Nilgiri keelback

The Nilgiri keelback (Sahyadriophis beddomei), also known commonly as Beddome's keelback, is a species of snake found in the Western Ghats in India.^[1] The species is named after Richard Henry Beddome, 1830–1911, British army officer and naturalist.^[3] It was first discovered near the Nilgiris but is now known more widely from the Western Ghats. This snake is terrestrial and feeds on toads.

Nilgiri keelback
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Suborder:	Serpentes
Family:	Colubridae
Genus:	Sahyadriophis
Species:	S. beddomei
Binomial name
Sahyadriophis beddomei (Günther, 1864)
Synonyms[2]
Tropidonotus beddomii Günther, 1864 Natrix beddomei — M.A. Smith, 1943 Amphiesma beddomei — Das, 1996 Hebius beddomei — Guo et al., 2014

Description

See snake scales for the terminology used

The eye of S. beddomei is moderate in size, its diameter in the adult equaling its distance from the nostril. The rostral is just visible from above. The suture between the internasals is as long as that between the prefrontals. The frontal is larger than its distance from the end of the snout, a little shorter than the parietals. The loreal is as long as deep or deeper than long. There is one preocular, and there are three (rarely two) postoculars. The temporals are arranged 1+1 or 1+2. The upper labials number 8 or 9, third, fourth and fifth, or fourth, fifth, and sixth entering the eye. There are 5 lower labials in contact with the anterior chin shields. The anterior chin shields are shorter than the posterior chin shields.

The dorsal scales are in 19 rows at midbody, rather strongly keeled, the outer row however, perfectly smooth. The ventrals number 131-150. The anal scale is divided. The subcaudals number 65-75.

S. beddomei is brown dorsally, with a series of yellow spots, each between two black spots or short transverse bands, along each side of the back. The upper labials are yellowish with black sutures. There is a yellow, black-edged, oblique streak from the eye to the corner of the mouth. A yellow band across the nape, behind the parietals, becomes indistinct with age. The belly is white, closely dotted with brown on the sides.

The longest specimen measured by Boulenger had a total length of 51–66 cm (20–26 in), which included a tail 13–19 cm (5–7+1⁄2 in) long.^[4]

• 
  Beddome's keelback feeding on Duttaphrynus melanostictus
• 
  The young have a white patch on the nape
• 
  An adult, without white patch on nape

Habitat

S. beddomei is found in the tropical rainforests and tropical moist forests of the Nilgiri hills, at altitudes of 60–1,000 m (200–3,280 ft).^[1]

Behavior

Although not aquatic, S. beddomei can be found actively hunting from dawn to dusk on stream banks or close to other bodies of water.^[5]

Diet

S. beddomei eats mainly toads.^[5]

Reproduction

S. beddomei is oviparous.^[2]

References

1. Srinivasulu, C.; Srinivasulu, B.; Vijayakumar, S.P.; Jose, J.; Kulkarni, N.U. (2016). "Hebius beddomei". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016: e.T172628A96270673. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-1.RLTS.T172628A96270673.en. Retrieved 11 November 2021.
2. Hebius beddomei at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database. Accessed 7 September 2014.
3. Beolens B, Watkins M, Grayson M (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. ISBN 978-1-4214-0135-5. ( (Amphiesma beddomei) p. 21).
4. Boulenger GA (1893). Catalogue of the Snakes in the British Museum (Natural History). Volume I., Containing the Families ... Colubridæ Aglyphæ, Part.. London: Trustees of the British Museum (Natural History). xiii + 448 pp. + Plates I -XXVIII. (Tropidonotus beddomii, pp. 252-253).
5. Das I (2002). A Photographic Guide to Snakes and other Reptiles of India. Sanibel Island, Florida: Ralph Curtis Books. 144 pp. ISBN 0-88359-056-5. (Amphiesma beddomei, p. 17).

Further reading

• Günther ACLG (1864). The Reptiles of British India. London: The Ray Society. (Taylor and Francis, printers). xxvii + 452 pp. + Plates I-XXVI. (Tropidonotus beddomii [sic], p. 269 + Plate XXII, fig. E). PDF Archived 29 December 2005 at the Wayback Machine
• 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: The Secretary of State for India. (Taylor and Francis, Printers). xii + 583 pp. (Natrix beddomei, p. 306).