Rhinophis porrectus

Rhinophis porrectus
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Suborder:	Serpentes
Family:	Uropeltidae
Genus:	Rhinophis
Species:	R. porrectus
Binomial name
	Rhinophis porrectus; Wall, 1921

Rhinophis porrectus, or Willey's earth snake, is a species of snake in the family Uropeltidae. It is endemic to Sri Lanka.[1][2]

Etymology

The specific name, porrectus, is Latin for "stretched" and refers to the high number of ventrals. The common name, Willey's earth snake, refers to "Dr. Willey" who collected the holotype specimen in 1903.[3]

Description

Head blackish-brown. Tip of snout dull orange. A narrow blackish-brown vertebral stripe from nape to vent. A wider whitish stripe on either side. Remainder of body blackish-brown, the scales with whitish margins. Caudal shield dull orange, with a dark subterminal band.

Total length 35.5 cm (14 inches).

Dorsal scales in 17 rows (in 19 rows behind the head). Ventrals 281. Anal plate divided, twice as broad as the ventrals. Subcaudals 3.

Head very small. Snout acutely pointed. Rostral sharply keeled above, 2 times the length of the frontal, more than ½ the length of the shielded part of the head. Eye very small, its diameter less than ⅓ the horizontal diameter of the ocular shield. Frontal as broad as long, shorter than the parietals. Body very elongate, midbody diameter 76 times in the total length. Ventrals 4/3 the breadth of the contiguous scales. Tail short. Caudal shield 3/4 to 4/5 the length of the shielded part of the head.[3]

References

Rhinophis porrectus at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database. Accessed 19 March 2020.
Bamaradeniya, Channa N.B. 2006.The Fauna of Sri Lanka: Status of Taxonomy, Research and Conservation. Colombo, Sri Lanka: IUCN. 163 pp.
Wall, F. 1921. Ophidia Taprobanica or the Snakes of Ceylon. Colombo, Ceylon: Colombo Museum. 581 pp. ("Rhinophis porrectus Spec. nov.", pp. 35-36).

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[RDB-1] Rhinophis porrectus at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database. Accessed 19 March 2020.

[2] Bamaradeniya, Channa N.B. 2006.The Fauna of Sri Lanka: Status of Taxonomy, Research and Conservation. Colombo, Sri Lanka: IUCN. 163 pp.

[Wall-3] Wall, F. 1921. Ophidia Taprobanica or the Snakes of Ceylon. Colombo, Ceylon: Colombo Museum. 581 pp. ("Rhinophis porrectus Spec. nov.", pp. 35-36).