Lytorhynchus gasperetti explained
Lytorhynchus gasperetti, also known commonly as Leviton's awl-headed snake and Leviton's leafnose snake, is a species of snake in the family Colubridae. The species is endemic to Saudi Arabia.
Eymology
The specific name, gasperetti, is in honor of the collector of the holotype, John Gasperetti, who was an American surveyor, engineer, and herpetologist.[1]
Geographic range
L. gasperetti is found in southwestern Saudi Arabia, at altitudes from sea level to .
Description
L. gasperetti has its dorsal scales arranged in 19 rows at midbody, decreasing to 15 rows posteriorly (one head length anterior to the cloaca). The average number of ventral scales is 165 for females, and 157 for males.
Behavior
L. gasperetti is terrestrial and nocturnal.
Diet
L. gasperetti preys upon lizards.
Reproduction
L. gasperetti is oviparous.
Taxonomy
L. gasperetti is a member of the L. diadema species group.
Further reading
- Egan, Damien (2008). Snakes of Arabia: A Field Guide to the Snakes of the Arabian Peninsula and its Shores. Arabian Heritage Guides. London: Art Books International. 208 pp. .
- Egan, Damien (2022). Field Guide to Snakes of the Middle East. Helm Field Guides. London: Bloomsbury Wildlife. 597 pp.
- Gasperetti J (1988). "Snakes of Arabia". Fauna of Saudi Arabia 9: 169–450.
- Leviton AE (1977). "A new lytorhynchid snake". Journal of the Saudi Arabian Natural History Society (19): 16–25. (Lytorhynchus gasperetti, new species).
- Wallach V, Williams KL, Boundy J (2014). Snakes of the World: A Catalogue of Living and Extinct Species. Boca Raton, Florida: CRC Press. xxviii + 1,209 pp. . (Lytorhynchus gasperetti, p. 416).
Notes and References
- [species:Bo Beolens|Beolens, Bo]
