Platyceps najadum explained

Platyceps najadum, also known commonly as Dahl's whip snake or the slender whip snake, is a species of non-venomous snake in the family Colubridae. The species is native to Eurasia. Four subspecies are recognized as being valid.

Taxonomy

P. najadum was first described by Karl Eichwald in 1831, as Tyria najadum.

Geographic range

P. najadum is found in the Balkans, Aegean, Cyprus, the Mid-East, and as far as Turkmenistan and the Caucasus Mountains.[1]

Habitat

P. najadum occurs in dry and xeric environments in a wide range of habitats: in desert and rocky land, in forests, woodland scrub, and agricultural land from sea level to 2000m (7,000feet) altitude. It is commonly found in fields, and seen crushed on roads.

Description

P. najadum has a slim body, and is rarely over a metre (39 inches) in total length (including tail).[2]

Conservation status

P. najadum is threatened by direct persecution, forest fires and intensive agriculture, where its range interacts with human interests.

Reproduction

P. najadum is an egg laying species. Females lay between 3 and 16 eggs in a clutch.

Subspecies

Four[3] subspecies are identified, including the nominotypical subspecies.

Nota bene

A trinomial authority in parentheses indicates that the subspecies was originally described in a genus other than Platyceps.

Etymology

Both the subspecific name, dahlii, and the common name, Dahl's whip snake, are in honor of Austrian entomologist Georg Dahl (1769–1831) who collected the type specimen in Dalmatia in 1824.[4]

The subspecific name, schmidtleri, is in honor of German herpetologist Josef Friedrich Schmidtler (born 1942).[5]

Indigenous names

Σαϊτα (Greek), Saita, Стрелушка (Bulgarian), šilac (Croatian), Za'aman Z'eitani (Hebrew), Ok Yılanı (Turkish).

Further reading

External links

Notes and References

  1. "Platyceps najadum ". French language Wikipédia.
  2. Web site: Dahl's Whip Snake (Platyceps najadum) | Archipelago Wildlife Library . 2014-03-26 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140326184535/http://wildlife-archipelago.gr/wordpress/reptiles/dahls-whip-snake/ . 2014-03-26 . dead .
  3. "Platyceps najadum ". The Reptile Database. http://reptile-database.reptarium.cz/species?genus=Platyceps&species=najadum&search_param=%28%28search%3D%27Platyceps+najadum%27%29%29
  4. Biographisches Lexikon des Kaiserthums Oesterreich … volume 3. pages 129-130. 1858.
  5. [species:Bo Beolens|Beolens, Bo]