Trimorphodon biscutatus vilkinsonii

Taxobox
name = Texas Lyre Snake

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regnum = Animalia
phylum = Chordata
classis = Reptilia
ordo = Squamata
subordo = Serpentes
familia = Colubridae
genus = "Trimorphodon"
species = "T. biscutatus"
subspecies = "T. b. vilkinsonii"
trinomial = "Trimorphodon biscutatus vilkinsonii"
trinomial_authority = Cope, 1886
synonyms = "Trimorphodon vilkinsonii"
Cope, 1886
"Trimorphodon upsilon"
Günther, 1895
"Trimorphodon lambda vilkinsoni"
Werler & Dixon, 2000

The Texas Lyre Snake ("Trimorphodon biscutatus vilkinsonii") is a subspecies of midly venomous rear-fanged colubrid snake found in the United States in the Big Bend region of Texas and southern New Mexico, to northeastern Chihuahua, Mexico. The epithet "vilkinsonii" is in honor of amateur American naturalist Edward Wilkinson, who collected the first specimen near the city of Chihuahua. ^{[http://ebeltz.net/herps/biogappx.html]} Some sources consider it to be its own species, as "Trimorphodon vilkinsonii".

Description

They are a moderately sized snake, attaining lengths of approximately 1 meter at adult size. They are generally a brown, tan or grey in color with dark brown blotching down the back. They have large eyes with vertical pupils. Their common name comes from a distinctive V shaped pattern on their head which resembles the shape of a lyre.

Behavior

Lyre snakes are nocturnal, spending most of their time hiding in rock crevices, emerging to feed on lizards, and small rodents, frogs and bats. Their venom is not considered to be harmful to humans.

References

*EMBL species|genus=Trimorphodon|species=biscutatus
* [http://www.natureserve.org/explorer/servlet/NatureServe?searchName=trimorphodon+biscutatus NatureServe Explorer Comprehensive Species Report: "Trimorphodon biscutatus"]