Hellmich's wolf snake
 | An editor has performed a search and found that sufficient sources exist to establish the subject's notability. (May 2023) |
| Hellmich's wolf snake | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Suborder: | Serpentes |
| Family: | Lamprophiidae |
| Genus: | Lycophidion |
| Species: | L. hellmichi
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| Binomial name | |
| Lycophidion hellmichi (Laurent, 1964)
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Hellmich's wolf snake (Lycophidion hellmichi) is a species of oviparous, nonvenomous snake, in the family Lamprophiidae.[2] Its range is south western Angola and north western Namibia,[1] though it is thought to have once had a larger range that included the Democratic Republic of the Congo.[2][3] It favors rocky areas in the Namib Desert.[4]
Description
The first labial scale should be in contact with the postnasal scale(s). More than 190 ventral scales; with more than forty subcaudals in males, and more than thirty in females. Only one male specimen was collected, 6 km (3.7 mi) east of Etengua, Namibia. It was found to be 402 mm (15.8 in) from snout to tip of tail. The largest female- the holotype found in Kapolopopo, Angola- was 471 mm (18.5 in).[5]
Discovery
Laurent described L. hellmichi from “Kapolopopo, desert de Mossamedes" in 1964, and included the L. c. capense (Hellmich 1957, Entre Rios) in the synonym, which was the first record of the species in Angola. Laurent assigned a number of Namibian specimens to L. hellmichi in 1968, which Broadley later realized were a new species, L. namibianum. The only remaining Namibian specimen of L. hellmichi is from the Kaokoveld, and Broadley recorded another Angolan specimen from Quissange. It therefore appears to be known from only three specimens.[6]
Diet and behavior
These snakes likely eat geckos, skinks, and other small lizards, which they kill by constriction. Its lifespan is likely between fifteen and twenty years.
Etymology
The Hellmich's wolf snake was named after Walter Hellmich (1906-1974), a prominent German zoologist.[2]
References
- ^ a b Ceríaco, L.M.P.; Baptista, N.; Conradie, W. (2020). "Lycophidion hellmichi". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2020: e.T176852A120631731. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-3.RLTS.T176852A120631731.en.
- ^ a b c "Lycophidion hellmichi". The Reptile Database. Retrieved 2023-05-22.
- ^ "Kaokoveld Wolf Snake (Lycophidion hellmichi)". iNaturalist. Retrieved 2023-05-22.
- ^ "Lycophidion hellmichi (Hellmich's wolf snake)". www.biodiversityexplorer.info. Retrieved 2023-05-22.
- ^ Broadley, Donald G.; Hughes, Barry (January 1993). "A Review of the Genus Lycophidion (Serpentes: Colubridae) in Noertheastern Africa". Herpetological Journal. 3: 8-18.
- ^ Branch, Bill (2018). "Amphibian & Reptile Conservation: Biobanking Amphibians - Snakes of Angola: An Annotated Checklist" (PDF). Amphibian & Reptile Conservation. 12 (2): 41–82 – via Amphibian & Reptile Conservation.org.