Kingdom Animalia Subphylum Vertebrata Suborder Serpentes Scientific name Boiga barnesii Rank Species | Phylum Chordata Order Squamata Family Colubridae Higher classification Boiga | |
Similar Boiga, Snake, Boiga beddomei, Boiga ceylonensis, Reptile | ||
Boiga barnesii is a species of cat snake found in Sri Lanka known as the Barnes' cat snake in English and panduru mapila-පදුරු මාපිලා in Sinhala. It is a member of the snake family Colubridae. It is endemic to Sri Lanka and is distributed in the lowlands and midlands up to ~600m above sea level, with known localities include Matale, Kandy, Gannoruwa, Gampola, Ambagamuwa, Balangoda, Labugama and Sinharaja Rain Forest. Barnes' cat snake is mainly a forest-dwelling species but may occasionally be found in human habitats. It is the smallest cat snake in Sri Lanka and grows up to a maximum of 600 mm (24 in) in snout-vent length. Being a nocturnal and an arboreal hunter, it mainly feeds on agamid lizards and geckos. The day time is usually spent inside a tree hole or a crevice. It’s a very timid and a mildly venomous snake and rarely attempts to bite.
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Etymology
The specific name, barnesii, is in honor of Richard Hawksworth Barnes, who collected specimens in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) for the British Museum (Natural History), including the type specimen of this species.
Scalation
Midbody scale rows 19. Pre-oculars 2-3. Ventrals 208-271. Subcaudals 98-120.
Description
Dorsum reddish-brown with a purplish brown vertebral series of blotches running from nape to the mid-tail region. A lateral series of the same color also can be seen. Head is purplish black with a light gray post-ocular stripe. Ventral side is creamy with gray or brown spots.
Maximum length recorded is 522mm.
Toxicity
Although panduru mapila is only mildly venomous, and bites on humans produce only local symptoms, there is a common misconception in Sri Lanka that all mapilas-මාපිලා (cat snakes) are highly venomous and could kill a human with its venom. This misconception may be because the name mapila is used to refer to different species in different parts of the island. Due to differences in local knowledge and nomenclature, the krait species found in Sri Lanka (common krait or thel karawala-තෙල් කරවලා, Ceylon krait or mudu karawala-මුදු කරවලා) are also referred to or misidentified as mapila. Both krait species mentioned (Bungarus caeruleus and Bungarus ceylonicus) are highly venomous.