Triangular snake
| Triangular snake | ||||||||||||
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Lampropeltis triangulum triangulum - nominate form |
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Lampropeltis triangulum | ||||||||||||
| ( Lacépède , 1789) |
The milk snake ( Lampropeltis triangulum ), also milk snake , scarlet kingsnake or Eastern triangle Natter , is a non-toxic snake of the genus of kingsnakes ( Lampropeltis ) in the family of snakes (Colubridae).
features
The individual subspecies are very variable in terms of their coloration, drawing and body size. Their body is generally slim, the elongated oval head barely separates from the neck. The nominate form Lampropeltis triangulum triangulum has internasal shields, which are significantly smaller than the prefrontal shields, a slightly longer than wide frontal shield, 7 upper lip shields ( scutum supralabiale ), 9 lower lip shields ( scutum sublabiale ), 21 (rarely 23) oblique rows of smooth back scales around the body, 182 to 214 abdominal shields ( scutum ventrale ) and 35 to 54 under tail shields ( scutum subcaudale ) as well as an undivided anal shield ( scutum anale ). The back is marked by brownish saddle marks, which are separated from each other by light-colored cross bars. Brownish to black spots appear on the side. The head, which is brown to black and whitish or yellowish in color down to the neck, is characterized by a V-shaped, dark-edged drawing in the neck area, a dark transverse band between the eyes and a temple band between the eyes and corners of the mouth. The light belly side is darkly spotted or has cross bars. Young snakes are often more contrasting than adult triangular snakes. Depending on the subspecies, the total length varies between 60 and 150 cm. The largest subspecies is Lampropeltis triangulum gaigeae with up to 158 cm .
23 of the 25 subspecies show a pattern similar to the poisonous coral otter ( Micrurus ), mostly red, black and yellow or white rings. This fact has long been considered a prime example of mimicry . The theory of the imitation of poisonous coral snakes by triangular snakes is doubted, among other things, because many of the subspecies colored in this way do not have a distribution area that is congruent with similarly drawn poisonous snakes.
Occurrence
The triangular snake has a very large distribution area. It occurs within North America in the Canadian Ontario and almost the entire United States of America (with the exception of the extreme west and northwest), in the Central American states Mexico , Guatemala , Honduras , Belize , El Salvador , Nicaragua , Costa Rica and Panama as well as in northern South America in Colombia , Venezuela and Ecuador . Within this distribution area, the most varied of both wet and dry biotopes and a large number of climatic zones (temperate, arid, subtropical and tropical regions) are inhabited. Some subspecies, such as Lampropeltis triangulum elapsoides , Lampropeltis triangulum syspila or Lampropeltis triangulum amaura , live in lower and wide plains, while others prefer montane regions, such as Lampropeltis triangulum arcifera , which is found in areas 700 to 2500 meters above sea level lie. Some subspecies turn out to be cultural followers and are to be found in agricultural areas.
Way of life
The triangular snake leads a largely nocturnal way of life. Especially after heavy rainfall, it can sometimes also be found outside the shelter during the day. Depending on occurrence and subspecies, the mating season is between February and July. It begins after a 3 to 6 month hibernation period. The species reproduces through oviparity , so it is egg-laying. The clutch, which is laid under wood, bark or loosely in the ground between June and August, comprises between 6 and 24 elongated eggs. The young snakes usually hatch 40 to 60 days later. The prey spectrum of the triangular snake includes smaller mammals , lizards , other snakes and sometimes various insects .
Taxonomy
The first scientific description of the species took place in 1789 by the French zoologist Bernard Germain Lacépède . At that time he assigned the species under the name Coluber triangulum to the genus Coluber, which is known today as angry snakes . Edward Drinker Cope transferred it in 1860 as Lampropeltis triangula to the genus Lampropeltis .
Subspecies
The Reptile Database lists the following 25 subspecies :
- Lampropeltis triangulum abnormal ( Bocourt , 1886)
- Lampropeltis triangulum amaura ( Cope , 1861)
- Lampropeltis triangulum andesiana Williams , 1978
- Lampropeltis triangulum annulata ( Kennicott , 1861)
- Lampropeltis triangulum arcifera ( Werner , 1903)
- Lampropeltis triangulum blanchardi Stuart , 1935
- Lampropeltis triangulum campbelli Quinn , 1983
- Lampropeltis triangulum celaenops Stejneger , 1903
- Lampropeltis triangulum conanti Williams , 1978
- Lampropeltis triangulum dixoni Quinn , 1983
- Lampropeltis triangulum elapsoides ( Holbrook , 1838)
- Lampropeltis triangulum gaigae Dunn , 1937
- Lampropeltis triangulum gentilis ( Baird & Girard , 1853)
- Lampropeltis triangulum hondurensis Williams , 1978
- Lampropeltis triangulum micropholis ( Cope , 1860)
- Lampropeltis triangulum multistrata ( Kennicott , 1861)
- Lampropeltis triangulum nelsoni Blanchard , 1920
- Lampropeltis triangulum oligozona ( Bocourt , 1886)
- Lampropeltis triangulum polyzona ( Cope , 1861)
- Lampropeltis triangulum sinaloae Williams , 1978
- Lampropeltis triangulum smithi Williams , 1978
- Lampropeltis triangulum stuarti Williams , 1978
- Lampropeltis triangulum syspila ( Cope , 1889)
- Lampropeltis triangulum taylori Tanner & Loomis , 1957
- Lampropeltis triangulum triangulum ( Lacépède , 1789)
literature
- Trutnau: Non-poisonous snakes . Verlag Ulmer, 2002. Pages 561-564. ISBN 978-3-8001-3223-2 .
Individual evidence
- ↑ Mark O'Shea: Venomous Snakes. All species in the world in their habitats. Franckh-Kosmos Verlag, 2006. ISBN 3440106195 .
- ↑ a b c Lampropeltis triangulum in The Reptile Database ; accessed on April 22, 2012.
