Uropeltis madurensis

Uropeltis madurensis
Conservation status
	; Endangered (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Suborder:	Serpentes
Family:	Uropeltidae
Genus:	Uropeltis
Species:	U. madurensis
Binomial name
	Uropeltis madurensis; (Beddome, 1878)
Synonyms
	Silybura madurensis ; Beddome, 1878; Uropeltis arcticeps madurensis ; — R. Whitaker & Captain, 2004; Uropeltis madurensis ; — Ganesh et al., 2014;

Uropeltis madurensis, also known commonly as the Madura earth snake and the Madurai shieldtail, is an endangered species of small, fossorial, nonvenomous snake of the family Uropeltidae. The species is endemic to the Western Ghats of South India.^[3]

Taxonomic notes

The species U. madurensis was formerly considered a subspecies of another species U. arcticeps,^[4] until a recent systematic revision revealed U. madurensis to be a distinct species.^[5]

History

U. madurensis was first described by Richard Henry Beddome in 1878, when he collected the type specimen from the High Wavy Mountains or Meghamalai Hills.^[6]

Etymology

The specific name, madurensis, refers to the geographic range of the species, which is near the prominent town of Madurai, in Tamil Nadu State, India.^[2]

Identification

U. madurensis can be identified by the following combination of characters: tail shield with clearly defined, thickened, circumscribed disc; the part of the rostral visible from above not distinctly longer than its distance from the frontal; rostral not fully separating nasals; dorsum uniform brown, each scale with a well-defined lighter golden yellowish outline; ventrals 144–157; venter with alternate, rhomboidal, large, brown and orange spots or blotches, the two colours of equal intensities.^[5]

Geographic range

U. madurensis is endemic to the Cardamom Hills consisting of Megamalai Wildlife Sanctuary and Grizzled Squirrel Wildlife Sanctuary in Tamil Nadu state and the Periyar Tiger Reserve of Kerala state, both in the Western Ghats.^{[citation needed]}

Habitat

A forest species, partial to montane forests, cloud forest and tropical rainforest, at altitudes of 1,300–1,600 m (4,300–5,200 ft), U. madurensis also occurs marginally in cardamom, coffee and tea plantations situated amidst primary forests.^[1]

Behaviour

A fossorial, nocturnal snake, U. madurensis is known to hide under stones, fallen logs, and rocks during day time. Active during rains, in the monsoon season, especially after dark, it comes to the surface to forage.^{[citation needed]}

Diet

U. madurensis is believed to principally prey upon earthworms.^{[citation needed]}

Conservation status

U. madurensis is listed as "Endangered" by the IUCN.^[1] Habitat loss and roadkill are primary threats affecting this rare species.^[1]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Ganesh, S.R.; Ghosh, A.; Giri, V. (2021). "Uropeltis madurensis ". The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2021: https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2021-2.RLTS.T127942843A127942928.en. Accessed on 11 December 2022.
^ ^a ^b Species Uropeltis madurensis at The Reptile Database www.reptile-database.org.
^ Pyron, R.A.; Ganesh, S.R.; Sayyed, A.; Sharma, V.; Wallach, V.; Somaweera, R. (2016). "A catalogue and systematic overview of the shield-tailed snakes (Serpentes: Uropeltidae)". Zoosystema. 38 (4): 453–506. doi:10.5252/z2016n4a2. S2CID 54656055.
^ Whitaker, Romulus; Captain, Ashok (2008). Snakes of India: The Field Guide. Chennai, India: Draco Books. 495 pp. ISBN 978-8190187305.
^ ^a ^b Ganesh, S.R.; Aengals, R.; Ramanujam, E. (2014). "Taxonomic reassessment of two Indian shieldtail snakes in the Uropeltis ceylanicus species group (Reptilia: Uropeltidae)". Journal of Threatened Taxa. 6 (1): 5305–5314. doi:10.11609/JoTT.o3636.5305-14.
^ Beddome, R.H. (1878). "Description of six new Species of Snakes of the Genus Silybura, Family Uropeltidae, from the Peninsula of India". Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London. 1878: 800–802. (Silybura madurensis, new species, p. 802).