Shaw's dark ground snake
| Shaw's dark ground snake | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Suborder: | Serpentes |
| Family: | Colubridae |
| Genus: | Erythrolamprus |
| Species: | E. melanotus
|
| Binomial name | |
| Erythrolamprus melanotus | |
| Subspecies | |
| Synonyms[3] | |
| |
Shaw's dark ground snake (Erythrolamprus melanotus), also known commonly as Shaw's black-backed snake, and in Spanish as candelilla, guarda caminos, and reinita cazadora, is a species of snake in the family Colubridae. The species is native to northern South America.[4]
Etymology[edit]
The English common names for E. melanotus refer to English biologist George Kearsley Shaw, who described and named this snake as a species new to science in 1802.[5]
Description[edit]
E. melanotus grows up to a total length (including tail) of 43 cm (17 in).[4]
Dorsally, it has a light yellow or pinkish color, with a wide, dark vertebral stripe,[4] which is bordered on each side by a thin whitish stripe, followed by a thin dark stripe. The top of the head is olive, and there is a dark stripe passing through the eye. The upper labials and the venter (underside) of the snake are whitish.[6]
The dorsal scales are smooth, with apical pits, and are arranged in 17 rows at midbody.[6]
Behavior and diet[edit]
E. melanotus actively forages during the day for food, which may include fish, amphibians, and lizards.[4]
Reproduction[edit]
Geographic range[edit]
The geographic distribution of E. melanotus includes Colombia, Venezuela,[7] and Trinidad and Tobago. It is probably extirpated from Grenada.[4]
Habitat[edit]
The preferred natural habitats of E. melanotus are freshwater wetlands, forest, and savanna, at altitudes up to 2,000 m (6,600 ft).[1]
References[edit]
- ^ a b Schargel, W.; Böhm, M.; Richman, N.; Rivas, G.; Murphy, J. (2016). "Erythrolamprus melanotus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016: e.T174098A50953143. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-1.RLTS.T174098A50953143.en. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
- ^ ITIS (Integrated Taxonomic Information System). www.itis.gov.
- ^ a b Species Erythrolamprus melanotus at The Reptile Database www.reptile-database.org.
- ^ a b c d e Malhotra, Anita; Thorpe, Roger S. (1999). Reptiles & Amphibians of the Eastern Caribbean. London: Macmillan Education Ltd. p. 108. ISBN 0-333-69141-5. (Liophis melanotus).
- ^ Beolens B, Watkins M, Grayson M (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. ISBN 978-1-4214-0135-5. (Liophis melanotus, p. 241).
- ^ a b Boulenger GA (1894). Catalogue of the Snakes in the British Museum (Natural History). Volume II., Containing the Conclusion of the Colubridæ Aglyphæ. London: Trustees of the British Museum (Natural History). (Taylor and Francis, Printers.) xi + 382 pp. + Plates I- XX. (Liophis melanotus, p. 134).
- ^ Freiberg M (1982). Snakes of South America. Hong Kong: T.F.H. Publications. 189 pp. ISBN 0-87666-912-7. (Dromicus melanotus, p. 95).
Further reading[edit]
- Dixon JR, Michaud EJ (1992). "Shaw's black-backed snake (Liophis melanotus) (Serpentes: Colubridae) of Northern South America". Journal of Herpetology 26 (3): 250–259. (Liophis melanotus lamari and Liophis melanotus nesos, new subspecies).
- Grazziotin FG, Zaher H, Murphy RW, Scrocchi G, Benavides MA, Zhang Y-P, Bonatto SL (2012). "Molecular phylogeny of the New World Dipsadidae (Serpentes: Colubroidea): a reappraisal". Cladistics 28 (5): 437–459. (Erythrolamprus melanotus, new combination, p. 457).
- Schwartz A, Thomas R (1975). A Check-List of West Indian Amphibians and Reptiles. Carnegie Museum of Natural History Special Publication No. 1. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: Carnegie Museum of Natural History. 216 pp. (Dromicus melanotus, p. 182).
- Shaw G (1802). General Zoology, or Systematic Natural History, Vol. III., Part II. London: G. Kearsley. vii + pp. 313–615. (Coluber melanotus, new species, p. 534).