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Elaphe davidi

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Elaphe davidi
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Serpentes
Family: Colubridae
Genus: Elaphe
Species:
E. davidi
Binomial name
Elaphe davidi
(Sauvage, 1884)
Synonyms[2]
  • Tropidonotus davidi
    Sauvage, 1884
  • Coluber davidi
    Boulenger, 1894
  • Coluber halli
    Boulenger, 1914
  • Elaphe davidi
    Mell, 1931

Elaphe davidi, also known commonly as Pere David's rat snake, is a species of snake in the family Colubridae. The species is endemic to East Asia.

Etymology

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The specific name, davidi, is in honor of Armand David, who was a French zoologist and priest.[3]

Geographic range

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E. davidi is found mainly in China, and its presence in North Korea is considered uncertain.[1]

Habitat

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The preferred natural habitats of E. davidi are forest and grassland, at altitudes of 100–900 m (330–2,950 ft), but it has also been found in agricultural areas such as orchards.[1]

Diet

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E. davidi preys upon frogs, lizards, and snakes. Captive specimens have also eaten mice.[1]

Reproduction

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E. davidi is oviparous.[2] Eggs are laid in August, and clutch size is 7–8.[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e Borzee, A. (2024). "Elaphe davidi". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2024: e.T191939A212882957.
  2. ^ a b Species Elaphe davidi 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. (Elaphe davidi, p. 203).

Further reading

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  • 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. (Coluber davidi, p. 56).
  • Pope CH (1935). The Reptiles of China: Turtles, Crocodilians, Snakes, Lizards. (Volume X of the Natural History of Central Asia series, edited by Chester A. Reeds). New York: American Museum of Natural History. lii + 604 pp., 28 figures, Plates I–XXVII. (Elaphe davidi, pp. 238–240, Figure 52).
  • Sauvage H-E (1884). "Sur quelques Reptiles de la collection du Muséum d'histoire naturelle". Bulletin de la Société Philomathique de Paris, Septième Série [Seventh Series] 18 : 142–147. (Tropidonotus davidi, new species, p. 144). (in French).
  • Szyndlar, Zbigniew (1985). "Occurrence of Elaphe davidi (Sauvage, 1884) (Serpentes: Colubridae) in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea". The Snake 17 (2): 163–167.