Boiga dightoni

Species of snake

Boiga dightoni

Tamil Nadu, 2016

Conservation status

Data Deficient (IUCN 3.1)[1]

Scientific classification
Domain:  | Eukaryota
Kingdom:  | Animalia
Phylum:  | Chordata
Class:  | Reptilia
Order:  | Squamata
Suborder:  | Serpentes
Family:  | Colubridae
Genus:  | Boiga
Species:  |

B. dightoni

Binomial name
Boiga dightoni

(Boulenger, 1894)

Synonyms[2]

* Dipsas dightoni
Boulenger, 1894
* Dipsadomorphus dightonii
— Boulenger, 1896
* Boiga dightoni
— M.A. Smith, 1943

Boiga dightoni, commonly known as Dighton's catsnake, the Pirmad cat snake, and the Travancore cat snake,[3][4] is a species of rear-fanged mildly venomous snake in the family Colubridae. The species is endemic to the Western Ghats of India.

## Etymology[edit]

The common name, Pirmad cat snake, refers to Peermade (also spelled Peermad, Pirmaad, Pirmed, and Pirmedu), a place in Kerala, India, elevation 3,300 feet (1,006 m).

The specific name or epithet, dightoni, is in honor of tea planter S.M. Dighton, the collector of the holotype specimen.[4]

## Geographic range[edit]

In India B. dightoni is found in the Ponmudi Hills and Travancore Hills of Kerala State, and in the Anaimalai Hills and Palni Hills of western Tamil Nadu State.[3]

## Description[edit]

B. dightoni is pale reddish-brown dorsally, with a series of salmon-red blotches. Its head is pale brown with minute blackish dots. Ventrally, it is yellowish, finely-dotted with brown. The outer ends of the ventral scales are salmon-pink. It is medium-sized, adults attaining a total length (including tail) of 1.1 m (3.6 feet).[5]

## Behavior[edit]

B. dightoni is arboreal and nocturnal.[3]

## Habitat[edit]

B. dightoni inhabits trees and shrubs in forested areas,[3] at altitudes of 800–1,100 m (2,600–3,600 ft).[1]

## Diet[edit]

B. dightoni preys on lizards, including Calotes versicolor.[3]

## Reproduction[edit]

B. dightoni is oviparous.[2]

## Venom[edit]

Although rear-fanged and possessing a mild venom, B. dightoni is not considered dangerous to humans, mainly due to its small size.[3]

## References[edit]

1. ^ a b Srinivasulu C, Srinivasulu B, Deepak V, Mohapatra P, Vijayakumar SP (2013). "Boiga dightoni ". The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2013: https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2013-1.RLTS.T172674A1364625.en. Accessed on 19 Aug 2022.
2. ^ a b Species Boiga dightoni at The Reptile Database www.reptile-database.org.
3. ^ a b c d e f Das I (2002). A Photographic Guide to Snakes and other Reptiles of India. Sanibel Island, Florida: Ralph Curtis Books. 144 pp. ISBN 0-88359-056-5. (Boiga dightoni, p. 22).
4. ^ a b Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. ISBN 978-1-4214-0135-5. (Boiga dightoni, p. 72).
5. ^ Boulenger GA (1896). Catalogue of the Snakes in the British Museum (Natural History). Volume III., Containing the Colubridæ (Opisthoglyphæ and Proteroglyphæ) .... London: Trustees of the British Museum (Natural History). (Taylor and Francis, printers). xiv + 727 pp. + Plates I-XXV. (Dipsadomorphus dightonii, new combination, pp. 69–70).

## Further reading[edit]

* Boulenger GA (1894). "Description of a New Snake Found in Travancore, by Mr. S. Dighton. Pirmaad." Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society 8: 528 + one plate. (Dipsas dightoni, new species).
* Inger RF, Shaffer HB, Koshy M, Bakde R (1984). "A report on a collection of amphibians and reptiles from the Ponmudi, Kerala, South India". Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society 81 (3): 551–570. (Boiga dightoni, pp. 567–568).
* Kanagavel, Arun; Ganesh, S.R. (2921). "Recent Record of the Rare Travancore Catsnake, Boiga dightoni (Boulenger 1894) (Reptilia: Colubridae), from the Ponmudi Hills in the Southern Western Ghats, India". Reptiles & Amphibians 28 (1): 67–70.
* Smith MA (1943). The Fauna of British India, Ceylon and Burma, Including the Whole of the Indo-Chinese Sub-region. Reptilia and Amphibia. Vol. III.—Serpentes. London: Secretary of State for India. (Taylor and Francis, printers). xii + 583 pp. (Boiga dightoni, new combination, pp. 359–360).

Taxon identifiers|

* Wikidata: Q2908844
* Wikispecies: Boiga dightoni
* ADW: Boiga_dightoni
* CoL: 68NGW
* EoL: 964205
* GBIF: 2457901
* iNaturalist: 27691
* IRMNG: 10363860
* ITIS: 1081567
* IUCN: 172674
* Observation.org: 97492
* RD: dightoni

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