Oxyrhopus fitzingeri, also known commonly as Fitzinger's false coral snake, is a species of snake in the family Colubridae. The species is native to northwestern South America. There are two recognized subspecies.

Oxyrhopus fitzingeri
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Serpentes
Family: Colubridae
Genus: Oxyrhopus
Species:
O. fitzingeri
Binomial name
Oxyrhopus fitzingeri
(Tschudi, 1845)
Synonyms[2]
  • Siphlophis fitzingeri
    Tschudi, 1845
  • Oxyrhopus fitzingeri
    Jan, 1863
  • Clelia fitzingeri
    Dunn, 1923
  • Pseudoboa fitzingeri
    Amaral, 1925
  • Oxyrhopus fitzingeri
    Schmidt & Walker, 1943

Etymology edit

The specific name, fitzingeri, is in honor of Austrian herpetologist Leopold Fitzinger.[3]

The subspecific name, frizzelli, is honor of the collectors of the holotype, Don L. Frizzell & Harriet E. Frizzell.[2]

Geographic range edit

O. fitzingeri is found in Ecuador and Peru.[2]

Habitat edit

The preferred natural habitats of O. fitzingeri are forest, savanna, and desert, at altitudes from sea level to 1,829 m (6,001 ft).[1]

Reproduction edit

O. fitzingeri is oviparous.[2]

Subspecies edit

Two subspecies are recognized as being valid, including the nominotypical subspecies.[2]

  • Oxyrhopus fitzingeri fitzingeri (Tschudi, 1845)
  • Oxyrhopus fitzingeri frizzelli Schmidt & Walker, 1943

Nota bene: A trinomial authority in parentheses indicates that the subspecies was originally described in a genus other than Oxyrhopus.

References edit

  1. ^ a b Perez, J.; Quiroz Rodriguez, A. (2016). "Oxyrhopus fitzingeri". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016: e.T15179459A15179467. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-1.RLTS.T15179459A15179467.en. Retrieved 26 April 2023.
  2. ^ a b c d e Species Oxyrhopus fitzingeri at The Reptile Database www.reptile-database.org.
  3. ^ 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. (Oxyrhopus fitzingeri, p. 91).

Further reading edit

  • Freiberg M (1982). Snakes of South America. Hong Kong: T.F.H. Publications. 189 pp. ISBN 0-87666-912-7. (Oxyrhopus fitzingeri, p. 105).
  • Jan G (1863). Elenco sistematico degli ofidi descritti e disegnati per l'iconografia generale. Milan: A. Lombardi. vii + 143 pp. (Oxyrhopus fitzingeri, new combination, p. 93). (in Italian).
  • Schmidt KP, Walker WF Jr (1943). "Snakes of the Peruvian Coastal Region". Zoological Series of Field Museum of Natural History 24 (27): 297–324. (Oxyrhopus fitzingeri frizzelli, new subspecies, pp. 313–315).
  • Tschudi JJ (1845). "Reptilium conspectus quae in Republica Peruana reperiuntur et pleraque observata vel collecta sunt in itinere". Archiv für Naturgeschichte 11 (1): 150–170. (Siphlophis fitzingeri, new species, p. 150). (in Latin).