Snakes of Sanghar district [Pakistan] and studies on their morphometry and phenetic relationships among them

The present study on the snakes of Sanghar are based on the description of 19 species belonging to 16 genera viz. Amphiesma, Boiga Bungaruws, Coluber, Echis, Eryx, Lycoclon, Naja, Oligodon, Ptyas, Psammophis, Ramphotyphlops, Spalerosophis, Typhlops, Vipera and Xenochrophis. A summary of the salient body features of each species is I. Genus Amphiesma Dumeril and Bibron 1.Amphiesma stolata (Linnaeus) Olive brown or greenish above and off white and light pink below with spotted ventral tips. Body cylindrical, flattened dorsoventrally supralabials 7, 3rd and 4th touching the eye. Dorsals keeled 19 rows at mid body. Ventrals 154 in male. Subcaudals 75 in male. II. Genus Boiga Fitzinger 2. Boiga trigonata (Schneider): Light brown or greyish brown above and dull white below. Dorsum with a vertebral series of large white, black edged angular or Vshaped spots. Body moderately compressed. Dorsal scales feebly enlarge, smooth in 21 or 22 rows at mid-body. Ventrals were 200 to 222 in females. Sub caudals single and were 72 to 80 in females. III. Genus Bungarus Daudin 3. Bungarcts caeruleus (Schneider) Jet black to dark brown above and light pinkish to off white below. Dorsal side with 50-61 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 211 to 213 in males and 205 to 206 in females. Sub caudals single, 46 to 47 in males and from 42 to 48 in females. IV. Genus Coluber. Linnaeus 4. Coluber rhodorachis (Jan) Grey olive above and whitish below. Body elongate and cylindrical. Supra labials 9, with 5th and 6th touching the eye. Dorsal scales smooth, 19 rows at, mid-body. Ventrals obtusely angilate laterally 217 male. Sub caudals divided and were 110 in male 5. Coluber ventromaculatus (Gray) Greyish or olive above and whitish or yellowish below. Dorsurm with a series of 52-70 black crossbars. Body elongate and Supra labials 9, with 5th and 6th touching the eye. Dorsals smooth in 19 rows at mid-body. Ventrals angulate laterally, 199-204 in males, subcaudals divided 102 to 106 in males. V. Genus Echis Merrem 6. Echis carinatius (Schneider) Pale buff or sandy above and off white and light pink below. Body cylindrical flattened dorsoventrally supralabials 10 or 11, two rows between eye and supralabials. Dorsals keeled 29-33 rows at mid body. Ventrals 160-171 in males and 210 in female. Subcaudals 30-32 in males and 30 in female. VI. Genus Eryx Daudin 7. Eryx johni (Russell) 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. Supralabials l 1- 12. None of them touching the eyes. Dorsal scales smooth in 50 rows at mid- body. Ventrals 194-177 in males and 195 in female. Subcaudals 29-29 in males and 20 in female. VII. Genus Lycodon Boie 8. Lycodon striatus Dark brown or blackish above and uniform white below. Dorsum with white to cream transverse cross bars. Body cylindrical but slightly compressed. Dorsi scales smooth with 17 rows at mid-body. Ventrals not angulate laterally. Sub caudals divided. VIII. Genus Naja Laurenti 9. Naja naja (Eichwald) Jet black to dark brown above and pale grey below. Body, dorso ventrally flattened anteriorly and sub-cylindrical posteriorly. Supralabials 7, 3rd and 4th touching the eye. Dorsals rhomboid in 21 rows at mid-body. Ventrals 181-187 in males and 190- 192 in females. Subcaudals 60-64 in males and 62-63 in females. 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 touching the eyes. Dorsal smooth in 17 rows at mid-body. Ventrals were 75 in female and subcaudals were 49 in female. X. Genus Psammophis (Fitzinger) 11. Psammophis condanarus (Merrem) Pale olive to grassy above and centrally cream below. Dorsal smooth, at mid body in 17 rows. Body most robust. Ventrals 182 in a single male. Subcaudals divided, 85 in male, Anal scales 2. 12. Psammophis leithi (Gunther) Yellow grey to straw above and centrally lemon yellow. Dorsal side with 4 castle brown longitudinal stripes. Body more or less cylindrical. Dorsals at mid body in 17 rows. Ventrals 180 in a single female. Sub caudals divided and 102 in single female. XI. Genus Ptyas Fitzinger 13. Ptyas mucosus (Linnaeus) Grey to dark olive above with irregular but strongly marked cross-bars of scales with black tips and edges, especially posteriorly, other scales with yellow or light tail edges. Body elongate cylindrical. Supralabials 8, with 4th and 5th touching the eye. Dorsals in 17 rows at mid body. Ventrals 194 in single male and 196 in female. Sub caudals divided were 75 in male and 110 in female. XII. Genus Ramphotyphlops Oppet 14. Ramphotyphlops braminus (Daudin) Brown or blackish above and lighter below. Supralabials 4, 3rd and 4th in contact with ocular. Scales semicircled in 20 rows around the body. Transverse scales ranged from 270 to 285 rows from occiput to the base of the tail and in 11-12 rows from vent to the tip of the tail. XII. Genus Splerosophis Spalerosophis Jan Spalerosophis atriceps (Fischer) Light yellowish brown above with irregular scattered dark brown or black spots. Body moderately slender with even taper. Sub oculars three, separating the eye from supralabials, which were 11 or 12. Dorsals keeled in 28-32 rows at mid-body. Ventrals 235 in female. Subcaudals divided and 105 in female. 16. Spalerosophis diadema (Schlegel) Light brownish or grey above with a series of lame, dark rounded or rhomboidal spots, alternating with much smaller series on each side of the body. Body moderately slender with even taper, pre ocular 2. Post oculars 2. Sub oculars 3 and separated the eye from supralabials. The supralabials 11. Dorsals in 29-31 rows at mid-body. Ventrals 230-260 in males, sub caudals 112- 130 in males. XIV. Genus Typhlops (Gunther) 17. Typhlops porrectus (Stoliczka) Light brown above and pale below. Body moderately slender with even taper. Supra labials 4, 3rd and 4th touching the eye. Transverse scales were 390 rows from occiput to the base of tail and were 7 rows from vent to tip of the tail. Scales semi-circled in 20 rows around the body. XV. Genus Vipera Laurenti 18. Vipera russelii Boulenger Light brown above and light pinkish below. Body stout, flattened dorsoventrally, tapering evenly posteriorly. Dorsals 27-29 rows at mid- body, sub-caudals divided. XVI. Genus Xenochrophis (Gunther) 19. Xenochrophis piscator. (Sclineider) Yellowish white or olive above with five rows of blackish spots. Body cylindrical. Dorsals more or less distinctly killed. 19 rows at mid body. Ventrals 142-143 in males and 145- 154 in females. Sub caudals divided and 70 to 75 in mates and 85 to 87 in females.