Iberian grass snake

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Iberian grass snake
Young Iberian grass snake

Young Iberian grass snake

Systematics
Subordination : Snakes (serpentes)
Superfamily : Adder-like and viper-like (Colubroidea)
Family : Adders (Colubridae)
Subfamily : Water snakes (Natricinae)
Genre : European water snakes ( Natrix )
Type : Iberian grass snake
Scientific name
Natrix astreptophora
( Seoane , 1884)

The Iberian grass snake ( Natrix astreptophora ), also known as roach grass snake, is a snake from the genus of the European water snake ( Natrix ) that occurs on the Iberian Peninsula and in the northeastern French Roussillon . For a long time it was considered a subspecies of the grass snake ( Natrix natrix ) and was raised to the rank of an independent species at the beginning of 2016, as it can be genetically and morphologically clearly differentiated from the grass snake and hybrids are very rare.

features

Distribution areas of the Iberian grass snake.

Externally, the Iberian grass snake is difficult from the Barren-grass snake ( Natrix helvetica to distinguish), one west of the Rhine occurring European Water Snake, which was considered a subspecies of the grass snake to 2017th However, it has a reddish iris , in all subspecies of the grass snake the iris is yellowish or brown. At 156 to 166, the number of ventral scales is less than that of grass snakes (162 to 182), while the number of subcaudals is slightly higher. In young Iberian grass snakes, the large shields on the top of the head ( pileus ) directly behind the eyes are deep black and contrast sharply with the yellow crescent-shaped spots further back, which often merge dorsally. In individuals older than 2 or 3 years, this feature disappears.

The Iberian grass snake lives more terrestrially than the grass snake, which is more dependent on the proximity of water.

It is still unclear whether the North African grass snakes belong to Natrix astreptophora . A single examined specimen from Tunisia differed significantly genetically from the Iberian grass snakes.

literature

  • Felix Pokrant, Carolin Kindler, Martin Ivanov, Marc Cheylan, Philippe Geniez, Wolfgang Böhme & Uwe Fritz (2015): Integrative taxonomy provides evidence for the species status of the Ibero-Maghrebian grass snake Natrix astreptophora . Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, published online on February 22, 2016 doi: 10.1111 / bij.12782

Web links

Commons : Iberian grass snake ( Natrix astreptophora )  - Collection of images, videos and audio files