Opisthotropis jacobi explained
Opisthotropis jacobi, also known commonly as the Chapa mountain keelback, Jacob's mountain stream keelback, and Jacob's stream snake, is a species of snake in the subfamily Natricinae of the family Colubridae. The species is native to Vietnam and China.[1]
Etymology
The specific name, jacobi, is in honor of German entomologist Arnold F. V. Jacobi.[2]
Geographic range
O. jacobi is found in extreme northern Vietnam and in adjacent Yunnan Province, China.[1]
Habitat
The preferred natural habitats of O. jacobi are forest and streams, at altitudes of .
Description
O. jacobi may attain a total length (including tail) of . Dorsally, it is uniformly shiny black. Ventrally, it is also shiny black but with light-edged ventrals and subcaudals. The dorsal scales are smooth, and arranged in 15 rows throughout the length of the body.[3]
Diet
O. jacobi preys upon earthworms, freshwater shrimp, fishes, and frogs and their tadpoles.[1]
Reproduction
O. jacobi is oviparous.[1]
Further reading
- Angel F, Bourret R (1933). "Sur une petite collection de serpents du Tonkin. Descriptions d'espèces nouvelles ". Bulletin de la Société zoologique de France 58: 129–140. (Opisthotropis jacobi, new species, p. 130). (in French).
- Nguyen SV, Ho CT, Nguyen TQ (2009). Herpetofauna of Vietnam. Frankfurt am Main, Germany: Edition Chimaira / Serpents Tale. 768 pp. .
- Wang K, Lyu Z, Wang J, Qi S, Che J (2009). "The updated checklist and zoogeographic division of the reptilian fauna of Yunnan Province, China". Biodiversity Science 30 (4): 21326, 1–31.
- Ziegler T, David P, Ziegler TN, Pham TC, Nguyen TQ, Le MD (2018). "Morphological and molecular review of Jacob's Mountain Stream Keelback Opisthotropis jacobi Angel & Bourret, 1933 (Squamata: Natricidae) with description of a sibling species from northern Vietnam". Zootaxa 4374 (4): 476–496.
Notes and References
- www.reptile-database.org.
- [species:Bo Beolens|Beolens B]
- [Malcolm Arthur Smith|Smith MA]
