Platyceps najadum

Last updated

Platyceps najadum
Benny Trapp Schlanknatter Platyceps najadum.JPG
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Serpentes
Family: Colubridae
Genus: Platyceps
Species:
P. najadum
Binomial name
Platyceps najadum
(Eichwald, 1831)
Platyceps-najadum-range.png
Synonyms [2]

Platyceps najadum, also known commonly as Dahl's whip snake or the slender whip snake, is a species of non-venomous snake in the family Colubridae. The species is native to Eurasia. Four subspecies are recognized as being valid.

Contents

Taxonomy

P. najadum was first described by Karl Eichwald in 1831, [1] as Tyria najadum. [2]

Geographic range

P. najadum is found in the Balkans, Aegean, Cyprus, the Mid-East, and as far as Turkmenistan and the Caucasus Mountains. [3]

Habitat

P. najadum occurs in dry and xeric environments in a wide range of habitats: in desert and rocky land, in forests, woodland scrub, and agricultural land from sea level to 2,000 m (6,600 ft) altitude. It is commonly found in fields, and seen crushed on roads. [1]

Description

P. najadum has a slim body, and is rarely over a metre (39 inches) in total length (including tail). [4]

Conservation status

P. najadum is threatened by direct persecution, forest fires and intensive agriculture, where its range interacts with human interests. The species is listed on Annex II of the Bern Convention and Annex IV of the European Union Habitats Directive. It has varying protection in some countries including Serbia, Montenegro, Russia, and Lebanon. [1]

Reproduction

P. najadum is an egg laying species. Females lay between 3 and 16 eggs in a clutch. [1]

Subspecies

Four [2] subspecies are identified, including the nominotypical subspecies.

A trinomial authority in parentheses indicates that the subspecies was originally described in a genus other than Platyceps .

Etymology

Both the subspecific name, dahlii, and the common name, Dahl's whip snake, are in honor of Austrian entomologist Georg Dahl (1769–1831) who collected the type specimen in Dalmatia in 1824. [5]

The subspecific name, schmidtleri, is in honor of German herpetologist Josef Friedrich Schmidtler (born 1942). [6]

Indigenous names

Σαϊτα (Greek), Saita, Стрелушка (Bulgarian), šilac (Croatian), Za'aman Z'eitani (Hebrew), Ok Yılanı (Turkish).

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hardwicke's rat snake</span> Species of snake

Hardwicke's rat snake, also known commonly as the glossy-bellied racer, Gray's rat snake, and the spotted bellied snake, is a species of snake in the family Colubridae. The species is native to Asia. There are three recognized subspecies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Schneider's skink</span> Species of lizard

Eumeces schneiderii, commonly known as Schneider's skink, is a species of lizard in the family Scincidae. The species is endemic to Central Asia, Western Asia, and North Africa. There are five recognized subspecies.

<i>Dasypeltis scabra</i> Species of snake

Dasypeltis scabra, known as the common egg eater, egg-eating snake or rhombic egg eater, is a species of snake in the family Colubridae. It is endemic to Africa.

<i>Vipera dinniki</i> Species of snake

Vipera dinniki is a viper species native to the Caucasus Mountains region, part of Russia, Georgia, and Azerbaijan. Like all other vipers, it is venomous. No subspecies are currently recognized.

<i>Pituophis melanoleucus</i> Species of snake

Pituophis melanoleucus, commonly known as the eastern pine snake, is a species of nonvenomous snake in the family Colubridae. The species is endemic to the southeastern United States. Three subspecies are currently recognized as being valid.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Red whip snake</span> Species of snake

The red whip snake or collared dwarf racer is a species of snake in the family Colubridae. Native to the Middle East, its natural habitats are Mediterranean-type shrubby vegetation, rocky areas, arable land, pastureland, plantations, and rural gardens.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">European cat snake</span> Species of snake

The European cat snake, also known as the Mediterranean cat snake, is a non venomous colubrid snake endemic to the Mediterranean and Caucasus regions.

<i>Eryx miliaris</i> Species of snake, dwarf sand boa

Eryx miliaris, known as the dwarf sand boa, desert sand boa, or Tartar sand boa, is a species of snake in the Boidae family. The species is endemic to Asia.

<i>Rhynchocalamus melanocephalus</i> Species of snake

The black-headed ground snake, also known as the Palestine kukri snake is a species of small and elegant harmless snake, which is endemic to the Eastern Mediterranean and the Near East. It belongs to the Colubridae family. Two subspecies, Rhynchocalamus melanocephalus melanocephalus and Rhynchocalamus melanocephalus satunini, are currently recognized.

<i>Dolichophis jugularis</i> Species of snake

Dolichophis jugularis, also known commonly as the black whipsnake and the large whip snake, is a species of snake in the family Colubridae. The species is native to West Asia. There are three subspecies.

<i>Platyceps</i> Genus of snakes

Platyceps is a genus of snakes of the family Colubridae endemic to Eurasia.

<i>Platyceps karelini</i> Species of snake

Platyceps karelini, the spotted desert racer, is a species of snake in the family Colubridae. The species is endemic to Asia.

The short racer, is a species of snake in the family Colubridae. The species is endemic to northeastern Africa.

Vipera eriwanensis, commonly known as the Alburzi viper or the Armenian steppe viper, is a species of venomous snake in the family Viperidae. The species is native to western Asia. There are two recognized subspecies.

Tropidosaura montana, also known commonly as the common mountain lizard and the green-striped mountain lizard, is a species of lizard in the family Lacertidae. The species is endemic to South Africa. There are three recognized subspecies.

<i>Phrynocephalus guttatus</i> Species of lizard

Phrynocephalus guttatus, also known commonly as the spotted toadhead agama, the Saissan toad-headed agama, the Central Asian toadhead agama, and Salensky's toadhead agama, is a species of lizard in the family Agamidae. The species is native to southeastern Europe and western Asia. There are five recognized subspecies.

<i>Elapsoidea sundevallii</i> Species of African snake

Elapsoidea sundevallii, also known commonly as Sundevall's garter snake or the African garter snake, is a species of venomous snake in the family Elapidae. The species is native to Southern Africa. There are five recognised subspecies.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Lymberakis, Petros; Ajtic, Rastko; Tok, Varl; Ugurtas, Ismail H.; Sevinç, Murat; Crochet, Pierre-André; Disi, Ahmad Mohammed Mousa; Hraoui-Bloquet, Souad; Sadek, Riyad; Haxhiu, Idriz; Böhme, Wolfgang [in German]; Agasyan, Aram; Tuniyev, Boris; Ananjeva, Natalia; Orlov, Nikolai (2009). "Platyceps najadum". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2009: e.T157277A5068046. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2009.RLTS.T157277A5068046.en . Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  2. 1 2 3 "Platyceps najadum ". The Reptile Database. http://reptile-database.reptarium.cz/species?genus=Platyceps&species=najadum&search_param=%28%28search%3D%27Platyceps+najadum%27%29%29
  3. ↑ " Platyceps najadum ". French language Wikipédia.
  4. ↑ "Dahl's Whip Snake (Platyceps najadum) | Archipelago Wildlife Library". Archived from the original on 2014-03-26. Retrieved 2014-03-26.
  5. ↑ Biographisches Lexikon des Kaiserthums Oesterreich … volume 3. pages 129-130. 1858.
  6. ↑ 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. (Platyceps najadum dahlii, p. 64; P. n. schmidtleri, p. 236).

Further reading

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.