Geophis sanniolus

Geophis sanniolus
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1) [1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Suborder:	Serpentes
Family:	Colubridae
Genus:	Geophis
Species:	G. sanniolus
Binomial name
Geophis sanniolus (Cope, 1866)
Synonyms [2]
Mesopeltis sanniolus Cope, 1866 Leptognathus sanniola — Bocourt, 1908 Sibynomorphus sanniola — Schmidt & Andrews, 1936 Sibon sanniolus — Liner, 1994 Sibon sanniola — Lee, 2000 Sibon sanniolus — Wallach, 2014 Geophis sanniolus — Grünwald et al., 2021

Geophis sanniolus, commonly known as the pygmy snail-eating snake or the pygmy snail sucker, is a species of small snake in thesubfamily Dipsadinae of the family Colubridae. The species is native to Central America and southeastern Mexico.

Geographic range

Geophis sanniolus is found in Belize, Guatemala, and the Mexican states of Campeche, Quintana Roo, and Yucatán. ^{[1] [2] [3]}

Habitat

Geophis sanniolus is a relatively common snake that occurs in tropical semi-deciduous forest and thorn forest, and also in degraded forest. ^[1]

Reproduction

An oviparous species, ^[2] Geophis sanniolus reaches sexual maturity in eight months and produces a single clutch per year. ^[4]

Subspecies

Two subspecies are recognized as being valid, including the nominotypical subspecies. ^[2]

• Geophis sanniolus neilli Henderson, Hoevers & Wilson, 1977 – Neill's snail sucker
• Geophis sanniolus sanniolus (Cope, 1866)

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

Etymology

The subspecific name, neilli, is in honor of American herpetologist Wilfred T. Neill. ^[5]

References

1. Lee, J.; Calderón Mandujano, R. (2013). "Sibon sanniolus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2013 e.T63920A3131114. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2013-2.RLTS.T63920A3131114.en . Retrieved 19 November 2021.
2. Geophis sanniolus at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database . Accessed 19 April 2015.
3. Campbell JA (1999). Amphibians and Reptiles of Northern Guatemala, the Yucatan, and Belize. Norman, Oklahoma: University of Oklahoma Press. ISBN   978-0-8061-3066-8. xiii + 380 pp. (Sibon sanniola, pp. 243–244).
4. Zug GR (1993). Herpetology: An Introductory Biology of Amphibians and Reptiles. San Diego: Academic Press. ISBN   0-12-782620-3. xv + 527 pp. (Sibon sanniola, p. 150).
5. 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. (Sibon sanniolus neilli, p. 188).

Further reading

• Cope ED (1866). "Fifth Contribution to the Herpetology of Tropical America". Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia1886: 317–323. (Mesopeltis sanniolus, new species, p. 318).
• Boulenger GA (1896). Catalogue of the Snakes in the British Museum (Natural History). Volume III., Containing the Colubridæ (Opisthoglyphæ and Proteroglyphæ), Amblycephalidæ, and Viperidæ. London: Trustees of the British Museum (Natural History). (Taylor and Francis, printers). xiv + 727 pp. + Plates I-XXV. (Leptognathus sanniola, p. 459).
• Heimes, Peter (2016). Snakes of Mexico: Herpetofauna Mexicana Vol. I. Frankfurt, Germany: Chimaira. 572 pp. ISBN   978-3899731002.