Atractus clarki

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Atractus clarki
Atractus clarki 70238638.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Serpentes
Family: Colubridae
Genus: Atractus
Species:
A. clarki
Binomial name
Atractus clarki
Dunn & Bailey, 1939

Atractus clarki,Clark's ground snake, is a rare species of snake in the family Colubridae. It is one of only five species of the very diverse (>150 species) genus Atractus that enters political North America. [2]

Contents

Distribution

The species can be found in extreme southern Panama, the Pacific coast of Colombia and northwestern Ecuador. [3] The species was first collected in 1938 from Santa Cruz de Cana, a 16th century gold mine on the eastern flank of the Serranía de Pirre mountains close to the Colombian border. [2] [4] A second specimen from adjacent Colombia was collected in 1919 but not correctly identified until 2003 [2] . The species is now known from numerous records in Ecuador and Colombia. [3] [5]

Biology

Atractus clarki is a small, nocturnal species that preys mainly on soil-dwelling invertebrates like earthworms. [3] This snake is characterized by its brown dorsal pattern and lighter ventral side, with a bright red collar around its neck and head that they rely on as a defense tactic towards predators. [3] Atractus clarki may represent a relatively ancestral form based on the shape of its reproductive organs. [2] The specific physical appearance of Atractus clarki differs between male and female. Females are typically larger than males, with males having slightly different dorsal patterns. [3] The species is found in warm, humid climates among soil and leaf litter. [6] It is oviparous. [7]

Conservation status

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has classified this species as Least Concern because of its stable population in the lowlands of valley regions. [1]

Etymology

It is named in honor of Herbert C. Clark, instigator of the Panamanian snake census and first director of the Gorgas Memorial Laboratory. [2] [8]

References

  1. 1 2 Ibáñez, R.; Jaramillo, C.; Velasco, J.; Bolívar, W.; Castañeda, M.R. (2017). "Atractus clarki". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2017: e.T203431A2765413. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-2.RLTS.T203431A2765413.en .
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Myers, Charles W. (2003). "Rare Snakes—Five New Species from Eastern Panama: Reviews of Northern Atractus and Southern Geophis (Colubridae: Dipsadinae)". American Museum Novitates (3391): 1–47. doi:10.1206/0003-0082(2003)391<0001:RSFNSF>2.0.CO;2. ISSN   0003-0082.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Arteaga, A (2024). "Red-naped Ground Snake (Atractus clarki)". Reptiles of Ecuador. Retrieved 2025-04-15.
  4. ↑ Dunn, E.R.; Bailey, J.R. (1939). "Snakes from the uplands of the Canal Zone and of Darien". Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard College. 86 (1): 1–22 – via Biodiversity Heritage Library.
  5. ↑ "Atractus clarki". iNaturalist. 2025-04-28.
  6. ↑ "Red-naped Ground Snake (Atractus clarki)". reptilesofecuador.com. Retrieved 2025-04-15.
  7. ↑ Atractus clarki at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database. Accessed 8 October 2021.
  8. ↑ "Herbert C. Clark and the Gorgas Memorial Laboratory". American College of Surgeons.


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