Platyceps najadum
| Platyceps najadum | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Subphylum: | Vertebrata |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Suborder: | Serpentes |
| Family: | Colubridae |
| Subfamily: | Colubrinae |
| Genus: | Platyceps |
| Species: | P. najadum |
| Binomial name | |
| Platyceps najadum (Eichwald, 1831) | |
| Synonyms | |
| |
Platyceps najadum, known commonly as Dahl's whip snake, is a species of snake in the genus Platyceps of the family Colubridae. It was first described by Karl Eichwald in 1831.[1]
Geographic range
Platyceps najadum is found in the Balkans, Aegean, Cyprus, the Mid-East, and as far as Turkmenistan and the Caucasus Mountains.[3]
Habitat
P. najadum occurs in dry and xeric environments in a wide range of habitats: in desert and rocky land, in forests, woodland scrub, and agricultural land from sea level to 2,000 m (6,600 ft) altitude. It is commonly found in fields, and seen crushed on roads.
Description
It has a slim body rarely over a metre (39 inches) in total length (including tail).[4]
Conservation status
This snake is threatened by direct persecution, forest fires and intensive agriculture, where range interacts with human interests.[1]
Biology
P. najadum is an egg laying species. Females lay between 3 and 16 eggs in a clutch.[1]
Subspecies
Five[1] or six[2] subspecies are identified.
- Platyceps najadum albitemporalis (Darevsky & Orlov, 1994)
- Platyceps najadum atayevi (Tuniyev & Shammakov, 1993), Kopet Dag, Iran/Turkmenistan
- Platyceps najadum dahlii (Fitzinger, 1826), Balkans, Cyprus, Aegean Turkey
- Platyceps najadum kalymnensis (B. Schneider, 1979), endemic to Kalymnos island, the Aegean
- Platyceps najadum najadum (Eichwald, 1831), Caucasus and Asia Minor
- Platyceps najadum schmidtleri (Schätti & McCarthy, 2001, Zagros mountains, Iran
Etymology
Both the subspecific name, dahlii, and the common name, Dahl's whip snake, are in honor of Swedish botanist Anders Dahl.[5]
Indigenous names
Σαϊτα (Greek), Saita.
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 Lymberakis P, Ajtic R, Tok V, Ugurtas IH, Sevinç M, Crochet P-A, Mousa Disi AM, Hraoui-Bloquet S, Sadek R, Haxhiu I, Böhme W, Agasyan A, Tuniyev B, Ananjeva N, Orlov N. (2009). "Platyceps najadum". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2014.2. International Union for Conservation of Nature. Retrieved 2014-10-14.
- 1 2 "Platyceps najadum ". The Reptile Database. http://reptile-database.reptarium.cz/species?genus=Platyceps&species=najadum&search_param=%28%28search%3D%27Platyceps+najadum%27%29%29
- ↑ "Platyceps najadum ". French language Wikipédia.
- ↑ http://wildlife-archipelago.gr/wordpress/reptiles/dahls-whip-snake
- ↑ 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. (Platyceps najadum dahlii, p. 64).
Further reading
- Arnold EN, Burton JA. 1978. A Field Guide to the Reptiles and Amphibians of Britain and Europe. (Illustrated by D.W. Ovenden). London: Collins. 272 pp. + Plates 1-40. ISBN 0-00-219318-3. (Coluber najadum, pp. 194-195 + Plate 35, figure 4 + Map 106).
- Eichwald [K]E. 1831. Zoologia specialis quam expositis animalibus tum vivis, tum fossilibus potissimum Rossiae in universum, et Poloniae in specie, in usum lectionum publicarum, in Universitate Caesarea Vilnensi [Volume 3]. Vilnius: J. Zawadzki. 404 pp. + one plate. (Tyria najadum, new species, p. 174). (in Latin).