Fox's mountain meadow snake
| Fox's mountain meadow snake | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Subphylum: | Vertebrata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Suborder: | Serpentes |
| Family: | Colubridae |
| Subfamily: | Natricinae |
| Tribe: | Thamnophiini |
| Genus: | Adelophis |
| Species: | A. foxi |
| Binomial name | |
| Adelophis foxi Rossman & Blaney, 1968 | |
 | |
Fox's mountain meadow snake (Adelophis foxi, meaning "Fox's hidden snake"; Culebra-de vega de Fox in Spanish) is a species of oviparous colubrid snake, described by Douglas A. Rossman and Richard M. Blaney in 1968, which is endemic to northwestern Mexico.
Etymology
The specific name, foxi, is in honor of American herpetologist Wade Fox, Jr. (1920–1964).[1]
Conservation status
Specimens LSU40793 and LSU40846 were the last recorded specimens of A. foxi, consisting of a male and female collected on 18 and 19 July 1981 in southwestern Durango, Mexico, most likely around 1.5 miles (2.4 km) west of El Salto. While no detailed location information is included in the specimen record, it is noted that the same collector visited this location almost yearly in the late 1960s.
This area contained Pinus durangensis, which are being replanted extensively in an attempt to revive the population. It is also unknown whether or not the trees alone will have any effect on the snake population.
Threats to the survival of this snake species include ongoing deforestation and human settlement.[2]
References
- ↑ Beolens B, Watkins M, Grayson M. 2011. The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. ISBN 978-1-4214-0135-5. (Adelophis foxi, p. 93).
- ↑ Mendoza-Quijano F, Santos-Barrera G. 2007. "Adelophis foxi ". In: IUCN 2007. 2007 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 23 April 2008.
Further reading
- Rossman DA, Blaney RM. 1968. A new Natricine snake of the genus Adelophis from western Mexico. Occasional Papers of the Museum of Zoology, Louisiana State University 35: 1-12. (Adelophis foxi, new species).