| Platyceps najadum | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| 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) | |
| Synonyms [2] | |
| |
Platyceps najadum, also known commonly as Dahl's whip snake or the slender whip snake, is a species of snake in the family Colubridae. The species is native to Eurasia. Four subspecies are recognized as being valid.
P. najadum was first described by Karl Eichwald in 1831, [1] as Tyria najadum. [2]
P. najadum is found in the Balkans, Aegean, Cyprus, the Mid-East, and as far as Turkmenistan and the Caucasus Mountains. [3]
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.
P. najadum has a slim body, and is rarely over a metre (39 inches) in total length (including tail). [4]
P. najadum is threatened by direct persecution, forest fires and intensive agriculture, where its range interacts with human interests. [1]
P. najadum is an egg laying species. Females lay between 3 and 16 eggs in a clutch. [1]
Four [2] subspecies are identified, including the nominotypical subspecies.
Nota bene : A trinomial authority in parentheses indicates that the subspecies was originally described in a genus other than Platyceps .
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]
Σαϊτα (Greek), Saita, Стрелушка (Bulgarian), šilac (Croatian), Za'aman Z'eitani (Hebrew), Ok Yılanı (Turkish).
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