Telescopus hoogstraali
Telescopus hoogstraali, common names of which include Hoogstraal's cat snake and the Sinai cat snake,[1] is an endangered species of snake in the family Colubridae. The species is endemic to the Middle East.
| Telescopus hoogstraali | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Suborder: | Serpentes |
| Family: | Colubridae |
| Genus: | Telescopus |
| Species: | T. hoogstraali |
| Binomial name | |
| Telescopus hoogstraali | |
| Synonyms[2][3] | |
| |
Etymology
The specific name, hoogstraali, is in honor of American entomologist and parasitologist Harry Hoogstraal.[4]
Description
T. hoogstraali has a black-coloured neck and head. Its eyes are small with vertical, cat-like pupils. The snake's underbelly is grey and is covered with black spots.[5]
Geographic range
T. hoogstraali is found around the Sinai region, in Egypt and Israel, as well as Jordan.
In Egypt, it is found in Santa Catarina and Gebel Maghara of northern Sinai Peninsula, while in Israel it can be found only in Negev Desert. It is also known from one city in Jordan, Petra.[1]
Habitat
T. hoogstraali can be found at an elevation of 1,500 metres (4,900 ft) in natural habitats such as subtropical or tropical dry shrubland, subtropical or tropical dry lowland grassland, rocky areas, and hot deserts.[1]
Conservation status
T. hoogstraali is threatened by habitat loss and distribution.[1]
References
- Disi M, Disi AM, Werner Y, El Din SB (2005). "Telescopus hoogstraali". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2005. Retrieved March 21, 2013.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
- "Telescopus hoogstraali ". The Reptile Database. www.reptile-database.org.
- Zinner, Hermann (1977). "The Status of Telescopus hoogstraali Schmidt & Marx 1956 and the Telescopus fallax Fleischmann 1831 Complex (Reptilia, Serpentes, Colubridae)". Journal of Herpetology 11 (2): 207-212. (Telescopus fallax hoogstraali, new combination).
- Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. ISBN 978-1-4214-0135-5. (Telescopus hoogstraali, p. 126).
- Amr ZS, Disi AM (2011). "Systematics, distribution and ecology of the snakes of Jordan". Vertebrate Zoology 61 (2): 179–266.
Further reading
- Schmidt KP, Marx H (1956). "The Herpetology of Sinai". Fieldiana Zoology 39 (4): 21–40. (Telescopus hoogstraali, new species, pp. 33–35, Figures 5 & 6).