 14 species dissected, none of the characteristics of visceral topology examined are uniquely diagnostic of the genus at the reduced significance level used (<0.001). However, several features are near or outside the range of variation seen in the other genera, and larger sample sizes from more taxa may reveal them to be diagnostic. These are smaller densely vascularized portion of the right lung (mean 6.2% SVL vs 7.4%), more posterior tip of the right lung (57% vs 53%), more posterior left lung orifice (33% vs 30%), and larger number of tracheal rings (mean of 222 vs 185).

REMARKS

Following the taxonomic actions taken above, this genus does not occur in Sri Lanka. Some Indian members of this group bearing putative Rhinophis - type snout or shield morphologies (but rarely in combination), such as Uropeltis grandis , U. macrorhyncha , and U. pulneyensis , may be re-assigned in future analyses (see below).

Figures

FIG. 3. — Comparison of exemplar tail-shield characteristics of uropeltids: A, Type 1 (Teretrurus sanguineus [Beddome, 1867] MNHN-RA-1895.118); B, Type 2 (Plectrurus aureus Beddome, 1880 MNHN-RA-1895.106); C, Type 3 (Uropeltis maculata [Beddome, 1878] MNHN-RA-1895.81); D, Type 4 (U. nitida [Beddome, 1878] MNHN-RA-1895.87); E, Type 5 (U. rubromaculata [Beddome,1867] MNHN-RA-1895.97); F, Type 6 (Rhinophis philippinus [Cuvier,1829] BMNH 1946.1.16.99). Scale bars: A-E, 1 cm; F, 1 mm. Photos by RAP and RS.