''Lycodon anamallensis'' , also known commonly as the Russell's wolf Snake or southern Wolf 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 snake in the

family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...

Colubridae 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 ev ...

. The species is

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 ...

South Asia South Asia is the southern subregion of Asia, which is defined in both geographical and ethno-cultural terms. The region consists of the countries of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.;;;;; ...

Geographic range

''L. anamallensis'' is found in

South India South India, also known as Dakshina Bharata or Peninsular India, consists of the peninsular southern part of India. It encompasses the States and union territories of India, Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and T ...

and

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...

Behavior and habitat

Like all members of its genus, ''L. anamallensis'' is a

nocturnal Nocturnality is an ethology, animal behavior characterized by being active during the night and sleeping during the day. The common adjective is "nocturnal", versus diurnality, diurnal meaning the opposite. Nocturnal creatures generally have ...

that is commonly found in and around human habitations, apart from natural

habitat In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species habitat can be seen as the physical ...

. It is partly arboreal and feeds primarily on geckos, skinks, & other small animals. It is nonvenomous.

Reproduction

''L. anamallensis'' is

oviparous Oviparous animals are animals that lay their eggs, with little or no other embryonic development within the mother. This is the reproductive method of most fish, amphibians, most reptiles, and all pterosaurs, dinosaurs (including birds), a ...

Taxonomy

Previously, a population of this species, under the name ''Lycodon osmanhilli'', had been thought to be endemic to

, until 2018 when its nomenclature, classification, and distribution were resolved by S.R. Ganesh and G. Vogel.

Etymology

The specific name, ''osmanhilli'', is in honour of British anatomist William Charles Osman Hill.Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). ''The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles''. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. . (''Lycodon osmanhilli'', p. 197).

References

* 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). (Taylor and Francis, printers). xiii + 448 pp. + Plates I-XXVIII. (''Lycodon anamallensis'', pp. 351-352 + Plate XXIV, figure 1). *Ganesh, Sumaithangi Rajagopalan; Vogel, Gernot (2018). "Taxonomic reassessment of the Common Indian Wolf Snakes ''Lycodon aulicus'' (Linnaeus, 1758) complex (Squamata: Serpentes: Colubridae)". ''Bonn zoological Bulletin'' 67 (1): 25–36. * Günther ACLG (1864). ''The Reptiles of British India''. London: The Ray Society. (Taylor and Francis, printers). xxvii + 452 pp. + Plates I-XXVI. (''Lycodon anamallensis'', new species, p. 318–319). * Taylor EH (1950). "The Snakes of Ceylon". ''University of Kansas Science Bulletin'' 33 (14): 519–603. (''Lycodon osmanhilli'', new species, pp. 562–565, Plate XX). *Latest study on this species: https://doi.org/10.3897/vz.71.e64345 osmanhilli Snakes of Asia Reptiles of India Reptiles of Sri Lanka Reptiles described in 1864 Taxa named by Albert Günther Taxobox binomials not recognized by IUCN {{Colubrids-stub

Geographic range

Behavior and habitat

Reproduction

Taxonomy

Etymology

References

Further reading