Boiga dightoni

Boiga dightoni
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Suborder:	Serpentes
Family:	Colubridae
Genus:	Boiga
Species:	B. dightoni
Binomial name
	Boiga dightoni; (Boulenger, 1894)
Synonyms
	Dipsas dightoni ; Boulenger, 1894; Dipsadomorphus dightonii ; — Boulenger, 1896; Boiga dightoni ; — M.A. Smith, 1943[1];

Boiga dightoni, commonly known as the Pirmad cat snake or the Travancore cat snake,[2][3] is a species of rear-fanged colubrid endemic to the Western Ghats of India.

Etymology

The common name, Pirmad cat snake, refers to Peermade (also spelled Peermad, Pirmaad, Pirmed, and Pirmedu), a place in Kerala, India, elevation 3,300 feet (1,006 m).

The specific name or epithet, dightoni, is in honor of tea planter S.M. Dighton, the collector of the holotype specimen.[3]

Geographic range

In India Boiga dightoni is found in the Ponmudi Hills and Travancore Hills of Kerala State, and in the Anaimalai Hills and Palni Hills of western Tamil Nadu State.[2]

Description

Boiga dightoni is pale reddish-brown dorsally, with a series of salmon-red blotches. Its head is pale brown with minute blackish dots. Ventrally, it is yellowish, finely-dotted with brown. The outer ends of the ventral scales are salmon-pink. It is medium-sized, adults attaining a total length (including tail) of 1.1 m (3.6 feet).[4]

Behavior

Boiga dightoni is arboreal and nocturnal.[2]

Habitat

Boiga dightoni inhabits trees and shrubs in forested areas.[2]

Diet

Boiga dightoni preys on lizards, including Calotes versicolor.[2]

Venom

Although rear-fanged and possessing a mild venom, Boiga dightoni is not considered dangerous to humans, mainly due to its small size.[2]

References

"Boiga dightoni ". The Reptile Database. www.reptile-database.org.
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. (Boiga dightoni, p. 22).
Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. ISBN 978-1-4214-0135-5. (Boiga dightoni, p. 72).
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. + Plates I-XXV. (Dipsadomorphus dightonii, pp. 69-70).

Boulenger GA (1894). "Description of a New Snake Found in Travancore, by Mr. S. Dighton. Pirmaad." J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc. 8: 528 + one plate. (Dipsas dightoni, new species).
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. (Boiga dightoni, pp. 359–360).

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[1] "Boiga dightoni ". The Reptile Database. www.reptile-database.org.

[Das2002-2] 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. (Boiga dightoni, p. 22).

[EDR-3] Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. ISBN 978-1-4214-0135-5. (Boiga dightoni, p. 72).

[4] 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. + Plates I-XXV. (Dipsadomorphus dightonii, pp. 69-70).