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Aspidura brachyorrhos

species of reptile

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Record originEnglish Wikipedia
Text licenseCC BY-SA 4.0
Source revisionSep 30, 2025
Entity authorityQ2866864 ↗
Source-derived summary

Aspidura brachyorrhos, commonly known as Boie's rough-sided snake and as ලේ මැඩිල්ලා (le medilla) in Sinhala, is a species of colubrid endemic to Sri Lanka. Bites from this species are known to cause mild local reactions, including a slight burning sensation and swelling.

Distribution

A small burrowing snake found in the midhills of central Sri Lanka. Recorded localities include Namunukula, Gampola, Weligala, Peradeniya, Gammaduwa, Dambulla, Kegalle, and Kandy.

Description

The head is indistinct from the neck, and the body is cylindrical. The dorsal side is a rich orange-brown with mottled, discontinuous mid-dorsal stripes that are distinct, accompanied by two rows of lateral spots. The head is dark brown.

Scalation

Midbody scale rows: 17. Pre-ocular scales present. Two post-oculars in contact with the parietal.

Editorial summary

This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “Aspidura brachyorrhos” as species of reptile. Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.

Editorial reviewUseful for establishing the present vocabulary of the subject while preserving a route back to the evidence on which that vocabulary rests. The current 123-word lead offers orientation but no explicit four-digit date, so chronology should not be assumed. The selected authority fields contribute no independent date. The account is most persuasive where Aspidura, brachyorrhos and species can be independently traced.
Editorial analysis

Why this record matters

The subject matters to the science & nature register because the source frames it as species of reptile. Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.

Evidence profile

Stable identifiers, scientific names and standards terminology offer the best bridge between this overview and specialist evidence. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 30, 2025. The linked authority identifier is Q2866864. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference.

Critical limits

Current terminology should not be projected backward without checking the classification used when the underlying evidence was created. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.

How to read it

Check terminology, classification and the date of the cited evidence. Scientific names and technical consensus can change while older records retain historical value.

Best used for
  • Current terminology
  • Classification context
  • Finding cited technical literature
Verify next

Primary datasets, specimen catalogues, standards bodies and the most recent peer-reviewed literature.

Three-step research path

  1. Establish the record: confirm the title “Aspidura brachyorrhos”, its source revision and the description used here.
  2. Expand the search: follow Aspidura brachyorrhos primary sources, Aspidura brachyorrhos archive and Aspidura research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
  3. Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.

Questions for further research

  1. Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Aspidura brachyorrhos”?
  2. Has classification or technical consensus changed since the cited source?
  3. Is the terminology current, historical or disputed?
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Source & attribution

This entry incorporates text from “Aspidura brachyorrhos” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.