Purple-red earth snake


The purple-red earth snake is a species of nonvenomous shield tail snake, endemic to southern India. No subspecies are currently recognized.

Geographic range

Found in southern India in Wynaad, Travancore, the Manimuthar Hills and Nyamakad.
The type locality given is "Anamallay forests; 4,000 feet elevation."

Description

Dorsum brown or purplish red. Ventrum red, blotched with black in some specimens.
Total length.
Dorsal scales arranged in 15 rows at midbody. Ventrals 120-150; subcaudals 5-10.
Eye distinct from the neighboring shields, of moderate size. Snout obtuse. Rostral small, but visible from above. Frontal longer than broad. Supraocular about as large as the eye, as long as or shorter than the prefrontals. Temporal about ½ the length of the parietals. Diameter of the body 22 to 28 times in the total length. Ventrals nearly two times as broad as the contiguous scales. In females dorsal scales of the tail smooth or faintly keeled. In males all the dorsal scales of the tail plus the last ventrals pluricarinate. Tail ending in a simple laterally compressed point.