Anderson's stream snake

Anderson's stream snake
Conservation status
	; Near Threatened (IUCN 2.3)
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Suborder:	Serpentes
Family:	Colubridae
Genus:	Opisthotropis
Species:	O. andersonii
Binomial name
	Opisthotropis andersonii; (Boulenger, 1888)
Synonyms
	Calamohydrus andersonii; Boulenger, 1888; Opisthotropis andersonii; — Boulenger, 1891;

Last updated January 18, 2024

Anderson's stream snake (Opisthotropis andersonii), also known commonly as Anderson's mountain keelback,^[2]^[3] is a species of snake in the family Colubridae. The species is native to Asia

Etymology

The specific name, andersonii, is in honor of Scottish herpetologist John Anderson.^[3]

Geographic range

O. andersonii is found in Hong Kong and Vietnam.^[2]

Habitat

The preferred natural habitats of O. andersonii are forest and freshwater wetlands, at altitudes of 300–900 m (980–2,950 ft).^[1]

Description

Dorsally, O. andersonii is blackish olive. Ventrally it is whitish, except for the chin and lower labials which are brown. The snout is short, broad, and depressed. There is a single prefrontal, and only one pair of chin shields.^[4]

The dorsal scales, which are arranged in 17 rows throughout the entire length of the body, are smooth on the neck, feebly keeled at midbody, and strongly keeled on the tail. Adults of O. andersonii have a total length (including tail) of 38–46 cm (15–18 in). The tail is 15–20 % of the total length.^[2]

Reproduction

O. andersonii is oviparous.^[2]

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References

1 2 Lau, M.; Nguyen, T.Q. (2012). "Opisthotropis andersonii". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2012: e.T192007A2027198. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2012-1.RLTS.T192007A2027198.en . Retrieved 19 January 2018.
1 2 3 4 5 Species Opisthotropis andersonii at The Reptile Database www.reptile-database.org.
1 2 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. (Opisthotropis andersonii, p. 8; O. maxwelli, p. 171).
↑ Boulenger GA (1893). Catalogue of the Snakes in the British Museum (Natural History). Volume I., Containing the Families Colubridæ ... London: Trustees of the British Museum (Natural History). (Taylor and Francis, printers). xiii + 448 pp. + Plates I–XXVIII. (Opisthotropis andersonii, new combination, p. 284 + Plate XVIII, figures 3, 3a, 3b, 3c).