Loxocemus

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Loxocemus
Loxocemus bicolor.jpg
CITES Appendix II (CITES) [2]
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Serpentes
Family: Loxocemidae
Cope, 1861
Genus: Loxocemus
Cope, 1861
Species:
L. bicolor
Binomial name
Loxocemus bicolor
Cope, 1861
Synonyms
  • Loxocemi - Cope, 1861
  • Loxocemina - Boulenger, 1879
  • Loxoceminae - Romer, 1956
  • Loxocemidae - McDowell, 1975 [3]

  • Loxocemus - Cope, 1861
  • Plastoseryx - Jan, 1862 [3]

  • L[oxocemus]. bicolor - Cope, 1861
  • Plastoseryx Bronni - Jan, 1862
  • Loxocemus Sumichrasti - Bocourt, 1876
  • Loxocemus Sumichrasti - Bocourt, 1876
  • Loxocemus bicolor - Boulenger, 1896
  • Loxocemus bicolor bicolor - Woodbury & Woodbury, 1944
  • Loxocemus bicolor sumichrasti - Woodbury & Woodbury, 1944 [3]

Loxocemus bicolor, [4] the sole member of the monotypic family Loxocemidae [5] and commonly known as the Mexican python, [5] Mexican burrowing python [6] and Mexican burrowing snake, is a species of python-like snake found in Mexico and Central America. No subspecies are currently recognized. [7] Analyses of DNA show that Loxocemus is most closely related to the true pythons and the sunbeam snakes. [8] [9]

Contents

Description

Adults grow to a maximum of 1.57 m (62 in) in length. [10] On average this snake grows to roughly 91 cm (2.99 ft). The body is stout and very muscular. The snout is shovel-shaped, with a narrow head and small eyes to facilitate burrowing. It has been observed that both male and females have various scent glands on their bodies that secrete fatty acids and alcohols to deter nuisance arthropods, such as ants or other burrowing insects. [11] The species is described as terrestrial and semi-fossorial, [10] which makes them hard to observe and study. The color pattern is usually dark with patches of white scales, although occasionally after shedding all pigment will disappear, resulting in a white snake with only a small dark patch on its head. Scale coloring can also vary between pinkish-brown and reddish-brown, a source of camouflage depending on the soil type of the region an individual typically inhabits.

Distribution and habitat

It is found along the Mexican Pacific versant at low to moderate elevations in the states of Nayarit, Jalisco, Colima, Michoacán, Morelos, Guerrero, Oaxaca, and Chiapas. From there, its range extends south through Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica. The type locality given is "La Unión, San Salvador" (in El Salvador). [3]

Life cycle

They are found in a variety of habitats, including tropical, moist, and dry forests. In Honduras and Guatemala, they also occur in dry inland valleys that drain into the Caribbean. [3] Their diet is believed to consist of rodents and lizards. In addition, they prey on arthropods, such as underground insects and centipedes, as well as worms. They have also been observed eating iguana eggs, in addition to having been observed to eat sea turtle eggs and hatchlings when food is scarce. [12] They are oviparous, laying small clutches of two to four eggs. [10] In order to consume eggs, individuals have been observed to wrap two to three loops of its anterior trunk to pressurize and pierce an egg before swallowing the yolk whole. [12]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pythonidae</span> Family of snakes

The Pythonidae, commonly known as pythons, are a family of nonvenomous snakes found in Africa, Asia, and Australia. Among its members are some of the largest snakes in the world. Ten genera and 39 species are currently recognized. Being naturally non-venomous, pythons must constrict their prey to suffocate it prior to consumption. Pythons will typically strike at and bite their prey of choice to gain hold of it; they then must use physical strength to constrict their prey, by coiling their muscular bodies around the animal, effectively suffocating it before swallowing whole. This is in stark contrast to venomous snakes such as the rattlesnake, for example, which delivers a swift, venomous bite but releases, waiting as the prey succumbs to envenomation before being consumed. Collectively, the pythons are well-documented and -studied as constrictors, much like other non-venomous snakes, including the boas and even kingsnakes of the New World.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boidae</span> Family of snakes

The Boidae, commonly known as boas or boids, are a family of nonvenomous snakes primarily found in the Americas, as well as Africa, Europe, Asia, and some Pacific islands. Boas include some of the world's largest snakes, with the green anaconda of South America being the heaviest and second-longest snake known; in general, adults are medium to large in size, with females usually larger than the males. Six subfamilies comprising 15 genera and 54 species are currently recognized.

<i>Boa</i> (genus) Genus of snakes

Boa is a genus of boas found in Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central and South America. Five extant species, and one extinct, are currently recognized.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Atractaspididae</span> Family of snakes

The Atractaspididae (atractaspidids) are a family of venomous snakes found in Africa and the Middle East, commonly called mole vipers, stiletto snakes, or burrowing asps. Currently, 12 genera are recognized.

<i>Corallus</i> Genus of snakes

Corallus, the neotropical tree boas, are a genus of boas found in Central America, South America and the West Indies. Nine extant species are recognized as of 2017.

<i>Anilius</i> Genus of snakes

The Aniliidae are a monotypic family created for the monotypic genus Anilius that contains the single species Anilius scytale. Common names include the American pipe snake and false coral snake. It is found in South America. This snake possesses a vestigial pelvic girdle that is visible as a pair of cloacal spurs. It is ovoviviparous. It is non-venomous, and its diet consists mainly of amphibians and other reptiles. Two subspecies are recognized, including the nominate subspecies described here.

<i>Xenopeltis</i> Genus of snakes

Xenopeltis, the sunbeam snakes, are the sole genus of the monotypic family Xenopeltidae, the species of which are found in Southeast Asia. Sunbeam snakes are known for their highly iridescent scales. Three species are recognized, each one with no subspecies. Studies of DNA suggest that the xenopeltids are most closely related to the Mexican burrowing python and to the true pythons (Pythonidae).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Henophidia</span> Group of snakes

Henophidia is a former superfamily of the suborder Serpentes (snakes) that contains boas, pythons and numerous other less-well-known snakes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Calabar python</span> Species of snake

The Calabar python is a species of non-venomous snake in the family Boidae. The species is endemic to West and Central Africa. It is the only species in its genus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bismarck ringed python</span> Species of snake

The Bismarck ringed python is a species of snake in the genus Bothrochilus found on the islands of the Bismarck Archipelago. No subspecies are recognized.

<i>Charina</i> Genus of snakes

Charina is a genus of nonvenomous boas, commonly known as rubber boas, found in North America. Two species are currently recognized.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amethystine python</span> Species of snake

The amethystine python, also known as the scrub python or sanca permata in Indonesian, is a species of non-venomous snake in the family Pythonidae. The species is found in Indonesia and Papua New Guinea. Popular among reptile enthusiasts, and noted for its coloration and size, it is one of the largest snakes in the world, as measured either by length or weight, and is the largest native snake in Papua New Guinea. Until 2000, the larger S. kinghorni was generally considered a subspecies of S. amethistina, and this change of classification has still not been universally reflected in literature. Because of this issue, S. amethistina has often been described as the largest snake in Australia, but this is not accurate since under the current classification, this species does not occur in Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Round Island burrowing boa</span> Extinct species of snake

The Round Island burrowing boa is an extinct species of snake, in the monotypic genus Bolyeria, in the family Bolyeriidae. The species, which was endemic to Mauritius, was last seen on Round Island in 1975. There are no recognized subspecies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rough-scaled python</span> Species of snake

The rough-scaled python is a large-scaled python species endemic to Australia. No subspecies are currently recognized.

<i>Ungaliophis</i> Genus of snakes

Ungaliophis is a genus of dwarf boas found from southern Mexico to Colombia. Currently, two species are recognized.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alethinophidia</span> Clade of snakes

The Alethinophidia are an infraorder of snakes that includes all snakes other than blind snakes and thread snakes. Snakes have long been grouped into families within Alethinophidia based on their morphology, especially that of their teeth. More modern phylogenetic hypotheses using genetic data support the recognition of 19 extant families, although the taxonomy of alethinophidian snakes has long been debated, and ultimately the decision whether to assign a particular clade to a particular Linnaean rank is arbitrary.

<i>Bothriechis bicolor</i> Species of snake

Bothriechis bicolor is a venomous pit viper species found in southern Mexico, Guatemala and Honduras. The specific name refers to the contrasting ventral and dorsal colors. No subspecies are currently recognized.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Timor python</span> Species of snake

The Timor python is a python species found in Southeast Asia. A dwarf species, no subspecies are recognized as being valid. Like all pythons, it is a nonvenomous constrictor; unlike larger species such as the reticulated python, it is not considered dangerous to humans.

<i>Boa imperator</i> Species of snake

Boa imperator is a large, heavy-bodied, nonvenomous species of snake in the genus Boa that is commonly kept in captivity. Boa imperator is part of the family Boidae and is found in Mexico, Central America and South America west of the Andes Mountains. It is commonly called the Central American boa, northern boa, Colombian boa, common boa and common northern boa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Olive python</span> Species of snake

The olive python is a species of snake in the family Pythonidae. The species is endemic to Australia. Two subspecies are recognized, including the nominate subspecies described here.

References

  1. Chaves, G.; Lamar, W.; Porras, L.W.; Sunyer, J.; Solórzano, A. (2014). "Loxocemus bicolor". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2014: e.T169678A1280046. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2014-1.RLTS.T169678A1280046.en . Retrieved 5 June 2023.
  2. "Appendices I, II and III". CITES. Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora. 21 May 2023. Retrieved 5 June 2023. Note: Protected as a member of the Loxocemidae.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 McDiarmid RW, Campbell JA, Touré T. 1999. Snake Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference, vol. 1. Herpetologists' League. 511 pp. ISBN   1-893777-00-6 (series). ISBN   1-893777-01-4 (volume).
  4. "Loxocemus". Integrated Taxonomic Information System . Retrieved 17 August 2007.
  5. 1 2 "Loxocemidae". Integrated Taxonomic Information System . Retrieved 17 August 2007.
  6. Species Loxocemus bicolor at The Reptile Database . Accessed 17 August 2007.
  7. "Loxocemus bicolor". Integrated Taxonomic Information System . Retrieved 17 August 2007.
  8. Reynolds, RG; Niemiller, ML; Revell, LJ (2014). "Toward a Tree-of-Life for the boas and pythons: multilocus species-level phylogeny with unprecedented taxon sampling" (PDF). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 71: 201–213. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2013.11.011. PMID   24315866. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-12-02. Retrieved 2018-05-14.
  9. Pyron, R. A.; Reynolds, R. G.; Burbrink, F. T. (2014). "A Taxonomic Revision of Boas (Serpentes: Boidae)" (PDF). Zootaxa. 3846: 249–260. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.3846.2.5.
  10. 1 2 3 Loxocemidae at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database . Accessed 3 November 2008.
  11. Schulze, Thies; Weldon, Paul J.; Schulz, Stefan (2017-07-01). "Scent gland constituents of the Middle American burrowing python, Loxocemus bicolor (Serpentes: Loxocemidae)". Zeitschrift für Naturforschung C. 72 (7–8): 265–275. doi: 10.1515/znc-2017-0006 . ISSN   1865-7125.
  12. 1 2 Mora, José Manuel; Robinson, Douglas C. (1984). "Predation of sea turtle eggs (Lepidochelys) by the snake Loxocemus bicolor Cope". Revista de Biología Tropical. 32 (1): 161–162. ISSN   2215-2075.

Further reading