Added 18 October 2024.
Boulenger gives the following characteristics for the genus: eye in the ocular shield; no supraocular, no temporal shields. No mental groove. Tail obliquely truncated, ending in a large, circular or oval, flat shield.
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U. arcticeps, Tirunelveli Earth Snake |
U. beddomii, Beddome's Earth Snake |
U. bhupathyi, Bhupathyi's Earth Snake |
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U. bicatenata, Bicatenate Uropeltis |
U. broughami, Brougham's Earth Snake |
U. caudomaculata, Tailspot Uropeltis/Shieldtail |
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U. ceylanica, Ceylon Earth Snake |
U. dindigalensis, Sirumalai Hills Earth Snake |
U. ellioti, Elliott's Earth Snake |
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U. grandis, Smith's Earth Snake |
U. guentheri, Madura Shieldtail |
U. jerdonii, Jerdon's Shieldtail Snake |
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U. liura, Günther's Earth Snake |
U. macrolepis, Bombay Earth Snake |
U. macrorhyncha, Anamally Earth Snake |
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U. maculata, Spotted Earth Snake |
U. madurensis, Madura Earth Snake |
U. myhendrae, Boulenger's Earth Snake |
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U. nitida, Southern Earth Snake |
U. ocellata, Ocellated Earth Snake |
U. petersi, Shieldtail Earth Snake |
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U. phipsonii, Phipson's Shieldtail |
U. pulneyensis, Indian Earth Snake, Palni Shieldtail |
U. rajendrani, Rajendran's Shieldtail Snake |
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U. rubrolineata, Red-Lined Earth Snake |
U. rubromaculata, Red-Spotted Earth Snake |
U. shorttii, Shevaroy Hills Earth Snake |
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U. tricuspida, Three-Cusped Uropeltis, Three-Cusped Shieldtail |
U. woodmasoni, Woodmason's Earth Snake |
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Scientific Name |
Common Name |
Distribution |
Size |
Notes |
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Uropeltis |
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Tirunelveli Earth Snake |
S India |
TL 20 cm |
See also Reptile Database entry. Head details: snout obtusely pointed ; rostral about one fifth the length of the shielded part of the head, the portion visible from above measuring about half its distance from the frontal: nasals in contact: frontal much longer thau broad. Eye measuring hardly half the length of the ocular. Diameter of body: 26-27 times in the total length. Scalation details: 17 scales round the middle of the body, 19 behind the head. Ventrals: nearly twice as large as the contiguous scales, 128-130. Subcaudals: 8. Tail: end of tail nearly flat above, obliquely truncate, with strongly hi- or tricarinate scales; terminal scute with a transverse ridge and two more or less distinct points. Coloration: brown above, with small yellowish dots; yellow inferiorly, with large black spots or cross bands. [SOURCE: Boulenger] |
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Beddome's Earth Snake |
S India |
TL 27.5 cm |
Head details: snout acutely pointed, much produced; rostral strongly compressed, keeled above, two fifths the length of the shielded part of the head; nasals in contact behind the rostral; frontal longer than broad. Eye: very small, not lialf the length of the ocular. Diameter of body: 33 to 40 times in the total length. Scalation details: 17 scales round the middle of the body, 19 behind the head. Ventrals: not twice as large as the contiguous scales, 180-188. Subcaudals: 6-7 ( f ). Tail: end of tail subtruncate, convex or somewhat flattened above, the scales with three to five strong keels; terminal scute with a transverse ridge and two more or less distinct points. Coloration: brown, lower parts mixed with yellow; a yellow streak on each side of the neck; a yellow band across the anal region; none on the sides of the tail. [SOURCE: Boulenger]. |
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Bhupathyi's Earth Snake |
India (Tamil Nadhu) |
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Bicatenate Uropeltis |
W India |
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Brougham's Earth Snake |
S India |
TL 41 cm |
Head details: snout acutely pointed ; rostral compressed, obtusely keeled above, about two fifths the length of the shielded part of the head, the portion visible from above much longer than its distance from the frontal; nasals in contact behind the rostral; frontal as broad as long, or slightly longer than broad. Eye: very small, not half the length of the ocular. Diameter of body: 34-40 times in the total length. Scalation details: 19 scales round the middle of the body as well as behind the head. Ventrals: not twice as broad as the contiguous scales, 203-230. Subcaudals: 7-10. Tail: obliquely truncate, flat above, with strongly pluricarinate scales; terminal scute bicuspid. Coloration: brown above, with more or less distinct transverse scries of small yellow, black-edged ocelli; sides with a series of large yellow spots; ventrals dark brown. [SOURCE: Boulenger] |
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Tailspot Uropeltis, Tailspot Shieldtail |
India (Tamil Nadhu, Kerala) |
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Ceylon Earth Snake |
S India |
TL 45 cm |
Head details: snout rounded; rostral hardly one fourth the length of the shielded part of the head, the portion visible from above shorter than its distance from the frontal; nasals in contact; frontal a little longer than broad. Eye: more than half the length of the ocular. Diameter of body: 21-29 times in the total length. 17 scales round the middle of the body, 19 behind the head. Ventrals: twice as large as the contiguous scales, 120-140. Subcaudals: 8-12. Tail: end of tail flat above, obliquely truncate, with strongly hi-, tri-, or quadricarinate scales; terminal scute with a transverse ridge and two more or less distinct points. Coloration: brown or blackish brown above, with or without yellowish spots or cross bars or a yellowish lateral stripe; belly yellowish, with or without dark brown spots, or entirely brown ; lower surface of tail brown or black in the middle, yellow on the sides. [SOURCE: Boulenger] |
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Sirumalai Hills Earth Snake |
S India |
TL 35.5 cm |
Head details: snout acutely pointed; rostral compressed, about two fifths the length of the shielded part of the head, the portion visible from above much longer than its distance from the frontal; nasals in contact behind the rostral; frontal longer than broad. Eye: very small, not half the length of the ocular. Diameter of body: 26-32 times in the total length. Scalation details: 17 scales round the middle of the body, 19 behind the head. Ventrals: twice as broad as the contiguous scales, 156-168. Subcaudals: 5-10. Tail: obliquely truncate, flat above, with strongly pluricarinate scales; terminal scute with a transverse ridge and two more or less distinct points. Coloration: yellowish above, the scales edged with darker, with small dark brown spots; belly dark brown, with yellow spots or irregular cross bars; a yellow streak on the lips, continued along each side of the neck. [SOURCE: Boulenger] |
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Elliott's Earth Snake |
S India |
TL 24 cm |
Head details: snout pointed; rostral about one third the length of the shielded part of the head, the portion visible from above longer than its distance from the frontal; nasals in contact behind the rostral; frontal longer than broad. Eye: very small, not half the length of the ocular. Diameter of body: 25-32 times in the total length. Scalation details: 17 scales round the middle of the body, 19 behind the head. Ventrals: nearly twice as large as the contiguous scales, 144-172. Subcaudals: 6-10. Tail: end of tail convex or somewhat flattened above upper caudal scales with three to six strong keels; terminal scute with a transverse ridge and two more or less distinct points. Coloration: dark brown, uniform or with yellow dots above and small yellow; dots interiorly; a more or less distinct yellow line on each side of the neck; a yellow band on each side of the tail, connected with its fellow by a transverse bar across the anal region. [SOURCE: Boulenger] |
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Smith's Earth Snake |
India (Kerala) |
TL 48 cm |
Head details: snout pointed; rostral one third or one fourth the length of the shielded part of the head, longer than its distance from the frontal, sometimes separating the nasals; frontal longer than broad. Eye: very small, not half the length of the ocular. Diameter of body: 30-40 times in the total length. Scalation details: scales in 19 rows round the middle of the body, 21 behind the head. Ventrals: about twice as large as the contiguous scales, 198-218; posterior ventrals pluricarinate in the male. Subcaudals: 6-12. Tail: round or slightly compressed, the terminal scute with two small spines; caudal scales more or less strongly pluricarinate. Coloration: dark violet; belly with alternating large yellow spots or cross bands. [SOURCE: Boulenger] |
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Madura Shieldtail |
India (Kerala) |
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Jerdon's Shieldtail Snake |
India (Karnataka) |
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Günther's Earth Snake |
S India |
TL 32 cm |
Head details: snout obtusely pointed; rostral about one third the length of the shielded part of the head, the portion visible from above as long as its distance from the frontal; nasals in contact; frontal longer than broad. Eye: small, not half the length of the ocular. Diameter of body: 32 to 38 times in the total length. Scalation details: 17 scales round the middle of the body, 19 behind the head. Ventrals: twice as broad as the coutiguous scales, 174-188. Subcaudals: 8-12. Tail: round or slightly compressed, the terminal scute very small and bicuspid; caudal scales smooth or with very faint keels. Coloration: purplish brown above, each scale edged with darker, with transverse series of small yellow, black-edged ocelli; sides and lower parts with large alternating black and yellow spots or cross bands. [SOURCE: Boulenger] |
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Bombay Earth Snake |
S India |
TL 29.5 cm |
Head details: snout rounded; rostral not one fourth the length of the shielded part of the head, the portion visible from above shorter than its distance from the frontal; nasals in contact; frontal as broad as long or slightly longer than broad. Eye: more than half the length of the ocular. Diameter of body: 24-29 times in the total length. Scalation details: 15 scales round the middle of the body, 17 behind the head. Ventrals: twice as large as the contiguous scales, 128-140. Subcaudals: 7-9. Tail: end of tail flat above, obliquely truncate, with strongly bicarinate scales; terminal scute with a transverse ridge and two points. Coloration: black or dark purplish brown, each scale with a lighter edge; a short but broad yellow band on the lips and sides of neck, continued as a series of two to five large spots; a yellow band along each side of the tail. [SOURCE: Boulenger] |
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U. m. macrolepis |
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U. m. mahableshwarensis |
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Anamally Earth Snake |
S India |
TL 57 cm |
Head details: snout acutely pointed, much produced; rostral strongly compressed, keeled above, half the length of the shielded part of the head ; naals in contact behind the rostral; frontal as broad as long. Eye: very small, not one third the length of the ocular. Diameter of body: 38 times in the total length. Scalation details: 17 scales round the middle of the body and 19 behind the head. Ventrals: not quite twice as large as the contiguous scales, 213. Subcaudals: 6 (f). Tail: end of tail subtruncate, the rugose part small and rather flat, the scales with three to five strong keels; terminal scute bicuspid. Coloration: upper parts uniform brown, lower parts mixed with yellow; a yellow streak from the mouth along each side of the neck; a yellow streak on each side of the lower surface of the tail, connected with its fellow by a cross bar on the anal region. [SOURCE: Boulenger] |
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Spotted Earth Snake |
S India |
TL 38 cm |
Head details: snout obtuse; rostral about one fourth the length of the shielded part of the head, the portion visible from above as long as its distance from the frontal; nasals in contact; frontal longer than broad. Eye: small, not half the length of the ocular. Diameter of body: 27-40 times in the total length. Scalation details: 17 scales round the middle of the body, 19 behind the head. Ventrals: nearly twice as large as the contiguous scales, 152-173. Subcaudals: 8-13. Tail: rounded or a little compressed; scales smooth or a few of the terminals faintly keeled; terminal scute very small, bicuspid. Coloration: dark brown or black, with several deep red blotches along the sides of the anterior portion of the trunk and about the tail, rarely along the whole of the body. [SOURCE: Boulenger] |
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Madura Earth Snake |
S India |
TL 35 cm |
Head details: snout obtuse; rostral a little more than one fourth the length of the shielded part of the head, the portion visible from above as long as its distance from the frontal; nasals in contact; frontal a little longer than broad. Eye: half or somewhat more than half the length of the ocular. Diameter of body: 25-33 times in the total length. Scalation details: 17 scales round the middle of the body, 19 behind the head. Ventrals: twice as broad as the contiguous scales, 127-136. Subcaudals: 8-10. Tail: end of tail flat above, obliquely truncate, with strongly bi- or tricarinate scales; terminal scute with a transverse ridge and two more or less distinct points. Coloration: dark olive-brown, uniform above; lower parts variegated with yellow and red; some red blotches on each side of the anterior portion of the body, and one on each side of the tail near the vent. [SOURCE: Boulenger] |
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Boulenger's Earth Snake |
S India |
TL 33.5 cm |
Head details: snout obtuse; rostral one fourth or not quite one third the length of the shielded part of the head, the portion visible from above slightly longer than its distance from the frontal; nasals in contact; frontal slightly longer than broad. Eye: somewhat more than half the length of the ocular. Diameter of body: 25 to 32 times in the total length. Scalation details: 17 scales round the middle of the body, 19 behind the head. Ventrals: twice as broad as the contiguous scales, 139-153. Subcaudals: 7-8. Tail: obliquely truncate, flat above, with strongly bi- or tricarinate scales; terminal scute with a transverse ridge, indistinctly bicuspid, rounded in the young. Coloration: dark purplish brown above, each scale with a crescentic yellowish posterior border; three or four dark transverse blotches behind the head; lower parts yellowish, with small purplish-brown spots in the adult, with large rhomboidal transverse blackish blotches in the young. [SOURCE: Boulenger] |
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Southern Earth Snake |
S India |
TL 35 cm |
Head details: snout obtusely pointed; rostral about one third the length of the shielded part of the head, the portion visible from above longer than its distance from the frontal ; nasals in contact; frontal as long as broad or a httle longer than broad. Eye: small, not half the length of the ocular. Diameter of body: 30-35 times in the total length. Scalation details: 17 scales round the middle of the body, 19 behind the head. Ventrals: twice as broad as the contiguous scales, 184-195. Subcaudals: 5-11. Tail: round or slightly flattened above, the terminal scales strongly pluricarinate; the terminal scute with a transverse [SOURCE: Boulenger] |
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Ocellated Earth Snake |
S India |
TL 50 cm |
Head details: snout pointed; rostral about one fourth the length of the shielded part of the head, the portion visible from above longer than its distance from the frontal; nasals forming a suture behind the rostral; frontal usually longer than broad. Eye: very small, hardly one third the length of the ocular. Diameter of body: 30 to 46 times in the total length. Scalation details: 17 scales round the middle of the body, 19 behind the head. Ventrals: about twice as large as the contiguous scales, 193-234. Subcaudals: 6-11. Tail: round or slightly flattened, the terminal scute with two small points; scales on the upper surface of the tail strongly pluricarinate. Coloration: yellowish or brown above, usually with transverse series of small yellow blackedged ocelli; belly brown with large yellow spots or cross bands, or yellow mottled or blotched with brown. [SOURCE: Boulenger] |
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Shieldtail Earth Snake |
S India |
TL 19 cm |
Head details: snout obtusely pointed; rostral hardly one fourth the length of the shielded part of the head, the portion visible from above shorter than its distance from the frontal; nasals in contact; frontal longer than broad. Eye: small, not half the length of the ocular. Diameter of body: 25 to 33 times in the total length. Scalation details: 17 scales round the middle of the body, 19 behind the head. Ventrals: about twice as largo as the contiguous scales, 151-180. Subcaudals: 6-11. Tail: round or slightly compressed, the terminal upper scales more or less distinctly pluricarinate; the terminal scute with a transverse ridge, without distinct points. Coloration: brown, with or without yellowish dots above; belly with small irregular yellowish spots; no yellow band on the side of the tail. [SOURCE: Boulenger] |
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Phipson's Shieldtail |
India (Tamil Nadhu, Maharashtra) |
TL 28 cm |
Head details: snout obtusely pointed; rostral one third the length of the shielded part of the head, the portion visible from above longer than its distance from the frontal; nasals in contact behind the rostral; frontal longer than broad. Eye: rather more than half the length of the ocular. Diameter of body: 28-38 times in the total length. Scalation details: scales in 17 rows round the middle of the body, in 17 or 19 round the neck. Ventrals: nearly twice as large as the contiguous scales, 144-157. Subcaudals 7-12. Tail: end of tail flat above, obliquely truncate, with strongly bi- or quadricarinate scales; terminal scute with a transverse ridge and two more or less distinct points. Coloration: brown, uniform or with yellowish dots above; a more or less marked short yellow streak on each side from the commissure of the mouth; a yellow band on each side of the tail, connected with its fellow by a transverse bar across the anal region. [SOURCE: Boulenger] |
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Indian Earth Snake, Palni Shieldtail |
S India |
TL 38 cm |
Head details: snout obtusely pointed; rostral about one fourth the length of the shielded part of the head, longer than its distance from the frontal, entirely separating the nasals; frontal longer than broad. Eye: half the length of the ocular. Diameter of body: 30-38 times in the total length. Scalation details: 17 scales round the middle of the body, 19 behind the head. Ventrals: about twice as large as the contiguous scales, 161-180. Subcaudals: 6-13. Tail: somewhat compressed, the terminal scute with two small points; usually some of the terminal scales with faint keels. Coloration: brown, with a few minute yellow specks on the back: a yellow lateral band anteriorly; belly with large yellow, usually alternating, spots or cross bands. In one specimen (6'. guentheri, Bedd.) the belly is uniform yellow. [SOURCE: Boulenger] |
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Rajendran's Shieldtail Snake |
India (Tamil Nadhu) |
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Red-Lined Earth Snake |
S India |
TL 40 cm |
Head details: snout obtusely pointed; rostral about one fourth the length of the shielded part of the head, the portion visible from above as long as its distance from the frontal; nasals in contact; frontal as broad as long or slightly longer than broad. Eye: small, not half the length of the ocular. Diameter of body 30 to 33 times in the total length. Scalation details: 17 scales round the middle of the body, 19 behind the head. Ventrals: twice as broad as the contiguous scales, 165-172. Subcaudals: 6-8. Tail: end of tail flat above, obliquely truncate, withstrongly bi- or trlcarinate scales; terminal scute with a transverse ridge but no points. Coloration: blackish brown, with a more or less marked bright red band along each side. [SOURCE: Boulenger] |
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Red-Spotted Earth Snake |
S India |
TL 34 cm |
Head details: snout obtuse; rostral a little more than one fourth the length of the shielded part of the head, the portion visible from above as long as its distance from the frontal; nasals in contact; frontal a little longer than broad. Eye: half or somewhat more than half the length of the ocular. Diameter of body: 25-33 times in the total length. Scalation details: 17 scales round the middle of the body, 19 behind the head. Ventrals: twice as broad as the contiguous scales, 127-136. Subcaudals: 8-10. Tail: end of tail flat above, obliquely truncate, with strongly bi- or tricarinate scales; terminal scute with a transverse ridge and two more or less distinct points. Coloration: dark olive-brown, uniform above; lower parts variegated with yellow and red; some red blotches on each side of the anterior portion of the body, and one on each side of the tail near the vent. [SOURCE: Boulenger] |
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Shevaroy Hills Earth Snake |
S India |
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Three-Cusped Uropeltis, Three-Cusped Shieldtail |
India (Kerala) |
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Woodmason's Earth Snake |
S India |
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