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Issue: Vol. 5477 No. 3: 9 Jul. 2024
Type: Article
Published: 2024-07-09
DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5477.3.4
Page range: 333-357
Abstract views: 157
PDF downloaded: 6

A new species of Uropeltis Cuvier, 1829 (Serpentes: Uropeltidae) from the eastern escarpment of the southern Western Ghats, India

Natural History Museum; London SW7 5BD; UK; Department of Zoology; Central University of Kerala; Kerala; 671320; India
Centre for Research in Emerging Tropical Diseases; Department of Zoology; University of Calicut; Thenhipalam; Kerala; 673635; India
Natural History Museum; London SW7 5BD; UK; School of Natural and Environmental Sciences; Newcastle University; Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 7RU; UK
Wildlife Institute of India; Chandrabani; P.O. 18; Dehradun; India
SM Sehgal Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation; Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE); Royal Enclave; Srirampura; Bangalore; Karnataka—560064; India
Reptilia shieldtail snake Silybura guentheri taxonomy Uropeltis pulneyensis

Abstract

A new species of the uropeltid (‘shieldtail’) snake genus Uropeltis is described based on eight specimens from the southern part of peninsular India’s Western Ghats. Uropeltis caudomaculata sp. nov. is phenotypically and genetically most similar to U. pulneyensis (Beddome, 1863), but differs primarily in having more ventral scales and in being restricted to the eastern escarpment of the Western Ghats between Meghamalai and approximately 15 km East of Munnar rather than in the Palani Hills, as well as differing in DNA nucleotide sequences. From verified records, we consider U. pulneyensis to be known thus far only from the Palani Hills, and we designate a lectotype for the species. Reconsideration of the holotype of Silybura guentheri Beddome, 1878 from Meghamalai leads us to conclude that it should be removed from the subjective junior synonymy of U. pulneyensis and be considered a distinct though very poorly known species, Uropeltis guentheri comb. nov.

 

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