NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Sand Snake
Psammophis condanarus (Merrem, 1820)
Source-backed taxonomic record
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Psammophis condanarus
G A Boulenger · Public domain · Image sourceProvider-generated thumbnail requested at 320 pixels; no local editing Local WebP display rendition; resized without cropping.
Open encyclopedia reference
Psammophis condanarus, the sand snake, is a species of snake found in dry low country zones of Indian peninsula (except the far south), Pakistan and Nepal. It is a fast-moving, diurnal, terrestrial species and lives in stony outcrops and boulders. It was first described from Ganjam area of Odisha State and then later on recorded from many parts of the Indian subcontinent.
Wikipedia contributors, Psammophis condanarus; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T02:07:26.630735+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Psammophis condanarus (Merrem, 1820)
- Name authority
- (Merrem, 1820)
- Common name
- Sand Snake
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Reptilia
- Order
- Squamata
- Family
- Psammophiidae
- Genus
- Psammophis
- Extinction status
- Not supplied by this source
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classReptilia Laurenti, 1768
- orderSquamata Oppel, 1811
- suborderSerpentes Linnaeus, 1758
- infraorderAlethinophidia Nopcsa, 1923
- familyPsammophiidae
- genusPsammophis
- speciesPsammophis condanarus (Merrem, 1820)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Psammophis. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Psammophis aegyptius Marx, 1958 | PsammophiidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Ansorge’s Sand SnakePsammophis ansorgii Boulenger, 1905 | PsammophiidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Elegant Sand RacerPsammophis elegans (Shaw, 1802) | PsammophiidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Psammophis indochinensis Smith, 1943 | PsammophiidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Pakistan Sand RacerPsammophis leithii Günther, 1869 | PsammophiidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Steppe Ribbon RacerPsammophis lineolatus (Brandt, 1838) | PsammophiidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Long Sand RacerPsammophis longifrons Boulenger, 1890 | PsammophiidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Beautiful Sand snakePsammophis pulcher Boulenger, 1895 | PsammophiidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Egyptian Hissing Sand SnakePsammophis sibilans (Linnaeus, 1758) | PsammophiidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Northern stripe-bellied sand snakePsammophis sudanensis Werner, 1919 | PsammophiidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Tanganyika Sand SnakePsammophis tanganicus Loveridge, 1940 | PsammophiidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Zambian Whip SnakePsammophis zambiensis Hughes & Wade, 2002 | PsammophiidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Leptophis bellii Jerdon, 1853 Jerdon, 1853 | synonym |
| Mike elegantissima Werner, 1924 Werner, 1924 | synonym |
| Psammophis indicus Beddome, 1863 Beddome, 1863 | synonym |
| Coluber condanarus Merrem, 1820 Merrem, 1820 | synonym |
| Phayrea isabellina Theobald, 1868 Theobald, 1868 | synonym |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://reptile-database.reptarium.cz/species?genus=Psammophis&species=condanarus Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:6WC7B. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.