Opisthotropis jacobi

Opisthotropis jacobi
Conservation status
Data Deficient  (IUCN 3.1) [1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Suborder:	Serpentes
Family:	Colubridae
Genus:	Opisthotropis
Species:	O. jacobi
Binomial name
Opisthotropis jacobi Angel & Bourret, 1933

Opisthotropis jacobi, also known commonly as the Chapa mountain keelback, Jacob's mountain stream keelback, and Jacob's stream snake, is a species of snake in the subfamily Natricinae of the family Colubridae. The species is native to Vietnam and China. ^[2]

Etymology

The specific name, jacobi, is in honor of German entomologist Arnold F. V. Jacobi. ^[3]

Geographic range

O. jacobi is found in extreme northern Vietnam and in adjacent Yunnan Province, China. ^{[1] [2]}

Habitat

The preferred natural habitats of O. jacobi are forest and streams, at altitudes of 500–1,500 m (1,600–4,900 ft). ^[1]

Description

O. jacobi may attain a total length (including tail) of 54 cm (21 in). Dorsally, it is uniformly shiny black. Ventrally, it is also shiny black but with light-edged ventrals and subcaudals. The dorsal scales are smooth, and arranged in 15 rows throughout the length of the body. ^[4]

Diet

O. jacobi preys upon earthworms, freshwater shrimp, fishes, and frogs and their tadpoles. ^{[1] [2]}

Reproduction

O. jacobi is oviparous. ^{[1] [2]}

References

1. Rao, D.-q.; Zhou, Z. (2012). "Opisthotropis jacobi ". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2012 e.T191913A2014651. Retrieved 18 November 2021.
2. Species Opisthotropis jacobi at The Reptile Database www.reptile-database.org.
3. Beolens B, Watkins M, Grayson M (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. ISBN   978-1-4214-0135-5. (Opisthotropis jacobi, p. 132).
4. Smith MA (1943). The Fauna of British India, Ceylon and Burma, Including the Whole of the Indo-Chinese Sub-region. Reptilia and Amphibia. Vol. III.—Serpentes. London: Secretary of State for India. (Taylor and Francis, printers). xii + 583 pp. (Opisthotropis jacobi, pp. 333–334).

Further reading

• Angel F, Bourret R (1933). "Sur une petite collection de serpents du Tonkin. Descriptions d'espèces nouvelles ". Bulletin de la Société zoologique de France58: 129–140. (Opisthotropis jacobi, new species, p. 130). (in French).
• Nguyen SV, Ho CT, Nguyen TQ (2009). Herpetofauna of Vietnam. Frankfurt am Main, Germany: Edition Chimaira / Serpents Tale. 768 pp. ISBN   978-3899734621.
• Wang K, Lyu Z, Wang J, Qi S, Che J (2009). "The updated checklist and zoogeographic division of the reptilian fauna of Yunnan Province, China". Biodiversity Science30 (4): 21326, 1–31.
• Ziegler T, David P, Ziegler TN, Pham TC, Nguyen TQ, Le MD (2018). "Morphological and molecular review of Jacob's Mountain Stream Keelback Opisthotropis jacobi Angel & Bourret, 1933 (Squamata: Natricidae) with description of a sibling species from northern Vietnam". Zootaxa4374 (4): 476–496.