Psammophis leithii
| Psammophis leithii | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Suborder: | Serpentes |
| Family: | Lamprophiidae |
| Genus: | Psammophis |
| Species: | P. leithii |
| Binomial name | |
| Psammophis leithii Günther, 1869 | |
Psammophis leithii, commonly called the Pakistan sand racer or Leith's sand snake, is a species of mildly venomous, rear-fanged snake endemic to South Asia.
Etymology
The specific name, leithii, is in honor of Andrew H. Leith, a physician with the Bombay Sanitary Commission.[1]
Geographic range
Psammophis leithii is found in Afghanistan, western India (Kachchh, Rajasthan, Maharashtra), and Pakistan.
Description
Rostral broader than deep, visible from above; nostril between two or three shields, the posterior nasal being frequently divided into two; internasals about half the length of the pre-frontals; frontal very narrow, longer than its distance from the end of the snout, nearly as long as the parietals; loreal about twice as long as deep; pre-ocular single, in contact with the frontal; two post-oculars; temporals 1+2 or 2+2; upper labials 8 or 9, fourth and fifth or fifth and sixth entering the eye; 5 lower labials in contact with the anterior chin-shields, which are a little shorter than the posterior. Dorsal scales in 17 rows. Ventrals 177-188; anal usually entire; sub-caudals 82-138.
Pale greyish or yellowish above, with black dots or four longitudinal brown bands which are usually edged with black, the outer passing through the eyes; lower parts white, uniform or spotted or marked with grey or olive in the middle, with or without a dark lateral line or series of dots.
Total length 3 feet 3 inches (99 cm); tail 1-foot (30 cm).[2]
Venom
Like all species in the genus Psammophis, P. leithii possess a mild venom, which is delivered to prey by means of enlarged, grooved teeth at the rear of the snake's upper jaws. The venom is not usually harmful to humans.[3]
References
- ↑ Beolens B, Watkins M, Grayson M. 2011. The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. ISBN 978-1-4214-0135-5. (Psammophis leithii, p. 155).
- ↑ Boulenger GA. 1890. The Fauna of British India, Including Ceylon and Burma. Reptilia and Batrachia. London: Secretary of State for India in Council. (Taylor and Francis, printers). xviii + 541 pp. (Psammophis leithii, pp. 365-366.)
- ↑ Branch, Bill. 2004. Field Guide to Snakes and Other Reptiles of Southern Africa. Sanibel Island, Florida: Ralph Curtis Books. 399 pp. ISBN 0-88359-042-5. (Genus Psammophis, p. 89).
Further reading
- Boulenger GA. 1896. Catalogue of the Snakes in the British Museum (Natural History). Volume III. Containing the Colubridæ (Opisthoglyphæ and Proteroglyphæ) ... London: Trustees of the British Museum (Natural History). (Taylor and Francis, printers). xiv + 727 pp. (Psammophis leithii, pp. 155–156).
- Das I. 2002. A Photographic Guide to Snakes and other Reptiles of India. Sanibel Island, Florida: Ralph Curtis Books. 144 pp. ISBN 0-88359-056-5. (Psammophis leithii, p. 42).
- Günther A. 1869. Report on two Collections of Indian Reptiles. Proc. Zool. Soc. London 1869: 500-507. (Psammophis leithii, new species, pp. 505–506 + Plate XXXIX).
- Smith MA. 1943. The Fauna of British India, Ceylon and Burma, Including the Whole of the Indo-Chinese Sub-region. Reptilia and Amphibia. Vol. III.—Serpentes. London: Secretary of State for India. (Taylor and Francis, printers). xii + 583 pp. ("Psammophis leithi [sic]", pp. 366–367, Figure 115).
