Eastern trinket snake

Eastern trinket snake
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Suborder:	Serpentes
Family:	Colubridae
Genus:	Elaphe
Species:	E. cantoris
Binomial name
	Elaphe cantoris; (Boulenger, 1894)
Synonyms[1]
	Coluber cantoris ; Boulenger, 1894; Elaphe cantoris ; — M.A. Smith, 1943; Gonyosoma cantoris ; — Wallach, 1997; Orthriophis cantoris ; — Utiger et al., 2002;

The eastern trinket snake (Elaphe cantoris) is a species of snake in the family Colubridae. The species is endemic to South Asia.

Etymology

The specific name, cantoris, is in honor of Danish zoologist Theodore Edward Cantor.[2]

Geographic range

E. cantoris is found in the Himalayas in India (Sikkim, Assam), Bhutan, and Nepal. It is also found in the Khasi and Garo Hills in Meghalaya.[1]

Habitat

The preferred habitat is montane forest at elevations of 1,000–2,300 m (3,300–7,500 ft).[3]

Description

It is a large species, and may grow to a total length (including tail) of almost 2 m (6.6 ft). Dorsally, it has a brownish ground color, which is overlaid by a series of squarish dark brown blotches. Ventrally, it is yellowish anteriorly, becoming pinkish posteriorly.[3]

Reproduction

It is oviparous. In India, sexually mature females lay eggs in late July, with an average clutch size of 10 eggs.[3]

References

"Elaphe cantoris ". The Reptile Database. www.reptile-database.org.
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. (Orthriophis cantoris, p. 47).
Das I (2002). A Photographic Guide to Snakes and other Reptiles of India. Sanibel Island, Florida: Ralph Curtis Books. 144 pp. ISBN 978-1-4214-0135-5. (Elaphe cantoris, p. 31).

Boulenger GA (1894). Catalogue of the Snakes in the British Museum (Natural History). Volume II., Containing the Conclusion of the Colubridæ Aglyphæ. London: Trustees of the British Museum (Natural History). (Taylor and Francis, printers). xi + 382 pp. + Plates I-XX. (Coluber cantoris, new species, p. 35).
Helfenberger, Notker; Shah, Karen B.; Orlov, Nicolai L.; Guex, Gaston-Denis (2000). "Eine seltene Natter aus Nepal, Elaphe cantoris (Boulenger, 1894) (Squamata: Serpentes: Colubridae) ". Sauria 22 (2): 3-10. (in German).
Smith MA (1943). The Fauna of British India, Ceylon and Burma, Including the Whole of the Indo-Chinese Sub-region. Reptilia and Amphibia. Vol. III.—Serpentes. London: Secretary of State for India. (Taylor and Francis, printers). xii + 583 pp. (Elaphe cantoris, new combination, pp. 152–153).
Wallach V (1997). "A monograph of the colubrid snakes of the genus Elaphe Fitzinger (book review)". Herpetological Review 28 (2): 110.

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.

[RDB-1] "Elaphe cantoris ". The Reptile Database. www.reptile-database.org.

[2] 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. (Orthriophis cantoris, p. 47).

[Das-3] Das I (2002). A Photographic Guide to Snakes and other Reptiles of India. Sanibel Island, Florida: Ralph Curtis Books. 144 pp. ISBN 978-1-4214-0135-5. (Elaphe cantoris, p. 31).