Rhadinella godmani
Rhadinella godmani, also known commonly as Godman's graceful brown snake, and as la culebra-café de Godman and la lagartijerita de Godman in American Spanish, is a species of snake in the family Colubridae. The species is native to Central America and southern Mexico. There are two recognized subspecies.
| Rhadinella godmani | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Suborder: | Serpentes |
| Family: | Colubridae |
| Genus: | Rhadinella |
| Species: | R. godmani |
| Binomial name | |
| Rhadinella godmani (Günther, 1865) | |
| Synonyms[2][3] | |
| |
Geographic range
R. godmani is found in extreme southeastern Mexico, in the Mexican states of Chiapas and Oaxaca, and in Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Costa Rica, and Panama.[1][3]
Habitat
The preferred natural habitat of R. godmani is forest, at altitudes of 1,200–2,650 m (3,940–8,690 ft), but has also been found in pasture land.[1]
Description
The longest specimen in the type series of R. godmani has total length of 44.5 cm (17.5 in), which includes a tail 13 cm (5.1 in) long.[2] The dorsal scales are arranged in 21 rows throughout the length of the body.[3]
Subspecies
Two subspecies are recognized as being valid, including the nominotypical subspecies.[3]
Nota bene: A trinomial authority in parentheses indicates that the subspecies was originally described in a genus other than Rhadinella.
Etymology
The specific name, godmani, is in honor of British naturalist Frederick DuCane Godman.[4]
The subspecific name, zilchi, is in honor of German malacologist Adolf Michael Zilch.[5]
References
- Köhler, G.; Chaves, G.; Porras, L.W.; Solórzano, A. (2013). "Rhadinella godmani ". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2013: e.T198402A128556013. Retrieved 20 November 2021.
- 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. (Rhadinæa godmani, pp. 179–180).
- Species Rhadinella godmani 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. (Godman, p. 102).
- Mertens R (1952).
Further reading
- Günther A (1865). "Fourth Account of new Species of Snakes in the Collection of the British Museum". Annals and Magazine of Natural History, Third Series 15: 89–98 + Plates II–III. ("Dromicus Godmanni [sic]", new species, p. 94).
- Heimes P (2016). Snakes of Mexico: Herpetofauna Mexicana Vol. I. Frankfurt am Main, Germany: Edition Chimaira. 572 pp. ISBN 978-3899731002.
- McCranie JR, Wilson LD (1992). "Rhadinaea godmani ". Catalogue of American Amphibian and Reptiles 546: 1–3.
- Mertens R (1952). "Neues über die Reptilienfauna von El Salvador ". Zoologischer Anzeiger 148: 87–93. (Rhadinaea zilchi, new species, p. 92). (in German).
- Myers CW (2011). "A New Genus and New Tribe for Enicognathus melanauchen Jan, 1863, a Neglected South American Snake (Colubridae: Xenodontinae), with Taxonomic Notes on Some Dipsadinae". American Museum Novitates (3715): 1–33. (Rhadinella godmani, new combination).