Buff striped keelback

Taxonomy

Based on morphological characters including hemipenial morphology, dentition, and external scalation, in 1960 the genus Natrix sensu lato was divided into several genera, revalidating the genus Amphiesma with the type species A. stolatum.

Anatomy and morphology

A small, slender snake, the buff striped keelback is generally olive-brown to gray in colour. The head and the body are of the same colour.

The body of the buff striped keelback is short, and it has a long slender tail which is almost a quarter of its length. Two yellow stripes along the length and to the sides of the spine are the distinctive feature of this snake. These stripes are diffuse at the head and are especially bright on the second half of its body.

The keelback has irregular blackish crossbars on the body. Near the head the crossbars are prominent, whereas on the second half of the snake they become diffuse.

The sides of the head are yellow, and the head tapers to form a distinctive neck. The nape is red during the breeding season. The chin and throats are white or sometimes yellow. The lips and area in front of and behind eye are yellowish. The forked tongue is black. The eyes have large round pupils with golden flecks on the iris.

The underside is pale cream and has small black spots scattered along both the margins. It has keeled scales on the dorsal surface of the body.

Morphs

There are two distinct colour varieties – a typical variety, found everywhere, with grayish-blue interscale colour. The second variety, erythrostictus, is common mainly in coastal areas and has bright vermillion interscale colour. The interscale colours become visible only when the snake puffs itself up when agitated.

Identifying characteristics

Scalation has been described as:[[Image:Amphiesma stolata head sal.jpg|250px|A closeup of head|thumb]]

1. The nasal shield does not touch the second supralabial (upper lip shield);
2. The rostral touches a total of 6 shields. These are two inter-nasals, two nasals and the first supralabial on each side;
3. Supralabial 8 (3rd to 5th touching eye);
4. Presence of single temporal shield;
5. Nineteen rows of costals which are strongly keeled except for the outer row which is perfectly smooth;
6. Presence of stripes;
7. Ventrals 118–161, usually divided;
8. Anal divided;
9. Subcaudals 46-89, paired.

Size

The Buff Striped keelback is usually 50 to 80 cm (about 19.7 to 31.5 inches) in total length. Females are usually longer than the males.

Distribution

The buff striped keelback is found throughout South and Southeast Asia. Its range extends from Pakistan (Sindh) to Sri Lanka, India (including the Andaman Islands), Bangladesh, Nepal, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Indonesia (Borneo, Sabah), Taiwan and China (Hainan, Hong Kong, Fujian, Jiangxi). It is also found in Bhutan.

In India, the snake is found up to an altitude of 2,000 m.

Conservation status

The buff striped keelback is common throughout its range, and is not of international conservation concern.

Ecology and life history

Habitat

This terrestrial, diurnal snake inhabits well-watered lowland plains and hills.

Feeding ecology

The primary diet of adult A. stolatum is small amphibians such as frogs and toads, but they are also known to consume earthworms, small lizards and rodents.

Life history

Keelbacks are oviparous. Mating is thought to take place during the aestivation period. Gravid females have been found from April to August and eggs are laid in underground holes from May to September. The snake lays a clutch of 5 to 15 pure white eggs. Females remain with eggs till they hatch. The young snakes are 9-14 cm at birth and eat insects, tadpoles, small toads and frogs.

Behavior

The buff striped keelback is diurnal, and although mostly seen on land, it can readily take to water.

The buff striped keelback is nonvenomous and totally harmless. When alarmed, it inflates its body causing the bright interscale colours to be exposed. Sometimes, the snake flattens and narrows its head to form a hood. This behaviour sometimes causes the species to be mistaken by laypersons for a baby cobra.

The snake aestivates during hot weather and appears at the end of summer. It is abundant during the rains. In north India, the striped keelback hibernates 25 to 45 cm (about 10 to 18 inches) under the ground in soil, amongst grass roots.

• Assamese – Bamuni saap.
• Odia – Halahalia saapa, Mati biradi Saapa(Angul){Jajpur}, Bramhani (Sambalpuri Language) .
• Bengali – বামুনী ঢোঁড়া সাপ (Bamuni Dhora shap), বামুনী সাপ (Bamuni shap), হেলে সাপ (Hele shap), ঘরকুনো সাপ (Ghorkuno shap),ঘেণ্টি সাপ(Ghenti shap). চেলু সাপ(chelu shap)
• North Bengal—ঘেণ্টি সাপ(Ghenti shap)
• Gujarati - કંકાસિયુ (kankaasiyu),કેકારિયૂ(kekariyu)
• Marathi – Naneti, "wasya".
• Telugu – Wannapam.
• Tamil – Nirkatan pambu.
• Tulu – Pageley.
• Konkani – * Raktamandol*.
• Sinhala – Aharakukka.
• Chhattisgadhi - "Pirpitti Saanp".
• Sambalpur -" Bamhani "
• Hindi - " Seetaalat " सीतालट
• Nepali - "Harhare" हरहरे, "harare" हररे
• Malayalam- "തെയ്യം പാമ്പ് "
• Kannada - Hullu haavu

Punjabi GULERA -گولیرا --

Gallery

Image:AB018_buff_striped_keelback.jpg|A buff-striped keelback (normal form) Image:AB023_buff_striped_keelback_6.jpg|The body of the snake Image:AB022_buff_striped_keelback_5.jpg|The snake being held by the head Image:AB021_buff_striped_keelback_4.jpg|The snake twisting its head while being held.

References

Bibliography

• 1890. The Fauna of British India, Including Ceylon and Burma. Reptilia and Batrachia. Secretary of State for India in Council. (Taylor and Francis, Printers). London. xviii + 541 pp. (Tropidonotus stolatus, pp. 348–349.)
• 1893. Catalogue of the Snakes in the British Museum (Natural History). Volume I., Containing the Families...Colubridæ Aglyphæ, Part. Trustees of the British Museum (Natural History). (Taylor and Francis, Printers). London. xiii + 448 pp. + Plates I.-XXVIII. (Tropidonotus stolatus, pp. 253–254.)
• ; , ; & . 1998. A Photographic Guide to Snakes and Other Reptiles of Peninsular Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand. Ralph Curtis Publishing. Sanibel Island, Florida. 144 pp.
• 2002. Book of Indian Reptiles and Amphibians. BNHS. Oxford University Press. Mumbai.
• 1999. Biogeography of the amphibians and reptiles of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, India. In: Ota, H. (ed) Tropical Island herpetofauna. Elsevier, pp. 43–77.
• 2002. A Photographic Guide to Snakes and Other Reptiles of India. Ralph Curtis Books. Sanibel Island, Florida. 144 pp. . (Amphiesma stolatum, p. 19.)
• 1758. Systema Naturae. 10th Edition: 204 pp.
• 1921. Ophidia Taprobanica or the Snakes of Ceylon. Colombo Museum. (H.R. Cottle, government printer). Colombo. xxii + 581 pp.

References

1. Wogan, G.. (2021). "''Amphiesma stolatum''".
2. {{NRDB species
3. GUO, PENG. (2014-10-17). "A taxonomic revision of the Asian keelback snakes, genus Amphiesma (Serpentes: Colubridae: Natricinae), with description of a new species". Zootaxa.
4. Sharma, R.C.. (2004). "Handbook: Indian Snakes.". Zoological Survey of India.
5. Whitaker, R.. (1978). "Common Indian Snakes: a field guide". MacMillan India Limited.
6. "Amphiesma stolatum - Buff Striped Keelback".
7. Whitaker, R., & Captain, A.. (2008). "Snakes of India: The Field Guide". Draco Books.