Oxyrhopus petolarius

Oxyrhopus petolarius, commonly known as the forest flame snake, is a species of nonvenomous snake in the family Colubridae. The species is endemic to South America.[6] There are three recognized subspecies.

Oxyrhopus petolarius
Dapa, Colombia
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Serpentes
Family: Colubridae
Genus: Oxyrhopus
Species:
O. petolarius
Binomial name
Oxyrhopus petolarius
Synonyms

Taxonomy and nomenclature

According to Savage (2011) the correct scientific name should be Oxyrhopus petolarius.[5]

Geographic range

O. petolarius is found in central and northern South America, including Trinidad and Tobago.[6]

Habitat

The preferred natural habitats of O. petolarius are forest and savanna, at altitudes from sea level to 2,000 m (6,600 ft).[1]

Description

Adults of O. petolarius may attain a total length of 91 cm (36 in), which includes a tail 22 cm (8.7 in) long.[3]

Coloration is variable. It usually consists of some combination of red and black rings or crossbands. In some individuals the light-colored crossbands are white instead of red on the anterior part of the body.[3]

The dorsal scales are smooth, with apical pits, and are arranged in 19 rows at midbody.[3]

Venom

O. petolarius is rear-fanged, and its venom is extremely toxic to anole lizards.[6]

Diet

O. petolarius feeds on lizards, frogs, other amphibians, tadpoles, small rodents, other small mammals, birds and their eggs, and probably other snakes.[6][7][8]

Reproduction

O. petolarius is oviparous.[4]

Subspecies

Some authorities recognize three subspecies of O. petolarius, including the nominotypical subspecies.

Nota bene: A trinomial authority in parentheses indicates that the subspecies was originally described in a genus other than Oxyrhopus.

Etymology

The subspecific name, sebae, is in honor of Dutch naturalist Albertus Seba.[10]

References
  1. Chaves G, Cisneros-Heredia DF, Gagliardi G, Gonzales L, Gutiérrez-Cárdenas P, Köhler G, Lamar W, Nogueira C, Porras LW, Rivas G, Solórzano A, Murphy J (2019). "Oxyrhopus petolarius ". The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2019: e.T198391A2524138. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2019-3.RLTS.T198391A2524138.en. Downloaded on 22 March 2020.
  2. "Oxyrhopus petola ". ITIS (Integrated Taxonomic Information System). Itis.gov
  3. Boulenger GA (1896). Catalogue of the Snakes in the British Museum (Natural History). Volume III., Containing the Colubridæ (Opisthoglyphæ and Proteroglyphæ),... London: Trustees of the British Museum (Natural History). (Taylor and Francis, Printers.) xiv + 727 pp. + Plates I-XXV. (Oxyrhopus petolarius, pp. 101-103).
  4. "Oxyrhopus petolarius ". The Reptile Database
  5. Savage JM (2011). "The correct species-group name for an Oxyrhopus (Squamata: Dipsadidae) variously called Coluber petalarius, C. pethola, C. petola, or C. petolarius by early authors". Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington. 124 (3): 223–225. doi:10.2988/11-06.1. S2CID 85938790.
  6. Boos, Hans E.A. (2001). The Snakes of Trinidad and Tobago. College Station, Texas: Texas A&M University Press. xvi + 328 pp. ISBN 1-58544-116-3.
  7. "Oxyrhopus petolarius (False Coral Snake)" (PDF). Sta.uwi.edu. Retrieved 9 April 2022.
  8. "Forest Flame-Snake (Oxyrhopus petolarius)".
  9. Freiberg M (1982). Snakes of South America. Hong Kong: T.F.H. Publications. 189 pp. ISBN 0-87666-912-7. (Oxyrhopus petola, p. 105).
  10. 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. (Oxyrhopus petola sebae, p. 240).

Further reading
  • Duméril A-M-C, Bibron G, Duméril A[-H-A] (1854). Erpétologie générale ou histoire naturelle complète des reptiles. Tome septième. Deuxième partie. Comprenant l'histoire des serpents venimeux [= General Herpetology or Complete Natural History of the Reptiles. Volume 7. Part 2. Containing the Natural Histories of the Venomous Snakes]. Paris: Roret. xii + pp. 781–1536. (Oxyrhopus petolarius, pp. 1033–1036). (in French).
  • Linnaeus C (1758). Systema naturæ per regna tria naturæ, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis. Tomus I. Editio Decima, Reformata. Stockholm: L. Salvius. 824 pp. (Coluber petola, new species, p. 225; Coluber petolarius, new species, p. 225). (in Latin).
  • Reuss A (1834). "Zoologische Miscellen. Reptilien, Ophidier ". Mus. Senckenbergiana, Frankfurt 1: 129–162. (Coluber digitalis, new species, p. 148 + Plate IX, figure 1). (in German).
  • MacCulloch RD, Lathrop A, Kok PJR, Ernst R, Kalamandeen M (2009). "The genus Oxyrhopus (Serpentes: Dipsadidae: Xenodontinae) in Guyana: morphology, distributions and comments on taxonomy". Papéis Avulsos de Zoologia 49 (36): 487–495.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.