A catalogue and systematic overview of the shield-tailed snakes (Serpentes: Uropeltidae) Author Pyron, Robert Alexander Department of Biological Sciences, The George Washington University, 2029 G St. NW, Washington, D. C. 20052 (United States) rpyron @ colubroid. org rpyron@colubroid.org Author Ganesh, Sumaithangi Rajagopalan Chennai Snake Park, Rajbhavan Post, Chennai, Tamil Nadu 600 022 (India) Author Sayyed, Amit Wildlife Protection and Research Society, Satara, Maharashtra 415 001 (India) Author Sharma, Vivek Sanjeevni Nagar, Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh 482 003 (India) Author Wallach, Van Potter Park, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138 (United States) Author Somaweera, Ruchira CSIRO Land and Water, Floreat WA 6014 (Australia) Published on 30 December 2016 text Zoosystema 2016 2016-12-30 38 4 453 506 http://dx.doi.org/10.5252/z2016n4a2 journal article 10.5252/z2016n4a2 1638-9387 4578343 urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:BFFD82EF-50C9-42BF-8493-DF57591EA4FF Rhinophis lineatus Gower & Maduwage, 2011 Rhinophis lineatus Gower & Maduwage, 2011: 53 . TYPE MATERIAL . — Holotype : CAS 226024. Paratypes : CAS 225806, CAS 226025-226035, and CAS 226042-226044. TYPE LOCALITY . — Harasbedda, near Ragala, Central province , Sri Lanka . ETYMOLOGY. — From the Latin lineatus for ‘lined’, referring to the dorsal color-pattern. DISTRIBUTION. — This species is known only from the vicinity of the type locality in the central hills of the wet zone of Sri Lanka , c. 1460 m ( Gower & Maduwage 2011 ; Wallach et al. 2014 ). DESCRIPTION Maximum total length c. 290 mm , ventrals 182-195, subcaudals 4-7, dorsal scales in 17 rows at midbody (see Gower & Maduwage 2011 ). Distinctive color-pattern, with regular, narrow, longitudinal stripes (alternating pale/dark) around and along almost the entire body. It is the only species in the genus characterised by a colour pattern of multiple, narrow longitudinal stripes. REMARKS This species was referred to as Rhinophis sp. 1 by Cadle et al. (1990) , who demonstrated its distinctiveness using allozyme data. A specimen of this species was mis-labeled as R. drummondhayi by de Silva (1990 ; see Gower & Maduwage 2011 ).