Teretrurus rhodogaster
Species of snake
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Teretrurus rhodogaster is a species of nonvenomous shield tail snake, endemic to the Western Ghats of India. It is known as Wall's shield-tail snake, the Palni Mountain burrowing snake, or the red-bellied shield-tail snake.
| Teretrurus rhodogaster | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Suborder: | Serpentes |
| Family: | Uropeltidae |
| Genus: | Teretrurus |
| Species: | T. rhodogaster |
| Binomial name | |
| Teretrurus rhodogaster Wall, 1921 | |
| Synonyms[2][3] | |
| |
It is perhaps the smallest species of shield-tail snake, with adults barely exceeding 5–6 in (130–150 mm).
Geographic range
It is found in South India, in the Western Ghats encompassing the Palni Hills (Shembaganur in Kodaikanal Hills, Palnis).
The type locality given is "Palnai Hills."[2]