Kingdom Animalia Suborder Serpentes Genus Melanophidium Phylum Chordata Rank Species | Subphylum Vertebrata Family Uropeltidae Scientific name Melanophidium wynaudense Higher classification Melanophidium Order Scaled reptiles | |
Similar Melanophidium, Plectrurus guentheri, Uropeltis pulneyensis, Rhinophis sanguineus, Plectrurus | ||
Melanophidium wynaudense, commonly known as the Indian black earth snake, is a species of snake endemic to India.
Contents
Geographic range
It is found in the Western Ghats of southern India.
Type locality: Cherambady in Wayanad.
Description
Beddome (1864: 180): "Scales round the body 15, round the neck 16 or 17; rostral scarcely produced back between the nasals; no supraorbital; muzzle more obtuse than in P. perrotteti; eye small; subcaudals 11 pairs; anal large, bifid; tail compressed; scales smooth, terminal spinose, tail ending in a single horny point.
Colour bluish black, with broad white blotches on the belly, which become larger and more numerous towards the tail; tail uniform bluish black."
References
Melanophidium wynaudense Wikipedia(Text) CC BY-SA