| Gerrhopilus thurstoni | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Suborder: | Serpentes |
| Family: | Gerrhopilidae |
| Genus: | Gerrhopilus |
| Species: | G. thurstoni
|
| Binomial name | |
| Gerrhopilus thurstoni (Boettger, 1890)
| |
| Synonyms[2][3] | |
Gerrhopilus thurstoni, or Thurston's worm snake, is a species of harmless blind snake in the family Gerrhopilidae. The species is native to western India. No recognized subspecies exist.[4]
Etymology
[edit]The specific name, thurstoni, is in honor of British zoologist Edgar Thurston.[5]
Geographic range
[edit]In western India, G. thurstoni has been found in southern Goa, from sea level to approximately 1,200 m elevation (4,000 feet),[2] and in Kerala.[3]
The type locality given is "Nilgiri Hills, Brit. Ostindien ".[2][3][6]
Habitat
[edit]The preferred natural habitat of G. thurstoni is forest.[1]
Description
[edit]G. thurstoni may attain a total length (including tail) of 30 cm (12 in). The body is light brown or yellowish dorsally, and paler ventrally. The snout and the anal region are whitish.[7]
Reproduction
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b Srinivasulu, B.; Srinivasulu, C.; Ganesan, S.R. (2013). "Gerrhopilus thurstoni". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2013: e.T172715A1373521. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2013-1.RLTS.T172715A1373521.en. Retrieved 20 November 2021.
- ^ a b c McDiarmid RW, Campbell JA, Touré TA (1999). Snake Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference, Volume 1. Washington, District of Columbia: Herpetologists' League. 511 pp. ISBN 1-893777-00-6 (series). ISBN 1-893777-01-4 (volume).
- ^ a b c d Species Gerrhopilus thurstoni at The Reptile Database www.reptile-database.org.
- ^ "Typhlops thurstoni ". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved 1 September 2007.
- ^ 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. (Typhlops thurstoni, p. 265).
- ^ Boettger O (1890).
- ^ Smith MA (1943).
Further reading
[edit]- Boettger O (1890). "Neue Schlange aus Ostindien ". Berichte über die Senckenbergische Naturforschende Gesellschaft in Frankfurt am Main 1890: 297-298. (Typhlops thurstoni, new species). (in German and Latin).
- Boulenger GA (1893). Catalogue of the Snakes in the British Museum (Natural History). Volume I., Containing the Families Typhlopidæ ... London: Trustees of the British Museum (Natural History). (Taylor & Francis, printers). xiii + 448 pp. + Plates I-XXVIII. ("Typhlops thurstonii [sic]", p. 26).
- Hedges SB, Marion AB, Lipp KM, Marin J, Vidal N (2014). "A taxonomic framework for typhlopid snakes from the Caribbean and other regions (Reptilia, Squamata)". Caribbean Herpetology (49): 1-61. (Gerrhopilus thurstoni, new combination).
- Procter JB (1924). "Description of a new Typhlops from S. India and Notes on Brachyophidium and Platyplectrurus ". Annals and Magazine of Natural History, Ninth Series 13: 139-142. (Typhlops walli, 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. (Typhlops thurstoni, p. 49).