Platyceps najadum

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Platyceps najadum
File:Benny Trapp Schlanknatter Platyceps najadum.JPG
Scientific classification
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P. najadum
Binomial name
Platyceps najadum
(Eichwald, 1831)
Synonyms

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Platyceps najadum, known commonly as Dahl's whip snake, is a species of snake in the genus Platyceps of the family Colubridae. It was first described by Karl Eichwald in 1831.[1]

Geographic range

Platyceps najadum is found in the Balkans, Aegean, Cyprus, the Mid-East, and as far as Turkmenistan and the Caucasus Mountains.[3]

Habitat

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.

Description

It has a slim body rarely over a metre (39 inches) in total length (including tail).[4]

Conservation status

This snake is threatened by direct persecution, forest fires and intensive agriculture, where range interacts with human interests.[1]

Biology

P. najadum is an egg laying species. Females lay between 3 and 16 eggs in a clutch.[1]

Subspecies

Five[1] or six[2] subspecies are identified.

Etymology

Both the subspecific name, dahlii, and the common name, Dahl's whip snake, are in honor of Swedish botanist Anders Dahl.[5]

Indigenous names

Σαϊτα (Greek), Saita.

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  2. 2.0 2.1 "Platyceps najadum ". The Reptile Database. http://reptile-database.reptarium.cz/species?genus=Platyceps&species=najadum&search_param=%28%28search%3D%27Platyceps+najadum%27%29%29
  3. "Platyceps najadum ". French language Wikipédia.
  4. http://wildlife-archipelago.gr/wordpress/reptiles/dahls-whip-snake
  5. Beolens B, Watkins M, Grayson M. 2011. The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. ISBN 978-1-4214-0135-5. (Platyceps najadum dahlii, p. 64).

Further reading

  • Arnold EN, Burton JA. 1978. A Field Guide to the Reptiles and Amphibians of Britain and Europe. (Illustrated by D.W. Ovenden). London: Collins. 272 pp. + Plates 1-40. ISBN 0-00-219318-3. (Coluber najadum, pp. 194–195 + Plate 35, figure 4 + Map 106).
  • Eichwald [K]E. 1831. Zoologia specialis quam expositis animalibus tum vivis, tum fossilibus potissimum Rossiae in universum, et Poloniae in specie, in usum lectionum publicarum, in Universitate Caesarea Vilnensi [Volume 3]. Vilnius: J. Zawadzki. 404 pp. + one plate. (Tyria najadum, new species, p. 174). (in Latin).

External links


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