Buff striped keelback
Amphiesma stolata (Linnaeus, 1758)
NON VENOMOUS
At hatching 90-170mm (4-7in)
Adult length 400mm (16in) Maximum 800mm (32 in)
Description
Body cylindrical neck slightly distinct; tail pointed; eyes large; body scales keeled.
Olive greenish or brownish above with black spots or reticulated cross-bars, intersected by two dorso-lateral yellow or buff stripes, on the hinder part of the body the stripes are best marked and the black spots least evident, lower part whitish, sometimes with a small black spot on the side of each ventral shield; in juveniles the light dorso lateral stripes are replaced in the forepart of the body by a series of spots.
Scalation
Scales in 19 (17 or 20): 19: 17 rows, keeled with more or less bidentate tips. Ventrals 118-161; anal usually divided: subcaudals 46-89, paired. Internasals truncate, but distinctly narrowed anteriorly. Supralabials 8 (3 to 5th touching eye):
Behavior
Diurnal; terrestrial; very common during early monsoon. Mass breeding observed during April-May. Found in drier regions, in plains to an altitude of 1600m. Individuals seen hibernating below rocks during winter months. Eggs are deposited during monsoon season in a coherent clutch of 5-17 numbers below rocks or heap of stones; the length of each eggs being 2-3cm. Diet: frogs and lizards.
Distribution
Throughout mainland India (records from the Andamans unlikely). Also Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.
Look alikes
Common Trinket Snake. Beddome's Keelback.
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