Teretrurus rhodogaster

Teretrurus rhodogaster is a species of nonvenomous shield tail snake, endemic to the Western Ghats of India. It is known as Wall's shield tail snake, Palni Mountain burrowing snake, or red-bellied shieldtail.

Teretrurus rhodogaster
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Serpentes
Family: Uropeltidae
Genus: Teretrurus
Species:
T. rhodogaster
Binomial name
Teretrurus rhodogaster
Wall, 1921
Synonyms[2][3]
  • Teretrurus rhodogaster M.A. Smith, 1943
  • Brachyophidium rhodogaster Rajendran, 1985

It is perhaps the smallest species of shield tail snake, with adults barely exceeding 5–6 in (130–150 mm).

Geographic range

It is found in South India, in the Western Ghats encompassing the Palni Hills (Shembaganur in Kodaikanal Hills, Palnis).

The type locality given is "Palnai Hills."[2]

References

  1. Srinivasulu, B., Srinivasulu, C., Ganesan, S.R., Prabhu, M., Sreekar, R. & Ramesh, M. 2013. Brachyophidium rhodogaster. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2013: e.T172611A1351984. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2013-1.RLTS.T172611A1351984.en. Downloaded on 09 December 2018.
  2. McDiarmid RW, Campbell JA, Touré T. 1999. Snake Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference, vol. 1. Herpetologists' League. 511 pp. ISBN 1-893777-00-6 (series). ISBN 1-893777-01-4 (volume).
  3. Pyron, R. A., Ganesh, S. R., Sayyed, A., Sharma, V., Wallach, V., & Somaweera, R. 2016. A catalogue and systematic overview of the shield-tailed snakes (Serpentes: Uropeltidae). Zoosystema, 38(4), 453-506.

Further reading

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