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Type: Article
Published: 2018-05-01
Page range: 401–422
Abstract views: 229
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A new species of Uropeltis Cuvier, 1829 (Serpentes: Uropeltidae) from the Anaikatty Hills of the Western Ghats of India

Sálim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History, Anaikatty, Coimbatore 641 108, India
Department of Life Sciences, The Natural History Museum, London SW7 5BD, UK
Department of Life Sciences, The Natural History Museum, London SW7 5BD, UK
shieldtail snake snake fungal disease systematics taxonomy Uropeltis ellioti Western Ghats Reptilia

Abstract

A new species of Uropeltis is described from a series of six type specimens from the Anaikatty Hills of the Western Ghats of Tamil Nadu, peninsular India. Uropeltis bhupathyi sp. nov. is distinguished from congeners by having more than 200 ventral scales, 17 dorsal scale rows at midbody and by the size and shape of the rostral and frontal shields. Although tens of specimens have been seen in the vicinity of the type locality (and previously reported as U. ellioti), the new species is known only from this locality and faces threats from road traffic, habitat loss and change, and possibly a condition that deforms heads and head shields which is at least superficially similar to snake fungal disease reported from wild snakes in North America and Europe.

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