| Leptophis ahaetulla | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Suborder: | Serpentes |
| Family: | Colubridae |
| Genus: | Leptophis |
| Species: | L. ahaetulla |
| Binomial name | |
| Leptophis ahaetulla (Linnaeus, 1758) | |
| Synonyms | |
| |
Leptophis ahaetulla, commonly known as the lora or parrot snake, is a species of medium-sized slender snake of the family Colubridae. [4] The species is native to Central America and northern South America. [5]
In Central America L. ahaetulla is found in Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, southern Mexico, Nicaragua, and Panama. In South America it is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Paraguay, Peru, Trinidad and Tobago, Uruguay, and Venezuela. [2]
Adults of L. ahaetulla may attain a total length of 172 cm (68 in), which includes a tail 59 cm (23 in) long. [3]
Dorsally, L. ahaetulla is bright green, golden, or bronzy. The keels of the dorsal scales are black or dark brown. The head shields and the dorsal scales may be edged with black. On each side of the head is a black streak which passes through the eye. The upper lip and the belly are white or yellow. The species was thought to be non-venomous, [3] but it is mildly venomous with localized pain, swelling and a feeling of "pins and needles" being the symptoms of envenomation. Symptoms disappear after a few hours.[ citation needed ]
The head is elongated and distinct from the neck. The eye is large with a round pupil. The body is slender, and the tail is long. [3]
The dorsal scales are arranged in 15 rows at mid-body and are strongly keeled except in the first row on each side (the row adjacent to the ventrals), where they are smooth. They are also smooth on the neck and tail. [3]
The ventrals, which number 151-167, are strongly angulate at the sides. The anal plate is divided. The subcaudals number 140-173, and are divided. [3]
The loreal scale is absent, and the prefrontals extend through the loreal region to contact the upper labials. There are usually 2 postoculars, and the temporals are 1 + 2. There are 8-9 upper labials, of which the 4th & 5th (or 5th & 6th) enter the eye. The anterior chin shields are shorter than the posterior chin shields. [3]
L. ahaetulla feeds on small birds and their eggs, lizards, frogs and their eggs, and insects such as grasshoppers. [6] It is also known to show cannibalism and feed on other snakes which is a rare behaviour. [6]
Spilotes pullatus, commonly known as the chicken snake, tropical chicken snake, or yellow rat snake, is a species of large nonvenomous colubrid snake endemic to the Neotropics.
Erythrolamprus cobella, commonly known as the mangrove snake, is a species of small semi-aquatic snake, which is endemic to South America.
The brown-banded water snake is a species of aquatic snake found in tropical South America and Trinidad and Tobago. It is also known as the water mapepire.
Ahaetulla nasuta, also known as Sri Lankan green vine snake and long-nosed whip snake, is a venomous, slender green tree snake endemic to Sri Lanka.
Ahaetulla dispar, the Gunther's vine snake, is a species of tree snake endemic to the Western Ghats. It is primarily restricted to the Shola forests of the Southern Western Ghats where it is found often on high-elevation montane grasslands and the low shrub belts.
Ahaetulla perroteti, known commonly as the bronze-headed vine snake, Perrotet's vine snake, or the Western Ghats bronzeback, is a species of mildly venomous, rear-fanged snake in the family Colubridae. The species is endemic to the Western Ghats in South India.
Amphiesma monticola, also known as the Wynad keelback, is a harmless colubrid snake species endemic to the Western Ghats of India, where it has been recorded in the Kodagu and Wayanad regions.
Dendrelaphis pictus, commonly known as either the common bronzeback, painted bronzeback, or Indonesian bronzeback, is a species of colubrid snake found in Southeast Asia.
Ptyas mucosa, commonly known as the Oriental rat snake, dhaman or Indian rat snake, is a common non-venomous species of colubrid snake found in parts of South and Southeast Asia. Dhamans are large snakes. Typical mature total length is around 1.5 to 1.95 m though some exceed 2 m. The record length for this species was 3.7 m, second only to their cousin Ptyas carinata among living colubrid snakes. Despite their large size, oriental ratsnakes are usually quite slender with even a specimen of 2 m commonly measuring 4 to 6 cm only around in diameter. Furthermore, the average weight of ratsnakes caught in Java was around 877 to 940 g, though larger males of over 2.3 m may easily weigh over 2.5 kg (5.5 lb). Their color varies from pale browns in dry regions to nearly black in moist forest areas. Rat snakes are diurnal, semi-arboreal, non-venomous, and fast-moving. Rat snakes eat a variety of prey and are frequently found in urban areas where rodents thrive.
The checkered keelback, also known commonly as the Asiatic water snake, is a common species in the subfamily Natricinae of the family Colubridae. The species is endemic to Asia. It is non-venomous.
The olive-headed sea snake, also known as the greater sea snake, is a species of venomous sea snake in the family Elapidae.
Hydrophis melanocephalus, commonly known as the slender-necked sea snake, is a species of venomous sea snake in the family Elapidae.
Günther's black snake 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.
(not to be confused with the Asian genus Ahaetulla, which are also referred as 'vine snakes')
Snakes, like other reptiles, have skin covered in scales. Snakes are entirely covered with scales or scutes of various shapes and sizes, known as snakeskin as a whole. A scale protects the body of the snake, aids it in locomotion, allows moisture to be retained within, alters the surface characteristics such as roughness to aid in camouflage, and in some cases even aids in prey capture. The simple or complex colouration patterns are a property of the underlying skin, but the folded nature of scaled skin allows bright skin to be concealed between scales then revealed in order to startle predators.
Elapotinus is a monotypic genus created for the rear-fanged snake species, Elapotinus picteti. The species is endemic to Madagascar. It is also known commonly as Jan's snake in honor of Italian herpetologist Giorgio Jan. There are no subspecies that are recognized as being valid.
Hypoptophis is a monotypic genus created for the rear-fanged (opisthoglyphous) mildly venomous snake species, Hypoptophis wilsonii. The species, which is endemic to Africa, is in the subfamily Aparallactinae of the family Atractaspididae. There are no subspecies that are recognized as being valid.
The Cameroon racer, Poecilopholis cameronensis, is a species of rear-fanged mildly venomous snake endemic to Africa. Poecilopholis is a monotypic genus created for this species.
Leptophis is a genus of colubrid snakes, commonly known as parrot snakes. The species within this genus are widely distributed throughout Mexico, Central and South America.
Leptophis modestus, commonly known as the cloud forest parrot snake, is a species of medium-sized slender snake of the family Colubridae. It is endemic to Mesoamerica. There are currently no recognized subspecies.
