Hemorrhois ravergieri

Hemorrhois ravergieri, commonly called the spotted whip snake, is a species of snake found in Western Asia, Central Asia, and South-Central Asia.

Etymology

The specific name, ravergieri, is in honor of a certain Mr. Ravergier who was an attaché at the French Embassy in Saint Petersburg, Russia.

Geographic range

• Former Soviet Union (Caucasus), eastern shore of Caspian Sea east to E Kazakhstan,
• Greece (Kos), Turkey, Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Jordan,
• Syria, Israel, W Mongolia, NW China (Xinjiang)
• Armenia, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan

Description

Dorsally it is tan or grayish, with a series of dark rhomboidal spots or crossbars, alternating with smaller spots on the sides. The spots usually become confluent posteriorly, and appear as dark stripes on the tail. There is a diagonal dark streak below the eye, and a similar subparallel streak from the back of the eye to the corner of the mouth. Ventrally it is whitish or covered with blackish dots.

The weakly keeled dorsal scales are arranged in 21 rows. The ventrals, which are obtusely angulate laterally, number 190-222; the anal is divided; and the subcaudals, which are paired, are 75-101.

Adults may attain Template:Convert in total length, with a tail Template:Convert long.

References

Citations

Bibliography

• Böhme W (1993). "Coluber ravergieri - Ravergiers Zornnatter ". In: Böhme W (editor) (1993). Handbuch der Reptilien und Amphibien Europas, Band 3/I., Schlangen (Serpentes) I. Wiesbaden: Aula-Verlag. pp. 145–154.
• Ménétries E (1832). Catalogue raisonné des objets de zoologie recueillis dans un voyage au caucase et jusqu'aux frontières actuelles de la Perse. Saint Petersburg, Russia: L'Académie Impériale des Sciences. 330 pp. (Coluber ravergieri, new species, pp. 69-70).
• Schätti B, Monsch P (2004). "Systematics and phylogenetic relationships of Whip snakes (Hierophis Fitzinger) and Zamenis andreana Werner 1917 (Reptilia: Squamata: Colubrinae)". Rev. Suisse Zool. 111 (2): 239-256.
• Schweiger M (1991). "Coluber ravergieri Menetries, 1832 - eine ungewöhnliche Zornnatter. Teil 1: Beschreibung, Verbreitung, Ökologie und Giftwirkung ". Herpetofauna 13 (70): 30-34.

External links

• Template:NRDB species
• Coluber ravergieri at The Checklist of Armenia's Amphibians and Reptiles at Tadevosyan's Herpetological Resources. Accessed 30 March 2007.Template:Colubrids-stub