Buff striped keelback

Based on morphological characters including hemipenial morphology, dentition, and external scalation, in 1960 the genus Natrix sensu lato was divided into several genera, revalidating the genus Amphiesma with the type species A. stolatum. ==Anatomy and morphology==

A small, slender snake, the buff striped keelback is generally olive-brown to gray in colour. The head and the body are of the same colour. The keelback has irregular blackish crossbars on the body. Near the head the crossbars are prominent, whereas on the second half of the snake they become diffuse. The eyes have large round pupils with golden flecks on the iris. The underside is pale cream and has small black spots scattered along both the margins. It has keeled scales on the dorsal surface of the body. Identifying characteristics Scalation has been described as: • The nasal shield does not touch the second supralabial (upper lip shield); • The rostral touches a total of 6 shields. These are two inter-nasals, two nasals and the first supralabial on each side; • Supralabial 8 (3rd to 5th touching eye); • Presence of single temporal shield; • Nineteen rows of costals which are strongly keeled except for the outer row which is perfectly smooth; • Presence of stripes; • Ventrals 118–161, usually divided; • Anal divided; • Subcaudals 46-89, paired. Size The Buff Striped keelback is usually 50 to 80 cm (about 19.7 to 31.5 inches) in total length. Females are usually longer than the males. == Distribution ==

The buff striped keelback is found throughout South and Southeast Asia. Its range extends from Pakistan (Sindh) to Sri Lanka, India (including the Andaman Islands), Bangladesh, Nepal, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Indonesia (Borneo, Sabah), Taiwan and China (Hainan, Hong Kong, Fujian, Jiangxi). It is also found in Bhutan. In India, the snake is found up to an altitude of . ==Conservation status==

The buff striped keelback is common throughout its range, and is not of international conservation concern. ==Ecology and life history==

Habitat This terrestrial, diurnal snake inhabits well-watered lowland plains and hills. Feeding ecology The primary diet of adult A. stolatum is small amphibians such as frogs and toads, but they are also known to consume earthworms, small lizards and rodents. Life history Keelbacks are oviparous. Mating is thought to take place during the aestivation period. Gravid females have been found from April to August and eggs are laid in underground holes from May to September. The snake lays a clutch of 5 to 15 pure white eggs. Females remain with eggs till they hatch. The young snakes are 9-14 cm at birth and eat insects, tadpoles, small toads and frogs. ==Behavior==

The buff striped keelback is diurnal, and although mostly seen on land, it can readily take to water. The buff striped keelback is nonvenomous and totally harmless. When alarmed, it inflates its body causing the bright interscale colours to be exposed. Sometimes, the snake flattens and narrows its head to form a hood. This behaviour sometimes causes the species to be mistaken by laypersons for a baby cobra. The snake aestivates during hot weather and appears at the end of summer. It is abundant during the rains. In north India, the striped keelback hibernates 25 to 45 cm (about 10 to 18 inches) under the ground in soil, amongst grass roots. ==Gallery==

Image:AB018_buff_striped_keelback.jpg|A buff-striped keelback (normal form) Image:AB023_buff_striped_keelback_6.jpg|The body of the snake Image:AB022_buff_striped_keelback_5.jpg|The snake being held by the head Image:AB021_buff_striped_keelback_4.jpg|The snake twisting its head while being held. ==References==