Formosa slug snake
| Formosa slug snake | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Family: | Lamprophiidae |
| Genus: | Pareas |
| Species: | P. formosensis |
| Binomial name | |
| Pareas formosensis (Van Denburgh, 1909) | |
| Synonyms | |
|
Amblycephalus formosensis Van Denburgh, 1909 | |
Formosa slug snake, Pareas formosensis, is a species of snake in the Colubridae family. It is endemic to Taiwan.[2]
Description
The Formosa slug snake is a small snake with total length up to 70 cm (28 in). These snakes are widespread in mountainous, moist forests. Formosa slug snakes are nocturnal and feed on land snails and slugs. Female snakes produce a clutch of 2-9 eggs; the hatchlings measure about 15 cm (5.9 in) in total length.[3]
Taxonomy
It has been suggested that Pareas chinensis should be treated as a synonym of P. formosensis, but recent genetic research does not support this: P. formosensis does not appear closely related to P. chinensis but is instead a sister species to P. hamptoni.[1][2]
References
- 1 2 Rao, D.-q. & Lau, M. (2012). "Pareas formosensis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2012.2. International Union for Conservation of Nature. Retrieved 12 May 2013.
- 1 2 Pareas formosensis at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database
- ↑ Hans Breuer & William Christopher Murphy (2009–2010). "Pareas formosensis". Snakes of Taiwan. Retrieved 12 May 2013. External link in
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