A catalogue and systematic overview of the shield-tailed snakes (Serpentes: Uropeltidae)

Abstract

We present a catalogue and systematic overview of Uropeltidae Müller, 1832 based on both new and previously published molecular and morphological data, and a new molecular phylogenetic analysis. We support the monophyly and distinctiveness of

A new Indian species of Rhinophis Hemprich, 1820 closely related to R. sanguineus Beddome, 1863 (Serpentes: Uropeltidae)

“…3). Beddome (1886), Smith (1943) and Pyron et al (2016) report R. sanguineus as having a bright red ventral colour in life, as did Beddome (1863) in his description of the species. However, Wall (1919) reported that this was not true of young specimens of this species, though he did not specify at which size this change occurred.…”

“…Comparative material of Indian Rhinophis is reported in Appendix 1. Taxonomy and taxon spellings follow McDiarmid et al (1999) and Pyron et al (2016). Catalogue numbers of reported specimens bear the following institutional prefixes: BMNH (Natural History Museum, London, UK), BNHS (Bombay Natural History Society, Mumbai, India), BUB (Bangalore University, Bengaluru, India), CAS (California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco, USA), MCZ (Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University, USA), MNHN (Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, Paris, France), ZMB (Museum fur Naturkunde, Berlin, Germany), ZSI/WGRC (Western Ghats Regional Centre of the Zoological Survey of India, Kozhikode).…”

“…Uropeltids, or shieldtails, are typically small (total length < 600 mm) fossorial snakes endemic to Sri Lanka and peninsular India. The approximately 60 currently recognised species are classified into seven or eight genera (Pyron et al 2016;Cyriac & Kodandaramaiah 2017). All uropeltid genera occur in India, with only one genus occurring also in Sri Lanka, Rhinophis Hemprich, 1820 (e.g.…”

“…All uropeltid genera occur in India, with only one genus occurring also in Sri Lanka, Rhinophis Hemprich, 1820 (e.g. Pyron et al 2016). Eighteen of the 23 currently recognised species of Rhinophis are endemic to Sri Lanka, and no species occur in both Sri Lanka and India (Cyriac et al 2020;Pyron et al 2016;Wickramasinghe et al 2017;Gower 2020).…”

“…Pyron et al 2016). Eighteen of the 23 currently recognised species of Rhinophis are endemic to Sri Lanka, and no species occur in both Sri Lanka and India (Cyriac et al 2020;Pyron et al 2016;Wickramasinghe et al 2017;Gower 2020). Following the recent description of R. melanoleucus Cyriac, Narayanan, Sampaio, Umesh & Gower, 2020, there are five currently recognised Indian species of Rhinophis (Cyriac et al 2020).…”