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Citation: Midtgaard, Rune. RepFocus - A Survey of the Reptiles of the World. (www.repfocus.dk).
Latest update: October 9th, 2024.


Taxonomy of the family Uropeltidae
Bibliography of the genus Uropeltis
Biodiversity of the family Uropeltidae








Genus
Uropeltis

Typical Shieldtails

Eigentliche Schildschwänze

Egentlige Skjoldhaler

1829 Uropeltis Cuvier (type species: Uropeltis ceylanicus Cuvier 1829)
1845 Siluboura Gray (type species: Uropeltis ceylanicus Cuvier 1829; syn. Pyron, Ganesh, Sayyed, Sharma, Wallach & Somaweera 2016)
1851 Coloburus Dumeril in Dumeril & Dumeril (type species: Uropeltis ceylanicus Cuvier 1829; syn. Pyron, Ganesh, Sayyed, Sharma, Wallach & Somaweera 2016)
Contents: 29 species, all of which are endemic.
Endemism: 0% 100%
Remarks: Grammatical gender of Uropeltis is feminine (Lanza & Boscherini 2000).
Distribution: India (Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Gujarat, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Tamil Nadu).

Uropeltis arcticeps

Tirunelveli Shieldtail

Tirunelveli-Schildschwanz

Tirunelveli-skjoldhale

1875 Silybura arcticeps Günther
Silybura nilgherriensis arcticeps Beddome 1886
Uropeltis arcticeps Smith 1943
1886 Silybura nilgherriensis var. picta Beddome (Gans 1966)

Remarks: Previously included madurensis.
Distribution: India (Kerala, Tamil Nadu).


Uropeltis beddomii

Anaimalai Shieldtail, (Beddome's Shieldtail)

Anaimalai-Schildschwanz

Anaimalai-skjoldhale

1862 Silybura beddomii Günther
Uropeltis beddomii Wall 1923

Distribution: India (Kerala, Tamil Nadu).


Uropeltis bhupathyi

Anaikatty Shieldtail

Anaikatty-Schildschwanz

Anaikatty-skjoldhale

2018 Uropeltis bhupathyi Jins, Sampaio & Gower

Distribution: India (Tamil Nadu).





Uropeltis bicatenata

Two-chained Shieldtail

Ketten-Schildschwanz

Kæde-skjoldhale

1864 Silybura bicatenata Günther
Uropeltis ceylanicus bicatenata Murthy 1990
Uropeltis bicatenata Gower, Captain & Thakur 2008

Remarks: Previously regarded as a synonym of ceylanicus (e.g., Gans 1966). Revalidated by Gower, Captain & Thakur (2008).
Distribution: India (Maharashtra).


Uropeltis broughami

Sirumalai Shieldtail

Sirumalai-Schildschwanz

Sirumalai-skjoldhale

1878 Silybura broughami Beddome
Uropeltis broughami Smith
1878 Silybura levingii Beddome (Pyron, Ganesh, Sayyed, Sharma, Wallach & Somaweera 2016)

Distribution: India (Tamil Nadu).


Uropeltis caudomaculata

Spot-tailed Shieldtail

Fleckenschwanz-Schildschwanz

Plethalet Skjoldhale

2024 Uropeltis caudomaculata Gower, Das, Deepak, Gerard & Naratanan

Remarks: Previously regarded as a population of pulneyensis (Gower, Das, Deepak, Gerard & Naratanan 2024).
Distribution: India (Kerala, Tamil Nadu).





Uropeltis ceylanica

Kerala Shieldtail

Kerala-Schildschwanz

Kerala-skjoldhale

1829 Uropeltis ceylanica Cuvier
Pseudotyphlops ceylanicus Schlegel 1839
Silyboura ceylonicus [unjustified emendation] Gray 1845
Coloburus ceylanicus Duméril & Duméril 1951
1854 Uropeltis affinis Jerdon (Pyron, Ganesh, Sayyed, Sharma, Wallach & Somaweera 2016)
1862 Silybura brevis Günther (Pyron, Ganesh, Sayyed, Sharma, Wallach & Somaweera 2016)
1863 Silybura nilgherriensis Beddome (Pyron, Ganesh, Sayyed, Sharma, Wallach & Somaweera 2016)
1886 Silybura nilgherriensis var. annulata Beddome (Gans 1966)
Silybura ellioti annulata Boulenger 1893
Uropeltis ceylanicus annulata Murthy 1990

Remarks: Previously included bicatenata and shortii. Named after an incorrect type locality "Ceylan", but never reported from Sri Lanka (Whitaker & Captain 2004).
Distribution: India (Goa, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu).


Uropeltis dindigalensis

Dindigul Shieldtail, (Sirumalai Shieldtail)

Dindigul-Schildschwanz

Dindigul-skjoldhale

1877 Silybura dindigalensis Beddome
Uropeltis dindigalensis Smith 1943
Uropeltis ellioti dindigalensis Mahendra 1984

Distribution: India (Tamil Nadu).


Uropeltis ellioti

Madras Shieldtail, (Elliot's Shieldtail)

Madras-Schildschwanz

Madras-skjoldhale

1858 Siloboura ellioti Gray
Uropeltis ellioti Smith 1943
1875 Silybura punctata Günther (Pyron, Ganesh, Sayyed, Sharma, Wallach & Somaweera 2016)

Distribution: India (Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Gujarat, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Telangana).


Uropeltis grandis

Violet Shieldtail, (Smith's Shieldtail)

Violett-Schildschwanz

Violet Skjoldhale

1867 Rhinophis grandis Beddome [not Uropeltis grandis Kelaart 1857]
Silybura grandis Gunther 1868
Uropeltis grandis Smith 1943
1966 Uropeltis smithi Gans [replacement name for Rhinophis grandis Beddome 1867] (Pyron, Ganesh, Sayyed, Sharma, Wallach & Somaweera 2016)

Distribution: India (Kerala, Tamil Nadu).


Uropeltis guentheri

Madurai Shieldtail

Madurai-Schildschwanz

Madurai-skjoldhale

1878 Silybura guentheri Beddome
Uropeltis guentheri Gower, Das, Deepak, Gerard & Naratanan 2024

Remarks: Previously regarded as a synonym of pulneyensis (e.g., Pyron, Ganesh, Sayyed, Sharma, Wallach & Somaweera 2016). Revalidated as a separate species by Gower, Das, Deepak, Gerard & Naratanan (2024).
Distribution: India (Tamil Nadu).





Uropeltis jerdoni

Bengaluru Shieldtail, (Jerdon's Shieldtail)

Bengaluru-Schildschwanz

Bengaluru-skjoldhale

2021 Uropeltis jerdoni Ganesh, Punith, Adhikari & Achyuthan

Distribution: India (Karnataka).





Uropeltis liura

Ashambu Shieldtail

Ashambu-Schildschwanz

Ashambu-skjoldhale

1875 Silybura liura Günther
Uropeltis liura Smith 1943

Distribution: India (Kerala, Tamil Nadu).


Uropeltis macrolepis

Large-scaled Shieldtail

Grossschuppige Schildschwanz

Storskællet Skjoldhale

1862 Silybura macrolepis Peters
Uropeltis macrolepis Chari 1955
1955 Uropeltis macrolepis mahableshwarensis Chari

Other common names:
macrolepis: Bombay Hill Shieldtail
mahableshwarensis: Mahableshwar Shieldtail
Distribution: India (Goa, Gujarat, Maharashtra).


Uropeltis macrorhyncha

Large-nosed Shieldtail, (Anaimalai Shieldtail)

Grossnasen-Schildschwanz

Bredsnudet Skjoldhale

1877 Silybura macrorhyncha Beddome
Uropeltis macrorhynchus Smith 1943

Distribution: India (Kerala, Tamil Nadu).


Uropeltis maculata

Orange-spotted Shieldtail, Red-sided Shieldtail

Orangegefleckte Schildschwanz

Orangeplettet Skjoldhale

1878 Silybura maculata Beddome
Uropeltis maculatus Smith 1943

Distribution: India (Kerala, Tamil Nadu).


Uropeltis madurensis

Periyar Shieldtail

Periyar-Schildschwanz

Periyar-skjoldhale

1878 Silybura madurensis Beddome
Uropeltis arcticeps madurensis Smith 1943
Uropeltis madurensis Ganesh, Aengals & Ramanujam 2014

Remarks: Previously regarded as a subspecies of arcticeps (e.g., Gans 1966). Revalidated as a separate species by Ganesh, Aengals & Ramanujam (2014). Not mentioned for Kerala by Palot (2015).
Distribution: India (Kerala, Tamil Nadu).


Uropeltis myhendrae

Barred Shieldtail

Gebänderte Schildschwanz

Båndet Skjoldhale

1886 Silybura nilgherriensis var. myhendrae Beddome
Silybura myhendrae Boulenger 1893
Uropeltis myhendrae Smith 1943

Remarks: A record from Goa (Pradhan 2008) is regarded as doubtful.
Distribution: India (Kerala, Tamil Nadu).


Uropeltis nitida

Cochin Shieldtail

Cochin-Schildschwanz

Cochin-skjoldhale

1878 Silybura nitida Beddome
Uropeltis nitidus Smith 1943

Distribution: India (Kerala, Tamil Nadu).


Uropeltis ocellata

Ocellate Shieldtail, (Anaimalai Shieldtail, Nilgiri Shieldtail)

Ocellen-Schildschwanz

Øjeplet-skjoldhale

1863 Silybura ocellata Beddome
Uropeltis ocellatus Smith 1943
1878 Silybura dupeni Beddome (Pyron, Ganesh, Sayyed, Sharma, Wallach & Somaweera 2016)
1878 Silybura ochracea Beddome (Pyron, Ganesh, Sayyed, Sharma, Wallach & Somaweera 2016)

Remarks: Presence in Gujarat is considered erroneous (Patel & Vyas 2019).
Distribution: India (Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu).


Uropeltis petersi

Yellow-spotted Shieldtail, Peters' Shieldtail

Gelbfleckige Schildschwanz

Gulplettet Skjoldhale

1868 Silybura petersi Beddome
Uropeltis petersi Smith 1943

Distribution: India (Kerala, Tamil Nadu).


Uropeltis phipsonii

Maharashtra Shieldtail, (Phipson's Shieldtail)

Maharashtra-Schildschwanz

Maharashtra-skjoldhale

1888 Silybura phipsonii Mason
Uropeltis phipsonii Smith 1943
Uropeltis myhendrae phipsonii Mahendra 1984

Remarks: Previously regarded as a synonym of rubrolineata (e.g., Gans 1966). Treated as a valid species by Whitaker & Captain (2004) and Pyron, Ganesh, Sayyed, Sharma, Wallach & Somaweera (2016). Known with certainty only from Maharashtra. Records from Goa, Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu need confirmation (Srinivasulu, Srinivasulu, Giri & Thakur 2013).
Distribution: India (Maharashtra).


Uropeltis pulneyensis

Palani Hills Shieldtail

Palani-Schildschwanz

Palani-skjoldhale

1863 Plectrurus pulneyensis Beddome
Rhinophis pulneyensis Günther 1864
Silybura pulneyensis Beddome 1878
Uropeltis pulneyensis Smith 1943

Remarks: Previously included guentheri as well as the population now assigned to caudomaculata.
Distribution: India (Kerala, Tamil Nadu).


Uropeltis rajendrani

Kolli Hills Shieldtail

Kolli-Schildschwanz

Kolli-skjoldhale

2020 Uropeltis rajendrani Ganesh & Achyuthan

Distribution: India (Tamil Nadu).





Uropeltis rubrolineata

Red-lined Shieldtail, Red-striped Shieldtail

Rotstreifen-Schildschwanz

Rødstribet Skjoldhale

1875 Silybura rubrolineata Günther
Uropeltis rubrolineatus Smith 1943

Remarks: Previously included phipsoni (e.g., Gans 1966).
Distribution: India (Kerala, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu).


Uropeltis rubromaculata

Red-spotted Shieldtail

Rotfleckige Schildschwanz

Rødplettet Skjoldhale

1867 Silybura rubromaculata Beddome
Uropeltis rubromaculatus Smith 1943

Distribution: India (Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu).


Uropeltis shorttii

Shevaroy Shieldtail

Shevaroy-Schildschwanz

Shevaroy-skjoldhale

1863 Silybura shorttii Beddome
Silybura nilgherriensis shortii Beddome 1886
Silybura ellioti shortii Boulenger 1893
Uropeltis ceylanicus shortii Murthy 1990
Uropeltis shorttii Ganesh, Aengals & Ramanujam 2014

Remarks: Previously regarded as a synonym of ceylanica (e.g., Gans 1966). Revalidated as a separate species by Ganesh, Aengals & Ramanujam (2014).
Distribution: India (Tamil Nadu).


Uropeltis tricuspida

Munnar Shieldtail, Three-cusped Shieldtail

Munnar-Schildschwanz

Munnar-skjoldhale

2023 Uropeltis tricuspida Gower

Distribution: India (Kerala).





Uropeltis woodmasoni

Indian Black-bellied Shieldtail

Indische Schwarzbauch-Schildschwanz

Indisk Sortbuget Skjoldhale

1875 Silybura melanogaster Günther [not Mytilia melanogaster Gray 1858]
1876 Silybura wood-masoni Theobald
Uropeltis wood-masoni Smith 1943
1878 Silybura nigra Beddome (Pyron, Ganesh, Sayyed, Sharma, Wallach & Somaweera 2016)
1954 Uropeltis ruhunae Deraniyagala (Pyron, Ganesh, Sayyed, Sharma, Wallach & Somaweera 2016)
Uropeltis ruhanae Gans 1966 [unjustified emendation]

Distribution: Although the taxon ruhunae was described on the basis of a specimen that allegedly came from Galle, Sri Lanka, this is probably a misunderstanding. According to Pyron, Ganesh, Sayyed, Sharma, Wallach & Somaweera (2016), it more likely came from Madurai, India.
Distribution: India (Kerala, Tamil Nadu).