Polemon ater, also known commonly as the black snake-eater, is a species of mildly rear-fanged venomous snake in the subfamily Aparallactinae of the family Atractaspididae. The species is native to central Africa.
| Polemon ater | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Suborder: | Serpentes |
| Family: | Atractaspididae |
| Genus: | Polemon |
| Species: | P. ater
|
| Binomial name | |
| Polemon ater | |
Geographic range edit
Polemon ater is known with certainty from the southeastern portion of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (formerly called Zaire), but is likely also found in adjacent Tanzania and Zambia based on literary records.[1]
Taxonomy edit
P. ater was grouped under P. christyi until genetic analyses indicated that it was a distinct species. It is the first species in the genus Polemon to be described in over 70 years.[1]
Diet edit
Polemon ater preys exclusively upon snakes (ophiophagy), including those three-quarters it size.[2]
Reproduction edit
The mode of reproduction of P. ater is unknown.[2]
References edit
- ^ a b c Portillo, Frank; Branch, William R.; Tilbury, Colin R.; Nagy, Zoltán T.; Hughes, Daniel F.; Kusamba, Chifundera; Muninga, Wandege M.; Aristote, Mwenebatu M.; Behangana, Mathias; Greenbaum, Eli (2019). "A cryptic new species of Polemon (Squamata: Lamprophiidae, Aparallactinae) from the miombo woodlands of Central and East Africa". Copeia. 107 (1): 22–35. doi:10.1643/CH-18-098.
- ^ a b Species Polemon ater at The Reptile Database www.reptile-database.org.
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