Taxonoic and morphometric studies on the snakes of district Jacobabad (Sindh) [Pakistan] and phenetic relationships among them

The present study on the snakes of Jacobabad is based on the description of 16 species belonging to 13 genera viz., Amphiesma, Boiga, Bungaris, Colouber, Echis, Eryx, Lycodon, Naja, Oligodon, Ptyas, Ramphotyplops, Spalerosophis and Xenochophis. A summary of the salient body features of each species is provided below, I. Genus Amphiesma (Dumeril and Bibron) 1. Amphiesma stoiata (Linnaeus) Pale buff or sandy above and off white and light pink below with spotted ventral tips. Body cylindrical, flattened dorsoventrally, supralabials 10 or 11, 4th and 5th touching the eye. Dorsals keeled 29-33 rows at mid body. Ventrals 151 in male 152 in females. Subcaudals 62 in male and 85 in female. II) Genus Boiga (Fitzinger) 2) Boiga trigonata (Schneider) Light brown or grayish brown above and dull white below. Body moderately compressed. Dorsal scales feebly enlarged, smooth, in 19 or 29 rows at mid body, ventrals 220 in male. Subcaudals single and were 77 in male. III. Genus Bungaris (Daudin) 3. Bungarus caeruleus (Schneider) Jet black to dark brown and light pinkish to off white below. Dorsal side with 50-60 narrow transverse white bands. Body cylindrical with pointed tail. Supralabials 7 with 3rd and 4th touching the eye. Dorsals in 17 rows at mid-body. Ventrals were 228 in male. Subcaudals single. IV. Genus Coluber (Linnaeus) 4. Coluber rhodoruchis (Jan) Grey olive above and whitish below. Body elongate and cylindrical. Supralabials 9, with 5th and 6th touching the eye. 19 rows at mid body. Ventrals abtusely angulate laterally 212 to 214 in male. Subcaudals divided and were 105 to 111 in males. 5. Coluber ventromaculatus (Gray) Grayish or olive above and whitish or yellowish below. Dorsum with a series of 52-70 black cross-bars. Body elongate and cylindrical. Supralabials 9, with 5th and 6th touching the eye. Dorsals, perfectly smooth, in 19 rows at mid-body. Ventrals angulate laterally, 202 in male and 195 in female. Subcaudals divided, 104 in male and 113 in female. V. Genus Echis (Merrem) Echis carinatus (Schneider) Pale buff or sandy above and off white and light pink below with spotted ventral tips. Body cylindrical flattened dorsoventrally. Supralabials 10 or 11, 4th and 5th touching the eye. Dorsals keeled 29-33 rows at mid body. Ventrals 170 in male and 210 in female. Subcaudals 34 in male and 30 in female. VI. Genus Eryx (Daudin) T. Eryx johni (Russel) Light mushroom above and cream to light pink below. Dorsum with 4-14 black transverse blotches. Body robust cylindrical with a very little taper. Tail very blunt with tip covered by a rounded shield. Dorsals smooth 50 rows at midbody. Ventrals 190 in single male and 197 in female. Subcaudals 30 in single male 30 in female. VII. Genus Lycodon (Boie) 8) Lycodon aulicus (Linnaeus) Brown or grayish brown above and white below. Dotsum uniform with white transverse cross bars. Body cylindrical but slightly compressed. Supralabials 9 with 3rd, 4th and 5th touches the eye. Dorsals in 17 rows at mid body. Ventrals strongly angulate laterally narrow and were 202 on male. Sub-caudals divided and 68 in male. VIII. Genus Naja (Laurenti) 9) Naja naja (Linnaeus) Jet black to dark brown above and pale gray below. Body dorsoventrally flattened anteriorly sub cylindrical posteriorly. Supralabials 7, with 3rd and 4th touching the eye. Dorsals rhomboid in 21 rows at mid body. Ventrals 181-225 in males 180 in female. Subcaudals 55- 99 in males and 58 in female. IX. Genus Oligodon (Boie) 10). Oligodon arnensis (Shaw) Tan to buff or pale brown above with black cross bars narrowly edged with cream. Body cylindrical. Supralabials 7, with 3rd and 4th touches the eyes. Dorsals smooth in 17 rows and mid body. Ventrals were 182 in male. X. Genus Ptyas (Fitzinger) 11). Ptyas Mucosus (Linnaeus) Gray to dark olive above with irregular but strongly marked cross bars of scales with black tips and edges, especially posteriorly. Other scales with yellow lighten edges. Body elongate and cylindrical. Supralabials 8, with 4th and 5th touches the eyes. Dorsals in 17 rows at mid body, Ventrals 195 in single male. Subcaudals divided and ranged from 197 to 202 in female. X1.Genus Ramphotyphlops (Oppet) 12). Ramphotyphlops braminus (Daudin) Brown or blackish above and lighter below. Supralabials 4, with 3rd and 4th in contact with ocular. Scales semicircled in 20 rows around the body. Transverse scales ranged from 272 to 280 rows from occipital to the base of the tail and 11-12 rows vent to tips of tail X11. Genus Spalerosophis (Jan) 13) Spalerosophis atriceps (Fischer) Light yellowish brown above with irregular scattered dark brown or black spots. Body moderately slender with even taper. Subcaudals three separating the eye from supralabials, which were eleven or twelve. Dorsals keeled in 28-32 rows at mid body. Ventrals 235 in female. Subcaudals divided and 105 in female. 14) Spalerosophis diadema (Schlegel) Light brownish or gray above with a series of large, dark rounded or rhomboidal spots, alternating with much smaller series on each side of the body. Body moderately slender with even taper. Preoculars 2. postoculars 2. suboculars 3 and separated the eye from supralabials 11, dorsals in 29-31 row at mid body. Ventrals 230- 235 in males and 245-254 in females. XIII Genus Xenochrophis (Gunther) 15) Xenochrophis picator (Schneider) Yellowish white or olive above with 5 rows of blackish spot. Body cylindrical. Dorsals smooth in 19 rows at mid body. Ventrals 150 in single male. Subcaudals divided. 16) Xenochrophis sancti-johannis Pale olive with uniform and quincuncially arranged blackish spots or with 2 series of whitish spots. Body cylindrical. Supralabials 8 rarely 9, with 4th touching the eye, 5th very small. Dorsals in 19 rows at mid body. Ventrals 140 in male 150 in female. Subcaudals divided and 80 in male and 82 in female.