Aspidura deraniyagalae

Aspidura deraniyagalae
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Serpentes
Family: Colubridae
Subfamily: Natricinae
Genus: Aspidura
Species: A. deraniyagalae
Binomial name
Aspidura deraniyagalae
Gans & Fetcho, 1982

Aspidura deraniyagalae, commonly known as Deraniyagala's rough-sided snake, Sri Lanka rough-sided snake, and කදු මැඩිල්ලා (kandu medilla ) in Sinhala, is a colubrid species endemic to Sri Lanka.

Etymology

The specific name, deraniyagalae, is in honor of Sri Lankan zoologist Paules Edward Pieris Deraniyagala.[1]

Geographic range

A. deraniyagalae is known from the eastern slopes of the central highlands of Sri Lanka. Localities recorded are Namunukula, Kanawarella, Spring Valley, and Pindarawatta, at elevations of around 1,520 m (4,990 ft).

Description

A. deraniyagalae is a small snake. The head is indistinct from the neck, and the body is cylindrical in cross section. The dorsum is light beige to dark brown. The head is dark-pigmented. The venter is blackish-brown, with lighter mottling.

Scalation

The dorsal scales are arranged in 17 rows at midbody. Preoculars are present, forming a part of the anterior border of the orbit of the eye. The 2 postoculars are in contact with the parietal. Ventrals 117-122. Subcaudals 13-26.

Reproduction

About 2 to 4 eggs are produced at a time.

References

  1. ↑ Beolens B, Watkins M, Grayson M. 2011. The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. ISBN 978-1-4214-0135-5. (Aspidura deraniyagalae, p. 70).

Further reading

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