Tereturus travancoricus Beddome, 1886

Ganesh, S. R. & Channakeshava Murthy, B. H., 2022, Taxonomy of the shieldtail snake genus Teretrurus Beddome, 1886 (Serpentes: Uropeltidae) with a revised key and remarks on the geographic gaps in the Western Ghats, Peninsular India, Records of the Zoological Survey of India 122 (1), pp. 25-35 : 30-31

Tereturus travancoricus Beddome, 1886

( Figure 1 , 2 , 5)

1890. Platyplectrurus sanguineus, Boulenger, Fauna Brit. Ind. Rept. & Batr. London , 274 part

Taxonomic History: This species was first described as Teretrurus travancoricus by Beddome (1886) based on syntypes consisting of both the sexes, collected from mountains between Travancore and Tinnevelly, above Paupanassum [=Papanasam] (8.728˚ N 77.264 ˚E; 1100 m asl), where it was commonly found under large stones and decaying logs in forests. Boulenger (1890) synonymized this taxon under Platyplectrurus sanuineus , with this arrangement being accepted by subsequent authors ( Boulenger, 1893; Smith, 1943), to this day.

Material examined (n=3): ZSI / WGRC /V-3125, 3126a male and female, coll. B.H.C.K. Murthy and party on 21.viii.2019 from Marapala , Ambasamudram Range, Kalakkad-Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve KMTR; ZSI / SRC/VRS-286. coll. S. Prabhakaranand party on 25.iii.2008 from Kuttiyar Dam, Upper Kodhayar, KMTR-Kanyakumari Wildlife Sanctuaryborder , Tamil Nadu .

Differential Diagnosis: A species of Teretrurus endemic to the Agasthyamalai/Travancore hills possessing a distinct supraocular scale (vs. lacking supraocular in T. rhodogaster ), with ventral counts 130-135 (vs. 120-128 in T. hewstoni ; 142-150 in T. sanguineus ).

Description and variation: Measurements in mm: snoutvent length: 130-150; tail length: 7-7.5; head length: 5-5.5; head width: 4-4.5; body width 4.5-6; eye diameter: 0.8; eye-snout distance: 1.8; inter-orbital distance: 2-2.5; inter-narial distance: 0.5-0.7. Habitus: Small-bodied, trunk cylindrical to slightly compressed, especially near tail; body fairly slender; head not distinct from neck, as wide as midbody; snout fairly rounded, ovoid in profile, not pointed; tail small, abruptly ending in a short pointed spur. Scalation: scales smooth, cycloid, without apical pits; head scales lacking pre-, post-oculars; supraocular and temporal present; eye covered under ocular scale, partially fused; nostril piercing the undivided nasal scales; nasals in broad midline contact, not separated by rostrum; mental groove absent; dorsal scales in 14:15:15 rows, with 14-->15 at 36 th- 38 th ventral scale; supralabials 4/4; infralabials 4/5; ventrals 133-138; subcaudals 7-9 pairs; terminal caudal scales keeled, with two sharp projections in the end. Coloration: dorsum drab brownish grey, with orange-red mild stripes between interstitial portions; a conspicuous canthal-supraocular-temporal orange stripe on each side of head; reddish orange speckles on sides; venter rich red (turning creamy yellow in preservative) with a few black patches; dorsal part of tail, with an orange-red mid-vertebral stripe eye black.

Distribution and Natural History: This species is definitely known only from the Southern Western Ghats, south of Sencottah Gap–in the Agasthyamalai Hills. Rajendran (1985) mentioned of having collected this species from Nalumukku, Oothu and Kakachi atop Manimuthar and Podhigai hills. During our surveys, we sighted this species in Ambasamudram Rangeand Kodhayar river tract of the Kalakkd-Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve ( KMTR).

The specimens from Kodhayar were collected in March 2008, just before the monsoon season, from under fallen logs, while specimens in Ambasamudram Range were collected in July 2019 from under rocks within dense leaf litter on the forest floor. Sympatric shield tail species reported / sighted were Melanophidium punctatum , Uropeltis cf. liura , Uropeltis myhendrae and Rhinophis travancoricus ( Rajendran, 1985; Ishwar et al., 2001).

Figures

Figure 1. Map of southern India showing the distribution of Teretrurus species, in the Western Ghats.

Figure 2. Preserved specimens of Teretrurus species: (a) T. travancoricus ZSI/WGRC/2135-6, (b) T. hewstoni ZSI/WGRC/3124, (c) T. sanguineus CSPT/S-10, (d) T. rhodogaster CSPT/S-14. Photos: S. R. Ganesh.