Atretium schistosum, the split keelback or olive keelback wart snake, is a species of snake found in South Asia. It is a common and harmless watersnake.
It is a small, robust snake with thin head, short snout and slit nostrils placed rather high. The snake is olive-green and yellow to orange below. It is sometimes tinged with pink or purplish on the flanks. The length of the tail is one third to one-fourth of the total length.
The scales are rough because they are keeled. Specimens from South India have a distinct reddish line along the 5th and 6th or the 4th and 5th up to the vent. This line is brighter in the males. The females are between 70 and 75 cm long, and the males between 50 and 60 cm. The longest measured snake is 87 cm long.
The olive keelback is found near water or among the surrounding vegetation.
Identifying characteristicsEdit
The snake is distinguished by a number of scale characteristics:
Can easily be confused with olive forest Snake (Rhabdops olivaceus).
HabitsEdit
Lives in water or among the surrounding vegetation.
A diurnal snake, it is seen at night also. The snakes rarely bite when handled. It is known to aestivate in the summer.
The olive keelback feeds mainly on frogs, tadpoles, fish and crabs which it catches with a side-stroke motion that is characteristic of watersnakes. The snake swims past the prey and suddenly snaps its head to the side. The olive keelback is also known to eat mosquito larvae (Whitaker).
Sometimes, referred to as a water-cobra, the olive keelback is nevertheless tolerated by people.
ReproductionEdit
It is oviparous (egg laying). It breeds in the monsoon. The eggs, which are white, soft and 30 to 35mm in length, are laid in clutches of 10 to 32 in the months January to April. The newly hatched snakes measure 16.6 to 17.5 cm in length.
Boulenger, George A. 1890 The Fauna of British India, Including Ceylon and Burma. Reptilia and Batrachia. Taylor & Francis, London, xviii, 541 pp.
Cantor, T. E. 1839 Spicilegium serpentium indicorum [parts 1 and 2]. Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 7: 31–34, 49–55.
Daudin 1802 Histoire Naturelle, Générale et Particulière des Reptiles. vol. 7. Paris: Dufart [1802], 436 pp.
Günther, A. 1898 Notes on Indian snakes in captivity. Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist. (7) 1: 30
Wall, FRANK 1921 Ophidia Taprobanica or the Snakes of Ceylon. Colombo Mus. (H. R. Cottle, government printer), Colombo. xxii, 581 pages
External linksEdit
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Atretium.
Atretium schistosum at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database
October 19, 2023
atretium, schistosum, split, keelback, olive, keelback, wart, snake, species, snake, found, south, asia, common, harmless, watersnake, conservation, statusleast, concern, iucn, scientific, classificationdomain, eukaryotakingdom, animaliaphylum, chordataclass, . Atretium schistosum the split keelback or olive keelback wart snake is a species of snake found in South Asia It is a common and harmless watersnake AtretiumConservation statusLeast Concern IUCN 3 1 Scientific classificationDomain EukaryotaKingdom AnimaliaPhylum ChordataClass ReptiliaOrder SquamataSuborder SerpentesFamily ColubridaeGenus AtretiumCope 1861Species A schistosumBinomial nameAtretium schistosum Daudin 1803 Contents 1 Distribution 2 Description 2 1 Identifying characteristics 3 Habits 4 Reproduction 5 Local names 6 References 7 External linksDistribution EditFound in Sri Lanka India Bangladesh and Nepal In India it occurs in peninsular India south of latitude 15 degrees north and along the east coast to Uttarakhand It is reported to be very common around Bangalore North Arcot district Tamil Nadu and Kakinada area in Andhra Pradesh Occurs up to 1000 m 3280 ft above sea level Absent from most of North India Description Edit nbsp head detailsIt is a small robust snake with thin head short snout and slit nostrils placed rather high The snake is olive green and yellow to orange below It is sometimes tinged with pink or purplish on the flanks The length of the tail is one third to one fourth of the total length The scales are rough because they are keeled Specimens from South India have a distinct reddish line along the 5th and 6th or the 4th and 5th up to the vent This line is brighter in the males The females are between 70 and 75 cm long and the males between 50 and 60 cm The longest measured snake is 87 cm long The olive keelback is found near water or among the surrounding vegetation Identifying characteristics Edit The snake is distinguished by a number of scale characteristics Single internasal Nineteen rows of costals 8 or 9 supralabials upper lip shields Can easily be confused with olive forest Snake Rhabdops olivaceus Habits EditLives in water or among the surrounding vegetation A diurnal snake it is seen at night also The snakes rarely bite when handled It is known to aestivate in the summer The olive keelback feeds mainly on frogs tadpoles fish and crabs which it catches with a side stroke motion that is characteristic of watersnakes The snake swims past the prey and suddenly snaps its head to the side The olive keelback is also known to eat mosquito larvae Whitaker Sometimes referred to as a water cobra the olive keelback is nevertheless tolerated by people Reproduction EditIt is oviparous egg laying It breeds in the monsoon The eggs which are white soft and 30 to 35mm in length are laid in clutches of 10 to 32 in the months January to April The newly hatched snakes measure 16 6 to 17 5 cm in length Local names EditTamil KOraipaambu or Pachai thanneer paambu Kannada Barmmya Telugu Nalla wahlagillee Sinhala Diya Warnaya Bangla Mete shap References EditThis article includes a list of references related reading or external links but its sources remain unclear because it lacks inline citations Please help to improve this article by introducing more precise citations February 2014 Learn how and when to remove this template message Boulenger George A 1890 The Fauna of British India Including Ceylon and Burma Reptilia and Batrachia Taylor amp Francis London xviii 541 pp Cantor T E 1839 Spicilegium serpentium indicorum parts 1 and 2 Proc Zool Soc London 7 31 34 49 55 Daudin 1802 Histoire Naturelle Generale et Particuliere des Reptiles vol 7 Paris Dufart 1802 436 pp Gunther A 1898 Notes on Indian snakes in captivity Ann Mag Nat Hist 7 1 30 Wall FRANK 1921 Ophidia Taprobanica or the Snakes of Ceylon Colombo Mus H R Cottle government printer Colombo xxii 581 pagesExternal links Edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Atretium Atretium schistosum at the Reptarium cz Reptile Database Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Atretium amp oldid 1158046511, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
