De Silva's Rough-sided Snake

Aspidura desilvai

''Aspidura desilvai'', commonly known as De Silva's Rough-sided Snake, is a species of snake in the family Colubridae. The species is endemic to the highlands of Sri Lanka.
A De Silva's Rough-sided Snake posing above ground This species was only recently discovered, and described in early 2019. My guide in Sri Lanka had never seen one and spent several hours digging in the right area in hopes of finding one. Meanwhile, I wandered around looking for frogs, lizards, and bugs to photograph. I turned over a few rocks, finding a few beetles, a couple of millipedes, and, of course, this snake. My guide told me I am probably the first foreigner to ever see one (much less find one). Aspidura desilvai,Geotagged,Sri Lanka,Summer

Naming

The specific name, ''desilvai'', is in honor of Pilippu Hewa Don Hemasiri de Silva, the former director of the National Museums of Sri Lanka from 1965 to 1981 and also the author of the book ''Snake Fauna of Sri Lanka'': ''with special reference to skull, dentition and venom in snakes''.

References:

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Taxonomy
KingdomAnimalia
DivisionChordata
ClassReptilia
OrderSquamata
FamilyColubridae
GenusAspidura
SpeciesA. desilvai
Photographed in
Sri Lanka