Achalinus werneri

Achalinus werneri
Conservation status
Near Threatened  (IUCN 3.1) [1]
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Suborder:	Serpentes
Family:	Xenodermidae
Genus:	Achalinus
Species:	A. werneri
Binomial name
Achalinus werneri Van Denburgh, 1912
Synonyms
Achalinus loochoensis Thompson, 1912

Achalinus werneri, also known commonly as the Amami odd-scaled snake and the Amami Takachiho snake, is a species of snake in the family Xenodermatidae. ^{[1] [2]} The species is endemic to the Ryukyu Islands, Japan. ^[1] There are no subspecies that are recognized as being valid. ^[2]

Etymology

The specific name, werneri, is in honor of Austrian herpetologist Franz Werner. ^[3]

Habitat

The preferred natural habitats of A. werneri are forest, grassland, and freshwater wetlands. ^[1]

Description

Dorsally, A. werneri is dark olive; ventrally, it is yellow. It has 88–96 subcaudals. ^[2]

Diet

A. werneri preys upon earthworms. ^[1]

Reproduction

A. werneri is oviparous. ^[2] Clutch size is three to eight eggs. ^[1]

Conservation status

In 1996 the species Achalinus werneri was classified as Near Threatened by the IUCN. ^[1] This is because its range is estimated to be less than 20,000 km² (7,722 sq mi), or its area of occupancy is estimated to be less than 2,000 km² (772 sq mi), and estimates indicate its range is severely fragmented, or known to exist at no more than ten locations, and that a continuing decline has been inferred, observed or projected in the area, extent and/or quality of its habitat. ^[4]

References

1. Kidera, N.; Ota, H. (2017). "Achalinus werneri ". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2017: e.T161A96877297. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-3.RLTS.T161A96877297.en . Retrieved 16 November 2021.
2. Achalinus werneri at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database . Accessed 27 February 2016.
3. 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. (Achalinus werneri, p. 282).
4. 1994 Categories & Criteria (version 2.3) Archived September 13, 2008, at the Wayback Machine IUCN Red List. Accessed 16 August 2007.

Further reading

• Goris, Richard C.; Maeda, Norio (2004). Guide to the Amphibians and Reptiles of Japan. Malabar, Florida: Krieger Publishing Company. 285 pp. ISBN   978-1575240855.
• Ota H (2000). "Current status of the threatened amphibians and reptiles of Japan". Population Ecology42: 5–9.
• Van Denburgh J (1912). "Concerning Certain Species of Reptiles and Amphibians from China, Japan, the Loo Choo Islands, and Formosa". Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences, Fourth Series3: 187–258. (Achalinus werneri, new species, pp. 254–255).