Saint Lucia racer
| Saint Lucia racer | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Subphylum: | Vertebrata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Suborder: | Serpentes |
| Family: | Colubridae |
| Subfamily: | Xenodontinae |
| Genus: | Liophis |
| Species: | L. ornatus |
| Binomial name | |
| Liophis ornatus (Garman, 1887)[2] | |
| Synonyms | |
| |
The Saint Lucia racer (Liophis ornatus) is a species of snake in the Colubridae family.[2]
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.[5]
Behavior
Diet
Conservation status
In 1936, it was declared extinct, but it reappeared in 1973. It was believed to have gone extinct again soon after, but 11 individuals were discovered in 2012 on a small, mongoose-free island near Saint Lucia.[6]
References
- ↑ Gibson, R. (2008). "Liophis 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.
- 1 2 ITIS (Integrated Taxonomic Information System). www.itis.gov.
- ↑ The Reptile Database. www.reptile-database.org.
- ↑ 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.)
- 1 2 3 4 Malhotra, A., and R.S. Thorpe. Reptiles & Amphibians of the Eastern Caribbean. Macmillan. London. ix + 134 pp. ISBN 0-333-69141-5. (Liophis ornatus, p. 97.)
- ↑ "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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