Melanophidium bilineatum Beddome, 1870 - Two-lined Black Shieldtail

Subspecies in India

This species is listed as Vulnerable in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (https://www.iucnredlist.org/).

 

Taxonomic Information

 

Conservation and Special status

 

Photo Gallery and Species Biology

Melanophidium bilineatum - Two-lined Black Shieldtail


Type Locality: Wayanad (Kerala)
Rare, known to be found in small pockets in Western Ghats of Kerala (Srinivasulu et al., 2013)
The species occurs in wet evergreen forests in Kerala (Srinivasulu et al., 2013). The species is nocturnal and fossorial in habit (Srinivasulu et al., 2013). Nothing is known about population status of the species.

Conservation Status:

 

This species is listed as Vulnerable in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (https://www.iucnredlist.org/).
 

The species is under threat due to tourism related developmental activities and vehicular movements (Srinivasulu et al., 2013).

 

StateJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecNo date
Andaman and Nicobar Islands
Andhra Pradesh
Arunachal Pradesh
Assam
Bihar
Chandigarh
Chhattisgarh
Dadra & Nagar Haveli
Daman & Diu
Delhi
Goa
Gujarat
Haryana
Himachal Pradesh
Jammu and Kashmir
Jharkhand
Karnataka
Kerala1
Lakshadweep
Madhya Pradesh
Maharashtra
Manipur
Meghalaya
Mizoram
Nagaland
Odisha
Paschimbanga
Pondicherry
Punjab
Rajasthan
Sikkim
Tamil Nadu
Tripura
Uttar Pradesh
Uttarakhand
West Bengal
Total1

Other Notes

 

Page citation

Anonymous 2025. Melanophidium bilineatum Beddome, 1870 – Two-lined Black Shieldtail. In Kamdar, A. and K. Kunte. (Chief Editors). Butterflies of India, v. v.1.26. Published by the Indian Foundation for Butterflies. URL: https://www.indianreptiles.org/melanophidium-bilineatum, accessed 2025/02/18.