Toxicocalamus loriae explained

Toxicocalamus loriae, also known commonly as the Loria forest snake, is a species of venomous snake in the family Elapidae. The species is endemic to New Guinea (including some outlying islands) and occurs in both Western New Guinea (Indonesia) and Papua New Guinea.

Etymology

The specific name, loriae, is in honor of Italian ethnologist Lamberto Loria.^[1]

Habitat

The preferred natural habitat of T. loriae is forest, at altitudes from sea level to 1830m (6,000feet).

Behavior

T. loriae is diurnal and fossorial.

Diet

T. loriae preys upon earthworms, fly larvae, land snails, and other small invertebrates.

Reproduction

T. loriae is oviparous.

Further reading

• Boulenger GA (1908). "Description of a new Elapine Snake of the Genus Apisthocalamus, Blgr., from New Guinea". Annals and Magazine of Natural History, Eighth Series 1 (3): 248–249. (Apisthocalamus loriae, new spelling, p. 249).
• McDowell SB (1969). "Toxicocalamus, a New Guinea genus of snakes of the family Elapidae". Journal of Zoology 159 (4): 443–511. (Toxicocalamus loriae, new combination, p. 455).
• O'Shea M, Allison A, Kaiser H (2018). "The taxonomic history of the enigmatic Papuan snake genus Toxicocalamus (Elapidae: Hydrophiinae), with the description of a new species from the Managalas Plateau of Oro Province, Papua New Guinea, and a revised dichotomous key". Amphibia-Reptilia 39 (4): 403–433.
• O'Shea M, Parker F, Kaiser H (2015). "A New Species of New Guinea Worm-Eating Snake, Genus Toxicocalamus (Serpentes: Elapidae), From the Star Mountains of Western Province, Papua New Guinea, With a Revised Dichotomous Key to the Genus". Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology 161 (6): 241–264.

Notes and References

1. [species:Bo Beolens|Beolens, Bo]