Lytorhynchus kennedyi, also known commonly as Kennedy's leafnose snake, is a species of non-venomous snake[1] in the subfamily Colubrinae of the family Colubridae. The species is native to the Middle East.
| Lytorhynchus kennedyi | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Suborder: | Serpentes |
| Family: | Colubridae |
| Genus: | Lytorhynchus |
| Species: | L. kennedyi
|
| Binomial name | |
| Lytorhynchus kennedyi Schmidt, 1939
| |
Etymology
editThe specific name, kennedyi, is in honor of British physician Walter P. Kennedy.[2]
Description
editAdults of L. kennedyi measure 30–51 cm (12–20 in) in total length (including tail). The dorsum is bright orange to reddish, with dark transverse crossbars on the body and the tail.[3]
Geographic range
editL. kennedyi is found in Syria and Jordan, and possibly in southwestern Iraq. The type locality is "from between Homs and Palmyra, Syria".[4]
Habitat and Behavior
editThe preferred natural habitats of L. kennedyi are sandy desert, semi-desert, sandy coastal areas, areas of high grassland plateaus (especially those close to rocky areas), and clay plateaus with rocks. This species digs, but is not considered fossorial. In Arabia it appears to occur in a wide range of dry habitats.[5]
Diet
editL. kennedyi preys predominately upon on lizards, but will also eat insects, large arthropods, and young rodents.
Reproduction
editL. kennedyi is oviparous. The female lays clutches of three to five eggs.
Taxonomy
editL. kennedyi has sometimes been considered to be a subspecies of L. diadema as L. d. kennedyi.[4]
References
edit- ^ "WCH Clinical Toxinology Resources". www.toxinology.com. Retrieved 2019-01-23.
- ^ 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. (Lytorhyncus kennedyi, p. 139).
- ^ Amr, Zuhair; Disi, Ahmad (2011). "Systematics, distribution and ecology of the snakes of Jordan". Vertebrate Zoology. 61 (2): 179–266. (form "kennedyi ", p. 211).
- ^ a b Species Lytorhynchus kennedyi at The Reptile Database www.reptile-database.org.
- ^ "The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Retrieved 2019-01-23.
Further reading
edit- Schmidt KP (1939). "Reptiles and Amphibians from Southwestern Asia". Zoological Series of Field Museum of Natural History 24 (7): 49–92. (Lytorhyncus kennedyi, new species, p. 75).