Fox's mountain meadow snake
Fox's mountain meadow snake (Adelophis foxi, meaning "Fox's hidden snake"; culebra-de vega de Fox in Spanish) is a species of oviparous colubrid snake, described by Douglas A. Rossman and Richard M. Blaney in 1968, which is endemic to northwestern Mexico.[1][2]
| Fox's mountain meadow snake | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Suborder: | Serpentes |
| Family: | Colubridae |
| Genus: | Adelophis |
| Species: | A. foxi |
| Binomial name | |
| Adelophis foxi Rossman & Blaney, 1968 | |
 | |
Etymology
The specific name, foxi, is in honor of American herpetologist Wade Fox Jr. (1920–1964).[3]
Conservation status
Specimens LSU40793 and LSU40846 were the last recorded specimens of A. foxi, consisting of a male and female collected on 18 and 19 July 1981 in southwestern Durango, Mexico, most likely around 1.5 miles (2.4 km) west of El Salto. While no detailed location information is included in the specimen record, it is noted that the same collector visited this location almost yearly in the late 1960s.
Threats to the survival of this snake species include ongoing deforestation caused by logging.[1] The area contains pine and pine-oak forests of Pinus durangensis that have been heavily logged and are now severely disturbed. Parts of the area are being reforested for forestry purposes, but it is not known whether reforested Pinus durangensis stands are suitable for this snake species.[1]
References
- Mendoza-Quijano F, Santos-Barrera G (2007). "Adelophis foxi ". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2007: e.T63728A12711297. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2007.RLTS.T63728A12711297.en.
- Adelophis foxi at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database. Accessed 7 July 2017.
- 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. (Adelophis foxi, p. 93).
Further reading
- Rossman DA, Blaney RM (1968). "A new Natricine snake of the genus Adelophis from western Mexico". Occasional Papers of the Museum of Zoology, Louisiana State University 35: 1-12. (Adelophis foxi, new species).