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Aspidura deraniyagalae GANS & FETCHO, 1982

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Higher TaxaColubridae (Natricinae), Colubroidea, Caenophidia, Alethinophidia, Serpentes, Squamata (snakes)
Subspecies 
Common NamesE: Sri Lanka Rough-sided Snake 
SynonymAspidura deraniyagalae GANS & FETCHO 1982: 299
Aspidura deraniyagalae — DAS 1996: 54
Aspidura deraniyagalae — WALLACH et al. 2014: 59 
DistributionSri Lanka

Type locality: "Kanawarella Group Estate (near Namunukula), at 1520 m, Sri Lanka."  
Reproductionoviparous 
TypesHolotype: CM 83455, a 199 mm male (C. Gans, Aug. 1972). Paratypes: (n=12) all from the vicinity of Namunukula, Sri Lanka, near 1500 m elevation. CM 83456 (F 50); Spring Valley road (above Namunukula), 1540 m, AMNH 120246 (F64), CM 83457 (F65); above Namunukula, 1520 m, CM 83458 (AL 35b), USNM 225091-225094 (AL 75a- -75b, 75d-75e); Pindarawatta (west of Namunukula), 1520 m. CM 83459-83462 (AL 167a-167d). 
DiagnosisDiagnosis: This species of Aspidura is characterized by having a preocular scale that forms a portion of the anterior border of the orbit; a prefrontal scale that forms the remaining portion of the anterior border of the orbit and contacts supralabials two and three; the lower postocular longer than the upper; both postoculars in contact with the parietal scale; and the anterior pair of the two pairs of chin shields one to two times the length of the posterior pair.
Seventeen dorsal scale rows are present along the body. The ventral counts range from 117 to 122 (mean = 119.92 ± .73, N = 13) and those of subcaudals from 13 to 26 (mean = 17.77 ± 2.82, N = 13). The posterior subcaudals are divided. Snout-vent lengths range from 90 mm to 226 mm, tail lengths from 11 mm to 29 mm, midbody diameters from 3.9 mm to 10.7 mm. Females have fewer caudals than males, shorter tails and larger bodies. (Gans & Fetcho 1982) 
Comment 
EtymologyNamed after Professor Paulus Edward Peiris Deraniyagala (1900-1976), a scientist and zoologist who was Director ofall National Museums, Ceylon (Sri Lanka) (1939-1963). 
References
  • Bender, C. & K. Henle 2001. Individuelle fotografische Identifizierung von Landschildkröten-Arten (Testudinidae) des Anhangs A der europäischen Artenschutzverordnung. Salamandra 37 (4): 193-204 - get paper here
  • Gans C; Fetcho J R 1982. The Sri Lankan genus Aspidura (Serpentes, Reptilia, Colubridae). Annals of the Carnegie Museum 51 (14): 271-316 - get paper here
  • Wallach, Van; Kenneth L. Williams , Jeff Boundy 2014. Snakes of the World: A Catalogue of Living and Extinct Species. [type catalogue] Taylor and Francis, CRC Press, 1237 pp.
 
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