Үлкен қабықты жылан – Оңтүстік Индияның эндемигі

Species of snake

Craspedocephalus macrolepis, commonly known as the large scaled pit viper, is a venomous pitviper species endemic to the Southern Western Ghats of South India. No subspecies are currently recognized.

It is found in the mountains of southern Western Ghats south of Palakkad Gap, in the Indian states of Kerala and Tamil Nadu. It is a high elevation specialist, not normally recorded anywhere below 1200 m asl. Precise records are from Nelliyampathy, Munnar, Anaimalai, Palni hills, Meghamalai, Periyar Tiger Reserve, Agasthyamalai and Kalakkad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve. at elevations of 1200 2695 m asl. The type locality is listed as "Anamalai hills (Tamil Nadu State, southwestern India)". Dorsally, C. macrolepis is bright green, with blackish skin between the scales in some places. There is a yellow or white stripe on each side of the body, which runs along the first dorsal scale row. The upper lips are pale green, and there may be a black streak behind the eye. Ventrally, it is , which are large, keeled, and overlapping, are arranged in only 12 15 rows at midbody. The dorsal scales in the 10 middle rows are always the largest, and additional rows are made up of smaller scales. An even number of dorsal scale rows is frequently found in this species, even though it is uncommon in snakes in general. Ventrals 133–143; subcaudals divided 44–58.

Craspedocephalus macrolepis is a slow moving, arboreal, nocturnal snake that prefers rainforests, and is also found in tea, coffee and cardamom plantations.

It feeds mainly on frogs, lizards, small birds and rodents.

Presumed to contain hemotoxin, but not that thoroughly studied. Even though tea pickers are frequently bitten by this species, the bites are seldom fatal.

Craspedocephalus macrolepis is oviparous. Sexually mature females lay eggs in October, in clutches of 4–7.