Boiga dightoni
| Boiga dightoni | |
|---|---|
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| Tamil Nadu, 2016 | |
Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Suborder: | Serpentes |
| Family: | Colubridae |
| Genus: | Boiga |
| Species: | B. dightoni
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| Binomial name | |
| Boiga dightoni (Boulenger, 1894)
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| Synonyms[2] | |
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Boiga dightoni, commonly known as Dighton's catsnake, the Pirmad cat snake, and the Travancore cat snake,[3][4] is a species of rear-fanged mildly venomous snake in the family Colubridae. The species is endemic to the Western Ghats of India.
Etymology
[edit]The common name, Pirmad cat snake, refers to Peermade (also spelled Peermad, Pirmaad, Pirmed, and Pirmedu), a place in Kerala, India, elevation 3,300 feet (1,006 m).
The specific name or epithet, dightoni, is in honor of tea planter S.M. Dighton, the collector of the holotype specimen.[4]
Geographic range
[edit]In India B. dightoni is found in the Ponmudi Hills and Travancore Hills of Kerala State, and in the Anaimalai Hills and Palni Hills of western Tamil Nadu State.[3]
Description
[edit]B. dightoni is pale reddish-brown dorsally, with a series of salmon-red blotches. Its head is pale brown with minute blackish dots. Ventrally, it is yellowish, finely-dotted with brown. The outer ends of the ventral scales are salmon-pink. It is medium-sized, adults attaining a total length (including tail) of 1.1 m (3.6 feet).[5]
Behavior
[edit]B. dightoni is arboreal and nocturnal.[3]
Habitat
[edit]B. dightoni inhabits trees and shrubs in forested areas,[3] at altitudes of 800–1,100 m (2,600–3,600 ft).[1]
Diet
[edit]B. dightoni preys on lizards, including Calotes versicolor.[3]
Reproduction
[edit]Venom
[edit]Although rear-fanged and possessing a mild venom, B. dightoni is not considered dangerous to humans, mainly due to its small size.[3]
References
[edit]- ^ a b Srinivasulu C, Srinivasulu B, Deepak V, Mohapatra P, Vijayakumar SP (2013). "Boiga dightoni ". The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2013: https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2013-1.RLTS.T172674A1364625.en. Accessed on 19 Aug 2022.
- ^ a b Species Boiga dightoni at The Reptile Database www.reptile-database.org.
- ^ a b c d e f Das I (2002). A Photographic Guide to Snakes and other Reptiles of India. Sanibel Island, Florida: Ralph Curtis Books. 144 pp. ISBN 0-88359-056-5. (Boiga dightoni, p. 22).
- ^ a b Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. ISBN 978-1-4214-0135-5. (Boiga dightoni, p. 72).
- ^ Boulenger GA (1896). Catalogue of the Snakes in the British Museum (Natural History). Volume III., Containing the Colubridæ (Opisthoglyphæ and Proteroglyphæ) .... London: Trustees of the British Museum (Natural History). (Taylor and Francis, printers). xiv + 727 pp. + Plates I-XXV. (Dipsadomorphus dightonii, new combination, pp. 69–70).
Further reading
[edit]- Boulenger GA (1894). "Description of a New Snake Found in Travancore, by Mr. S. Dighton. Pirmaad." Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society 8: 528 + one plate. (Dipsas dightoni, new species).
- Inger RF, Shaffer HB, Koshy M, Bakde R (1984). "A report on a collection of amphibians and reptiles from the Ponmudi, Kerala, South India". Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society 81 (3): 551–570. (Boiga dightoni, pp. 567–568).
- Kanagavel, Arun; Ganesh, S.R. (2921). "Recent Record of the Rare Travancore Catsnake, Boiga dightoni (Boulenger 1894) (Reptilia: Colubridae), from the Ponmudi Hills in the Southern Western Ghats, India". Reptiles & Amphibians 28 (1): 67–70.
- 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. (Boiga dightoni, new combination, pp. 359–360).
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