The Himalayan keelback (''Herpetoreas platyceps'') is a
species
A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...
of
grass snake
The grass snake (''Natrix natrix''), sometimes called the ringed snake or water snake, is a Eurasian semi-aquatic non- venomous colubrid snake. It is often found near water and feeds almost exclusively on amphibians.
Subspecies
Many subspecie ...
in the
family
Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...
Colubridae
Colubridae (, commonly known as colubrids , from , 'snake') is a family of snakes. With 249 genera, it is the largest snake family. The earliest fossil species of the family date back to the Late Eocene epoch, with earlier origins suspected. C ...
. The species is
endemic
Endemism is the state of a species being found only 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 foun ...
to
South Asia
South Asia is the southern Subregion#Asia, subregion of Asia that is defined in both geographical and Ethnicity, ethnic-Culture, cultural terms. South Asia, with a population of 2.04 billion, contains a quarter (25%) of the world's populatio ...
.
Geographic range
''H. platyceps'' is known from
India
India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
along the sub-Himalayan region,
Nepal
Nepal, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mainly situated in the Himalayas, but also includes parts of the Indo-Gangetic Plain. It borders the Tibet Autonomous Region of China Ch ...
,
Bangladesh
Bangladesh, officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, eighth-most populous country in the world and among the List of countries and dependencies by ...
,
Pakistan
Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...
,
Bhutan
Bhutan, officially the Kingdom of Bhutan, is a landlocked country in South Asia, in the Eastern Himalayas between China to the north and northwest and India to the south and southeast. With a population of over 727,145 and a territory of , ...
and
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...
between 1000 and 3600 m elevation (about 3,300 to 11,800 feet).
Description
''H. platyceps'' has the following characteristics: Eye moderate; rostral just visible from above; suture between the internasals as long as that between the pre-frontals or shorter; frontal longer than its distance from the end of the snout, shorter than the parietals; loreal longer than deep; one preocular (sometimes divided); two or three postoculars; temporals 1+1, or 1+2, or 2+2; 8 upper labials, third, fourth, and fifth entering the eye; 4 or 5 lower labials in contact with the anterior chin shields, which are much shorter than the posterior chin shields.
Dorsal scales in 19 rows, faintly or feebly keeled. 177-235 ventrals; anal divided; subcaudals 75-107, also divided.
Olive-brown above, with small black spots; frequently two black parallel lines or an elliptic marking on the nape; a light, black-edged streak on each side of the head, or a black line from eye to gape (corner of mouth); belly yellowish, with or without blackish dots; frequently a black line or series of elongate blackish spots along each side of the belly; lower surface of tail frequently mottled with blackish; throat sometimes black. In life, a coral-red band is said to run along the ends of the ventrals.
Total length 90 cm (3 feet); tail 23 cm (9 inches).
[Boulenger GA (1893). ''Catalogue of the Snakes in the British Museum (Natural History), Volume I., Containing the Families...Colubridæ Aglyphæ, Part.'' London: Trustees of the British Museum (Natural History). xiii + 448 pp. + Plates I-XXVIII. (''Tropidonotus platyceps'', p. 248).]
Notes
References
Further reading
*
Blyth E (1855). "Notices and descriptions of various reptiles, new or little known
art 2
Art is a diverse range of culture, cultural activity centered around works of art, ''works'' utilizing Creativity, creative or imagination, imaginative talents, which are expected to evoke a worthwhile experience, generally through an express ...
. ''J. Asiatic Soc. Bengal, Calcutta'' 23 (3): 287-302
854
__NOTOC__
Year 854 ( DCCCLIV) was a common year starting on Monday of the Julian calendar.
Events
By place Europe
* Emperor Lothair I meets his (half) brothers (Louis the German and Charles the Bald) in Attigny, Ardennes for the third ...
*Cardew AG (1896). "A rough key to the identification of Indian ophidia". ''J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc.'' 10: 585–596.
*
Hubrecht AAW (1882). "List of reptiles and amphibians brought from British India by Mr. Francis Day". ''Notes Leyden Mus., Leiden'' 4: 138–144.
*Kramer E (1977). "''Zur Schlangenfauna Nepals'' ". ''Rev. suisse Zool.'' 84 (3): 721–761. (in German).
*Malnate EV (1966). "''Amphiesma platyceps'' (Blyth) and ''Amphiesma sieboldii'' (Günther): sibling species (Reptilia: Serpentes)". ''J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc.'' 63 (1): 1-17.
*Schleich HH, Kästle W (2002). ''Amphibians and Reptiles of Nepal''. Königstein: Koeltz Scientific Books. 1,200 pp.
*Shaw GE, Shebbeare EO, Barker PE (1939). "The snakes of northern Bengal and Sikkim, Part 4. The colubrine snakes". ''J. Darjeeling Nat. Hist. Soc.'' 13: 114–123.
*Shaw GE,
Shebbeare EO, Barker PE (2000). ''The snakes of Sikkim and Bengal''
eprint
In academic publishing, an eprint or e-print is a digital version of a research document (usually a journal article, but could also be a thesis, conference paper, book chapter, or a book) that is accessible online, usually as green open access, ...
Delhi: Asiatic Publishing House. 125 pp.
*
Steindachner F (1867). "''Ueber drei neue Schlangenarten''
alamaria philippinica. ''Verh. zool.-botan. Ges. Wien'' 17: 513–516. (in German).
*Tillack F (2003). "''Über die Verbreitung und Biologie der Himalaya-Gebirgswassernatter ''Amphiesma platyceps'' (Blyth 1854) und einen Fall von ''Amphigonia retardata'' (Serpentes: Colubridae: Natricinae)'' ". ''Sauria'' 25 (1): 21–27. (in German).
*
Wall F (1913). "A new snake of the genus ''Tropidonotus'' from the Eastern Himalayas. ''Tropidonotus Firthi, spec. nov.'' ". ''J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc.'' 23: 166.
*Wall F (1923). "A Hand-list of the Snakes of the Indian Empire. Part 2". ''J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc.'' 29: 598–632.
{{Taxonbar, from1=Q29289117, from2=Q2717825
platyceps
''Platyceps'' is a genus of snakes of the Family (biology), family Colubridae endemic to Eurasia.
Taxonomy
The genus was erected in 1860 by Edward Blyth, allying species previously described.
The genus name ''Platyceps'' was inadvertently use ...
Taxa named by Edward Blyth
Reptiles described in 1854
Reptiles of Nepal
Reptiles of India
Reptiles of Bangladesh
Reptiles of Pakistan
Reptiles of Bhutan