Argyrogena fasciolata
| banded racer | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Wild specimen from Maharashtra, India | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Subphylum: | Vertebrata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Suborder: | Serpentes |
| Family: | Colubridae |
| Subfamily: | Colubrinae |
| Genus: | Argyrogena Werner, 1924 |
| Species: | A. fasciolata |
| Binomial name | |
| Argyrogena fasciolata (Shaw, 1802) | |
| Synonyms | |
The Banded Racer, Argyrogena fasciolata, is a species of colubrid snake.
Geographic range
It is found in India except for North Bengal and Kashmir,[3] Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Nepal and Bangladesh.
Description
Snout obtuse, curved and prominent; rostral large, broader than wide, the portion visible from above more than half its length from the frontal; suture between the internasals as long as that between the prefrontals or a little shorter; frontal nearly as long as its distance from the end of the snout, or as the parietals; loreal as long as deep or longer than deep; one pre-ocular, usually with a small subocular below; two or three postoculars; temporals 2+2 or 2+3; upper labials 8, fourth and fifth entering the eye; 4 or 5 lower labials in contact with the anterior chin-shields; posterior chin-shields nearly as long as the anterior, separated from each other by two or three series of scales. Dorsals smooth, in 21 or 23 rows. Ventrals 197-225; anal divided; subcaudals 73-88. Yellowish or brownish olive above, with narrow white, brown, and black variegated cross bands on the anterior half of the body; these bands may entirely disappear in the adult; lower parts uniform yellowish.[4]
Total length 1060 mm (3.5 feet); tail 220 mm (8.5 inches).
Shaw's original description of the species was based on a plate in Russell, Ind. Serp. (1796).
Notes
- ↑ The Reptile Database. www.reptile-database.org.
- ↑ Boulenger, G.A. 1893. Catalogue of the Snakes in the British Museum (Natural History), Volume I. London.
- ↑ "Argyrogena fasciolata (Shaw, 1802) Banded Racer". Indian Snakes. Retrieved March 21, 2013.
- ↑ Boulenger, G. A. (1890) Fauna of British India. Reptilia and Batrachia.
References
- Shaw, G. 1802 General Zoology, or Systematic Natural History. Vol.3, part 1 + 2. G. Kearsley, Thomas Davison, London: 313-615
- Wilson, Larry David 1967 Generic reallocation and review of Coluber fasciolatus Shaw (Serpentes: Colubridae) Herpetologica 23 (4): 260-275
External links
- Photo of Argyrogena fasciolata on Flickr
- Photo of Argyrogena fasciolata on Cal Photos
- Image of a juvenile Argyrogena fasciolata