Aspidura copei GÜNTHER, 1864

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Higher Taxa	Colubridae (Natricinae), Colubroidea, Caenophidia, Alethinophidia, Serpentes, Squamata (snakes)
Subspecies
Common Names
Synonym	Aspidura copii GÜNTHER 1864: 203 Aspidura copii — BOULENGER 1893: 311 Aspidura copei — WALL 1921: 207 Aspidura copii — SMITH 1943: 336 Aspidura copei — GANS & FETCHO 1982: 298 Aspidura copei — DAS 1996: 54 Aspidura copii — WALLACH et al. 2014: 59
Distribution	Sri Lanka Type locality: unknown fide Gans & Getcho 1982, but probably “Ceylon”.
Reproduction	oviparous
Types	Holotype: BMNH 1946.1.12.9
Diagnosis	Diagnosis: This species of Aspidura is characterized by the absence of a preocular scale; by a prefrontal scale that forms the entire anterior border of the orbit and contacts supralabials two, three and four; by having the lower postocular longer than the upper; both postoculars in contact with the parietal scale; and by two pairs of chin shields (three in the holotype). Seventeen dorsal scale rows are present along the body (in NHMB 928 the count drops to 15 near midbody). The ventral counts range from 123 to 137 (mean = 129.14 ‡ 3.36, N = 7) and those of the subcaudals from 15 to 35 (mean = 24 + 6.93, N = 7). The subcaudals are undivided. (The Basel specimen has three divided ones.) Snout-vent lengths range from 325 to 524, tail lengths from 33 to 78, and midbody diameter ranges from 5.5 to 25 mm (Table 2). Fig. 2 compares the major counts, Fig. 3 the body proportions, and Figs. 5, 8. and 10 illustrate specimens. (Gans & Fetcho 1982)
Comment	The original description is available online (see link below). Abundance: rare; known from only 7 specimens.
Etymology	Named after Edward Drinker Cope (1840-1897), American herpetologist. See Osborn 1929 and Vetter 2003 for biographical notes.
References	Beolens, Bo; Michael Watkins, and Michael Grayson 2011. The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, USA - get paper here Boulenger, G.A. 1893. Catalogue of the snakes in the British Museum (Nat. Hist.) I. London (Taylor & Francis), 448 pp. - get paper here Boulenger, George A. 1890. The Fauna of British India, Including Ceylon and Burma. Reptilia and Batrachia. Taylor & Francis, London, xviii, 541 pp. - 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 Günther, A. 1864. The Reptiles of British India. London (Taylor & Francis), xxvii + 452 pp. - get paper here Osborn, H. F. 1929. Biographical memoir of Edward Drinker Cope 1840-1897. National Academy of Sciences 13: 127-317 (1930?) Smith, M.A. 1943. The Fauna of British India, Ceylon and Burma, Including the Whole of the Indo-Chinese Sub-Region. Reptilia and Amphibia. 3 (Serpentes). Taylor and Francis, London. 583 pp. Vetter, H. 2003. Edward Drinker Cope (1840-1897). Sekretär 3 (2): 21-30 - get paper here Wall, FRANK 1921. Ophidia Taprobanica or the Snakes of Ceylon. Colombo Mus. (H. R. Cottle, govt. printer), Colombo. xxii, 581 pages - 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.
External links	IUCN Red List Google images

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