Order Squamata ; Suborder Serpentes
These are primitive fossorial snakes which have no hindlimb vestiges and eye-covering spectacles. Their name "shield-tailed snakes" is derived from the Greek words ura = tail and pelte = shield, indicating the presence of a large keratinous shield at the tip of the short tail, which differs among genera. They inhabit loose soil and the sharp snout is used for burrowing. Sri Lanka harbors 17 uropeltids, out of which 16 are endemic at species level and the other is endemic at subspecies level. They include the relict Large shield snake (Pseudotyphlops philippinus). Despite their high endemicity, only very few studied have been conducted on these snakes in the country, and agricultural practices are one of the main threats to there fossorial species. Platyplecturus madurensis ruhunae, Rhinophis porrectus and Uropeltis ruhunae are only known from the type specimens.