''Aspidura ravanai'', commonly known as Ravana's rough-sided snake is a
species
In biology, a species is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of ...
of
colubrid
Colubridae (, commonly known as colubrids , from la, coluber, 'snake') is a family of snakes. With 249 genera, it is the largest snake family. The earliest species of the family date back to the Oligocene epoch. Colubrid snakes are found on ever ...
snake
endemic
Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found els ...
to Sri Lanka.
Taxonomy
The
specific name, ''ravanai'', is in honor of the Sri Lankan mythological King
Ravana
Ravana (; , , ) is a rakshasa king of the island of Lanka, and the chief antagonist of the Hindu epic ''Ramayana'' and its adaptations.
In the ''Ramayana'', Ravana is described to be the eldest son of sage Vishrava and rakshasi Kaikesi. ...
.
Distribution and habitat
''A. ravanai'' is known only from the western slopes
Sri Pada
Adam's Peak is a tall conical mountain located in central Sri Lanka. It is well known for the Sri Pada ( si, ශ්රී පාද), i.e., "sacred footprint", a rock formation near the summit, which in Buddhist tradition is held to be ...
sanctuary in the central highlands of Sri Lanka.
Description
''A. ravanai'' is a small snake similar to its sister lineage ''
A. trachyprocta''. The
dorsum is dark black in color. A yellowish line runs through the body in venter region.
References
Further reading
*Gans C, Fetcho JR. 1982. The Sri Lankan genus ''Aspidura'' (Serpentes, Reptilia, Colubridae). ''Annals of
Carnegie Museum'' 51 (14): 271–316. (''Aspidura deraniyagalae'', new species).
{{Taxonbar, from=Q47009055
Aspidura
Reptiles described in 2017
Reptiles of Sri Lanka