| Platyceps gracilis | |
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| Lower photo: Dr. Raju Kasambe, BNHS Conservation Education Centre, Goregaon, Mumbai, India. | |
| Conservation status | |
 Data Deficient (IUCN 3.1) | |
Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Suborder: | Serpentes |
| Family: | Colubridae |
| Genus: | Platyceps |
| Species: | P. gracilis |
| Binomial name | |
| Platyceps gracilis (Günther, 1862) | |
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| Synonyms | |
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Platyceps gracilis, commonly known as the graceful racer or slender racer, is a species of snake endemic to West India.
Description
- See snake scales for terms used
Snout is obtuse; rostral nearly as deep as broad, just visible from above; suture between the internasals a little shorter than that between the prefrontals; frontal slightly longer than its distance from the end of the snout, nearly as long as the occipitals; loreal nearly as deep as long; one preocular, with a small subocular below 3 two postoculars ; temporals 2+2; 9 upper labials, fifth and sixth entering the eye; 4 or 5 lower labials in contact with the anterior chin-shields; posterior chin-shields as long as or longer than the anterior, separated anteriorly by two scales. Scales smooth, in 21 rows. Ventrals ungulate laterally, 213–228; anal divided; subcaudals 118–121. Yellowish above, with a series of large round brown spots edged with black, separated by narrow interspaces; these spots become more indistinct on the posterior part of the body; a black cross-band on the snout and three angular dark brown black-edged bands on the head, the anterior between the eye, the posterior extending on to the nape; lower parts yellowish, with an irregular series of black spots on each side. Total length 33 inches; tail 10.
Distribution
P. gracilis is endemic to the West of India, and has been sighted in the states of Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh. According to observations documented via iNaturalist, the species has been seen in the areas of Dhalewadi, Dhule, Kondhur, Matheran, Mumbai, Pune and Thane (Kalwa) in Maharashtra; in Rajasthan, it is known from Chittorgarh and Udaipur.
Notes
- ^ Srinivasulu C, Srinivasulu B, Mohapatra P, Vyas R, Thakur S (2013). "Coluber gracilis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2013: e.T172692A1367883. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2013-1.RLTS.T172692A1367883.en.
- ^ Platyceps gracilis at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database. Accessed 14 March 2016.
- "Slender Racer - Coluber gracilis ". Indian Snakes Database. Retrieved March 22, 2013.
- Boulenger, GA (1890). The Fauna of British India, Including Ceylon and Burma. Reptilia and Batrachia. London: Secretary of State for India in Council. (Taylor and Francis, printers). xviii + 541 pp. (Zamenis gracilis, p. 327).
- ^ "Observations • iNaturalist". iNaturalist.org. Retrieved 26 April 2024.
References
- 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. (Taylor and Francis, printers). xiii + 448 pp. + Plates I-XXVIII. (Zamenis gracilis, p. 404).
- Günther A (1862) "On new Species of Snakes in the Collection of the British Museum". Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., Third Series 9: 124–132. (Zamenis gracilis, new species, pp. 125–126).
- Schätti B, Wilson LD (1986). "Coluber Linnaeus. Holarctic racers". Catalogue of American Amphibians and Reptiles (399): 1–4.
- 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: Secretary of State for India. (Taylor and Francis, printers). xii + 583 pp. (Coluber gracilis, new combination, pp. 171–172).
External links
- Image of Coluber gracilis on Flickr
| Taxon identifiers | |
|---|---|
| Platyceps gracilis | |
| Zamenis gracilis | |
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