Teretrurus sanguineus (BEDDOME, 1867)
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Teretrurus sanguineus
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| Higher Taxa | Uropeltidae, Henophidia, Alethinophidia, Serpentes, Squamata (snakes) |
| Subspecies | |
| Common Names | E: Purple-red Earth Snake |
| Synonym | Plectrurus sanguineus BEDDOME 1867 Plectrurus scabricauda THEOBALD 1876 Plectrurus scabricauda – BEDDOME 1886: 28 Teretrurus travancoricus BEDDOME 1886: 29 Teretrurus sanguineus — BEDDOME 1886: 28 Platyplectrurus sanguineus — BOULENGER 1893: 166 Teretrurus sanguineus — SMITH 1943 Teretrurus sanguineus — MCDIARMID, CAMPBELL & TOURÉ 1999: 141 Teretrurus sanguiensis — GANESH & ASOKAN 2010 Teretrurus sanguineus — WALLACH et al. 2014: 714 Teretrurus sanguineus — GANESH & MURTHY 2022 |
| Distribution | S India (Wynaad; Anaimalai hills, Travancore, 3,000— 7,400 feet, Kerala). Type locality: ,,Anamallay forests; 4,000 feet elevation („above Ponachi" in B. M. catalogue) [1867 Plectrurus sanguineus BEDDOME] Type locality: ,,Manantoddy, in the Wynad, elevation 2,700 feet" [Platyplectrurus hewstoni BEDDOME 1876] Type locality: ,,Anamallays‘, S India [Plectrurus scabricauda TREOBALD] Type locality: „Monntains between Travancore and Tinnerelli, above Paupanassum, 3000 to 5000 leet elevation", S India [Teretrurus travancoricus BEDDOME] |
| Reproduction | ovovivparous |
| Types | Syntypes: BMNH 1946.1.16.57—1946.1.16.62; MNHN (= MHNP) 95.116 (3 specimens) (Plectrurus sanguineus BEDDOME 1867) Holotype: BMNH 1946.1.15.77 (formerly 76.9.16.1) [Platyplectrurus hewstoni BEDDOME 1876] Holotype: [Plectrurus scabricauda TREOBALD] Lost (fide GANS 1966) Syntypes: BMNH 1946.1.2.26—1946.1.2.29 (formerly 86.4.21.5—86.4.21.6, 86.2.1.3—86.2.1.4); MNHN-RA 95.117 (3 specimens). [Teretrurus travancoricus BEDDOME] |
| Diagnosis | Diagnosis (genus): Teretrurus can be distinguished from all other amni- otes by the characters given for the family, and from other uropeltids by divided oculars, nasals in contact, a temporal, no mental groove, dorsal scales in 15 rows at midbody, Oberhäutchen dentitions that are 51-80% of the total cell-size (Gower 2003), and a shortened, slightly compressed tail with weakly multicarinate scales that ter- minates in a single, pointed scute (Pyron et al. 2016: 486). Diagnosis (genus): A genus of uropeltid snakes characterized by: absence of mental groove (vs. present in Melanophidium); presence of a distinct temporal scale (vs. absent in Plectrurus, Pseudoplectrurus); eye within an ocular scale (vs. eye distinct from surrounding scales in Platyplectrurus); has midline contact between nasal scales (vs. absent in most Rhinophis and some Uropeltis spp.); 15 midbody scale rows (vs. 17-19 in most Rhinophis and Uropeltis spp.); tail compressed, simple, without a caudal disc (vs. tail rounded, ending in a truncate or convex caudal disc in Uropeltis and Rhinophis spp.); tail tipending in a pointed structure, without lateral ridges (vs. tail tip ending in two bicuspid ridges in Plectrurus, Pseudoplectrurus; tail tip with lateral ridges in Platyplectrurus). (Ganesh & Murthy 2022) Diagnosis: A species of Teretrurus endemic to the Anamalai Hills, possessing a distinct supraocular scale (vs. lacking in T. rhodogaster), with much higher ventral counts 142-150 (vs. 120-128 in T. hewstoni; 130-136 in T. travancoricus). (Ganesh & Murthy 2022) Description and variation (n=3): Measurements in mm: snout- vent length: 150-190; tail length: 2.5-6; head length: 4.5- 5.5; head width: 4-5; body width 4.5-6; eye diameter: 0.8; eye-snout distance: 1.8; inter-orbital distance: 2-2.5; inter-narial distance: 0.5-0.7. Habitus: Small-bodied, trunk cylindrical to slightly compressed, especially near tail; body fairly slender; head not distinct from neck, as wide as midbody; snout obtusely rounded in profile; tail small, suddenly tapering to a sharp, finepoint. Scalation: scales smooth, cycloid, without apical pits; head scales lacking pre-, post-oculars; supraocular and temporal present; eye covered under ocular scale, partially fused; mental groove absent; dorsal scales in 16:15:15 rows, with 16 -->15 at 36-38th ventral scale; supralabials 4/4; infralabials 4/4; ventrals 144-149; subcaudals 7-9 pairs; terminal caudal scales rather smooth, with a single sharp projection in the end. Coloration: dorsum dark to coffee brown, rather uniform and unpatterned; venter rich red (turning creamy yellow in preservative) with a few black patches; eye black. (Ganesh & Murthy 2022) Plectrurus scabricauda Holotype ZSI 6996 Annamallay: Measurements in mm: Snout to vent length 159; tail length 13; head length 5; head width 3.5; Habitus: a rather soft and brittle specimen; body slightly damaged at mid portion due to preservation artifact; trunk subcylindrical to mildly dorso-ventrally depressed at places, owing to long-time preservation; head small, snout pointed to slightly ovoid in profile; Scalation: dorsal scale rows 13:15:13 scales smooth, cycloid, without apical pits; scales on head wrinkled, due to long-time preservation; eyes covered under ocular scales; supraocular and temporal present; preocular, postocular, loreal and mental groove absent; supralabials 4/4; infralabials 4/4; ventrals 141, subcaudals 11 pairs; terminal caudal scales equally wrinkled as head scales, due to preservation artifact. Coloration: dorsum drab greyish brown, venter creamy orange, except towards body extremities (mental and subcaudals) which present with patches of darker shades; eye grey. (Ganesh & Murthy 2022) |
| Comment | Type species: Plectrurus sanguineus BEDDOME 1867 is the type species of the genus Teretrurus BEDDOME 1886. |
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