Material Examined : 1 adult.

Description & Scalation : Body cylindrical. Head much depressed, not distinct from neck; eye small, with vertically elliptic pupil. Snout rounded; rostral broader than high, well visible from above; internasals much smaller than the prefrontal; nostril between two small nasal. A large preocular extending well on the upper surface of the head; 2 large postoculars; temporal 2+3; loreal absent; a large single scale behind the frontal and between the parietals. Scales smooth, in 15:15:15 rows; supralabials 8 ( 4th and 5th in contact with the eye ); 8 infralabials, first 3 in contact with first pair of genials, ventrals 164-171; subcaudals 24-31, paired, first and last single; anal divided.

Coloration : It is called Sunbeam Snake on account of the highly polished nature of its scales. Uniform chocolate brown above, the outer scale-rows edged with white; belly whitish gray, with or without brown edges.

Natural History : Nocturnal in nature. Found in paddy fields, mangrove swamps, places with damp soil. One individual was sighted on hill-top forest at about 2100 hrs. A road-kill was seen at low land forest, in Great Nicobar Island. Borrows itself rapidly in soft earth. Not been known to bite when handled. Feeding on small rodents, frogs, ground birds and other snakes. Lays about 18 eggs in a clutch. Grows upto 1.00m.

Distribution - India : known only from Great Nicobar Island. Elsewhere: Whole of Southeast Asia.

External link : http://reptile-database.reptarium.cz/species?genus=Xenopeltis&species=unicolor