Erythrolamprus ornatus

Saint Lucia racer
Scientific classification
Kingdom:Animalia
Phylum:Chordata
Class:Reptilia
Order:Squamata
Suborder:Serpentes
Family:Colubridae
Genus:Erythrolamprus
Species: E. ornatus
Binomial name
Erythrolamprus ornatus
(Garman, 1887)[2]
Synonyms
  • Dromicus giganteus Jan, 1863 (nomen nudum)
  • Dromicus ornatus Garman, 1887
  • Erythrolamprus ornatus
    — Schwartz & Henderson, 1991[3]

The Saint Lucia racer (Erythrolamprus ornatus) is a species of snake in the Colubridae family.[2] It is also known as the ornate ground snake.

Geographic range

It is endemic to Saint Lucia.[4]

Description

Adults may attain a total length (body plus tail) of 123.5 cm (48.6 in).[5]

Its coloration is variable. Some individuals have a broad brown vertebral stripe. In others, the brown stripe is interrupted by alternating yellow spots.[6]

Behavior

It is probably diurnal.[5]

Diet

Preys on lizards.[5]

Conservation status

In 1936, it was declared extinct, but it was rediscovered in 1973. It disappeared again soon after, but 11 individuals were found in 2012 on a small, mongoose-free island near Saint Lucia.[7]

References

  1. ↑ Gibson, R. (2008). "Erythrolamprus ornatus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2008. International Union for Conservation of Nature. Retrieved 14 August 2009. Database entry includes a brief justification of why this species is endangered.
  2. 1 2 ITIS (Integrated Taxonomic Information System). www.itis.gov.
  3. ↑ The Reptile Database. www.reptile-database.org.
  4. ↑ Schwartz, A., and R. Thomas. 1975. A Check-list of West Indian Amphibians and Reptiles. Carnegie Museum of Natural History. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. 216 pp. (Dromicus ornatus, p. 183.)
  5. 1 2 3 Malhotra, A., and R.S. Thorpe. Reptiles & Amphibians of the Eastern Caribbean. Macmillan. London. ix + 134 pp. ISBN 0-333-69141-5. (Erythrolamprus ornatus, p. 97.)
  6. ↑
  7. ↑ "Snake Returns from Extinction". Discovery News. July 13, 2012. Retrieved July 13, 2012.

Further reading

  • Garman, S. 1887. On West Indian Reptiles in the Museum of Comparative Zoölogy, at Cambridge, Mass. Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society 24: 278-286. ("Dromicus ornatus, sp. n.", p. 281.)
  • Smith, H.M.; J.R. Dixon; V. Wallach. 1993. Dromicus giganteus Jan (Reptilia: Serpentes) is a nomen nudum. Bull. Maryland Herp. Soc. 29 (3): 77-79.


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