# Thrasops' 'Quite Interesting Things' Thread



## Thrasops

Been thinking of starting something like this for a while now. This will be a thread where I link new and interesting things from around the world of herpetology as the mood and fancy takes me (and as I see them).

First up is an interesting new paper published a few days ago (30 September 2020) about the various functions of Eurasian viper (_Vipera_) pattern and coloration.

*Martínez-Freiría, Fernando, et al. "Thermal melanism explains macroevolutionary variation of dorsal pigmentation in Eurasian vipers." Scientific Reports 10.1 (2020): 1-10.*

You can read the paper here: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41...OxUUwJdgRzGBa6UCVt865c3GsKCGS794CPluBkKKkmv3I

What is really interesting with these beautiful snakes is that there seems to be multiple functions of that characteristic 'zig-zag' coloration, for example:

Camouflage (Adders can be really difficult to spot in bracken!).

Warning Colours (alerting predators that they are dangerous and best left alone; in other words, aposematism).

Flicker-fusion, which is a visual illusion many snakes with alternating stripes or blotches down their backs make use of, wherein their movements confuse predators as to exactly how fast they are moving, making it harder to catch them.

Added to this, this study implies that thermoregulation is another use for the pattern, with darker, more pigmented zig-zags being used by vipers from mountainous regions or more northerly localities.

The black coloration absorbs warmth better and thus allows the snakes to warm themselves more efficiently, so it follows that those from colder areas would benefit more from darker coloration.

What is really interesting is that it is not just genes that determine colour and pattern but also environment, with it at least partially being determined by temperature during embryonic development as opposed to simple Mendelian genetic heritability.

This study of course ties in to other studies in Adders where melanism can affect a very high percentage of a population in cooler areas (between 7% and 40% of a population may be black, depending on how far north they are). Black individuals have the same thermal preferences as normal animals but can reach their preferred temperature quicker, and in cooler weather due to their darker coloration. This means they don't need to bask as long (and risk predation by sitting in the open) although it follows that this may balance out by their being easier to spot. From personal experience I have noticed the black Adders at my local heath are very much behaviourally different than normal animals, being much shyer and quicker to flee.

I just thought this was an interesting read that shows how many different functions simple pattern can have!


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## Thrasops

Next is a series of images posted to the Facebook group *Kgalagadi Sightings* by one Pat Lorenz (all credit and photos to her), taken at Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, South Africa.

This is a really beautiful yellow Cape cobra (_Naja nivea_) attempting to predate upon, and having trouble with, a small Brown House snake (_Boaedon capensis_).

Cape cobras are rather prolific snake eaters, they seem to be major predators of Puff Adders judging by the number of images of them swallowing seemingly impossibly fat Puff Adders I come across. They are also highly dangerous snakes, with venom as toxic as that of a Black mamba, and according to the late Bill Branch they are responsible for the vast majority of fatal snakebites in South Africa. Having encountered them around the Breede River twenty years ago, I can honestly say this does not surprise me - unlike the mambas, they are stubborn and very defensive snakes that readily stand their ground if annoyed and are quick to strike.

This pretty specimen seems to have met its match though.

In the words of the photographer:

_We spotten the two snakes in the bush. It looked like the small darker snake (🤷🏼*♀) was trying to strangle the Yellow Cobra. It almost succeeded. Entangled they eventually fell out of the tree. The Cobra then bit the smaller snake. The smaller snake let go and they both disappeared into separate holes on the ground. We are quite sure that once we left the Coba went back to look for the smaller snake. Can anybody identify the smaller snake for us ? We think Mol or Brown House Snake. April 2019
_

Pretty cool IMO.


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## Thrasops

Next is a set of photos that speaks for itself. Absolutely amazing shots uploaded by Malaysian Herpetologist Muhammad Khaidhir Ariff to Herping the Globe as an album entitled 'Snakes of Malaysia' (all rights, credit and images belong to him). These brilliant shots and talent need to be circulated.

Hopefully I will get the order of the names correct to the order of the photos.

_Boiga jaspidea_ - Jasper cat-eyed snake
_Boiga melanota_ - Gold-Ringed cat-eyed snake/ Mangrove snake
_Bungarus fasciatus_ - Banded krait
_Calamaria albiventer_ - Red-bellied reed snake
_Calliophis bivirgata_ - Blue coral snake
_Chrysopelea ornata_ - Golden flying snake
_Chrysopelea paradisi_ - Paradise flying snake
_Chrysopelea paradisi_ - Paradise flying snake
_Chrysopelea pelias_ - Twin Barred flying snake
_Coelognathus flavolineatus_ - Yellow Striped trinket snake
_Coelognathus radiata_ - Radiated trinket snake
_Dendrelaphis caudolineatus_ - Stripe-Tailed bronzeback
_Dendrelaphis formosus_ - Elegant bronzeback
_Dendrelaphis kopsteini_ - Kopstein's bronzeback
_Dendrelaphis striatus _- Cohn's bronzeback


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## Thrasops

Part two of the previous post - Muhammad Khaidhir Ariff all rights, credit and images belong to Muhammad Khaidhir Ariff).

Hopefully in order:

_Elaphe taeniurus ridleyi_ - Ridley's rat snake
_Liopeltis tricolor_ - Malayan smooth snake/ Ringneck
_Lycodon capucinus_ - Common wolf snake
_Lycodon laoensis_ - Laotian wolf snake
_Lycodon subannulatus _- Malayan bridle snake
_Phytolopsis punctata_ - Blackwater mud snake
_Trimeresurus hageni_ - Hagen's pit viper
_Tropidolaemus wagleri_ - Wagler's pit viper
_Xenopeltis unicolor_ - Sunbeam snake (Pied)
_Xenopeltis unicolor _- Sunbeam snake

I think you will all agree this makes an important and enjoyable collection of images for Malaysian snakes!


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## Thrasops

*Enclosure Sizes for Captive Snakes, What Should We Recommend?*

Here is a thoughtful and well spoken video by veterinarian Tariq Abu-Zahr that is worth a watch, and which I am agreement with.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?reloa...XZFkZ_Tb9cNYMVVooVw&ab_channel=TariqAbou-Zahr

Personally I have always set myself the standard of having enclosures at least as long as the snakes within them, and often longer - but then, I keep a lot of very active species. I have also always pointed out that MINIMUM enclosure lengths of 2/3 or 3/4 length and 1/3 to 1/2 width are fair for general purposes, at least for some species (more active species benefit from more space, obviously, there are some species that are not commonly kept that I would state DO require more).

I think rather than a 'one size fits all' set of guidelines, if the hobby were really going to follow a set of legal minimum requirements it would be important to set those at least by family if not genus. I would be satisfied seeing a six foot Royal python or Blood python in an enclosure 2/3 its length and using 1/3 for width and height, I would not be seeing a six foot Russian rat snake, Beauty snake or Coachwhip in an enclosure that size.

I think the current trend of trying to find data to support or undermine the idea of some 'physiological' need for snakes to stretch out is illogical and actually a bit of a deflection - as is pointed out in the video and I have stated in the past many times, if there was an actual physiological need for a snake to stretch itself out you would see a lot of 'Pythagoras' Snakes' forcing themselves straight across the longest line in the enclosure - you don't see that.

However as is also stated, they DO stretch themselves out often and I simply cannot believe it when people say 'I have never seen my snakes stretch out' - undoubtedly this must be because the snakes were not given the option, I see my snakes stretching out luxuriantly all the time, whether whilst basking, moving or just perching up on a limb.

(In fact, I am an active member of about a dozen Snake Identification groups around the world and there has been a big trend recently of people posting photos of various snakes stretched out with numerous tiny 'bends' in the body, just why they do this has been debated a lot but it is fairly common behaviour across a variety of taxa!)

Whether or not the snake 'needs' the stretch out is of far less importance than the fact that they will move and utilise more space and will be able to enact a greater number of behaviours, and the keeper will have greater opportunity to provide better welfare, in a larger enclosure than a smaller one (to a point).

Another point in the argument that seems to have dropped by the wayside is the fact old husbandry books directly correlate incidence of respiratory infections to inability for snakes to stretch out. I don't know whether this is true, I do know that having been on online forums for getting on twenty years now I see a LOT of people reporting respiratory problems in their snakes. Is there a correlation? Who knows? But it is a point worth considering.

So I am going to opine 'no' in my opinion most snakes don't have a particular physiological 'need' to stretch out fully (whether they SHOULD be able to is another matter of course, and they certainly WILL now and then). The thing is, that's not the point.

You don't need a broad range of zoological studies of the snakes' wild habits to figure out that longer enclosures make it easier to provide a broader thermal and photo-gradient, a greater range of conditions, a bigger variety of hides and more scope for enrichment. Space to explore and move is a fundamental part of enrichment and a variety of snake genera have been shown to do so.

It also doesn't take a genius to figure out that internal dimension requirements are malleable, perhaps minimum volume should be required rather than minimum length. For example, an enclosure 2/3 the length of the snake but also using 2/3 as the width wouldn't necessarily be inferior to one the full length of the snake and 1/3 the width (in fact it offers greater floor space). So there has to be some 'give' there - not all enclosures are simple rectangles and I feel this could also be reflected in any requirements.

The other thing I think needs to be pointed out, particularly for arboreal species, is that any minimum requirement for 'height' could be met in principle without actually being of any benefit to the animal. What I mean by that is that providing no way for an animal to actually USE the height would still be a welfare issue but also tick the box for a legal requirement to no purpose - a six foot tall viv with no perches or branches offers nothing to an animal whereas a two foot tall one with a variety of perches and branches at different heights offers more (this is not to imply that six feet with correct perches is not better than two feet, rather that any requirement based on 'just' dimensions is inherently flawed if not combined with a requirement for correct environment).

Anyway, brilliant and well thought out video. And what people need to remember is that this is an argument for 'minimum standards' - a keeper is free to improve upon those dimensions as they see fit; the key is stamping out poor welfare where people provide extreme and indefensibly substandard husbandry that is so common among certain types of breeder/ keeper and, aside of the welfare issues, does not do the hobby any good in the eyes of of the general public.


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## loxocemus

What bothers me about caging sizes is how quick an animal reaches the bounds of it world, a few seconds roaming max and bump! What goes thru their mind?. Since I'm on extended hiatus its easy for me to be a hypocrite now, as standard "decent" sized caging never used to bother me, even big tubs, I still have a tub design I can't finish.

My current dream design that spins in my mental Google sketchup is one long cage that stretches from wall to wall in my living room, a quick guess is 18-20ft I think, the design is a train compartment style, with each compartment a "Zone", different temps, some have uv, some have a drawer, a higher compartment, a pool compartment, a fossorial compartment. The design is sectional, so 5 x 4ft cages, they connect like train compartments, made from aluminium tube, and walls of multiwall polycarbonate (its relatively cheap for its size), each compartment could be sectioned off to be a standalone cage for u know, the routine stuff that pops up, so despite being stupid long its lightweight and easily movable, even flat-packable.

The idea of it is essentially Time, how long it would take an average corn sized snake to casually wander 20ft before hitting the bounds of its world, and how it would behave, how would a colony of garters behave given 20ft of terrain and choices, the more temperate the occupant the cheaper the electrics and running costs obviously.

I always take note Francis when you speak of your favourite little spot bulbs, is it 20w halogens.., those dhp's would be interesting too, sorry for meandering thru ur thread Francis, this design has been trying to form for a while, I hope its at least relevant to ur posts point.

Rgds to u and urs
Ed



Thrasops said:


> *Enclosure Sizes for Captive Snakes, What Should We Recommend?*
> 
> Here is a thoughtful and well spoken video by veterinarian Tariq Abu-Zahr that is worth a watch, and which I am agreement with.
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?reloa...XZFkZ_Tb9cNYMVVooVw&ab_channel=TariqAbou-Zahr
> 
> Personally I have always set myself the standard of having enclosures at least as long as the snakes within them, and often longer - but then, I keep a lot of very active species. I have also always pointed out that MINIMUM enclosure lengths of 2/3 or 3/4 length and 1/3 to 1/2 width are fair for general purposes, at least for some species (more active species benefit from more space, obviously, there are some species that are not commonly kept that I would state DO require more).
> 
> I think rather than a 'one size fits all' set of guidelines, if the hobby were really going to follow a set of legal minimum requirements it would be important to set those at least by family if not genus. I would be satisfied seeing a six foot Royal python or Blood python in an enclosure 2/3 its length and using 1/3 for width and height, I would not be seeing a six foot Russian rat snake, Beauty snake or Coachwhip in an enclosure that size.
> 
> I think the current trend of trying to find data to support or undermine the idea of some 'physiological' need for snakes to stretch out is illogical and actually a bit of a deflection - as is pointed out in the video and I have stated in the past many times, if there was an actual physiological need for a snake to stretch itself out you would see a lot of 'Pythagoras' Snakes' forcing themselves straight across the longest line in the enclosure - you don't see that.
> 
> However as is also stated, they DO stretch themselves out often and I simply cannot believe it when people say 'I have never seen my snakes stretch out' - undoubtedly this must be because the snakes were not given the option, I see my snakes stretching out luxuriantly all the time, whether whilst basking, moving or just perching up on a limb.
> 
> (In fact, I am an active member of about a dozen Snake Identification groups around the world and there has been a big trend recently of people posting photos of various snakes stretched out with numerous tiny 'bends' in the body, just why they do this has been debated a lot but it is fairly common behaviour across a variety of taxa!)
> 
> Whether or not the snake 'needs' the stretch out is of far less importance than the fact that they will move and utilise more space and will be able to enact a greater number of behaviours, and the keeper will have greater opportunity to provide better welfare, in a larger enclosure than a smaller one (to a point).
> 
> Another point in the argument that seems to have dropped by the wayside is the fact old husbandry books directly correlate incidence of respiratory infections to inability for snakes to stretch out. I don't know whether this is true, I do know that having been on online forums for getting on twenty years now I see a LOT of people reporting respiratory problems in their snakes. Is there a correlation? Who knows? But it is a point worth considering.
> 
> So I am going to opine 'no' in my opinion most snakes don't have a particular physiological 'need' to stretch out fully (whether they SHOULD be able to is another matter of course, and they certainly WILL now and then). The thing is, that's not the point.
> 
> You don't need a broad range of zoological studies of the snakes' wild habits to figure out that longer enclosures make it easier to provide a broader thermal and photo-gradient, a greater range of conditions, a bigger variety of hides and more scope for enrichment. Space to explore and move is a fundamental part of enrichment and a variety of snake genera have been shown to do so.
> 
> It also doesn't take a genius to figure out that internal dimension requirements are malleable, perhaps minimum volume should be required rather than minimum length. For example, an enclosure 2/3 the length of the snake but also using 2/3 as the width wouldn't necessarily be inferior to one the full length of the snake and 1/3 the width (in fact it offers greater floor space). So there has to be some 'give' there - not all enclosures are simple rectangles and I feel this could also be reflected in any requirements.
> 
> The other thing I think needs to be pointed out, particularly for arboreal species, is that any minimum requirement for 'height' could be met in principle without actually being of any benefit to the animal. What I mean by that is that providing no way for an animal to actually USE the height would still be a welfare issue but also tick the box for a legal requirement to no purpose - a six foot tall viv with no perches or branches offers nothing to an animal whereas a two foot tall one with a variety of perches and branches at different heights offers more (this is not to imply that six feet with correct perches is not better than two feet, rather that any requirement based on 'just' dimensions is inherently flawed if not combined with a requirement for correct environment).
> 
> Anyway, brilliant and well thought out video. And what people need to remember is that this is an argument for 'minimum standards' - a keeper is free to improve upon those dimensions as they see fit; the key is stamping out poor welfare where people provide extreme and indefensibly substandard husbandry that is so common among certain types of breeder/ keeper and, aside of the welfare issues, does not do the hobby any good in the eyes of of the general public.


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## Thrasops

loxocemus said:


> What bothers me about caging sizes is how quick an animal reaches the bounds of it world, a few seconds roaming max and bump! What goes thru their mind?. Since I'm on extended hiatus its easy for me to be a hypocrite now, as standard "decent" sized caging never used to bother me, even big tubs, I still have a tub design I can't finish.
> 
> My current dream design that spins in my mental Google sketchup is one long cage that stretches from wall to wall in my living room, a quick guess is 18-20ft I think, the design is a train compartment style, with each compartment a "Zone", different temps, some have uv, some have a drawer, a higher compartment, a pool compartment, a fossorial compartment. The design is sectional, so 5 x 4ft cages, they connect like train compartments, made from aluminium tube, and walls of multiwall polycarbonate (its relatively cheap for its size), each compartment could be sectioned off to be a standalone cage for u know, the routine stuff that pops up, so despite being stupid long its lightweight and easily movable, even flat-packable.
> 
> The idea of it is essentially Time, how long it would take an average corn sized snake to casually wander 20ft before hitting the bounds of its world, and how it would behave, how would a colony of garters behave given 20ft of terrain and choices, the more temperate the occupant the cheaper the electrics and running costs obviously.
> 
> I always take note Francis when you speak of your favourite little spot bulbs, is it 20w halogens.., those dhp's would be interesting too, sorry for meandering thru ur thread Francis, this design has been trying to form for a while, I hope its at least relevant to ur posts point.
> 
> Rgds to u and urs
> Ed


Hi Ed, all good here, how are you?

I agree, I do worry about the size of my vivs a lot. It seems the more space I give them the less satisfied I am and I want to provide even more as I see how much they move (in the case of the rat snakes, water snakes, tree snakes and whip snakes etc. I keep).

Case in point - I have several small (2-3') Russian and Korean rat snakes in 48" vivs in my lounge, and they are amongst my favourite snakes to watch as they are very active and move around a lot. I also have several large adults in big custom 6' vivs that seem less active, I often wonder if this is because they have less space. I am not sure; they are certainly a species that likes to climb and move a lot. In an ideal world I would probably like to have them in permanent outdoor enclosures with lots of height and scope to move more.

That multi-part viv sounds interesting, I think it could work very well. Vivexotic used to do a modular viv that was a series of 3x3' cubes that could be extended. I always liked the idea of doing a tall viv with a false floor that could act as a cave system or underground den.

The halogens are really good, not just the 20w but the 35w and 50w. I use them almost exclusively these days as I just have such good results with them and you can use multiple of the low wattage ones in a bigger viv. I was trialling another Arcadia bulb, a UVA bulb but I don't think I like it as much (although it does give a nice light quality and good 'gentle' heat so is possibly useful for small vivs).


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## HLJ

This guys has that idea with his water dragon setup. 
https://www.reptileforums.co.uk/for...ese-water-dragon-physignathus-cocincinus.html


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## Thrasops

Posted by Paul Maier on Herping the Globe a short while ago:

"One of the coolest ecological interactions I’ve been lucky enough to witness 😀 🐍🦇🐍🦇🐍🦇

A juvenile Rainbow Boa (_Epicrates cenchria_) dining on some roosting Round-eared Bats (_Lophostoma_). Round-eared Bats hollow out active termite nests as their roosting sites to escape predators, other bats, and parasites. They’re foliage-gleaning insectivores; they hang upside down and emit sounds to locate bugs, then fly down to scrape them off the tops of leaves. Rainbow Boas are constrictors known to eat all manner of vertebrates: amphibians, squamates, birds, and mammals, including bats. However it’s rare to observe something like this. This particular youngin was a bit overzealous and scared off its prey while struggling for footing (ha). However, a published observation from the nearby city of Tena shows that Rainbow Boas frequently target, capture, constrict, and swallow vampire bats, and presumably other bats.

As you can see, Rainbow Boas are a beautiful motley of orange, copper, yellow, cream, and black ring-shaped spots, coated with an iridescent blue sheen, which is produced by microscopic scale undulations. They can very deftly locate their prey using labial heat pits, and sensitive chemoreceptors. They’re ovo-viviparous, giving live birth to up to 20 shiny linguini.

Observed in Orellana Province, Ecuador"


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## Thrasops

_Leptotyphlops sylvicolus_ (Forest Thread snake) with eggs. I thought this was a really interesting photo and observation.

Posted by Tyrone James Ping on 26th November

'Something I've always wanted to see is _Leptotyphlops_ eggs amazing size comparison.

While people obsess over Mamba's and cobra's theres so much more to Southern African snakes we simply don't see or don't know enough about - simply because most aren't interested. Eggs ranged from 13-16mm in size (thats basically a grain of rice!).

_Leptotyphlops sylvicolus_ - Forest thread Snake with eggs.
From KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.'

https://www.tyroneping.co.za/snakes...zcedzvddY0Z-IkwWS9_uTCSYQgYvZvx3HecCCYLR_uQwg


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## Thrasops

Discovery of a New Species of Enigmatic Odd-Scaled Snake (Serpentes: Xenodermidae: _Achalinus_) from Ha Giang Province, Vietnam

https://bioone.org/journals/copeia/...matic-Odd-Scaled-Snake/10.1643/CH2020060.full

And an article on the discovery, from which the appended pictures were taken.

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/blog...zcedzvddY0Z-IkwWS9_uTCSYQgYvZvx3HecCCYLR_uQwg

This is an interesting one for me as I have found _Achalinus spinalis _(Peters' Odd-Scaled snake) in China; they are said to be quite common in some areas (Kevin Messenger has found dozens in a day under rocks around Shennongjia). The first time I saw one I got really excited as for a moment I thought it was a Dragon snake (_Xenodermus javanicus_) or a really weird Sunbeam snake before I figured out what it was.


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## Thrasops

Namib Sand Snake (_Psammophis namibensis_). Mildly venomous and no threat to humans.

A wonderful photo taken by Johan Marais and posted on the African Snakebite Institute page on 06/12/2020.


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## Thrasops

Posted by Project Squamata on 1st December 2020

"Another endemic species of coral snakes that can be found in the Philippines (Visayas region).

The Double-barred coral snake (_Hemibungarus gemianulis_) a sub-terrestrial species of coral snake with an aposematic coloration to warn-off potential predators. 

Coral snakes belong to the Elapidae family, which means they have small front fixed fangs on their upper jaw. Just like cobras, kraits, and mambas.
Spotted by our follower

© Jay Mavi Pagunsan"


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## Thrasops

I have not managed to find the photographer's name yet but this photo was taken at Telangala, India. It shows what looks like a _Xenochrophis/ Fowlea piscator _ (Chequered Keelback/ Fishing snake) fighting over food with a heron.

I suspect the snake had already caught the fish and the heron happened to see it and grab it, bringing the snake along with it.


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## MrsTim

What an amazing photo. I wonder who won...my bet would be the heron, hope the snake managed to let go in time.

Love the Namib sand snake. It always amazes me how snakes manage to sit on/ crawl over quite a thorny branch, or even barb wire fence, seemingly without any harm, when my corn snakes manage to scratch themselves on a bubble in a resin hide I overlooked when sandpapering sharp bits off.


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## Thrasops

Posted yesterday on _Predation Records - Reptiles and Frogs (Sub-Saharan Africa)_ group by Roxanne Human.

'It was so hot yesterday, Thursday 10th, that we spent time at every Kruger camp pool that we came across. At Satara I found this interesting contest. The Olive Grass Snake was fighting waaaaay above his weight division and the monitor eventually got away. The snake came back twice more ( that I saw) to try and reclaim his rather large lunchtime snack.'

Olive grass snake (_Psammophis mossambicus_) attempting to predate upon a Rock monitor (_Varanus albigularis_) which apparently ended up wriggling free and escaping after nearly being swallowed. Satara, Kruger National Park. I will let the photos speak for themselves, these could win awards IMO!


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## Thrasops

This one is an interesting observation; the first photographed instance of thanatosis (death-feigning) in the Mozambique spitting cobra (Naja mossambica). Thanatosis is common in snakes and will probably be familiar to any UK-based herpers that have spent much time with Grass snakes (Natrix helvetica).

I've always found it interesting that cobras and relatives such as the Rinkhals (Hemachatus haemachatus) can fall back to thanatosis in addition to other famous and celebrated defensive tactics such as hooding and of course spitting.

Photos taken by Tyrone Ping:

'Pleased to have finally been able to publish this:
THE FIRST PHOTOGRAPHIC EVIDENCE OF DEATH-FEIGNING IN NAJA MOSSAMBICA (SERPENTES: ELAPIDAE) Ping et al 2021.
Paper available below (open access)'

Link here: https://zoonova.afriherp.org/fbclid=IwAR0yWciD6kvazUjWE6uG98StSvh8MqYAZbK5xjdgaXKbJwoPYVY0W3smRRo


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## Thrasops

Speaking of spitting behaviours and Rinkhals, here is an amazing photo posted by Hugh-Daniel Grobler of a Rinkhals (Hemachatus haemachatus) spitting venom.


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## Thrasops

Some photos of a recently discovered and described species of snake, _Stoliczkia vanhnuailianai_, posted on 03/09/2021 by SteveSnake Hunter.


"THE RARE BEAUTY OF MIZORAM"
new species of the Stoliczkia genus of snakes.
Scientific name - _Stoliczkia vanhnuailianai_
Mizo local name - rulphusin
English - Lushai hills dragon snake
non-venomous
Photo C - Parag Shinde
(Note- I was lucky to i saw this snake and i got chance to shoot this snake... The second time Snake found in india. 1st discovered by Samuel Lalronunga and team and second newly herp by RomaHmar Roma & Lal Muan Sanga Gospel-a Hmar herper team excelle work.. And Big thankx Ht Lalremsanga in this work... And the last person Hruaiteii Tbc Ka lawme thankyou for made my day)
& https://youtube.com/user/RomaHmar ( subscribe this channel )
& https://youtube.com/channel/UCUZ_eTaGsDFM1Sqy2ueMMqw and mine also)"


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## ian14

Thrasops said:


> Speaking of spitting behaviours and Rinkhals, here is an amazing photo posted by Hugh-Daniel Grobler of a Rinkhals (Hemachatus haemachatus) spitting venom.
> 
> 
> View attachment 353868


Amazing photo.


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## Thrasops

A post by Gowri Shankar regarding his work on the taxonomic status of the King cobra (_Ophiophagous hannah_). It seems there is actually a group of snakes under this name that are separate species.

"Super excited to announce the first paper from my Ph.D. work for all reptile aficionados across the world.
My study has revealed that the king cobra is not monotypic. It means there are more than one species of king cobra across its ranges.

This opens the doors for greater understanding, evaluating conservation status, and protection measures for this magnificent animal. Check my abstract below. The full paper will be out soon.









King or royal family? Testing for species boundaries in the King Cobra, Ophiophagus hannah (Cantor, 1836), using morphology and multilocus DNA analyses


In widespread species, the diverse ecological conditions in which the populations occur, and the presence of many potential geographical barriers thro…




www.sciencedirect.com





In the second paper we list the names and morphological descriptions for the new species. Watch out for it.

My heartfelt thanks goes to a huge team that has made this possible. Not many are on social media and may be missed here but my gratitude towards them holds firm.
My family and team: Sharmila Rajasegaran Tattwavith, Vrushtivanya, Prashanth Agumbe Sandesh Kadur Niladri B Kar Shankar Subramanian Udit Chohan Jagadeesh Patel Madhusudhan Shukla
Karnataka Forest Department Showkath Jamal
My co authors:
Priyanka Swamy Kartik Shanker, SP Vijay Kumar, S R Ganesh, Wolfgang Wüster Jacob Höglund , Indraneil Das, Sushil Dutta, Gunanidhi Sahoo, Rhihannon Williams,
Sample collection: Christian Künitzer Bloch , Late.Naveen Joseph, Colin Thomas Strine Bartosz Nadol Tom Charlton Bryan Greg Fry, Jeevan Thapa Jigu Dolia @dileep kumar Joy Mascarenhas Ht Lalremsanga Biplab Mahapatra Bharat Bhatt @prakash Maradaraj Debajit Mahanta Aaron Fernandes Nicolas Vidal @Amruth singh Shinta Sukma Wati
Lab work: @Gunilla Engstrom, Aditi Jayarajan, Shree Varsha V K
Support team: Yvonne Meyer-Lucht @Patrik Rodin Morch @deepak P KP Dinesh Praveen Karanth Ashok Kumar Mallik Varun Torsekar R Chaitanya Chandra Mouli Nathan Rusli@ Ashwini V Mohan @ahmed Khaldun Ismail , Adam Francisco

TED Fellows Jonas Arvidsson Petter Albinson Herpetofauna foundation King Cobra Conservancy Snakes of India Snakes of India Kalinga Centre for Rainforest Ecology Centre for Ecological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science Uppsala University Bay of Life Foundation


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## Thrasops

Another one from Tyrone Ping, one of my favourite herp photographers. You can follow him at tyroneping.co.za or his Facebook page _Tyrone Ping - Exploring the Herpetofauna of Southern Africa._

This one is a Karoo sand snake, _Psammophis notostictus_, from Nardouw Pass, Western Cape.


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## Thrasops

Just an amazing portrait photo of a Snub-Nosed viper (_Vipera latastei gaditana_) taken in Spain.
Taken by Antoine Barreau and posted in Herping the Globe on 29/09/2021.

What a photo! A species filled with nostalgia for me, this was the third or fourth snake species I ever kept. I remember finding one in a pile of cork and smuggling it back into my house in a sweet tub. My parents would have murdered me had they known. One of the many stupidities of childhood, I guess.


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## Thrasops

Further cementing the genus _Vipera_ as some of the most beautiful snakes in the world, these images of Kaznakov's viper (_Vipera kaznakovi_) were shared on Herping the Globe by Daniel Koleška on 21/09/2021

"Last month we made a two-week trip to Georgia to search for these beauties. It was one of the most intense herping encounters I have ever experienced. Georgia is a beautiful and diverse country with sooo much to offer! People are friendly, food is delicious and wine is so good! Add the vipers and good company and you have the perfect journey








Caucasus viper (_Vipera kaznakovi_), Georgia, August 2021"


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## Thrasops

A few months ago in the middle of summer, a group under the leadership of Andrew Durso published an analysis of global snake photos from online and offline sources.









Citizen science and online data: Opportunities and challenges for snake ecology and action against snakebite


The secretive behavior and life history of snakes makes studying their biology, distribution, and the epidemiology of venomous snakebite challenging. …




www.sciencedirect.com





They found that there are 781 species of snake for which no photographs are present online.

I have included the full list here...

Appendix 4: 781 species from December 2020 Reptile Database release with no photos in our dataset; see online supplement for table sortable by family, continent, authority, and medical importance

Achalinus ater
Achalinus hainanus
Achalinus jinggangensis
Achalinus zugorum
Acutotyphlops banaorum
Acutotyphlops infralabialis
Acutotyphlops kunuaensis
Adelophis foxi
Adelphicos ibarrorum
Aeluroglena cucullata
Afrotyphlops anomalus
Afrotyphlops blanfordii
Afrotyphlops brevis
Afrotyphlops calabresii
Afrotyphlops cuneirostris
Afrotyphlops gierrai
Afrotyphlops kaimosae
Afrotyphlops liberiensis
Afrotyphlops nanus
Afrotyphlops platyrhynchus
Afrotyphlops rondoensis
Afrotyphlops steinhausi
Afrotyphlops tanganicanus
Afrotyphlops usambaricus
Aipysurus fuscus
Aipysurus pooleorum
Aipysurus tenuis
Amblyodipsas dimidiata
Amblyodipsas rodhaini
Amblyodipsas teitana
Amerotyphlops lehneri
Amerotyphlops yonenagae
Amnesteophis melanauchen
Anilios batillus
Anilios fossor
Anilios insperatus
Anilios leucoproctus
Anilios longissimus
Anilios margaretae
Anilios micromma
Anilios minimus
Anilios robertsi
Anilios systenos
Anilios tovelli
Anilios troglodytes
Anilios vagurima
Anilios yampiensis
Anilios yirrikalae
Anomalepis aspinosus
Anomalepis flavapices
Anoplohydrus aemulans
Antillotyphlops annae
Antillotyphlops catapontus
Antillotyphlops granti
Antillotyphlops guadeloupensis
Antillotyphlops monastus
Antillotyphlops monensis
Antillotyphlops naugus
Antillotyphlops richardi
Aparallactus moeruensis
Aparallactus niger
Apostolepis breviceps
Apostolepis cerradoensis
Apostolepis dorbignyi
Apostolepis goiasensis
Apostolepis intermedia
Apostolepis lineata
Apostolepis nigroterminata
Apostolepis quirogai
Apostolepis serrana
Apostolepis striata
Apostolepis underwoodi
Apostolepis vittata
Aprosdoketophis andreonei
Argyrogena vittacaudata
Argyrophis bothriorhynchus
Argyrophis fuscus
Argyrophis giadinhensis
Argyrophis hypsobothrius
Argyrophis klemmeri
Argyrophis koshunensis
Argyrophis roxaneae
Argyrophis siamensis
Argyrophis trangensis
Arrhyton ainictum
Arrhyton tanyplectum
Aspidura deraniyagalae
Atheris hetfieldi
Atheris katangensis
Atractaspis battersbyi
Atractaspis boulengeri
Atractaspis engdahli
Atractaspis leucomelas
Atractaspis magrettii
Atractaspis micropholis
Atractaspis phillipsi
Atractaspis scorteccii
Atractus aboiporu
Atractus acheronius
Atractus alphonsehogei
Atractus altagratiae
Atractus alytogrammus
Atractus andinus
Atractus apophis
Atractus atratus
Atractus attenuates
Atractus avernus
Atractus ayeush
Atractus boulengerii
Atractus careolepis
Atractus chthonius
Atractus depressiocellus
Atractus duidensis
Atractus echidna
Atractus ecuadorensis
Atractus edioi
Atractus esepe
Atractus heliobelluomini
Atractus heyeri
Atractus hoogmoedi
Atractus hostilitractus
Atractus insipidus
Atractus loveridgei
Atractus macondo
Atractus mariselae
Atractus matthewi
Atractus medusa
Atractus meridensis
Atractus micheleae
Atractus mijaresi
Atractus multidentatus
Atractus nasutus
Atractus nigricaudus
Atractus nigriventris
Atractus ochrosetrus
Atractus oculotemporalis
Atractus pauciscutatus
Atractus peruvianus
Atractus punctiventris
Atractus steyermarki
Atractus stygius
Atractus surucucu
Atractus tamaensis
Atractus taphorni
Atractus thalesdelemai
Atractus trivittatus
Atractus variegatus
Atractus ventrimaculatus
Atractus vertebrolineatus
Atractus vittatus
Boaedon littoralis
Boaedon maculatus
Boaedon upembae
Boiga saengsomi
Borikenophis sanctaecrucis
Borikenophis variegatus
Brachyorrhos albus
Brachyorrhos gastrotaenius
Brachyorrhos wallacei
Brygophis coulangesi
Buhoma procterae
Bungarus magnimaculatus
Calamaria abstrusa
Calamaria acutirostris
Calamaria alidae
Calamaria apraeocularis
Calamaria boesemani
Calamaria buchi
Calamaria ceramensis
Calamaria concolor
Calamaria crassa
Calamaria curta
Calamaria doederleini
Calamaria eiselti
Calamaria everetti
Calamaria forcarti
Calamaria gracillima
Calamaria javanica
Calamaria joloensis
Calamaria lateralis
Calamaria lautensis
Calamaria leucogaster
Calamaria lumholtzi
Calamaria mecheli
Calamaria melanota
Calamaria muelleri
Calamaria palavanensis
Calamaria pfefferi
Calamaria prakkei
Calamaria rebentischi
Calamaria sangi
Calamaria suluensis
Calamaria sumatrana
Calamaria thanhi
Calamaria ulmeri
Calamodontophis ronaldoi
Calamophis jobiensis
Calamophis katesandersae
Calamophis ruuddelangi
Calamophis sharonbrooksae
Calamorhabdium kuekenthali
Calliophis salitan
Cathetorhinus melanocephalus
Cenaspis aenigma
Cerberus microlepis
Chamaelycus christyi
Chamaelycus parkeri
Chersodromus australis
Chilorhinophis butleri
Chironius leucometapus
Chironius vincenti
Clelia errabunda
Clelia langeri
Compsophis vinckei
Compsophis zeny
Coniophanes andresensis
Coniophanes joanae
Coniophanes longinquus
Conophis morai
Conopsis amphisticha
Coronelaps lepidus
Crotaphopeltis braestrupi
Cryptophis incredibilis
Cubatyphlops anchaurus
Cubatyphlops caymanensis
Cubatyphlops epactius
Cubatyphlops golyathi
Cubatyphlops paradoxus
Cubatyphlops satelles
Cubophis brooksi
Cubophis fuscicauda
Cubophis ruttyi
Cylindrophis aruensis
Cylindrophis boulengeri
Cylindrophis isolepis
Cylindrophis osheai
Cylindrophis slowinskii
Dasypeltis arabica
Dendrelaphis flavescens
Dendrelaphis gastrostictus
Dendrelaphis grismeri
Dendrelaphis hollinrakei
Dendrelaphis keiensis
Dendrelaphis lorentzii
Dendrelaphis modestus
Dendrelaphis oliveri
Dendrelaphis papuensis
Dendrelaphis walli
Diaphorolepis laevis
Dipsas baliomelas
Dipsas chaparensis
Dipsas maxillaris
Dipsas oligozonata
Dipsas pakaraima
Dipsas schunkii
Dipsas vagus
Drymarchon margaritae
Drymoluber apurimacensis
Echis megalocephalus
Eirenis aurolineatus
Eirenis rafsanjanicus
Eirenis rechingeri
Elapoidis sumatrana
Elapsoidea broadleyi
Elapsoidea laticincta
Emmochliophis fugleri
Emmochliophis miops
Enhydris innominata
Epacrophis boulengeri
Epacrophis drewesi
Epacrophis reticulatus
Epictia alfredschmidti
Epictia melanura
Epictia peruviana
Epictia rioignis
Epictia rubrolineata
Epictia undecimstriata
Epictia unicolor
Epictia vellardi
Epictia wynni
Erythrolamprus albertguentheri
Erythrolamprus andinus
Erythrolamprus guentheri
Erythrolamprus ingeri
Erythrolamprus janaleeae
Erythrolamprus perfuscus
Erythrolamprus pyburni
Erythrolamprus rochai
Erythrolamprus subocularis
Erythrolamprus torrenicola
Erythrolamprus trebbaui
Erythrolamprus williamsi
Eryx somalicus
Eryx vittatus
Etheridgeum pulchrum
Euprepiophis perlaceus
Ficimia ramirezi
Ficimia ruspator
Ficimia variegata
Geophis isthmicus
Geophis juarezi
Geophis juliai
Geophis laticollaris
Geophis rostralis
Gerrhopilus addisoni
Gerrhopilus andamanensis
Gerrhopilus ater
Gerrhopilus bisubocularis
Gerrhopilus depressiceps
Gerrhopilus eurydice
Gerrhopilus floweri
Gerrhopilus fredparkeri
Gerrhopilus hades
Gerrhopilus hedraeus
Gerrhopilus inornatus
Gerrhopilus lestes
Gerrhopilus mcdowelli
Gerrhopilus oligolepis
Gerrhopilus tindalli
Gongylosoma nicobariensis
Gonionotophis grantii
Gyiophis maculosa
Hebius arquus
Hebius celebicum
Hebius chapaensis
Hebius clerki
Hebius concelarum
Hebius frenatum
Hebius groundwateri
Hebius ishigakiense
Hebius johannis
Hebius kerinciense
Hebius lacrima
Hebius modestum
Hebius nicobariense
Hebius parallelum
Hebius sarasinorum
Hebius taronense
Helicops tapajonicus
Helicops yacu
Helminthophis flavoterminatus
Herpetoreas burbrinki
Herpetoreas pealii
Heurnia ventromaculata
Homalopsis hardwickii
Hydrablabes praefrontalis
Hydraethiops laevis
Hydromorphus dunni
Hydrophis atriceps
Hydrophis bituberculatus
Hydrophis cantoris
Hydrophis hendersoni
Hydrophis klossi
Hydrophis macdowelli
Hydrophis melanosoma
Hydrophis nigrocinctus
Hydrophis obscurus
Hydrophis pacificus
Hydrophis parviceps
Hydrophis stricticollis
Hydrophis torquatus
Hydrophis vorisi
Hypoptophis wilsonii
Hypsiglena unaocularus
Hypsirhynchus ater
Hypsirhynchus funereus
Hypsirhynchus melanichnus
Hypsirhynchus scalaris
Hypsiscopus matannensis
Ialtris agyrtes
Ialtris dorsalis
Ialtris haetianus
Ialtris parishi
Iguanognathus werneri
Imantodes guane
Indotyphlops ahsanai
Indotyphlops exiguus
Indotyphlops filiformis
Indotyphlops jerdoni
Indotyphlops lankaensis
Indotyphlops lazelli
Indotyphlops leucomelas
Indotyphlops longissimus
Indotyphlops loveridgei
Indotyphlops madgemintonae
Indotyphlops malcolmi
Indotyphlops meszoelyi
Indotyphlops mollyozakiae
Indotyphlops pammeces
Indotyphlops schmutzi
Indotyphlops tenebrarum
Indotyphlops tenuicollis
Indotyphlops veddae
Indotyphlops violaceus
Ithycyphus goudoti
Karnsophis siantaris
Kladirostratus togoensis
Kualatahan pahangensis
Leptotyphlops emini
Leptotyphlops howelli
Leptotyphlops keniensis
Leptotyphlops latirostris
Leptotyphlops mbanjensis
Leptotyphlops nigroterminus
Leptotyphlops pembae
Leptotyphlops pungwensis
Letheobia acutirostrata
Letheobia angeli
Letheobia caeca
Letheobia coecatus
Letheobia crossii
Letheobia debilis
Letheobia erythraea
Letheobia feae
Letheobia jubana
Letheobia kibarae
Letheobia largeni
Letheobia leucosticta
Letheobia lumbriciformis
Letheobia manni
Letheobia newtoni
Letheobia pallida
Letheobia pauwelsi
Letheobia pembana
Letheobia praeocularis
Letheobia rufescens
Letheobia stejnegeri
Letheobia sudanensis
Letheobia swahilica
Letheobia toritensis
Letheobia uluguruensis
Letheobia wittei
Letheobia zenkeri
Limaformosa savorgnani
Lioheterophis iheringi
Liopholidophis baderi
Liotyphlops argaleus
Liotyphlops haadi
Liotyphlops schubarti
Lycodon alcalai
Lycodon bibonius
Lycodon chrysoprateros
Lycodon fausti
Lycodon kundui
Lycodon multizonatus
Lycodon philippinus
Lycodon solivagus
Lycodon stormi
Lycodon tessellatus
Lycodon zayuensis
Lycodonomorphus leleupi
Lycodonomorphus subtaeniatus
Lycodryas carleti
Lycodryas guentheri
Lycodryas inornatus
Lycophidion hellmichi
Lycophidion irroratum
Lycophidion meleagre
Lycophidion pembanum
Lycophidion semiannule
Lytorhynchus gasperetti
Macrocalamus jasoni
Macrocalamus vogeli
Madatyphlops albanalis
Madatyphlops boettgeri
Madatyphlops cariei
Madatyphlops comorensis
Madatyphlops madagascariensis
Madatyphlops ocularis
Madatyphlops reuteri
Malayotyphlops andyi
Malayotyphlops canlaonensis
Malayotyphlops collaris
Malayotyphlops denrorum
Malayotyphlops hypogius
Malayotyphlops koekkoeki
Malayotyphlops kraalii
Malayotyphlops luzonensis
Malayotyphlops manilae
Malayotyphlops ruber
Mastigodryas amarali
Mehelya egbensis
Mehelya gabouensis
Mehelya laurenti
Meizodon krameri
Meizodon plumbiceps
Micrurus bogerti
Micrurus diana
Micrurus margaritiferus
Micrurus meridensis
Micrurus nattereri
Micrurus pacaraimae
Micrurus petersi
Micrurus spurrelli
Micrurus stuarti
Mintonophis pakistanicus
Mitophis asbolepis
Mitophis calypso
Mitophis leptepileptus
Mitophis pyrites
Myersophis alpestris
Myriopholis boueti
Myriopholis burii
Myriopholis cairi
Myriopholis erythraeus
Myriopholis ionidesi
Myriopholis lanzai
Myriopholis occipitalis
Myriopholis parkeri
Myriopholis perreti
Myriopholis tanae
Myriopholis yemenica
Naja christyi
Namibiana latifrons
Natriciteres bipostocularis
Natriciteres pembana
Oligodon annamensis
Oligodon cruentatus
Oligodon eberhardti
Oligodon erythrorhachis
Oligodon hamptoni
Oligodon jintakunei
Oligodon joynsoni
Oligodon lipipengi
Oligodon lungshenensis
Oligodon maculatus
Oligodon mcdougalli
Oligodon melaneus
Oligodon melanozonatus
Oligodon meyerinkii
Oligodon modestus
Oligodon moricei
Oligodon nikhili
Oligodon ocellatus
Oligodon petronellae
Oligodon planiceps
Oligodon praefrontalis
Oligodon pulcherrimus
Oligodon saintgironsi
Oligodon torquatus
Oligodon travancoricus
Oligodon unicolor
Oligodon vertebralis
Oligodon wagneri
Omoadiphas cannula
Omoadiphas texiguatensis
Ophryacus sphenophrys
Opisthotropis alcalai
Opisthotropis atra
Opisthotropis daovantieni
Opisthotropis guangxiensis
Opisthotropis jacobi
Opisthotropis kikuzatoi
Opisthotropis rugosa
Opisthotropis spenceri
Opisthotropis tamdaoensis
Oxyrhopus doliatus
Oxyrhopus marcapatae
Parafimbrios vietnamensis
Parahydrophis mertoni
Parapistocalamus hedigeri
Pareas mengziensis
Pareas vindumi
Phalotris concolor
Phalotris nigrilatus
Philodryas boliviana
Philodryas cordata
Philothamnus girardi
Philothamnus hughesi
Philothamnus pobeguini
Philothamnus ruandae
Phisalixella iarakaensis
Platyceps afarensis
Platyceps insulanus
Platyceps largeni
Platyceps noeli
Platyceps sindhensis
Platyceps somalicus
Platyceps variabilis
Plectrurus aureus
Poecilopholis cameronensis
Polemon christyi
Polemon gabonensis
Polemon griseiceps
Polemon robustus
Prosymna ornatissima
Prosymna semifasciata
Prosymna somalica
Psammophis ansorgii
Pseudoboa haasi
Pseudoboodon gascae
Pseudorabdion ater
Pseudorabdion eiselti
Pseudorabdion modiglianii
Pseudorabdion montanum
Pseudorabdion oxycephalum
Pseudorabdion sarasinorum
Pseudorabdion saravacense
Pseudorabdion sirambense
Pseudorabdion talonuran
Pseudorabdion taylori
Pseudoxyrhopus ankafinaensis
Ramphotyphlops becki
Ramphotyphlops cumingii
Ramphotyphlops depressus
Ramphotyphlops lorenzi
Ramphotyphlops mansuetus
Ramphotyphlops marxi
Ramphotyphlops similis
Ramphotyphlops suluensis
Ramphotyphlops supranasalis
Ramphotyphlops willeyi
Rena bressoni
Rhabdophis akraios
Rhabdophis callichroma
Rhabdophis callistus
Rhadinaea myersi
Rhadinaea omiltemana
Rhadinaea quinquelineata
Rhadinaea sargenti
Rhadinaea vermiculaticeps
Rhadinella donaji
Rhadinella hannsteini
Rhadinella posadasi
Rhadinella stadelmani
Rhadinella tolpanorum
Rhadinophanes monticola
Rhinoguinea magna
Rhinoleptus koniagui
Rhinophis dorsimaculatus
Rhinophis mendisi
Rhinophis porrectus
Rhinophis travancoricus
Rhinophis tricoloratus
Rhinotyphlops ataeniatus
Rhinotyphlops leucocephalus
Rhinotyphlops scortecci
Saphenophis antioquiensis
Saphenophis atahuallpae
Saphenophis sneiderni
Saphenophis tristriatus
Scaphiophis raffreyi
Sibon dunni
Sibon linearis
Sibynophis bistrigatus
Sibynophis bivittatus
Smithophis linearis
Spalerosophis josephscorteccii
Stegonotus ayamaru
Stegonotus melanolabiatus
Stegonotus poechi
Stoliczkia khasiensis
Synophis plectovertebralis
Tachymenis affinis
Tachymenis attenuata
Tachymenis tarmensis
Tantilla albiceps
Tantilla bairdi
Tantilla briggsi
Tantilla cascadae
Tantilla coronadoi
Tantilla jani
Tantilla johnsoni
Tantilla *****
Tantilla oaxacae
Tantilla olympia
Tantilla robusta
Tantilla shawi
Tantilla slavensi
Tantilla tayrae
Tantilla tecta
Tantilla triseriata
Tantilla vulcani
Telescopus gezirae
Tetralepis fruhstorferi
Thamnodynastes ceibae
Thamnodynastes chimanta
Thamnodynastes corocoroensis
Thamnodynastes duida
Thamnodynastes marahuaquensis
Thrasops schmidti
Toxicocalamus grandis
Toxicocalamus holopelturus
Toxicocalamus longissimus
Toxicocalamus misimae
Toxicocalamus pachysomus
Toxicocalamus spilolepidotus
Toxicocalamus stanleyanus
Trachischium laeve
Tretanorhinus mocquardi
Tretanorhinus taeniatus
Tricheilostoma broadleyi
Tricheilostoma dissimilis
Tricheilostoma sundewalli
Trilepida anthracina
Trilepida brevissima
Trilepida fuliginosa
Trilepida nicefori
Trimeresurus tibetanus
Trimetopon gracile
Trimetopon simile
Trimetopon viquezi
Tropidonophis aenigmaticus
Tropidonophis dahlii
Tropidonophis doriae
Tropidonophis elongatus
Tropidonophis halmahericus
Tropidonophis hypomelas
Tropidonophis mcdowelli
Tropidonophis novaeguineae
Tropidonophis parkeri
Tropidonophis picturatus
Tropidonophis punctiventris
Tropidonophis statisticus
Tropidophis battersbyi
Tropidophis bucculentus
Tropidophis hardyi
Tropidophis jamaicensis
Tropidophis morenoi
Tropidophis nigriventris
Tropidophis parkeri
Tropidophis schwartzi
Tropidophis stejnegeri
Tropidophis stullae
Typhlops agoralionis
Typhlops capitulatus
Typhlops gonavensis
Typhlops leptolepis
Typhlops oxyrhinus
Typhlops pachyrhinus
Typhlops proancylops
Typhlops silus
Typhlops sulcatus
Typhlops sylleptor
Typhlops syntherus
Uropeltis beddomii
Uropeltis broughami
Uropeltis macrorhyncha
Uropeltis maculata
Uropeltis nitida
Uropeltis rubrolineata
Urotheca dumerilli
Urotheca myersi
Vermicella multifasciata
Xenocalamus michelli
Xenochrophis bellulus
Xenophidion acanthognathus
Xerotyphlops etheridgei
Xerotyphlops luristanicus

Since I shared this on groups such as Herping the Globe, The Thrasops Family, Snakes of East Africa, Field Herpetology and so on, a number of herpers have come forward to provide images of some of these species and I was able to put some of them in contact with the team:

Tom Wells - _Thrasops schmidti_
Masud Salimian/ Luis Ceriaco_ - Atheris hatfieldi_
Cesar Bario Amoros_ - Urotheca myersi, _link to images of _Oxyrhopus doliatus, Micrurus nattereri, Micrurus meridensis, Erythrolamprus torrenicola, _and_ Atractus meridensis _(which is a synonym of erythromelas)_, A. ventrimaculatus and A. vittatus _published in the Atlas de las Serpientes de Venezuela by Natera et al. 2015.
Lucho Vera Perez - _Emmochliophis miops, Saphenophis sneiderni, S. tristriatus, Synophis plectovertebralis, Coniophanes andresensis, _and _C. longinquus_


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## Thrasops

One more for the night. A photo shared by Raymond Sillett with the caption: 

"This image was taken in 2006 in front of the Kyla Park hall Tuross Head. This pair were mating. A lucky picture. Hope you enjoy!"

The image actually shows male-male combat in Red-Bellied black snakes (_Pseudechis porphyriacus_) but I think it is absolutely fantastic and worth a share.


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## Thrasops

I take it back. _One_ more I had forgotten.

This is a Luzon Island Mangrove snake (_Boiga dendrophila divergens_), quite possibly one of the most sought-after serpents in the hobby today. (Chaz has one at Snakes & Adders for £1500).

The photo was taken by Don Champlin and shared to the group Snake Identification: Discussion and Resources.


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## ian14

That is without doubt the most beautiful mangrove I have ever seen.
Many thanks for sharing that.


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## Thrasops

Two new species of Gloydius pit viper from China: the Nujiang pit viper (_Gloydius lipipengi_) and the Glacier pit viper (_Gloydius swild_) - from a journal paper released today.

J.-S. Shi et al. 2021. Molecular phylogenetic analysis of the genus Gloydius (Squamata, Viperidae, Crotalinae), with description of two new alpine species from Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, China. ZooKeys 1061: 87-108; doi: 10.3897/zookeys.1061.70420









Molecular phylogenetic analysis of the genus Gloydius (Squamata, Viperidae, Crotalinae), with description of two new alpine species from Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, China


We provide a molecular phylogeny of Asian pit vipers (the genus Gloydius) based on four mitochondrial genes (12S, 16S, ND4, and cytb). Sequences of Gloydius himalayanus, the only member of the genus that occurs south of the Himalayan range, are included for the first time. In addition, two new...



zookeys.pensoft.net














A & B: Nujiang pit viper (_Gloydius lipipengi_), known only from one locality — Muza village, Zayu, Tibet.

C & D: Glacier pit viper (_Gloydius swild_), found on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and Hengduanshan mountains, Heishui country, north Sichuan, about 15 km away from Dagu Holy-glacier National Geological Park.

What's the total now for new species of Chinese snake in the last year or two? Anybody keeping count? There have been a good half dozen just this summer...


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## Thrasops

An acquaintance of mine in Beijing, Scott Lupien, posted these images of a very rare snake species he found there in 2020.

The species is _Lycodon liuchengchaoi_, a species first discovered in Sichuan in 2011 (where it is a black and white banded snake). More recently, around 2017, the species was found around Beijing. This is obviously rather strange as it means the species has a disjunct range as the Beijing animals are many hundreds of miles away from the first known population (and a different color, obviously). Interestingly, quite a few of the snakes found around Beijing are southern snakes with a small, local population - for example, Mandarin snakes, King rat snakes and Beauty snakes. Scott's theory is that previously there was suitable habitat connecting these ranges, but ice ages changed that -- leaving separate, isolated populations.

Another interesting tidbit is that when I first started visiting Beijing in 2014 I believed there were ten species of snake in the area, of which I have so far found all but two (Mandarin snake and Pere David's rat snake, although I have seen the former further south). NOW there are 17 species of snake known to be found there, so I will have my work cut out trying to see them all!




























Photos belong to Scott Lupien.


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## Thrasops

Here are the other two species of _Lycodon_ that can be found around Beijing..._ Lycodon rufozonatum_ (Red-Banded wolf snake) eating a _Lycodon ruhstrati_ (Ruhstrat's wolf snake). The former belongs to Scott Lupien, the latter was found sadly freshly killed on the road.






























_Lycodon rufozonatum_ is one of the most common snakes across a lot of China and is frequently encountered at night there. It is also quite frequently kept as a pet and farmed in vast numbers. This has given rise to quite a variety of interesting morphs. Of course, there is a far darker side to this intensive snake farming...






This is a very uncomfortable watch but may be eye opening to some, sadly it is a harsh truth out there where these animals are used as a source of 'medicine' or drowned in rice wine, or chopped up alive to be stir-fried... and the lucky, aberrant coloured specimens are saved for the pet market.

_Nobody _in the west, no single US breeder, could ever hope to rival the sheer volume of snakes some of these Chinese farms churn out under these conditions. I have visited a number of these snake farms in Hangzhou, Wuyishan and Guangdong, not all of them are quite as bad and a couple of them even had fairly good welfare on display. I may post some pics of them when I have more time. Really it shows just _how _resilient and difficult to kill these animals are, as they survive having their mouths sewn up every year. Really does hammer the point home that 'breeding lots of snakes' is not the same thing as 'keeping snakes well' and that snakes will breed in huge numbers under disgusting conditions and duress. This is the secret source of many of the pretty _Lycodon _morphs that are becoming widespread across Asia...


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## LiasisUK

Thrasops said:


> One more for the night. A photo shared by Raymond Sillett with the caption:
> 
> "This image was taken in 2006 in front of the Kyla Park hall Tuross Head. This pair were mating. A lucky picture. Hope you enjoy!"
> 
> The image actually shows male-male combat in Red-Bellied black snakes (_Pseudechis porphyriacus_) but I think it is absolutely fantastic and worth a share.
> 
> View attachment 353887


A friend of mine keeps these and it has to be said, they are stunning. I was surprised by how much I liked them.


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## Thrasops

LiasisUK said:


> A friend of mine keeps these and it has to be said, they are stunning. I was surprised by how much I liked them.


Does he have a Lamborghini as well? 
Yeah they are regal as heck. Gorgeous snakes.


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## LiasisUK

Haha no, does have Tiger snake though!


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## Thrasops

Chen e.a. 2021

MINLI CHEN, JINLONG LIU1, BO CAI, JUN LI, NA WU & XIANGUANG GUO 

A new species of Psammophis (Serpentes: Psammophiidae) from the Turpan Basin in northwest China. Zootaxa 4974 (1): 116–134 https://www.mapress.com/j/zt/

Psammophis turpanensis


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## Thrasops

2022 ::_ Leptophis dibernardoi_ • A #NewSpecies of Parrot-Snake of the Genus _Leptophis _(Serpentes, #Colubridae) from the Semi-Arid Region of Brazil

novataxa.blogspot.com/2022/05/leptophis.html 
DOI: doi.org/10.2994/SAJH-D-19-00113.1

Abstract : : We describe a new species of _Leptophis _from the #Caatinga ecoregion encompassing the semi-arid region of Brazil. #Phylogenetic analysis of 16S rDNA sequences indicate that the new species is nested deep within the _L. ahaetulla_ complex. The new species differs from all other congeners in the following unique character combination: two dorsolateral Light Emerald Green (142) to Robin's Egg Blue (161) stripes separated from each other by Pale Buff (1) to Smoke Gray (266) vertebral stripe (continuous to tail) present; loreal scale absent; maxillary teeth 21–24; ventrals 158–177; subcaudals 137–162; black spots on head absent; supracephalic plates of head not edged with black pigment; adult color pattern lacking dark oblique bands; keels absent on first dorsal scale rows; #hemipenis unilobed, capitate, with undivided sulcus spermaticus. The new species is distinguished from_ L. ahaetulla ahaetulla_ by the Light Emerald Green (142) to Robin's Egg Blue (161) (in life) dorsolateral stripes separated from each other by a Pale Buff (1) to Smoke Gray (266) vertebral stripe (at least anteriorly), and by having white to Pale Sulphur Yellow (92) scales on the first (on anterior region of body) to fourth (midbody region) scale rows [vs. Light Grass Green (109) to Light Emerald Green (142) with Yellow Ocher (14), Cinnamon-Drab (50) or #SulphurYellow (80) vertebral stripe; second to third—occasionally the fourth—scale rows Sulphur Yellow (80), at least anteriorly], wider snout (vs. narrow), postocular stripe wider (vs. narrow), basal region of hemipenis with 10–14 spines and first row of hemipenial body with 8–9 spines (vs. 18–22 in the basal region and 5–8 in the first row). The new species differs from L. a. #liocercus, which is also distributed in the Northeast Region Brazil with a small overlap in distribution, by the dorsolateral stripes (vs. dorsum unstriped), and 18–22 spines in the fourth row of the hemipenial body (vs. 11–18). Recognition of the new species is also consistent with uncorrected pairwise distances between 16S rDNA sequences.


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## Tarron

Thrasops said:


> View attachment 362573
> 
> 
> 2022 ::_ Leptophis dibernardoi_ • A #NewSpecies of Parrot-Snake of the Genus _Leptophis _(Serpentes, #Colubridae) from the Semi-Arid Region of Brazil
> 
> novataxa.blogspot.com/2022/05/leptophis.html
> DOI: doi.org/10.2994/SAJH-D-19-00113.1
> 
> Abstract : : We describe a new species of _Leptophis _from the #Caatinga ecoregion encompassing the semi-arid region of Brazil. #Phylogenetic analysis of 16S rDNA sequences indicate that the new species is nested deep within the _L. ahaetulla_ complex. The new species differs from all other congeners in the following unique character combination: two dorsolateral Light Emerald Green (142) to Robin's Egg Blue (161) stripes separated from each other by Pale Buff (1) to Smoke Gray (266) vertebral stripe (continuous to tail) present; loreal scale absent; maxillary teeth 21–24; ventrals 158–177; subcaudals 137–162; black spots on head absent; supracephalic plates of head not edged with black pigment; adult color pattern lacking dark oblique bands; keels absent on first dorsal scale rows; #hemipenis unilobed, capitate, with undivided sulcus spermaticus. The new species is distinguished from_ L. ahaetulla ahaetulla_ by the Light Emerald Green (142) to Robin's Egg Blue (161) (in life) dorsolateral stripes separated from each other by a Pale Buff (1) to Smoke Gray (266) vertebral stripe (at least anteriorly), and by having white to Pale Sulphur Yellow (92) scales on the first (on anterior region of body) to fourth (midbody region) scale rows [vs. Light Grass Green (109) to Light Emerald Green (142) with Yellow Ocher (14), Cinnamon-Drab (50) or #SulphurYellow (80) vertebral stripe; second to third—occasionally the fourth—scale rows Sulphur Yellow (80), at least anteriorly], wider snout (vs. narrow), postocular stripe wider (vs. narrow), basal region of hemipenis with 10–14 spines and first row of hemipenial body with 8–9 spines (vs. 18–22 in the basal region and 5–8 in the first row). The new species differs from L. a. #liocercus, which is also distributed in the Northeast Region Brazil with a small overlap in distribution, by the dorsolateral stripes (vs. dorsum unstriped), and 18–22 spines in the fourth row of the hemipenial body (vs. 11–18). Recognition of the new species is also consistent with uncorrected pairwise distances between 16S rDNA sequences.


Oh My, that's stunning!


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## Thrasops

Tarron said:


> Oh My, that's stunning!


Right? It is a genus filled with beautiful snakes.


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## Thrasops

A new species of _Ophryacus _from eastern Mexico, with comments on the taxonomy of related pitvipers
*
*Abstract*
The genus _Ophryacus _is endemic to Mexico, where it ranges along the Sierra Madre Oriental from Hidalgo and northern Veracuz south to the Sierra Madre del Sur in Guerrero and Oaxaca. We obtained new material of _Ophryacus _and compared it to specimens from all previously documented populations of_ O. undulatus_. We examined scutellational characters and proportional differences, and found strong evidence to support the existence of at least three species within this genus. One species is undescribed and another currently is in the synonymy of _O. undulatus_. We describe a new species of _Ophryacus _from eastern Mexico, and remove _Bothrops sphenophrys_ from the synonymy of _O. undulatus_ and formally place it in _Ophryacus_. We provide comparative morphological data and a key for the known species of _Ophryacus _and _Mixcoatlus_. We also discuss the ecological and geographical distribution of _Ophryacus _and _Mixcoatlus _and include a distribution map for all the species with supraocular horns. Finally, we comment on the conservation implications for the horned pitvipers of Mexico.
*
*Source:*
A new species of _Ophryacus _(Serpentes: Viperidae: Crotalinae) from eastern Mexico, with comments on the taxonomy of related pitvipers
Christoph I. Grünwald, Jason M. Jones, Hector Franz-Chávez, and Iván T. Ahumada-Carrillo
Mesoamerican Herpetology 2 (4): 388. (2015)



http://mesoamericanherpetology.com/uploads/3/4/7/9/34798824/mh_2-4_grunwald_et_al.pdf?fbclid=IwAR10nvunrQxzK7rpFFP6V3etd_fPbgqrUUDhaKzRp6TzjPu9t_ocej18WaQ












Variation in _Ophryacus smaragdinus sp. nov. _

(A) specimen (UAZ 57622-PSV) from Los Ocotes, Municipio de Huayacocotla, Veracruz

(B) specimen (UAZ 57620-PSV) from Los Ocotes, Municipio de Huayacocotla, Veracruz 

(C) specimen (UAZ 57626-PSV) from Santa Catarina, Municipio de Acaxochitlán, Hidalgo

(D) paratype (MZFC 17663) from Xucayucan, Municipio de Tlatlauquitepec, Puebla

(E) paratype (MZFC 4825) from Doria, Municipio de Tenango de Doria, Hidalgo 

(F) paratype (MZFC 13556) from San Martín Caballero, Municipio de San José Tenango, Oaxaca.

Photos: Jason M. Jones (A), Christoph I. Grünwald (B, E, F), Raciel Cruz-Elizalde (C) and Israel Solano-Zavaleta (D)


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## Thrasops

Interesting observation shared on East African Snakes, other Reptiles & Amphibians Facebook group by Jill Flowers. Photo taken in Taveta, Kenya of_ Eryx colubrinus_, Kenyan sand boa, eating another reptile. The photographer was not sure whether it was eating a snake or a lizard, to me it looks like a snake and I would suggest it looks like the prey is a _Psammophis spp_.


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## Thrasops

Posted by Robin James Backhouse.

A close look at the development of the Kenya horned viper (_Bitis worthingtoni_), a very rare endemic species. These are four individual snakes from undisclosed locations in the Gregory Rift Valley in Kenya.

Currently listed by IUCN as Vulnerable due to habitat destruction (mostly for agriculture) and illegal collecting for the pet trade.

Venomous but small, so bites can be treated symptomatically.


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## Thrasops

Posted by Jose Freitas in Anfíbios e Répteis de Portugal - Divulgar e proteger

A Montpellier snake (_Malpolon monspessulanus_) eating a nest of Lesser Kestrels (_Falco naumanni_)














































And posted by José Luis Izquierdo Salas in Serpientes de España. A Montpellier snake (_Malpolon monspessulanus_) eating a rabbit.










Large _Malpolon_ are apex predators within their habitat in Iberia and Southern France; the only Iberian snake capable of regularly taking down adult Ocellated lizards (_Timon lepidus_), as well as vipers, other snakes, rabbits and gull chicks. The only real threat to a large adult (aside from man) is the Short-Toed eagle (_Circaetus gallicus_) although they may also sometimes be predated upon by boars and possibly the introduced Egyptian mongoose (_Herpestes ichneumon_). They sometimes prey on one another too, despite being possibly the most social snake.


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## Thrasops

This beautiful set of pictures was shared by Olga Rybak on the Facebook group Herpetology Israel זוחלים ודו-חיים בישראל 

They show an Egyptian sand racer (_Psammophis aegyptius_) eating a young Ornate Uromastyx (_Uromastyx ornata_). Really cool observation and quite a mouthful for the snake!


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## Thrasops

Yet another new snake from China... this time another pit viper.

_Gloydius lateralis_ from Jiuzhaigou National Nature Reserve, Sichuan.

Two other Gloydius species were described last year from the same Qinghai-Tibet Plateau: the Nujiang pit viper (_Gloydius lipipengi_) and the Glacier pit viper (_Gloydius swild_), posted previously on this thread.










Zhang M-H, Shi S-C, Li C, Yan P, Wang P, Ding L, Du J, Plenković-Moraj A, Jiang J-P, Shi J-S (2022) Exploring cryptic biodiversity in a world heritage site: a new pitviper (Squamata, Viperidae, Crotalinae) from Jiuzhaigou, Aba, Sichuan, China. ZooKeys 1114: 59–76.

https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1114.79709


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## Thrasops

𝗚𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗰 𝗮𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗔𝗳𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝘀𝗻𝗮𝗸𝗲𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗲𝗱: 𝗮 𝗻𝗲𝘄 𝗴𝗲𝗻𝘂𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘽𝙤𝙤𝙙𝙤𝙣 𝙚𝙧𝙡𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙚𝙧𝙞 (𝗦𝗲𝗿𝗽𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝘀: 𝗘𝗹𝗮𝗽𝗼𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗮: 𝗟𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗵𝗶𝗶𝗱𝗮𝗲: 𝗟𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗵𝗶𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗲)

𝘓𝘢𝘮𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘦𝘳𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳𝘪 is a lamprophiid snake endemic to moist montane forest remnants and formerly forested areas in the south and south-west of the Ethiopian highlands. Its vernacular name ‘Ethiopian House Snake’ is a result of century-long speculations about the generic placement of this species. New molecular and morphological data brought evidence that it has been misplaced in both genera of ‘African house snakes’, 𝘓𝘢𝘮𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘩𝘪𝘴 and Boaedon. A new genus is described to accommodate 𝘓. 𝘦𝘳𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳𝘪. It represents a sister clade to the Western and Central African genera 𝘉𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘩𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘮𝘶𝘴 and 𝘉𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘭𝘺𝘤𝘶𝘴 from which it differs by general body form and proportions, head shape, number of preocular scales, absence of loreal pits, maxillary dentition as well as by a number of cranial features. The type locality of the type species of the new genus, originally ‘Somaliland’, is restricted in this paper to Abera in Ethiopia. 𝘓𝘢𝘮𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘣𝘺𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘤𝘶𝘴, the second Ethiopian endemic in this genus is assigned again to the genus 𝘗𝘴𝘦𝘶𝘥𝘰𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘥𝘰𝘯 on a basis of similar external morphology and cranial osteology. In the course of this revision of systematic affinities in 𝘓𝘢𝘮𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘩𝘪𝘴 and 𝘉𝘰𝘢𝘦𝘥𝘰𝘯, also the status of the genus 𝘈𝘭𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘰𝘯, considered to represent a junior synonym of these genera, is revalidated. It is reinstated as a valid monotypic genus, to include 𝘓. 𝘨𝘶𝘵𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘴, a South-African species with similarly turbulent taxonomic history as of 𝘓. 𝘦𝘳𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳𝘪. Cranial osteology of 𝘓. 𝘦𝘳𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳𝘪, 𝘓. 𝘢𝘣𝘺𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘤𝘶𝘴, and 𝘓. 𝘨𝘶𝘵𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘴 is analysed for the first time. Morphological, ecological and behavioural characters of the related genera 𝘈𝘭𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘰𝘯, 𝘉𝘰𝘢𝘦𝘥𝘰𝘯, 𝘉𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘭𝘺𝘤𝘶𝘴, 𝘉𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘩𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘮𝘶𝘴, 𝘓𝘢𝘮𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘩𝘪𝘴, 𝘓𝘺𝘤𝘰𝘥𝘰𝘯𝘰𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘱𝘩𝘶𝘴, 𝘗𝘴𝘦𝘶𝘥𝘰𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘥𝘰𝘯, and of the new genus are reviewed and compared.










Young 𝘓𝘢𝘮𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘦𝘳𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳𝘪, now 𝘉𝘰𝘧𝘢 𝘦𝘳𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳𝘪 comb. n., photographed ex situ in a field studio near Harenna Forest, Ethiopia.
Photo: Arthur Tiutenko. 

Tɪᴜᴛᴇɴᴋᴏ, A., C. Kᴏᴄʜ, M. Pᴀʙɪᴊᴀɴ & O. Zɪɴᴇɴᴋᴏ (2022): Generic affinities of African house snakes revised: a new genus for 𝘉𝘰𝘰𝘥𝘰𝘯 𝘦𝘳𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳𝘪 (Serpentes: Elapoidea: Lamprophiidae: Lamprophiinae). – Salamandra 58(4): 235–262 plus supplementary document.

Lesen Sie den vollständigen Artikel (in Englisch) unter:
The paper (in English) is available at:

www.salamandra-journal.com


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## Thrasops

A doubly extraordinary set of photographs posted the other day by Charlton McDaniel.

In his words -

_'I got lucky the other night and caught two events in one near the Mulberry River. I noticed a molting stage cicada crawling on the ground and was hoping it would stop soon to molt and emerge when I saw how it looked. I was excited when it did...'_























































_'But then something unexpected happened afterwards that made me jump at first. A copperhead snuck up to eat it. I scared it off twice to finish taking sequence pictures, but the third time it was successful. I learned that some cicada nymphs can stay underground up to 17 years before crawling out to shed their exoskeleton to become adults. Survival in the circle of life can be tough.'_





































Young Copperheads (_Agkistrodon contortrix_) are known to glut upon newly emerged cicadas. I have been following a Facebook page called _Capturing Contortrix Photography_ that has documented this phenomenon several years in a row in Kentucky (I really recommend that page it has some wonderful photography and observations).

Quite a few small vipers eat invertebrates including a few of the European Vipera (the Meadow viper, _Vipera ursinii_, even used to be put into its own genus - _Acridophaga _- which means 'cricket eater'). Still it is always an interesting thing to see.


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## MrsTim

Lovely photos - what a stroke of luck!

I wondered if hatchling corn snakes might sometimes eat insects as well. I remember when my very first corn snake was tiny, and in faunarium, she spotted a small spider crawling on the shelf right next to the faunarium.

She seemed very interested, and was following it, seemingly in "hunting mode", and was still looking for it when it moved out of sight.


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## spigotbush

that is the kind of thing that makes hunting out wildlife so rewarding. you can spend days finding nothing in particular and then you get to see something really fascinating. beautiful copperhead too.


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## Thrasops

Yet another species of _Gloydius_ pitviper classified; _Gloydius chambensis_ from the Chamba valley, Himachal Pradesh, India.

Kuttalam, S. et al. _"Phylogenetic and morphological analysis of Gloydius himalayanus (Serpentes, Viperidae, Crotalinae), with the description of a new species"_ European Journal of Taxonomy. Vol 852. 2022










Link to the paper here:






Phylogenetic and morphological analysis of Gloydius himalayanus (Serpentes, Viperidae, Crotalinae), with the description of a new species | European Journal of Taxonomy







europeanjournaloftaxonomy.eu


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## Thrasops

A sweet photo currently doing the rounds of a neonate Red-bellied Black Snake (_Pseudechis porphyriacus_) emerging from its amniotic sac.
Posted by Jese's Wildlife, Sydney.


----------

