Lycodon rufozonatus
Lycodon rufozonatus is a species of snake in the family Colubridae. The species is native to East Asia. It is medium-sized, nocturnal, and is considered non-venomous. Two subspecies are recognised, one of which, L. r. walli, is restricted to the Ryukyu Archipelago.
| Lycodon rufozonatus | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Suborder: | Serpentes |
| Family: | Colubridae |
| Genus: | Lycodon |
| Species: | L. rufozonatus |
| Binomial name | |
| Lycodon rufozonatus (Cantor, 1842) | |
| Subspecies | |
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| Synonyms [2] | |
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Etymology
The subspecific name, walli, is in honor of British herpetologist Frank Wall.[3]
Description
Lycodon rufozonatus typically grows to a total length (including tail) of around 70 centimetres (28 in), reaching up to 130 cm (51 in) in extreme cases.[4] The head is long and relatively flat, and somewhat separate from the neck. The medium-sized eyes bulge slightly and have vertical pupils. The ventral scales have a strong keel, while the dorsal scales are only faintly keeled; the scale count is typically 17:17:15, but can be up to 21:19:17.[4]
Geographic range
Lycodon rufozonatus is found across a large part of East Asia, from the Korean Peninsula in the north (and extending just into easternmost Russia) to northern Laos and Vietnam in the south; the bulk of its range in found in eastern China.[4] The continental populations are all placed in the nominate subspecies (L. r. rufozonatus); a second subspecies, L. r. walli, is found in the Ryukyu Archipelago of southern Japan.[5]
Behaviour and ecology
Lycodon rufozonatus lives in a wide variety of habitats; it can be found from near sea level to as high as 2,000 metres (6,600 ft), and is most common near river plains.[4] It is usually found on the ground, but is occasionally seen swimming in streams.[4] It is nocturnal, feeding on fish, frogs, lizards, snakes and young birds.[4] D. rufozonatus has a generally mild disposition, curling into a spherical mass with the head hidden when approached. Individuals can, however, be unpredictable, and some will bite readily.[4] There are very few clinical reports on the toxinology of D. rufozonatus bites, but the species appears to be non-venomous.[4] L. rufozonatus can harbour tapeworms of the genus Spirometra, and the consumption of raw meat from D. rufozonatus has led to cases of human sparganosis in Korea and Japan.[6]
Taxonomic history
The species was first described as "Lycodon rufo-zonatus " by Theodore Edward Cantor in an 1842 paper on the fauna of "Chusan" (Zhoushan, China) in the Annals and Magazine of Natural History.[7] Cantor included it among the "innocuous" (not venomous) species, and described it as "Brown, with numerous transversal crimson bands; the abdominal surface pearl-coloured, spotted with black on the tail".[7]
Common names
L. rufozonatus is known by several common names, including "Asian king snake",[8] "banded red snake", "red banded krait", "red banded odd-toothed snake" and "red-banded snake".[4]
References
- Li, P.; Zhou, Z.; Guo, P.; Jiang, J.; Ji, X.; Borkin, L.; Milto, K.; Golynsky, E.; Rustamov, A.; Munkhbayar, K.; Nuridjanov, D.; Kidera, N.; Ota, H. (2017). "Lycodon rufozonatus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2017: e.T192124A2043244. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-3.RLTS.T192124A2043244.en. Retrieved 18 November 2021.
- Species Lycodon rufozonatus at The Reptile Database www.reptile-database.org.
- Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. ISBN 978-1-4214-0135-5. (Dinodon rufozonatus walli, p. 279).
- "Dinodon rufozonatum". Clinical Toxinology Resources. University of Adelaide. Retrieved September 6, 2012.
- Ananjeva, Natalia B. (2006). "Red-banded snake Dinodon rufozonatus (Cantor, 1840)". The Reptiles of Northern Eurasia: Taxonomic Diversity, Distribution, Conservation Status. Series faunistica. Vol. 47. Pensoft Publishers. p. 141. ISBN 9789546422699.
- Cook, Gordon Charles; Zumla, Alimuddin (2009). Manson's Tropical Diseases (22nd ed.). Elsevier Health Sciences. p. 1662. ISBN 9781416044703.
- Cantor, Theodore Edward (1842). "General features of Chusan, with remarks on the flora and fauna of that island". Annals and Magazine of Natural History. First Series. 9 (59, 60): 361–371, 481–493. doi:10.5962/bhl.title.6704. (Lycodon rufo-zonatus, new species, p. 483). (in English and Latin).
- Dieckmann,Simon; Norval, Gerrut; Mao, Jean-Jay (2010). "A description of an Asian king snake (Dinodon rufozonatum rufozonatum [Cantor, 1842]) clutch size from central western Taiwan" (PDF). Herpetology Notes. 3: 313–314. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2012-09-17.
External links
- Stejneger, Leonhard (1907). "Herpetology of Japan and adjacent territory". United States National Museum Bulletin. 58. Includes description of D. r. walli
Data related to Lycodon rufozonatus at Wikispecies- "Dinodon rufozonatum ". Archived from the original on 2016-03-03. Retrieved 2012-10-28. Snakes of Taiwan.