Pseudalsophis hoodensis | |
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Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Reptilia |
Order: | Squamata |
Suborder: | Serpentes |
Family: | Colubridae |
Genus: | Pseudalsophis |
Species: | P. hoodensis |
Binomial name | |
Pseudalsophis hoodensis (Van Denburgh, 1912) | |
Pseudalsophis hoodensis is a species of snake of the family Colubridae.
The snake is found in the Galápagos Islands,. [2]
Snakes are elongated, limbless, carnivorous reptiles of the suborder Serpentes. Like all other squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping scales. Many species of snakes have skulls with several more joints than their lizard ancestors, enabling them to swallow prey much larger than their heads. To accommodate their narrow bodies, snakes' paired organs appear one in front of the other instead of side by side, and most have only one functional lung. Some species retain a pelvic girdle with a pair of vestigial claws on either side of the cloaca. Lizards have independently evolved elongate bodies without limbs or with greatly reduced limbs at least twenty-five times via convergent evolution, leading to many lineages of legless lizards. These resemble snakes, but several common groups of legless lizards have eyelids and external ears, which snakes lack, although this rule is not universal.
Colubridae is a family of snakes. With 249 genera, it is the largest snake family. The earliest species of the family date back to the Oligocene epoch. Colubrid snakes are found on every continent except Antarctica.
The Galápagos Islands xeric scrub, also known as the Galápagos Islands scrubland mosaic, is a terrestrial deserts and xeric shrublands ecoregion that covers the Galápagos Islands. The Galápagos Islands are volcanic in origin, and remote from continents and other islands. The ecoregion is well known for its unique endemic species, including giant tortoises, birds, and marine iguanas, which evolved in isolation to adapt to islands' environments.
Franz Steindachner was an Austrian zoologist, ichthyologist, and herpetologist. He published over 200 papers on fishes and over 50 papers on reptiles and amphibians. Steindachner described hundreds of new species of fish and dozens of new amphibians and reptiles. At least seven species of reptile have been named after him.
Alsophis is a genus of snakes in the subfamily Dipsadinae of the family Colubridae. Species in the genus Alsophis are among those snakes commonly called "racers". Alsophis species are endemic to the Lesser Antilles in the Caribbean. One species in the genus Alsophis, A. antiguae, is one of the world's rarest known snakes. Snakes of the genus Alsophis are small and rear-fanged, and they are considered harmless to humans. This genus contains nine described species which are recognized as being valid. Several species once included in this genus have been placed in the genera Borikenophis and Pseudalsophis.
Bulimulus hoodensis is a species of land snail in the family Bulimulidae. It is endemic to Española Island, one of the Galápagos Islands. The species reproduces sexually.
Pseudalsophis is a genus of snakes in the family Colubridae. The genus is endemic to South America.
Dipsadinae is a large subfamily of colubroid snakes, sometimes referred to as a family (Dipsadidae). They are found in most of the Americas, including the West Indies, and are most diverse in South America. There are more than 700 species.
The Galápagos racer is a colubrid snake in the genus Pseudalsophis that is endemic to the Galápagos Islands. It is a mildly venomous constrictor but it is not considered aggressive or harmful to humans. The two subspecies are the eastern and western racers, the latter being larger, longer, and darker than the former. The western subspecies specializes in hunting fish, while both subspecies eat small reptiles, eggs, rodents, and bird hatchlings. The Galapagos racer is near threatened due to recently introduced species that feed on snake eggs, including pigs, rats, mice, and cats. It is one of only three species of snakes on the Galápagos Islands, and it was first described in 1860. In November 2016, a video clip from the BBC series Planet Earth II showing a group of Galápagos racers hunting marine iguana hatchlings became a viral trend.
The western Santa Cruz tortoise is a subspecies of Galápagos tortoise endemic to Santa Cruz Island in the Galápagos. They are found only on the southwestern slopes of the island, with an estimated range of 141 sq. kilometers. There are approximately 3400 individuals in the wild, and have seen rising numbers in population, despite being critically endangered. MtDNA evidence shows that there are actually three genetically distinct populations on Santa Cruz Island. They are characterised by a black, oval carapace that is domed, higher in the centre than in the front, and broad anteriorly. Their life expectancy is 175 years.
Pseudalsophis thomasi, or Thompson's racer, a species of snake in the family Colubridae. It is endemic to several islands in the Galápagos group.
Scolopendra galapagoensis, also known as the Galápagos centipede and Darwin's goliath centipede, is species of very large centipede in the family Scolopendridae. It is the only representative of the genus Scolopendra on the Galapagos Islands, among twelve other species of centipede present on the Islands. It is also found on mainland South America in Ecuador and Peru, and on Cocos Island in Costa Rica.
Pseudalsophis darwini is a species of snake of the family Colubridae.
Pseudalsophis dorsalis is a species of snake of the family Colubridae.
Pseudalsophis elegans is a species of snake of the family Colubridae.
Pseudalsophis hephaestus is a species of snake of the family Colubridae.
Pseudalsophis occidentalis is a species of snake of the family Colubridae.
Pseudalsophis slevini , the banded Galapagos snake, is a species of snake of the family Colubridae. It is named for Joseph Slevin, a curator at the California Academy of Sciences.
Pseudalsophis steindachneri , the striped Galapagos snake, is a species of snake of the family Colubridae.
Pseudoeryx relictualis , the South American pond snake, is a species of snake of the family Colubridae.