Dolichophis schmidti

Dolichophis schmidti, known commonly as the red-bellied racer and Schmidt's whip snake, is a species of snake in the family Colubridae. The species is endemic to Western Asia.

Dolichophis schmidti

Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Serpentes
Family: Colubridae
Genus: Dolichophis
Species:
D. schmidti
Binomial name
Dolichophis schmidti
(Nikolsky, 1909)
Synonyms[2]
  • Coluber schmidti
    Nikolsky, 1909
  • Coluber jugularis schmidti
    — L. Müller, 1939
  • Hierophis schmidti
    — Schätti, 1988
  • Dolichophis schmidti
    — Nagy et al., 2004

Geographic range

D. schmidti is found in the Caucasus and the Middle East, from Dagestan to Turkmenistan and south into Syria, Jordan, and northern Iran.

Habitat

D. schmidti occurs in a wide variety of habitats including rocky, stony and bushy river banks, deserts, semi-deserts, rocky outcrops, hillsides, montane steppe, cultivated fields, gardens, vineyards and other rural areas. It can occur close to human habitation and tolerates human disturbance.

Diet

D. schmidti is often observed near to large colonies of rodents on which it preys. It also preys on lizards, birds, and snakes.

Reproduction

Adult females of D. schmidti lay clutches of between 5 and 11 eggs.[1]

Etymology

The specific name, schmidti, is in honor of Russian ichthyologist Petr Yulevich Schmidt.[3]

References
  1. Tok, V.; Ugurtas, I.H.; Sevinç, M.; et al. (2017). "Dolichophis schmidti". The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2017: e.T164595A92254626. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-2.RLTS.T164595A92254626.en.
  2. "Dolichophis schmidti ". The Reptile Database. www.reptile-database.org.
  3. 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. (Dolichophis schmidti, p. 236).


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