Lycodon rufozonatus | |
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Scientific classification ![]() | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Reptilia |
Order: | Squamata |
Suborder: | Serpentes |
Family: | Colubridae |
Genus: | Lycodon |
Species: | L. rufozonatus |
Binomial name | |
Lycodon rufozonatus (Cantor, 1842) | |
Subspecies | |
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Synonyms [2] | |
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Lycodon rufozonatus is a species of snake in the family Colubridae. The species is native to East Asia. It is medium-sized, nocturnal, and is considered non-venomous. Two subspecies are recognised: one of which, L. r. walli, is restricted to the Ryukyu Archipelago; the other, L. r. rufozonatus(Cantor 1842), is found in only in Korea & China. [3]
The subspecific name, walli, is in honor of British herpetologist Frank Wall. [4]
Lycodon rufozonatus typically grows to a total length (including tail) of around 70 centimetres (28 in), reaching up to 130 cm (51 in) in extreme cases. [5] The head is long and relatively flat, and somewhat separate from the neck. The medium-sized eyes bulge slightly and have vertical pupils. The ventral scales have a strong keel, while the dorsal scales are only faintly keeled; the scale count is typically 17:17:15, but can be up to 21:19:17. [5]
Lycodon rufozonatus is found across a large part of East Asia, from the Korean Peninsula in the north (and extending just into easternmost Russia) to northern Laos and Vietnam in the south; the bulk of its range in found in eastern China. [5] The continental populations are all placed in the nominate subspecies (L. r. rufozonatus); a second subspecies, L. r. walli, is found in the Ryukyu Archipelago of southern Japan. [6]
Lycodon rufozonatus lives in a wide variety of habitats; it can be found from near sea level to as high as 2,000 metres (6,600 ft), and is most common near river plains. [5] It is usually found on the ground, but is occasionally seen swimming in streams. [5] It is nocturnal, feeding on fish, frogs, lizards, snakes and young birds. [5] [3] D. rufozonatus has a generally mild disposition, curling into a spherical mass with the head hidden when approached. Individuals can, however, be unpredictable, and some will bite readily. [5] There are very few clinical reports on the toxinology of D. rufozonatus bites, but the species appears to be non-venomous. [5] L. rufozonatus can harbour tapeworms of the genus Spirometra , and the consumption of raw meat from D. rufozonatus has led to cases of human sparganosis in Korea and Japan. [7]
The species was first described as "Lycodon rufo-zonatus " by Theodore Edward Cantor in an 1842 paper on the fauna of "Chusan" (Zhoushan, China) in the Annals and Magazine of Natural History . [8] Cantor included it among the "innocuous" (not venomous) species, and described it as "Brown, with numerous transversal crimson bands; the abdominal surface pearl-coloured, spotted with black on the tail". [8]
L. rufozonatus is known by several common names, including "Asian king snake", [9] "banded red snake", "red banded krait", "red banded odd-toothed snake" and "red-banded snake". [5]