Ahaetulla pulverulenta

Brown-speckled whipsnake or brown vine snake (Ahaetulla pulverulenta) is a species of tree snake found in southwestern India (Western Ghats, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Goa, Maharashtra, Gujarat), and Sri Lanka.[1] It is known as හෙනකදයා (henakadaya) in Sinhala; this name provided the name anaconda.[2][3][4]

Brown-speckled whipsnake
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Serpentes
Family: Colubridae
Genus: Ahaetulla
Species:
A. pulverulenta
Binomial name
Ahaetulla pulverulenta
Synonyms

Dryophis pulverulentus

Description
See snake scales for terms used

Snout pointed, terminating in a dermal appendage which is longer than the eye, formed below by the rostral, and covered above with numerous small scales or warts; the length of the snout, without the dermal appendage, more than twice the diameter of the eye. Nasals in contact behind the rostral appendage, or narrowly separated; no loreal; internasals and prefrontals in contact with the labials; frontal as long as its distance from the nasals, as long as the parietals or a little longer; two preoculars, with one subocular below, the upper preocular in contact with the frontal; two postoculars; temporals 2+3 or 2+2; upper labials 8, fifth entering the eye; 4 lower labials in contact with the anterior chin-shields, which are shorter than the posterior. Scales in 15 rows, ventrals 182-194; anal divided; subcaudals 154-173. Greyish, powdered with brown, with blackish transverse spots above; a dark brown rhomboidal spot on the upper surface of the head, and a brown band on each side, passing through the eye. [5] Total length 5 feet 10 inches; tail 2 feet 4 inches.

  • Head profile from top
  • Head view and eye profile
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References
  1. Ahaetulla pulverulenta at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database. Accessed 14 January 2017.
  2. Ferguson, Donald (1897). "The derivation of "Anaconda"". Notes and Queries. 12: 123–124.
  3. Skeat, Walter W. (1882). A concise etymological dictionary of the English Language. Oxford University Press. p. 16.
  4. Yule, Henry; Burnell, A.C. (1903). Hobson-Jobson. London: John Murray. pp. 24–25.
  5. Boulenger, George A. 1890 The Fauna of British India, Including Ceylon and Burma. Reptilia and Batrachia. Taylor & Francis, London, xviii, 541 pp.

Further reading
  • David, P. & Dubois, A. 2005. Découverte et redescription de l’holotype d’Ahaetulla pulverulenta (Dumérl, Bibron & Duméril, 1854) (Reptilia, Serpentes, Colubridae), avec une remarque sur le statut de Dryinus fuscus Dumérl, Bibron & Duméril, 1854. Zoosystema 27 (1): 163-178 [in French]
  • Duméril, A. M. C., Bibron, G. & Duméril, A. H. A., 1854 Erpétologie générale ou histoire naturelle complète des reptiles. Tome septième. Deuxième partie, comprenant l'histoire des serpents venimeux. Paris, Librairie Encyclopédique de Roret: i-xii + 781-1536
  • Khaire, A.;Khaire, N. 1993 Occurrence of brown whip snake Ahaetulla pulverulenta (Dum. & Bibr.) in Pune, India Snake 25: 147-148
  • Venkatraman, C.;Gokula, V.;Kumar, Saravana 1997 Occurrence of brown whip snake (Ahaetulla pulverulenta) in Siruvani foot hills Cobra 28: 36-37


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