''Xylophis perroteti'',
commonly known as Perrotet's mountain snake and the striped narrow-headed snake, 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 snake 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 ...
Pareidae. The species, which has no lethal potential as it has a non-venomous bite, 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 the
Western Ghats of
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
Both 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 ...
, ''perroteti'', and the common name, Perrotet's mountain snake, are in honor 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 ...
.
[Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). ''The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles''. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. . (''Xylophis perroteti'', p. 203).]
Geographic range
''X. perroteti'' is found in the Western Ghats in the Indian states of
Kerala
Kerala ( , ) is a States and union territories of India, state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile ...
and
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is the southernmost States and union territories of India, state of India. The List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of Indi ...
.
Habitat
The natural
habitat
In ecology, habitat refers to the array of resources, 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 manifestation of its ...
of ''X. perroteti'' is
forest
A forest is an ecosystem characterized by a dense ecological community, community of trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, ...
at altitudes of .
Reproduction
''X. perroteti'' is
oviparous
Oviparous animals are animals that reproduce by depositing fertilized zygotes outside the body (i.e., by laying or spawning) in metabolically independent incubation organs known as eggs, which nurture the embryo into moving offsprings kno ...
.
[
]
References
Further reading
* Boulenger GA (1890). ''The Fauna of British India, Ceylon and Burma. Reptilia and Batrachia''. London: Secretary of State for India in Council. (Taylor and Francis, printers). xviii + 541 pp. (''Xylophis perroteti'', new combination, pp. 283–284).
* Duméril AMC, Bibron G, Duméril AHA (1854). ''Erpétologie générale ou histoire naturelle complète des reptiles. Tome septième. Première partie'' olume 7, Part 1 ''Comprenant l'histoire des serpents non venimeux.'' Paris: Roret. xvi + 780 pp. (''Platypteryx perroteti'', new species, pp. 501–503). (in French).
* Günther A (1858). ''Catalogue of Colubrine Snakes in the Collection of the British Museum''. London: Trustees of the British Museum. (Taylor and Francis, printers). xvi + 281 pp. (''Rhabdosoma microcephalum'', pp. 12–13).
* Jerdon TC (1865). "Remarks on observations contained in Dr. Günther's work on the reptiles of British India". ''Annals and Magazine of Natural History, Third Series'' 15: 416–418. (''Platypteryx perroteti'' ).
* 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. (''Xylophis perroteti'', pp. 342–343).
Pareidae
Snakes of Asia
Reptiles of India
Endemic fauna of the Western Ghats
Reptiles described in 1854
Taxa named by Gabriel Bibron
Taxa named by André Marie Constant Duméril
Taxa named by Auguste Duméril
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