Pseudoxenodon macrops

Pseudoxenodon macrops, commonly known as the large-eyed bamboo snake or the Chinese false cobra, is a species of venomous rear-fanged snake endemic to Asia.

Pseudoxenodon macrops
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Serpentes
Family: Colubridae
Genus: Pseudoxenodon
Species:
P. macrops
Binomial name
Pseudoxenodon macrops
(Blyth, 1855)
Synonyms
  • Tropidonotus macrops
    Blyth, 1855
  • Xenodon macrophthalmus
    Günther, 1858 (part)
  • Tropidonotus sikkimensis
    Anderson, 1871
  • Pseudoxenodon macrops
    — Boulenger, 1890 [1]

Description
False cobra Pseudoxenodon macrops in Arunachal Pradesh, India

P. macrops is a fairly variable species with brownish and almost blackish shades with short crossbars.

Diet

P. macrops preys on frogs and lizards.[2]

Venom

P. macrops is a venomous species. However, the potency of its venom is currently unknown.

Reproduction

P. macrops is an oviparous species. An adult female may lay as many as 10 eggs.[2]

Subspecies

There are three known subspecies including, the nominotypical subspecies.[1]

  • Pseudoxenodon macrops fukiensis Pope, 1928
  • Pseudoxenodon macrops macrops (Blyth, 1855)
  • Pseudoxenodon macrops sinensis Boulenger, 1904

Nota bene: A binomial authority or a trinomial authority in parentheses indicates that the species or subspecies was originally described in a genus other than Pseodoxenodon.

Geographic range

P. macrops is found in India (Darjeeling, Assam; Arunachal Pradesh (Deban - Changlang district) ), Nepal, Myanmar, Thailand, West Malaysia, Vietnam, Laos, SW China (Yunnan, Guangxi, Guangdong, Fujian, Sichuan, Guizhou ?, Gansu).[1] Very recently it also found in Sylhet region of Bangladesh.

References
  1. "Pseudoxenodon macrops". The Reptile Database. www.reptile-database.org.
  2. Das I. 2002. A Photographic Guide to Snakes and Other Reptiles of India. Sanibel Island, Florida: Ralph Curtis Books. 144 pp. ISBN 0-88359-056-5. (Pseudoxenodon macrops, p. 43)

Further reading
  • Blyth E. 1855. Notices and Descriptions of various Reptiles, new or little known [part 2]. J. Asiatic Soc. Bengal, Calcutta 23 (3): 287–302. (Tropidonotus macrops, new species, pp. 296–297).
  • Boulenger GA. 1890. The Fauna of British India, Including Ceylon and Burma. Reptilia and Batrachia. London: Secretary of State for India in Council. (Taylor and Francis, printers). xviii + 541 pp. (Pseudoxenodon macrops, pp. 340–341).
  • 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. (Pseudoxenodon macrops, pp. 311–313).


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