Rank Species | Phylum Chordata Suborder Serpentes Genus Rhinophis Higher classification Rhinophis | |
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Rhinophis fergusonianus, commonly known as the Cardamom Hills earth snake, is a species of uropeltid snake endemic to the Western Ghats, India.
Contents
Etymology
The specific name, fergusonianus, is in honor of Scottish zoologist Harold S. Ferguson.
Geographic range
R. fergusonianus is only known from the type specimen collected in the Cardamom Hills in Travancore, a part of the southern Western Ghats in modern Kerala, southeastern India.
Description
The holotype measures 32 cm (13 in) in total length, 40 times its width. The eyes are very small. The snout is acutely pointed. The body is longitudinally striated. Its blackish above, the sides are white, dotted and spotted with black. The belly is white, with black dots and two series of large black spots, partially confluent into a zigzag band. The caudal disc is black and edged all round with yellow.
R. fergusonianus is viviparous.
Habitat and conservation
Habitats and ecology of this species, and threats to it, are unknown.