Micrelaps vaillanti

Micrelaps vaillanti
Micrelaps vaillanti
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Serpentes
Family: Atractaspididae
Genus: Micrelaps
Species: M. vaillanti
Binomial name
Micrelaps vaillanti
(Mocquard, 1888)
Synonyms
  • Elaposchema vaillanti Mocquard, 1888
  • Calamelaps vaillanti
    - Boettger, 1893
  • Micrelaps vaillanti
    - Boulenger, 1896
  • Rhinocalamus meleagris Sternfeld, 1908
  • Micrelaps nigriceps
    Sternfeld, 1910
  • Micrelaps boettgeri
    - Loveridge, 1955
  • Micrelaps vaillanti
    - Rasmussen, 2002[1]

Micrelaps vaillanti, or the Somali two-headed snake, is a species of venomous rear-fanged snake in the family Atractaspididae.[2] It is endemic to Africa.[3]

Contents

Etymology

The specific name, vaillanti, is in honor of French herpetologist Léon Vaillant.

Geographic range

Micrelaps vaillanti is found in Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, eastern Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda.[4]

Description

Brown dorsally, the center of each dorsal scale grayish white. Ventrals brown in the middle, whitish on the sides.

Adults may attain a total length of 28.2 cm (11⅛ inches), with a tail 32 mm (1¼ inch) long.

Dorsal scales smooth, without pits, arranged in 15 rows (in 17 rows on the neck). Ventrals 171-203; anal plate divided; subcaudals also divided.

Head very flattened. Rostral large, twice as broad as deep, portion visible from above about ⅔ as long as its distance from the frontal. Internasals twice as broad as long, twice as long as the prefrontals. Frontal small, 1½ times as long as broad, as long as its distance from the end of the snout, much shorter than the parietals. Supraocular as long as broad. One postocular, very small. Temporals 1+1. Seven upper labials, third in contact with the prefrontal, third and fourth (or third, fourth, and fifth) entering the eye. Four lower labials in contact with the anterior chin shield. Two pairs of chin shields, subequal in size.[5]

References

  1. ^ The Reptile Database. www.reptile-database.org.
  2. ^ "Micrelaps". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. http://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=700186. Retrieved 17 August 2007. 
  3. ^ Genus Micrelaps at The Reptile Database. Accessed 17 August 2007.
  4. ^ The Reptile Database. www.reptile-database.org.
  5. ^ Boulenger, G.A. 1896. Catalogue of the Snakes in the British Museum (Natural History). Volume III., containig the Colubridæ (Opisthoglyphæ and Proteroglyphæ), Amblycephalidæ, and Viperidæ. London. pp. 248-249.

Mocquard. F. 1888. Sur une collection de reptiles et de batraciens rapportés des pays somalis et de Zanzibar par M[onsieur]. G. Révoil. Mémoires Publiés par la Société Philomatique à l'occasion du Centenaire de sa fondation 1788-1888. Paris. pp. 109-134, plate xii, figure 1.

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