Rhamnophis
Rhamnophis is a genus of arboreal snakes, commonly known as dagger-tooth tree snakes or large-eyed tree snakes, in the family Colubridae. The genus is endemic to equatorial sub-Saharan Africa.
| Rhamnophis | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Rhamnophis aethiopissa, illustration by G.H. Ford (1862) for Günthers original description. | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Suborder: | Serpentes |
| Family: | Colubridae |
| Subfamily: | Colubrinae |
| Genus: | Rhamnophis Günther, 1862 |
Taxonomy
The status of this genus has long been subject to debate, and has been treated as a synonym of Thrasops by some authors. Both genera belong to the tribe Dispholidini, and are closely related to the genera Dispholidus, Thelotornis, and Xyelodontophis.
Species
Two species are recognized.[1]
- Rhamnophis aethiopissa Günther, 1862 - splendid dagger-tooth tree snake
- Rhamnophis batesii (Boulenger, 1908) - spotted dagger-tooth tree snake
Venom
Rhamnophis are rear-fanged colubrids; that is to say, they have venom, which they may be able to inoculate by biting. Due to very little being known about them and their venom, it is necessary to be very cautious when working with these snakes. These species have an almost identical defense mechanism as the Boomslang (Dispholidus Typus) and Twig snakes (genusThelotornis) where they will inflate their throats to make themselves look bigger. It is thought that these species are evolutionary in between the boomslang and the species of genus Thrasops in terms of their fangs and means of envenomation.
Etymology
The specific name, batesii, is in honor of American naturalist George Latimer Bates.[2]
References
- The Reptile Database. www.reptile-database.org.
- Beolens B, Watkins M, Grayson M. 2011. The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. ISBN 978-1-4214-0135-5. (Rhamnophis batesii, p. 19).
Further reading
- 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. (Genus Rhamnophis, p. 632).
- Boulenger GA. 1908. Descriptions of Three new Snakes from Africa. Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., Eighth Series 2: 93–94. (Thrasops batesii, p. 93).
- Günther A. 1862. On new Species of Snakes in the Collection of the British Museum. Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., Third Series 9: 124–132.
(Genus Rhamnophis, p. 129; species Rhamnophis aethiopissa, p. 129 + Plate X).