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Hensel's snake

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Hensel's snake
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Serpentes
Family: Colubridae
Genus: Ditaxodon
Hoge, 1958
Species:
D. taeniatus
Binomial name
Ditaxodon taeniatus
(W. Peters, 1868)
Synonyms[2]
  • Philodryas taeniatus
    W. Peters in Hensel, 1868
  • Conophis taeniatus
    Boulenger, 1896
  • Ditaxodon taemiatus
    — Hoge, 1958

Hensel's snake (Ditaxodon taeniatus) is a species of snake in the subfamily Dipsadinae of the family Colubridae.[2] The species is endemic to southern Brazil,[2] and it is monotypic in the genus Ditaxodon.

Geographic range

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D. taeniatus is found in the Brazilian states of Mato Grosso do Sul, Paraná, Rio Grande do Sul, and São Paulo.[1][2]

Habitat

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The preferred natural habitats of D. taeniatus are forest and grassland, at altitudes of 800–1,800 m (2,600–5,900 ft).[1]

Description

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The neotype of D. taeniatus has a total length of 54.3 cm (21.4 in), which includes a tail length of 12.2 cm (4.8 in).[2] The maximum recorded total lengths are 86.4 cm (34.0 in) for a female, and 70.7 cm (27.8 in) for a male.[1]

Diet

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D. taeniatus preys upon lizards and birds.[1]

Reproduction

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D. taeniatus is oviparous.[2] Clutch size is around ten eggs.[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f Silveira AL, Prudente AL da C, Argôlo AJS, Abrahão CR, Nogueira C de C, Barbo FE, Costa GC, Pontes GMF, Colli GR, Zaher H el D, Borges-Martins M, Martins MRC, Oliveira ME, Passos PGH, Bérnils RS, Sawaya RJ, Cechin CTZ, Guedes da Costa TB (2021). Ditaxodon taeniatus. In: IUCN 2020. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2022.2.
  2. ^ a b c d e f Ditaxodon taeniatus at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database. Accessed 5 December 2016.

Further reading

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  • Bernils RS, Kucharzewski C, Moura-Leite JC, Kwet A (2008). "Rediscovery of the holotype of Ditaxodon taeniatus (Peters in Hensel, 1868) (Serpentes: Colubridae), and invalidation of the neotype designation". Zootaxa 1764: 66–68.
  • Boulenger GA (1896). Catalogue of the Snakes in the British Museum (Natural History). Volume III., Containing the Colubridæ (Opisthoglyphæ and Proteroglyphæ) .... London: Trustees of the British Museum (Natural History). (Taylor and Francis, printers). xiv + 727 pp. + Plates I–XXV. (Conophis taeniatus, new combination, p. 124).
  • Freiberg M (1982). Snakes of South America. Hong Kong: T.F.H. Publications. 189 pp. ISBN 0-87666-912-7. (Ditaxodon taeniatus, p. 94).
  • Hoge AR (1958). "Die systematische Stellung von Xenodon punctatus Peters 1880 und Philodryas taeniatus Hensel 1868 [= The systematic position of Xenodon punctatus Peters, 1880, and Philodryas taeniatus Hensel, 1868]". Mitteilungen aus dem Museum für Naturkunde in Berlin 34 (1): 49–56. (Ditaxodon, new genus, and Ditaxodon taeniatus, new combination, pp. 54–55). (in German).
  • Peters W (1868). In: Hensel R (1868). "Beiträge zur Kenntniss der Wirbelthiere Südbrasiliens [= Contributions to the knowledge of the vertebrates of southern Brazil ]". Archiv für Naturgeschichte 34 (1): 323–375. (Philodryas taeniatus, new species, pp. 331–332). (in German).