Elaphe davidi, also known commonly as Pere David's rat snake, is a species of snake in the family Colubridae. The species is endemic to East Asia.
| Elaphe davidi | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Suborder: | Serpentes |
| Family: | Colubridae |
| Genus: | Elaphe |
| Species: | E. davidi
|
| Binomial name | |
| Elaphe davidi (Sauvage, 1884)
| |
| Synonyms[2] | |
Etymology
editThe specific name, davidi, is in honor of Armand David, who was a French zoologist and priest.[3]
Geographic range
editE. davidi is found mainly in China, and its presence in North Korea is considered uncertain.[1]
Habitat
editThe preferred natural habitats of E. davidi are forest and grassland, at altitudes of 100–900 m (330–2,950 ft), but it has also been found in agricultural areas such as orchards.[1]
Diet
editE. davidi preys upon frogs, lizards, and snakes. Captive specimens have also eaten mice.[1]
Reproduction
editE. davidi is oviparous.[2] Eggs are laid in August, and clutch size is 7–8.[1]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e Borzee, A. (2024). "Elaphe davidi". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2024: e.T191939A212882957.
- ^ a b Species Elaphe davidi at The Reptile Database . www.reptile-database.org.
- ^ Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. ISBN 978-1-4214-0135-5. (Elaphe davidi, p. 203).
Further reading
edit- Boulenger GA (1894). Catalogue of the Snakes in the British Museum (Natural History). Volume II., Containing the Conclusion of the Colubridæ Aglyphæ. London: Trustees of the British Museum (Natural History). (Taylor and Francis, printers). xi + 382 pp. + Plates I–XX. (Coluber davidi, p. 56).
- Pope CH (1935). The Reptiles of China: Turtles, Crocodilians, Snakes, Lizards. (Volume X of the Natural History of Central Asia series, edited by Chester A. Reeds). New York: American Museum of Natural History. lii + 604 pp., 28 figures, Plates I–XXVII. (Elaphe davidi, pp. 238–240, Figure 52).
- Sauvage H-E (1884). "Sur quelques Reptiles de la collection du Muséum d'histoire naturelle". Bulletin de la Société Philomathique de Paris, Septième Série [Seventh Series] 18 : 142–147. (Tropidonotus davidi, new species, p. 144). (in French).
- Szyndlar, Zbigniew (1985). "Occurrence of Elaphe davidi (Sauvage, 1884) (Serpentes: Colubridae) in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea". The Snake 17 (2): 163–167.
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