Distributed range & status
It’s an endemic sub species Macropisthodon plumbicolor palabariya to Sri Lnaka found mostly up to 1000m. Sigiriya, Knuckles, Bandarawela, Pallekale, Dambulla, Trincomalee, Polonnaruwa, Peradeniya, Kotmale, Haputale, Yapahuwa, Peradeniya, Randenigala, Pupuressa, Koslanda, Pallekale, Uva Pathana, Namunukula. Also spread in Peninsular India & Pakistan.
Scales
rostral |
Broad scale |
frontal |
Smaller than lateral scales |
supraoculars |
|
parietals |
|
prefrontals |
|
nasals |
1 divided |
internasals |
|
loreals |
1 sometimes connected with the preocular |
preoculars |
2 |
postoculars |
3-4 |
temporals |
2+3 |
Supralabials |
7 (3-4 connects with the eye) |
mental |
|
infralabials |
|
sublinguals |
|
coastals |
|
ventrals |
148-157 |
anal |
1 divided |
subcaudals |
34-47 divided |
Mid body consist of 19-25 rows of scales. Scales are longitudinal & strongly keeled.
Characteristics
Medium sized plump snake with short & narrow snout. Juveniles have an oval shaped head while adults have a triangular shaped head. Head is distinct from the neck. Nostrils are large. Eyes contain rounded pupils. The tail is short.
Colour
New born snakes, Juveniles & adults’ colours of the body vary. New born snakes contain light or dark green colour with dorsal black blotches. Fore body have white marks. Neck has a white or yellow broad band which is edged by 2 black stripes. Black strip runs from the back of the eye to the corned of the mouth. Juveniles have light green bodies with fore body containing spreaded black dots. Neck may have black or white marks. They have a V shaped mark on the nape. Adults have olive mixed green colour. Head is darker in colour. The bodies have no special marks on it. All 3 ages contain ventral body of white, yellow or grey colour.
Venom
These snakes are non poisonous.
Dentition
Data not found.
Behavior
They are nocturnal & terrestrial. These snakes associates scrub, grasslands or low land forests where there are water bodies. When excited they flatten the body dorso-ventrally show the blue & white skin beneath scales. They do not try to bite. They aestivate in dry zones. Some times these snakes are seen to mimic its head & flaring its neck.
Breeding
These are ovoviviparous snakes lay 7-16 of eggs measuring 21-36mm.
Growth
At birth 100-150mm & adult length of the snake is 400-600mm.
Food
Diet consists of frogs & toads.
Identification
Adults of Macropisthodon plumbicolor are similar in colour to green pit vipers. Macropisthodon plumbicolor distinguish in not having a dark black stripe along the 2 sides of the head across the eye, lacking loreals at the 2 sides of the head & body scales been strongly keeled.
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