Savanna vine snake
The savanna vine snake (Thelotornis capensis) is a species of venomous snake in the family Colubridae.
Savanna vine snake | |
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Threat display | |
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 | |
Description
Thelotornis capensis is slender and has a 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
Thelotornis 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]
References
- Spawls S (2011). "Thelotornis capensis ". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2011. Retrieved 13 December 2016.
- Branch, William R. (1994). "Thelotornis capensis". Bill Branch's Field Guide to the Snakes and Other Reptiles of Southern Africa. Struik Publishers. pp. 100-101 + Plates 18 & 31. ISBN 978-1-86825-575-7.
- "Thelotornis capensis ". The Reptile Database. www.reptile-database.org.
- Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). "Oates, F.". The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. JHU Press. p. 193. ISBN 978-1-4214-0135-5.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
Further reading
- Smith, A (1849). "Thelotornis capensis, new species". Illustrations of the Zoology of South Africa ... Reptilia. London: Smith, Elder, and Co.