Uropeltis maculata (Beddome, 1878)

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 : 493-494

Uropeltis maculata (Beddome, 1878)

Silybura maculata Beddome, 1878: 154 . See Beddome (1878a).

TYPE MATERIAL. — Putatively eight syntypes: BMNH 1946.1.16.63- 65, BMNH 1946.1.16.83-84, MNHN-RA-1895.81a-b, and NMW 21598: 1-2 fide Wallach et al. (2014). The MNHN jar contains two specimens, possibly representing one of the two BMNH series.

TYPE LOCALITY. — Anamalai hills, southern Western Ghats, eastern Kerala and western Tamil Nadu state, India.

DISTRIBUTION. — Restricted to the Anaimalai hills of India, South of the Palghat Gap, c. 1065-2400 m ( Ferguson 1895, 1902; Wallach et al. 2014; Ganesh 2015).

DESCRIPTION

Moderately large, maximum total size c. 390 mm, ventrals 140-165, subcaudals 8-13, dorsal scales in 17 rows at midbody ( Smith 1943; Rajendran 1985). The tails of the MNHN syntypes resemble that of Uropeltis liura ; Smith (1943) coded it as state III (our Type III), and they are relatively blunt and compressed, the scales smooth or very weakly multicarinate, and an enlarged terminal scute ending in two points. Snout is “Alternate Pointed”, but less acutely pointed than species such as U. beddomii . Distinctive color-pattern, with a dark brown or black dorsal and ventral coloration, with dark red blotches on the sides anteriorly, and on the tail.

REMARK

This species has been collected only a few times since its description, around the type locality (see Rajendran 1985).

Uropeltis madurensis (Beddome, 1878) ( Fig. 9A )

Silybura madurensis Beddome, 1878b: 802 . See Beddome (1878b).

TYPE MATERIAL. — Two syntypes: BMNH 1882.2.12.11-12 (= 1946.1.16.38-39).

TYPE LOCALITY. — High Wavy Mountains, Theni District, Tamil Nadu state, India.

DISTRIBUTION. — This species is endemic to the High Wavy-Varushanad-Periyar hill complex in Tamil Nadu state, India, c. 1300- 1600 m (see Ferguson 1895, 1902; Ganesh et al. 2014; Ganesh 2015).

DESCRIPTION

Maximum total size c. 450 mm, ventrals 144-157, caudals 7-10, dorsal scales in 17 rows at midbody ( Smith 1943; Whitaker & Captain 2004; Ganesh et al. 2014).

Non-descript color pattern, with a dark brown or black dorsal and ventral coloration, with scales edged in yellow, and yellow blotches on the venter. Tail is firmly Type V and snout is “Alternate Rounded”, as with Uropeltis arcticeps . The two specimens dissected differ substantially in the number of left bronchus rings, with one having one and the other having eight, whereas no other Uropeltis specimen examined had more than four.

REMARKS

This species was recently resurrected from the synonymy of Uropeltis arcticeps by Ganesh et al. (2014), the species with which it has historically been synonymised ( Smith 1943). We did not examine the type series; a lectotype should be designated by future revisers, given the historical confusion with U. arcticeps .

Figures

FIG. 9. — Some uropeltid species photographed in life: A, Uropeltis madurensis (Beddome, 1878); B, U. phipsonii (Mason, 1888); C, U. pulneyensis (Beddome, 1863); D, U. shorttii (Beddome, 1863). Photos by SRG and S. Ramchandran.