Fowlea schnurrenbergeri or Xenochrophis schnurrenbergeri (Bar-necked keelback, Kramer's keelback) is a species of Non venomous snake in the family Colubridae. It is found in Nepal, Pakistan, India[1] and Bangladesh.[2]

Description

Fowlea schnurrenbergeri
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Serpentes
Family: Colubridae
Genus: Fowlea
Species:
F. schnurrenbergeri
Binomial name
Fowlea schnurrenbergeri
(Kramer, 1977)

Bar-necked Keelback is a species which is very close to Checkered Keelback in external morphology. Unlike Checkered Keelback (F. piscator) it is narrowly distributed and found around Himalayan regions also in South Bengal and Odisha. Can be identified by checking 1) Checks on dorsal surface and 2) Cross-bar on neck which is replaced by inverted V in its closest species Checkered Keelback (F. piscator).

Dorsal body-

Body stout with keeled scales on top and smoother on side rows. Dorsal color olive brown with 6 rows of boxes or bars which gradually become faint of posterior body. These bars start from nape in the form of connected or disconnected straight bar.

Ventral body-

Belly usually yellowish-white or white with black edge on the side of each ventral scale. Subcaudal scales paired in a zig-zag manner, their color is similar to ventral scales but sometimes can be darker than ventrals.

Head-

Head triangular with smooth and shiny scales; broader than neck. Color olive brown with two black subocular streaks; anterior below and posterior reaches to last few supralabials. Eyes have rounded pupil.

Tail-

Tail also covered with highly keeled scales. Normal as typical range and ends with pointed tip. Color almost same like rest of the dorsal body but usually without any dark markings.

Diagnostic Keys

Head:

Intranasals distinctly narrowed anteriorly; supralabial 9-10; usually 4th & 5th in contact with eyes; preocular 1; single well defined loreal; postocular 2-3; sometimes a single subocular; temporal 2+2 or 2+3.

Dorsal:

Keeled scales in 19:19:17 rows.

Ventral:

132-139 (Male), 141-152 (Female); anal divided.

Sub Caudal:

71-80 (Male), 61-70 (Female); paired.

Preocular: 1; Postocular: 2-3; Supralabials: 9-10 (4th and 5th touches eye); Infralabials: 8-10; Anterior temporals: 2; Posterior temporals: 2-3; Dorsal scale row formula: 19:19:17. Ventrals: 136-147; Subcaudals: 64-79 (paired). Dorsum olive brown with 5-6 rows of black box like pattern. A straight dark crossbar present on nape. Venter white.

Habitat

Fowlea schnurrenbergeri is much more aquatic in its habit than X. piscator and are found from within or near water hyacinth. The live Fowlea schnurrenbergeri is rather timid. Found in fresh waterbodies of low to moderate elevations of Indian subcontinent. Hides in aquatic vegetation. Xenochrophis schnurrenbergeri mostly found amongst aquatic vegetation.

Behavior

Bar-necked Keelback is a species capable in showing activity anytime. However prone activity is seen during early morning and evening. Its affinity towards aquatic environment is more than X. piscator. Behavior alert, comparatively timid than its sister species Checkered keelback (X. piscatos) and usually try to escape. To show alertness and aggression it inflates much of fore body to show false hood. On threatening always try to escape first by creeping in jumpy manner.

Distribution

Found in patched form in states of Assam, Bihar, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal. Probably found in Sikkim and Uttrakhand also. Outside India it is found in parts of Bangladesh,[4] Southern Pakistan (Vogel & David 2012) and also reported from Northeast Punjab (Sialkot, Zafarwal) and Nepal.

References

  1. ↑ "Fowlea schnurrenbergeri". The Reptile Database. Retrieved 2016-03-30.
  2. ↑ Mahamud, Iftiker; Adnan Azad, Asif; Ashikur Rahman, Shome; Md Mahfuzur, Rahman (November 2022). "New Record of Bar-Necked Keelback, Fowlea schnurrenbergeri (Kramer, 1977) (Squamata: Colubridae) in Bangladesh". Bangladesh Journal of Zoology. 50 (2): 273–276. doi:10.3329/bjz.v50i2.62059. Retrieved 25 November 2022.
  3. ↑ Srinivasulu, C. & Mohapatra, P. (2021). "Fowlea schnurrenbergeri". The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN. 2021: e.T20517483A20517533. Retrieved 15 January 2021.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  4. ↑ Mahamud, Iftiker; Adnan Azad, Asif; Ashikur Rahman, Shome; Md Mahfuzur, Rahman (November 2022). "New Record of Bar-Necked Keelback, Fowlea schnurrenbergeri (Kramer, 1977) (Squamata: Colubridae) in Bangladesh". Bangladesh Journal of Zoology. 50 (2): 273–276. doi:10.3329/bjz.v50i2.62059. Retrieved 25 November 2022.

[1][2][3][4][5][6]

  1. ↑ Mohapatra P. P., Dutta S. K., Parida S. P.(2010) Report of Xenochrophis schnurrenbergeri Kramer, 1977 (Serpentes: Natricidae) from Orissa, India. Russian Journal of Herpetology Vol. 17, No. 2, pp. 94 --96
  2. ↑ Vogel G., David P. (2006) On the taxonomy of the Xenochrophis piscator complex (Serpentes, Natricidae). Herpetologia Bonnensis II, pp. 241-246
  3. ↑ Purkayastha J., Das S., Sengupta S. (2011) Urban herpetofauna: a case study in Guwahati City of Assam, India. Herpetology Notes, volume 4: 195-202
  4. ↑ Purkayastha J., Das M., Sengupta S., Dutta S. K. (2010) Notes on Xenochrophis schnurrenbergeri Kramer, 1977 (Serpentes: Colubridae) from Assam, India with some comments on its morphology and distribution. Herpetology Notes, volume 3: 175-180
  5. ↑ Guo P., Liu Q., Xu Y., Jiang K., Hou M., Ding L., Pyron R. A., Burbrink F. T. (2012) Out of Asia: Natricine snakes support the Cenozoic Beringian Dispersal Hypothesis. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 63, 825–833
  6. ↑ "Fowlea schnurrenbergeri (Kramer, 1977) | Species". India Biodiversity Portal. Retrieved 2022-09-15.
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