Psammophis leithii
Psammophis leithii, commonly called the Pakistan sand racer or Leith's sand snake, is a species of mildly venomous, rear-fanged snake in the family Lamprophiidae. The species is endemic to South Asia.
| Psammophis leithii | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Suborder: | Serpentes |
| Family: | Lamprophiidae |
| Genus: | Psammophis |
| Species: | P. leithii |
| Binomial name | |
| Psammophis leithii Günther, 1869 | |
Etymology
The specific name, leithii, is in honor of Andrew H. Leith, a physician with the Bombay Sanitary Commission.[1]
Geographic range
Psammophis leithii is found in Afghanistan, western India (Kachchh, Rajasthan, Maharashtra), and Pakistan.
Description
P. leithii has the rostral broader than deep, visible from above. The nostril is between two or three shields, the posterior nasal being frequently divided into two. The internasals are about half the length of the prefrontals. The frontal is very narrow, longer than its distance from the end of the snout, nearly as long as the parietals. The loreal is about twice as long as deep. There is a single preocular, in contact with the frontal; and two postoculars. The temporals are 1+2 or 2+2. There are 8 or 9 upper labials, the fourth and fifth (or fifth and sixth) entering the eye. There are 5 lower labials in contact with the anterior chin shields, which are a little shorter than the posterior chin shields. The dorsal scales are in 17 rows at midbody. The ventrals number 177-188. The anal is usually entire, and the subcaudals number 82-138.
P. leithii is pale greyish or yellowish above, with black dots or four longitudinal brown bands which are usually edged with black, the outer passing through the eyes. The lower parts are white, uniform or spotted or marked with grey or olive in the middle, with or without a dark lateral line or series of dots.
It may attain a total length of 3 feet 3 inches (99 cm), which includes a tail 1 ft (30 cm) long.[2]
Venom
Like all species in the genus Psammophis, P. leithii possess a mild venom, which is delivered to prey by means of enlarged, grooved teeth at the rear of the snake's upper jaws. The venom is not usually harmful to humans.[3]
References
- Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. ISBN 978-1-4214-0135-5. (Psammophis leithii, p. 155).
- Boulenger GA (1890). The Fauna of British India, Including Ceylon and Burma. Reptilia and Batrachia. London: Secretary of State for India in Council. (Taylor and Francis, printers). xviii + 541 pp. (Psammophis leithii, pp. 365-366).
- Branch, Bill (2004). Field Guide to Snakes and other Reptiles of Southern Africa. Third Revised edition, Second impression. Sanibel Island, Florida: Ralph Curtis Books. 399 pp. ISBN 0-88359-042-5. (Genus Psammophis, p. 89).
Further reading
- Boulenger GA (1896). Catalogue of the Snakes in the British Museum (Natural History). Volume III. Containing the Colubridæ (Opisthoglyphæ and Proteroglyphæ) ... London: Trustees of the British Museum (Natural History). (Taylor and Francis, printers). xiv + 727 pp. (Psammophis leithii, pp. 155–156).
- Das I (2002). A Photographic Guide to Snakes and other Reptiles of India. Sanibel Island, Florida: Ralph Curtis Books. 144 pp. ISBN 0-88359-056-5. (Psammophis leithii, p. 42).
- Günther A (1869). "Report on two Collections of Indian Reptiles". Proc. Zool. Soc. London 1869: 500-507. (Psammophis leithii, new species, pp. 505–506 + Plate XXXIX).
- Smith MA (1943). The Fauna of British India, Ceylon and Burma, Including the Whole of the Indo-Chinese Sub-region. Reptilia and Amphibia. Vol. III.—Serpentes. London: Secretary of State for India. (Taylor and Francis, printers). xii + 583 pp. ("Psammophis leithi [sic]", pp. 366–367, Figure 115).
