Ahaetulla pulverulenta

Brown-speckled whipsnake
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Serpentes
Family: Colubridae
Subfamily: Colubrinae
Genus: Ahaetulla
Species: A. pulverulenta
Binomial name
Ahaetulla pulverulenta
(Duméril & Bibron, 1854)
Synonyms

Dryophis pulverulentus

Brown-speckled whipsnake or brown vine snake (Ahaetulla pulverulenta) is a species of tree snake found in the Western Ghats of India and Sri Lanka, known as හෙනකදයා (henakadaya) in Sinhala. This name provided the name anaconda.[1][2][3]

Description

See snake scales for terms used

Snout pointed, terminating in a dermal appendage which is longer than the eye, formed below by the rostral, and covered above with numerous small scales or warts; the length of the snout, without the dermal appendage, more than twice the diameter of the eye. Nasals in contact behind the rostral appendage, or narrowly separated; no loreal; internasals and prefrontals in contact with the labials; frontal as long as its distance from the nasals, as long as the parietals or a little longer; two preoculars, with one subocular below, the upper preocular in contact with the frontal; two postoculars; temporals 2+3 or 2+2; upper labials 8, fifth entering the eye; 4 lower labials in contact with the anterior chin-shields, which are shorter than the posterior. Scales in 15 rows, ventrals 182-194; anal divided; subcaudals 154-173. Greyish, powdered with brown, with blackish transverse spots above; a dark brown rhomboidal spot on the upper surface of the head, and a brown band on each side, passing through the eye. [4] Total length 5 feet 10 inches; tail 2 feet 4 inches.

References

  1. ↑ Ferguson, Donald (1897). "The derivation of "Anaconda"". Notes and Queries. 12: 123–124.
  2. ↑ Skeat, Walter W. (1882). A concise etymological dictionary of the English Language. Oxford University Press. p. 16.
  3. ↑ Yule, Henry; Burnell, A.C. (1903). Hobson-Jobson. London: John Murray. pp. 24–25.
  4. ↑ Boulenger, George A. 1890 The Fauna of British India, Including Ceylon and Burma. Reptilia and Batrachia. Taylor & Francis, London, xviii, 541 pp.

Further reading

External links


This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 10/17/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.