Hypoptophis

Last updated

Hypoptophis
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Serpentes
Family: Lamprophiidae
Genus: Hypoptophis
Boulenger, 1908
Species:
H. wilsonii
Binomial name
Hypoptophis wilsonii
Boulenger, 1908
Synonyms [1]
  • Hypoptophis wilsonii
    Boulenger, 1908
  • Michellia katangae
    L. Müller, 1911
  • Hypoptophis wilsoni wilsoni
    — de Witte & Laurent, 1947
  • Hypoptophis wilsoni katangae
    — de Witte & Laurent, 1947
  • Hypoptophis wilsonii
    — Broadley et al., 2003
  • Hypoptophis wilsonii
    — Wallach et al., 2014
Common names: African bighead snake, wedge-snouted burrowing snake. [1]

Hypoptophis is a monotypic genus created for the rear-fanged (opisthoglyphous) venomous snake species, Hypoptophis wilsonii. The species, which is endemic to Africa, is in the subfamily Aparallactinae of the family Lamprophiidae. There are no subspecies that are recognized as being valid. [2]

Contents

Geographic range

Hypoptophis wilsonii is found in Angola, southern Democratic Republic of the Congo (formerly Zaire), and Zambia. [1]

The type locality is "Inkongo, on the Sankuru River, in the Kasai Province of the Congo". [3]

Description (diagnosis) of genus

The genus Hypoptophis exhibits the following characters. The maxilla is very short, with four teeth gradually increasing in size, followed, after an interspace, by two large grooved fangs situated below the eye. The anterior mandibular teeth are slightly enlarged. The head is small, not distinct from neck. The snout is much depressed, very prominent. The rostral is very large, with an obtuse horizontal edge, concave below. The eye is very small, with a vertically elliptic pupil. The nostril is pierced in a semidivided nasal. There is no loreal scale. There is one preocular, which is in contact with the nasal. The body is cylindrical. The tail is short. The dorsal scales are smooth, without pits, and arranged in 15 rows at midbody. The ventrals are rounded. The subcaudals are single (undivided). [3]

Description of species

Hypoptophis wilsonii is completely blackish brown both dorsally and ventrally.

The holotype, a female, is 56 cm (22 in) in total length, of which 10 cm (3 7⁄8 in) is tail.

The ventrals number 118. The anal plate is entire. The subcaudals number 36, and are also entire.

The portion of the rostral visible from above is as long as its distance from the frontal. The internasals are shorter than the prefrontals. The frontal is as long as broad, slightly more than twice as broad as the small supraocular. There are two postoculars, in contact with the anterior temporal. The temporals are arranged 1+1. There are seven upper labials, the third and fourth entering the eye. There are four lower labials in contact with the anterior chin shield. The anterior chin shields are slightly longer than the posterior chin shields. [3]

Reproduction

H. wilsonii is oviparous. [1]

Etymology

The specific name or epithet, wilsonii, is in honor of "Mr. H. Wilson" (Rev. Henry Wilson, a missionary in the Congo), who presented the first specimen, which became the holotype, to the British Museum (Natural History). [3] [4]

See also

Related Research Articles

Günthers black snake

Günther's black snake, Bothrolycus ater, is a species of poorly known lamprophiid snake endemic to central Africa. It is the only member of the genus, Bothrolycus. This snake is notable as one of the few snakes with notable sexual dimorphism, as well as possessing a small pit anterior to the eye. While superficially similar to the thermal pits of vipers, its function remains unknown.

<i>Macrelaps</i>

Macrelaps is a monotypic genus created for the rear-fanged (opisthoglyphous) venomous snake species, M. microlepidotus, endemic to South Africa. No subspecies are currently recognized.

The Cameroon racer, Poecilopholis cameronensis, is a species of fangless venomous snake endemic to Africa. Poecilopholis is a monotypic genus created for this species.

Amblyodipsas unicolor, commonly known as the western glossy snake or the western purple-glossed snake, is a species of rear-fanged snake in the family Atractaspididae. It is one of the better known species in the genus Amblyodipsas.

Aparallactus lineatus, or the lined centipede-eater, is a species of venomous rear-fanged snake in the family Atractaspididae.

Aparallactus niger is a species of venomous rear-fanged snake in the family Atractaspididae. It is endemic to Western Africa.

Polemon acanthias, or Reinhardt's snake-eater, is a species of venomous rear-fanged snake in the family Atractaspididae. It is endemic to Africa.

Polemon barthii, or the Guinea snake-eater, is a species of rear-fanged venomous snake in the family Atractaspididae. The species is endemic to Africa.

Polemon christyi, or the eastern snake-eater, is a species of venomous rear-fanged snake in the subfamily Aparallactinae. The species is endemic to Central and East Africa.

Polemon collaris, or the collared snake-eater, is a species of venomous rear-fanged snake in the family Atractaspididae. It is endemic to Africa.

Polemon gabonensis, or the Gaboon snake-eater, is a species of venomous rear-fanged snake in the family Atractaspididae. It is endemic to Africa.

Polemon gracilis, or the graceful snake-eater, is a species of venomous rear-fanged snake in the family Atractaspididae. It is endemic to Africa.

<i>Polemon notatus</i>

Polemon notatus is a species of venomous rear-fanged snake in the family Atractaspididae. It is endemic to Africa.

Xenocalamus bicolor, or the slender quill-snouted snake, is a species of venomous rear-fanged snake in the family Lamprophiidae. The species is endemic to Africa. Six subspecies are recognized as being valid.

<i>Aparallactus capensis</i>

Aparallactus capensis, or the Cape centipede-eater, is a species of venomous rear-fanged snake in the Atractaspididae family.

Aparallactus jacksonii, or Jackson's centipede-eater, is a species of venomous rear-fanged snake in the family Atractaspididae.

<i>Aparallactus lunulatus</i>

Aparallactus lunulatus, or the reticulated centipede-eater, is a species of venomous rear-fanged snake in the family Atractaspididae, which is endemic to Africa.

<i>Aparallactus modestus</i>

Aparallactus modestus, or the western forest centipede-eater, is a species of venomous rear-fanged snake in the Atractaspididae family,

Aparallactus nigriceps, or the Mozambique centipede-eater, is a species of venomous rear-fanged snake in the family Atractaspididae.

Aparallactus werneri, or the Usambara centipede-eater, is a species of venomous rear-fanged snake in the family Lamprophiidae. The species is endemic to Tanzania.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Species Hypoptophis wilsonii at The Reptile Database www.reptile-database.org.
  2. ↑ "Hypoptophis ". Integrated Taxonomic Information System . Retrieved 5 September 2007.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Boulenger GA (1908). "Description of Three new Snakes from Africa". Annals and Magazine of Natural History, Eighth Series2: 93-94. (Hypoptophis wilsonii, new species).
  4. ↑ 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. (Hypoptophis wilsonii, p. 287).


This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.