Barred grass snake

The barred grass snake (Natrix helvetica) is a non-venomous colubrid snake from Western Europe, living in and close to water. It was included within the grass snake species, Natrix natrix, until August 2017, when genetic analysis suggested that it was better treated as a separate species.[1]

Barred grass snake
Barred grass snake in southern France, playing dead
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Serpentes
Family: Colubridae
Genus: Natrix
Species:
N. helvetica
Binomial name
Natrix helvetica
(Lacépède, 1789)

Description

The barred grass snake has distinct banding along its flanks for the entire length of its body and it lacks the bright yellow collar of the similar Natrix natrix. The body colour is grey rather than the olive green of Natrix natrix. The snake, which eats amphibians like newts and frogs, can grow to a length of over a metre.[2]

Distribution

The species is found in Great Britain as far north as southern Scotland,[3] the Netherlands, western Germany, Switzerland, Italy and France. Among the subspecies, N. h. helvetica has the widest distribution range: from Britain and covers from the Pyrenees all the way to the Rhine region.[4]

Subspecies

Five subspecies of Natrix natrix were transferred to Natrix helvetica:[1]

  • N. helvetica helvetica (syn. N. natrix helvetica)
  • N. helvetica cetti (syn. N. natrix cetti)
  • N. helvetica corsa (syn. N. natrix corsa)
  • N. helvetica lanzai (syn. N. natrix lanzai)
  • N. helvetica sicula (syn. N. natrix sicula)

References
  1. Kindler, Carolin; Chèvre, Maxime; Ursenbacher, Sylvain; Böhme, Wolfgang; Hille, Axel; Jablonski, Daniel; Vamberger, Melita & Fritz, Uwe (2017), "Hybridization patterns in two contact zones of grass snakes reveal a new Central European snake species", Scientific Reports, 7 (7378), doi:10.1038/s41598-017-07847-9, PMC 5547120
  2. "New grass snake identified in the UK". BBC News. 2017-08-07. Retrieved 2017-08-09.
  3. "Ssssscotland here we come!". The Herald. Herald & Times Group. 2012-05-02. Retrieved 12 August 2017.
  4. Kindler, Carolin; Fritz, Uwe (2018-01-29). "Phylogeography and taxonomy of the barred grass snake (Natrix helvetica), with a discussion of the subspecies category in zoology" (PDF). Scientific Reports. 8 (1): 269–281. doi:10.1038/s41598-018-20218-2. ISSN 2045-2322 – via Science Citation Index.


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