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Hellmich's wolf snake (Lycophidion hellmichi), also known commonly as the Kaokoveld wolf snake, is a species of oviparous, nonvenomous snake, in the family Lamprophiidae.[2] The species is native to southern Africa.
| Hellmich's wolf snake | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Suborder: | Serpentes |
| Family: | Lamprophiidae |
| Genus: | Lycophidion |
| Species: | L. hellmichi
|
| Binomial name | |
| Lycophidion hellmichi (Laurent, 1964)
| |
Geographic range
editL. hellmichi is found in southwestern Angola and northwestern Namibia,[1] though it is thought to have once had a larger geographic range that included the Democratic Republic of the Congo.[2][3]
Habitat
editL. hellmichi favors rocky areas of savanna and shrubland,[1] in the Namib Desert,[4] at altitudes of 300–700 m (980–2,300 ft).[1]
Description
editL. hellmichi has the following scalation. The first labial scale should be in contact with the postnasal scale(s). It has more than 190 ventral scales; with more than forty subcaudals in males, and more than thirty in females. Only one male specimen was collected, 6 km (3.7 mi) east of Etengua, Namibia. It was found to be 402 mm (15.8 in) in total length, from snout to tip of tail. The largest female, the holotype found in Kapolopopo, Angola, was 471 mm (18.5 in) in total length.[5]
Discovery
editLaurent described L. hellmichi from “Kapolopopo, desert de Mossamedes " in 1964, and included L. c. capense (Hellmich 1957, Entre Rios) in the synonymy, which was the first record of the species in Angola. Laurent assigned a number of Namibian specimens to L. hellmichi in 1968, which Broadley later realized were a new species, L. namibianum. The only remaining Namibian specimen of L. hellmichi is from the Kaokoveld, and Broadley recorded another Angolan specimen from Quissange. It therefore appears to be known from only three specimens.[6]
Diet, behavior and longevity
editL. hellmichi likely preys upon geckos, skinks, and other small lizards, which it kills by constriction. Its lifespan is likely between fifteen and twenty years.[4]
Etymology
editHellmich's wolf snake was named after Walter Hellmich (1906-1974), a prominent German zoologist.[2][7]
References
edit- ^ a b c d Ceríaco, L.M.P.; Baptista, N.; Conradie, W. (2020). "Lycophidion hellmichi ". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2020: e.T176852A120631731. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-3.RLTS.T176852A120631731.en.
- ^ a b c "Lycophidion hellmichi ". The Reptile Database. Retrieved 2023-05-22.
- ^ "Kaokoveld Wolf Snake (Lycophidion hellmichi)". iNaturalist. Retrieved 2023-05-22.
- ^ a b "Lycophidion hellmichi (Hellmich's wolf snake)". www.biodiversityexplorer.info. Retrieved 2023-05-22.
- ^ Broadley, Donald G.; Hughes, Barry (1993). "A Review of the Genus Lycophidion (Serpentes: Colubridae) in Northeastern Africa". Herpetological Journal. 3: 8–18.
- ^ Branch, Bill (2018). "Amphibian & Reptile Conservation: Biobanking Amphibians - Snakes of Angola: An Annotated Checklist" (PDF). Amphibian & Reptile Conservation. 12 (2): 41–82 – via Amphibian & Reptile Conservation.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. (Lycophidion hellmichi, p. 120).
Further reading
edit- Branch, Bill (2004). Field Guide to Snakes and other Reptiles of Southern Africa. Sanibel Island, Florida: Ralph Curtis Books. 399 pp. ISBN 0-88359-042-5. (Lycophidion hellmichi, p. 77).
- Broadley, D.G. (1996). "A revision of the genus Lycophidion Fitzinger (Serpentes: Colubridae) in Africa south of the equator". Syntarsus 3: 1–33.
- Laurent, R.F. (1964). "Reptiles et batraciens de l'Angola (troisième note)". Companhia de Diamantes de Angola (Diamang), Serviços Culturais, Museu do Dundo (Angola) (67): 1–165. (Lycophidion hellmichi, new species). (in French).
- Schleicher, Alfred (2020). Reptiles of Namibia. Windhoek, Namibia: Kuiseb Publishers. 271 pp. ISBN 978-9994576708.