Erythrolamprus ornatus, also known commonly as the ornate ground snake and the Saint Lucia racer, is a species of snake in the family Colubridae.[2] The species is native to the eastern Caribbean. It is the rarest snake on earth with fewer than 20 left in the wild.[4]
| Saint Lucia racer | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Suborder: | Serpentes |
| Family: | Colubridae |
| Genus: | Erythrolamprus |
| Species: | E. ornatus
|
| Binomial name | |
| Erythrolamprus ornatus | |
| Synonyms[3] | |
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Geographic range edit
Erythrolamprus ornatus is endemic to Saint Lucia,[5] an island nation in the West Indies, in the eastern Caribbean Sea. It once lived all over Saint Lucia, but now is only found on the islet of Maria Major.[6]
Habitat edit
The preferred natural habitats of E. ornatus are forest and shrubland, at altitudes from sea level to 950 m (3,120 ft).[1]
Description edit
Adults of this non-venomous snake, E. ornatus, may attain a total length (including tail) of 123.5 cm (48.6 in).[7] Its coloration is variable. Some individuals have a broad brown vertebral stripe. In others, the brown stripe is interrupted by alternating yellow spots.[7]
Behavior edit
Erythrolamprus ornatus is probably diurnal.[7] Erythrolamprus ornatus is a ambush predator.[6]
Diet edit
Erythrolamprus ornatus preys on small rodents and lizards.[7]
Reproduction edit
Erythrolamprus ornatus is oviparous.[3]
Conservation status edit
In 1936, E. ornatus was declared extinct, but it was rediscovered in 1973. It disappeared again soon after, but 11 individuals were found in 2012 on the mongoose-free island of Maria Major off the coast of Vieux Fort, Saint Lucia.[8][9] Currently the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, working with Fauna & Flora International, Saint Lucia National Trust and Saint Lucia Forestry Department, are working to build a captive breeding population with two facilities, one for breeding the snakes and one for cultivating food sources.[10]
References edit
- ^ a b Daltry JC (2016). "Erythrolamprus ornatus (errata version published in 2017)". The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016: e.T12080A115104404. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T12080A71739705.en. Downloaded on 08 May 2020. (Database entry includes a brief justification of why this species is endangered).
- ^ a b ITIS (Integrated Taxonomic Information System). www.itis.gov.
- ^ a b Species Erythrolamprus ornatus at The Reptile Database www.reptile-database.org.
- ^ "Saint Lucia racer". Fauna & Flora International.
- ^ Schwartz A, Thomas R (1975). A Check-list of West Indian Amphibians and Reptiles. Carnegie Museum of Natural History Special Publication No. 1. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: Carnegie Museum of Natural History. 216 pp. (Dromicus ornatus, p. 183).
- ^ a b "Fauna & Flora International".
- ^ a b c d Malhotra A, Thorpe RS (1999). Reptiles & Amphibians of the Eastern Caribbean. London: Macmillan. ix + 134 pp. ISBN 0-333-69141-5. (Erythrolamprus ornatus, p. 97).
- ^ "Snake Returns from Extinction". Discovery News. July 13, 2012. Retrieved July 13, 2012.
- ^ Victor, Jeannette (14 March 2017). "Facts about St. Lucian snakes including the rarest in the world". St Lucia News Online. Retrieved 29 August 2019.
- ^ "Breeding facility set up for Critically Endangered Saint Lucia racer | Durrell". www.durrell.org. Retrieved 2023-11-28.
Further reading edit
- Garman S (1887). "On West Indian Reptiles in the Museum of Comparative Zoölogy, at Cambridge, Mass". Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society 24: 278–286. (Dromicus ornatus, new species, p. 281).
- Grazziotin FG, Zaher H, Murphy RW, Scrocchi G, Benavides MA, Zhang Y-P, Bonatto SL (2012). "Molecular Phylogeny of the New World Dipsadidae (Serpentes: Colubroidea): a reappraisal". Cladistics 28 (5): 437–459. (Erythrolamprus ornatus, new combination, p. 457).
- Parker HW (1936). "Some extinct Snakes of the West Indies". Annals and Magazine of Natural History, Tenth Series 18: 227–233.
- Schwartz A, Henderson RW (1991). Amphibians & Reptiles of the West Indies: Descriptions, Distributions, and Natural History. Gainesville, Florida: University of Florida Press. 720 pp. ISBN 978-0813010496. (Liophis ornatus, p. 625).
- Smith HM, Dixon JR, Wallach V (1993). "Dromicus giganteus Jan (Reptilia: Serpentes) is a nomen nudum ". Bulletin of the Maryland Herpetological Society 29 (3): 77–79.
- Williams RJ, Ross TN, Morton MN, Daltry JC, Isidore L (2016). "Update on the natural history and conservation status of the Saint Lucia racer, Erythrolamprus ornatus Garman, 1887 (Squamata: Dipsadidae)". Herpetology Notes 9: 157–162.