Savanna vine snake
| Savanna vine snake | |
|---|---|
_(6011690147).jpg) | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Suborder: | Serpentes |
| Family: | Colubridae |
| Genus: | Thelotornis |
| Species: | T. capensis |
| Binomial name | |
| Thelotornis capensis A. Smith, 1849 | |
The Savanna vine snake (Thelotornis capensis) is a species of venomous snake in the family Colubridae.
Geographic range
Description
T. capensis is very slender and has a very long tail. The longest museum specimen is a male with a snout-to-vent length (SVL) of 106 cm (42 in), a tail 62 cm (24 in) long, and a combined total length of 168 cm (66 in).[2][3]
Reproduction
T. capensis is oviparous.[2][3] The eggs are elongated and rather small, each measuring on average 36 mm (1.4 in) long and 16 mm (0.63 in) wide.[2]
Subspecies
There are three subspecies of T. capensis which are recognized as being valid, including the nominotypical subspecies.[3]
- Thelotornis capensis capensis A. Smith, 1849
- Thelotornis capensis oatesi (Günther, 1881)
- Thelotornis capensis schilsi Derleyn, 1978
Nota bene: A trinomial authority in parentheses indicates that the subspecies was originally described in a genus other than Thelotornis.
Etymology
The subspecific name, oatesi, is in honor of British naturalist Frank Oates.[4]
See also
References
- ↑ Spawls S (2011). "Thelotornis capensis ". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. International Union for Conservation of Nature. Retrieved 13 December 2016.
- 1 2 3 4 Branch, Bill (2004). Field Guide to Snakes and other Reptiles of Southern Africa. Sanibel Island, Florida: Ralph Curtis Books. 399 pp. ISBN 0-88359-042-5. (Thelotornis capensis, pp. 100-101 + Plates 18 & 31).
- 1 2 3 "Thelotornis capensis ". The Reptile Database. www.reptile-database.org.
- ↑ 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. (Thelotornis capensis oatesi, p. 193).
External links
- Species Thelotornis capensis at The Reptile Database
Further reading
- Smith A (1849). Illustrations of the Zoology of South Africa ... Reptilia. London: Smith, Elder, and Co. (colored plates + unnumbered pages of text). (Thelotornis capensis, new species).