Kingdom Animalia Class Reptilia Suborder Serpentes Scientific name Coronella brachyura | Phylum Chordata Order Squamata Family Colubridae Rank Species | |
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Similar Argyrogena, Lycodon flavomaculatus, Coluber gracilis, Dendrelaphis grandoculis, Lycodon travancoricus | ||
Indian Smooth Snake Coronella brachyura is a species of rare endemic snake found in India.
Description
The following description is based on Malcolm Smith's The Fauna of British India, Including Ceylon and Burma. Reptilia and Batrachia volume: (p. 195)
Nostril large, between two nasals; internasals 0.3 to 0.5 as long as the prefrontals ; frontal nearly as broad as long, in contact with a large preocular ; loreal longer than high ; 2 postoculars ; temporals 2+2 ; 8 supralabials, 4th and 5th touching the eye ; anterior genials larger than the posterior, the latter separated by two or three series of small scales. Scales in 23:23:19 rows ; ventrals large, rounded ; tail rather short. Ventrals 200-224 ; Caudals 46-53 ; Anals 1.
Hemipenis extending to the 13th caudal plate, not forked. The distal half is calyculate, the cups being large and with scalloped edges ; the proximal half is spinose, two or three spines at the base being much larger than the others (bad specimen).
Olive-brown above, with indistinct light variegations on the anterior half of the body and head ; lower parts whitish. Total length : males 515, tail 75 ; females 460, tail 55 mm.
Range. Northern India. Poona district and Visapur, near Bombay ; S.E. Berar.
A rare snake.