A DISTRIBUTIONAL ANALYSIS OF THE UROPELTID SNA.KES OF INDIA AND SRI LANKA T. S. N. MURTHY. Zoological Survey of India, Madras INTRODUCTION

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1 Rec. zl. Surv. India, 91 (3-4) : , 1992 A DISTRIBUTIONAL ANALYSIS OF THE UROPELTID SNA.KES OF INDIA AND SRI LANKA T. S. N. MURTHY Zlgical Survey f India, Madras INTRODUCTION The urpeltids are all primitive burrwers having an interesting mde f life histry. These snakes, easily distinguished by the presence f mdified scales at the tip f the shrt tail, are small inffensive creatures living under lgs and stnes in the damp lcalities f the muntainus frests f Suth India and Sri Lanka, ften at high altitudes, thus evading easy bservatin and cllectin. Smith (1943) has given a cnslidated accut f these snakes which have been studied in recent years by Chari ( ), Cnstable (1949), Deraniyagala (1941, 1954), Gans (1966,1913), Murthy (192) and Rajendran (1977, 195). In this paper, the pattern f distributin f the urpeltids fund nly in Suth India (see maps 1-7a) and Sri Lanka is discussed. It is interesting t nte that these snakes are fund t inhabit the frested muntainus regins f suthwestern India Sri Lanka and are ttally absent in the rest f the glbe. The present day urpeltids are knwn by 44 species and 2 races cntained in eight genera f a single fami~y. An analysis f their gegraphical distributin in India and Sri Lanka is indicated in Table 1. Due t the current interest in the bita f the Western Ghats f which snakes frm an imprtant cmpnent and als in view f the fact that the status f several species f urpeltids as well as ther kinds has been seriusly threatened becaute f the depletin f frests, it is hped that this paper will stimulate an interest in the philgy f Western Ghats thereby encuraging the bilgists/cnservatinissts t cllect these unique reptiles frm the areas that have nt yet been thrughly investigated. T~ble I-Distributin f the urpeltids f India Sri Lanka (Serpentes: Urpeltidae) Nte: Species marked with an asterisk are rare/knwn by a few specimens nly. Genera and Species India Sri Lanka Remarks I. Brachyphidium Wall 1. B. rhdgaster Wall + Sacred Heart Cllege, Shembaganur, Palni Hills.

2 376 Recrds f the Zlgical Survey f India II. Melanphidium Guenther 2. *M. bilineatum Beddme + Peria and Tirrhit peaks, West f Manan tddy Kerala. Knwn frm three specimens nly. ~ ARABIAN SE.A BAY OF BENGAL J2 0 S Map n.l Oi5ttibut,n f RACHYQPHIDIUM

3 MURTHY: Urpeltid snakes f India and Sri Lanka M. punctatum Beddme + 4. *M. wynaudense Beddme + 3 Peermade, Kerala, Srikundra, Anaimalais and Ga frntier. 4 Manantddy, Kerala and Crg, Karnataka. Arabian Sea 1. GOA 2 COORG Bay f Bengal (>, 12 I.. ANA1MALAIS 0 Mapn.2 Distributin f MELANOPHIDIUM 13

4 37 Recrds f the Zlgical Survey f India 1 III. Platyplectrumus Guenther 5. Sa. Sh. P. madurensis Beddme P. madurensis madurensis Beddme P. m. ruhanae Deraniyagala Suth India and Sri Lanka. Shembaganur and Kdaikanal, + PaIn is and Munnar, Kerala. + Suthern Prvince, Sri Lanka. B ay f D 12 Arabian Sea Bengal ANAIMALAJ Hf lls 2. PALN TRAVANCORE,.. a 76 Map!1.3 Distributin f PLATYPLECTRURUS

5 MURTHY: Urpeltid snakes f India and Sri Lanka P. trilineatus (Beddme) Shembaganur, Palnis and Anaimalais. Bay 0 li A r a b I an Sea l.squth CANARA 2 NILGlRI HILLS 3 ANAIMALAI HILLS \ 76 Map 00.4 Distributin f PLECTRURUS IV. Plectrurus Dumeril 7. *P. aureus Beddme. *P. canarius (Beddme) + + Chambra Hill, Kerala. Kudremukh, Karnataka.

6 P. guentheri Beddme P. perrteli Dum. & Bibr. + Recrds f the Zlgical Survey j India 3 4 Kunda pur, Karnataka; Oty and Cnr, Nilgiris. N ilgiris and Anaimalais. Cmmn in the Nilgiris 20 Ara bian 12 Se a Bay f Bengal ' 1 CA RDAMU M 0> HILLS 2 ERNAKULAM 2 3. PIRMED it TRIVANORUM 76 Map n.5 Distributin f RHINOPHIS

7 MURTHY: Urpeltld snakes f India and SrI Lanka 31 1 v. Pseudtvphlps Schlegel 11. P. philippinus Schlegel At lw elevatins in Trincmalee, Matara, Klnne, KrIe, Badull Sa y f.arabian. 12 Sea B enga l A N A' M A LA '5 2.TRAVANtORE ('I1ap n. 6 Distributin f TERE.TRURUS

8 32 Recrds f the Zlgical Survey f India VI. Rhinphis Hemprich 12. R. blythii Kelaart 13. *R. drsimaculatus Deraniyagala + + Hills f the Central and Suthern Prvinces. Nrthwestern Prvince. (t ; A r a b I a n Sea ay f 4 Bengal MAHA9AlESHWAR 2.NILGIRIS 3.SH EVAROYS ~. ANA.MAlAIS S. PALNIS 6. rinnevally 7. TRAVANCORE Map n. 7 Distr ib.utin f UROPELTIS

9 MURTHY: Urpeltid snakes f India and Sri Lanka R. dru1nmndhayi Wall * R.ferqusnianus Bulenger +. R. xyrhynchus (Schneider) R. philippinus (Cuvier) + 1. R. punetatus Mueller R. sanguineus Beddme R. travancricus Bulenger R. trevelyana (Kelaart) + VII. Teretrurus Beddme 22. T. sanguineus (Bed dme) + VIII. U r pel tis Cuvier 23. U. arctieeps (Guenther) *U. beddmii Guenther U. brughami (Beddme) U. eeylanieus Ccteau + 4 Hills f Centra 1 and Uva Prvinces. Cardamn Hills, Kerala. The l\v cuntry in the Nrthern and Eastern Prvinces, Mullativu ; Vavniya ; Trincmalee. Hills in the Sabaraganuva and Central Prvinces. Hills in the Central and Nathwestern Prvince. Kppa and Kalsa, Karnataka ; Wynad, Kerala; Nilgiris and Tirunelveli Hills. Tirunelveli Hills, Tamil Nadu; Munnar, Kerala. Hills f Sabaragamuva ; Central and Uva Prvinces. Tirunelveli and Munnar Hills. Muvathupuzha and Alleppy, Suth Kerala Hills; High Wavy Muntains, Madurai District and Tirunelveli Hills, T ami! Nadu. Anaimalais. Palnis, Sirumalais and Nilgiris. Shlayar, Muruglai and Valaparai, Anamalais ; Vandamedu and Bnaccrd, Kerala ; Kppa and Kt igehar, Karnataka; Shevry Hills, Eastern Ghats.

10 U. dindigaleruis (Beddme) + 2. U. ellitti (Gray) U. liura (Guenther) U. macrlepis (Peters) + 3 Recrds f the Zlgical Survey f India 4 Sirumalais, Tamil Nadu. Curtallam and Manjlai, Tirunelveli Hills ; Munnar, Kerala ; Shevry Hills Javadi and Ganjam Hills, Eastern Ghats. Madura and Tirunelveli Hills. Map f Ori~sa shwing the distributin f Urpel tis elliti,0 0 \0 60 tid 100 t tk~", 1ff"R WI'" " O ~ ~ G~"TA"" ~ "I"". Map n. 7 a 30a. u. macrlepis macrlepis (Peters) 30b. U. macrlepis mahableshwarensis Chari Bmbay Hills between latitudes 1 7' and 19 7' N. Mahableshwar, Pwai Lake Salsette Island, Maharastra.

11 MURTHY: Urpeltid snakes f 1ndiq and Sri Lanka U. macrrhynchus + (Beddme) 32. U. maculatus (Beddme) U. melangaster (Gary) 34. *U. myhendrae (Beddme)+ 35. *U. nitidw (Beddme) U. cellatus (Beddme) *U. petersi (Beddme) + 3. U. philipsi (Nichlls) U. pulneyensis (Beddme) U. rubrlineatus (Guenther) U. rubrmacuiatus 42. U. ruhanae Deraniyagala *U. smithi Gans U. wdmasni + (Thebald) 3 4 Anaimalais Anaimalais and Hills f Suth Kerala. + Hills f the Central Prvince. Hills f Suth Kerala and Nilgiris. Anaimalais, Cchin side. Western Ghats suth f the Ga gap; Cmmn in the AnaimaIais Anaimalais. Mausakanda Estate, Gammaduva, East Matale. PaInis; Alagar Hills; Munnar Hills. Bhimshanker and Pune, Maharastra ; Anaimalais and Hills f Suth Kerala. + Anaimalais and Nilgiris. + Galle District, Suthern Prvince. Anaimalais. -Palnis ; Anaimalais; Hills f Tirunelveli and Suth Kerala ; ne specimen frm the Nilgiris. DISCUSSION An analysis f the table shws that ut f the eight genera knwn, lnajrity are cnfined t the Western Ghats, Suth India; the entire family is, hwever, autchthnus t the Indian subregin. The pattern f peculiar distributin f these snakes shws that while sme frms are allpatric, thers are highly endemic. Of the eight urpeltid genera, the genus Urpellis is knwn by 22 species fllwed by 10 species f the genus Rhinphis. Only ne species, Urpeltis elliti (Gray) extends frm Shevr~ys t Ganjam Hills in the Eastern Ghats besides being fund in the Western Ghats. The Bmbay Hill nrpeltid, Urpeltis macrlepis (Peters) ccurs in the Bmbay Hills between latitudes 1 7' and 19 7' N. Three :urpelts namely, Urpeltis melangaster (Gray), U. phillipsi (Nichlls) and U. ruhanae are endemic t Sri Lanka. Of the remaining 6 genera~ Pseudtyphlps is the nly genus that is endem.ic t Sri Lanka, 14

12 36 Recrds f the Zlgical Survey f India represented by a single species; all the thers viz., Brachyphidium, Melanphidium, Platyplectrurus, Plecturus and Teretrufus are cnfined t the Western Ghats, India. A new subspecies f Platyplectrurus madurens s namely, P. madurensis ruhanae has' been descri1?ed by Deraniyagala (1955). T summarise, the fact that these interesting burrwing frms are t be fund nly in Suth India,. and Sri Lanka amply suggests that Suth India itself is a distinct faunal centre having clse affinities with Sri Lanka. It is als clear that the fauna f Sri Lanka and Suth India have been derived distinctly and are separated frln the rest f the Indian subregin. The fact that very few f the urpeltids have penetrated Sri Lanka suggests their different phases f dispersal in the gelgical time scale. SUMMARY The limited distributin f the urpeltid snakes f India and Sri Lanka is discussed. A table indicating the gegraphical distributin f thi eight genera including 44 species knwn s far is prvided with lcalities f their ccurrence in Suth India and Sri Lanka. Distributinal maps fr the genera ccurring in India are given. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS It is largely because f my assciatin with the Suthern Reginal Statin f the Zlgical Survey f India (ZSI) that I am mtivated t present this paper. I will, therefre, ever re'main grateful t this pineering research rganisatin and the Directr, ZSI. REFERENCES Chari, V. K Lcalizatin f the striped variety f the rugh-tailed earthsnake Urpeltis macrlepis (Peters) t Mahableshwar. J. Bmbay nat. Hist. Sc., 50 : Chari, V. K Sme mre ntes n Urpeltis macrlepis (Peters) with special reference t specimens frm Mahableshwar (Western Ghats, Bmbay). J. Bmbay nat. Hist. Sc., 51 (2): 512. Chari, V. K An additin t the list f snakes f Bmbay and Salsette Urpeltis macrlepis-urpeltidae. J. Bmbay nat. Hist. Sc., 52 (1) : Chari, V. K A new frm f the burrowing snake, Urpeltis mcrlepis (Peters) frm Mahableshwar. (U. m. mahableshwarensis, ssp. nv.) J. Bmbay nat. Hist. Sc., 52 (4): 90. Cnstable, J. D Reptiles frm the Indian peninsula in the Museum f Cmparative Zlgy. Bull. Mus. Cmp. Zl. Cambridge (Massachusetts), 103 (2) : 59-0.

13 MURTHY: Urpeltid snakes f India and Sri Lanka 37 Deraniyagala, P. E. P A new fssrial snake (Rhinphis drsimaculatus) frm Ceyln. J. Bmbay nat. Hisi. Sc., 42 : 00-B02. Deraniyagala, P. E. P Tw new snakes frm Ceyln. Prc. 10th Cngr. Ceyln Assc. Advancem. Sci" 1 : 24. Deraniyagala, P. E. P Serpentid reptilia. 3. In A clred atlas f vertebrates frm Ceyln. xix pp. Clmb. Gans, Carl, Liste der rezenten Amphibien und Reptilien. Tierreich, 4: 1-29 (Berlin: Walter de Gruyter & C.). Urpeltidae. Das Gans, Carl, Urpeltid snakes-survivrs in a changing wrld. Endeavur, 32 (1), Murthy, T. S. N An illustrated field guide t the rugh tailed snakes f India. The Snake, 14: Rajendran, M. V A survey f the urpeltid snakes. J. Madurai Univ., 6 (1) : Rajendran, M. V Studies in Urpeltid Snakes. Smith, M. A Reptilia and Amphibia 3, serpentes. xii+53 pp. (Lndn: Taylr and Francis.) Madurai University, Madurai. In the Fauna f British India.

ON A RARE, SOUTH INDIAN BURROWING SNAKE Platyplectrurus trilineatus (BEDDOME, 1867)

TAPROBANICA, ISSN 1800-427X. April, 2011. Vol. 03, No. 01: pp. 11-14, 1 pl. Taprobanica Private Limited, Jl. Kuricang 18 Gd.9 No.47, Ciputat 15412, Tangerang, Indonesia. ON A RARE, SOUTH INDIAN BURROWING