| 翻訳と辞書 |
uropeltidae
:''Common names: pipe snakes, shield-tailed snakes.''
The Uropeltidae are a family of primitive burrowing snakes endemic to southern India and Sri Lanka. The name is derived from the Greek words ''ura'' ("tail") and ''pelte'' ("shield"), indicating the presence of the large keratinous shield at the tip of the tail. Currently, eight genera are recognized comprising 47 species.〔 These snakes are not venomous.〔Greene, H. W. and R. W. Mcdiarmid. 2005. Wallace and Savage: heroes, theories, and venomous snake mimicry. pp 190–208. Donnelly M. A., Crother B. I., Guyer C., Wake M. H., White M. E. (eds.). Ecology and Evolution in the Tropics, a Herpetological Perspective. Chicago University of Chicago Press.〕
==Description==
These are small snakes, with adults growing to between 20 and 75 cm in length. They are adapted to a fossorial way of life, which is apparent in their anatomy. The skull is primitive and inflexible, with a short vertical quadrate bone and rigid jaws; the coronoid bone is still present in the lower jaw. The orbital bones are absent, the supratemporal is vestigial and the eyes are small and degenerate, not covered by a brille, but by large polygonal shields. However, the pelvis and hind limbs, the presence of which is also considered a primitive trait, have disappeared in this family.〔Parker HW, Grandison AGC. 1977. Snakes -- a natural history. Second Edition. British Museum (Natural History) and Cornell University Press. 108 pp. 16 plates. LCCCN 76-54625. ISBN 0-8014-1095-9 (cloth), ISBN 0-8014-9164-9 (paper).〕
The tail is characteristic, ending in either A) an enlarged rigid scale with two points, or more often an upper surface with a subcircular area covered with thickened spiny scales, or B) a much enlarged spiny plate. The ventral scales are much reduced in size.〔 The body is cylindrical and covered with smooth scales.
抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』
■ウィキペディアで「uropeltidae」の詳細全文を読む
スポンサード リンク
| 翻訳と辞書 : 翻訳のためのインターネットリソース |
Copyright(C) kotoba.ne.jp 1997-2016. All Rights Reserved.
|
|