''Plectrurus perrotetii'', commonly known as the Nilgiri burrowing snake or Perrotet's shield-tail snake,
[. www.reptile-database.org] 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 harmless
snake
Snakes are elongated limbless reptiles of the suborder Serpentes (). Cladistically squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping scales much like other members of the group. Many species of snakes have s ...
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 ...
Uropeltidae
The Uropeltidae, also Common name, commonly known as shield-tail snakes, shield-tailed snakes or earth snakes, are a Family (biology), family of primitive, nonvenomous, burrowing snakes native to Peninsular India and Sri Lanka. The name is derive ...
. 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
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 ...
.
Etymology
The
specific name Specific name may refer to:
* in Database management systems, a system-assigned name that is unique within a particular database
In taxonomy, either of these two meanings, each with its own set of rules:
* Specific name (botany), the two-part (bino ...
, ''perrotetii'' or ''perroteti'', is in honour of French
naturalist
Natural history is a domain of inquiry involving organisms, including animals, fungi, and plants, in their natural environment, leaning more towards observational than experimental methods of study. A person who studies natural history is cal ...
George Samuel Perrottet
George Samuel Perrottet (23 February 1790 – 13 January 1870, Puducherry (city), Pondicherry), also known as Georges Guerrard-Samuel Perrottet, was a botanist and horticulturalist from Praz, in the commune of Vully-le-Bas, today Mont-Vully, Swit ...
(1793–1867).
[Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). ''The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles''. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. . (''Plectrurus perroteti'', p. 203).]
Geographic range
''P. perrotetii'' is found in the
Western Ghats and hills of southern
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 ...
.
Description
''P. perrotetii'' is a small snake, growing to a maximum of in total length (including tail). The head is pointed, and the tail is blunt. It has smooth, glossy scales and is brown in colour.
Biology
Like the common worm snake (''
Ramphotyphlops braminus''), ''Plectrurus perrotetii'' is also often mistaken for
earthworm
An earthworm is a soil-dwelling terrestrial invertebrate that belongs to the phylum Annelida. The term is the common name for the largest members of the class (or subclass, depending on the author) Oligochaeta. In classical systems, they we ...
s, upon which it feeds. It is considered an
endangered species
An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching, inv ...
, and little else is known about this snake.
References
Further reading
*
Boulenger GA (1893). ''Catalogue of the Snakes in the British Museum (Natural History). Volume I., Containing the Families ...Uropeltidæ ...'' London: Trustees of the British Museum (Natural History). (Taylor and Francis, printers). xiii + 448 pp. + Plates I-XXVIII. (''Plectrurus perroteti'', p. 161).
*
Duméril A-M-C,
Bibron G,
Duméril A H-A(1854). ''Erpétologie générale ou histoire naturelle complète des reptiles. Tome septième.—Première partie. Comprenant l'histoire des serpents non venimeux''
General Herpetology or Complete Natural History of the Reptiles. Volume 7, Part I. Containing the Natural History of the Nonvenomous Snakes Paris: Roret. xvi + 780 pp. (''Plectrurus perroteti'', new species, pp. 167–168). (in French).
*
Smith MA (1943). ''The Fauna of British India, Ceylon and Burma, Including the Whole of the Indo-Chinese Sub-region. Reptilia and Amphibia. Vol. III.—Serpentes.'' London: Secretary of State for India. (Taylor and Francis, printers). xii + 583 pp. (''Plectrurus perroteti'', p. 71).
Uropeltidae
Reptiles of India
Reptiles described in 1854
Taxa named by André Marie Constant Duméril
Taxa named by Gabriel Bibron
Taxa named by Auguste Duméril
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