Melanophidium punctatum

Melanophidium punctatum

''Melanophidium punctatum'', commonly known as Beddome's black shieldtail, is a species of shieldtail snake endemic to India.
Pide_belly_shield_tail_snake Pide belly shield tail snake is found in western ghat, found only in monsoon. India,Melanophidium punctatum,blue,shield,snake,tail,western ghat

Appearance

Snout rounded; rostral small, just visible from above; frontal as long as or longer than its distance from the end of the snout; suture between the ocular and the frontal less than one third the length of the latter shield. Eye very small. Diameter of body 42 to 48 times in the total length. 15 scales round the middle of the body, 17 behind the head. Ventrals rather more than twice as broad as the contiguous scales, 184-198; subcaudals 15-18. Black above, beautifully iridescent; ventrals and the two lower series of scales on each side with a broad white border.

Type locality: "Travancore, [...] under a stone in the Muti-Kuli Vayal, a little valley on the Asamboo range "

References:

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Taxonomy
KingdomAnimalia
DivisionChordata
ClassReptilia
OrderSquamata
FamilyUropeltidae
GenusMelanophidium
SpeciesM. punctatum
Photographed in
India