Dolichophis schmidti, known commonly as the red-bellied racer and Schmidt's whip snake, is a species of snake in the family Colubridae. The species is endemic to Western Asia.

Dolichophis schmidti
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Serpentes
Family: Colubridae
Genus: Dolichophis
Species:
D. schmidti
Binomial name
Dolichophis schmidti
(Nikolsky, 1909)
Synonyms[2]
  • Coluber schmidti
    Nikolsky, 1909
  • Coluber jugularis schmidti
    L. Müller, 1939
  • Hierophis schmidti
    Schätti, 1988
  • Dolichophis schmidti
    Nagy et al., 2004

Geographic range

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D. schmidti is found in the Caucasus and the Middle East, from Dagestan to Turkmenistan and south into Syria, Jordan, and northern Iran.[1][2]

Habitat

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D. schmidti occurs in a wide variety of habitats including rocky, stony and bushy river banks, deserts, semi-deserts, rocky outcrops, hillsides, montane steppe, cultivated fields, gardens, vineyards and other rural areas, from sea level to 2,000 m (6,600 ft). It can occur close to human habitation and tolerates human disturbance.[1]

Diet

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D. schmidti is often observed near to large colonies of rodents on which it preys. It also preys on lizards, birds, and snakes.[1]

Reproduction

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Adult females of D. schmidti lay clutches of between 5 and 11 eggs.[1]

Etymology

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The specific name, schmidti, is in honor of Russian ichthyologist Petr Yulevich Schmidt.[3]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e Tok, V.; Ugurtas, I.H.; Sevinç, M.; Böhme, W.; Crochet, P.-A.; Kaya, U.; Borkin, L.; Milto, K.; Golynsky, E.; Rustamov, A; Nuridjanov, D.; Munkhbayar, K.; Shestapol, A. (2017). "Dolichophis schmidti ". The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2017: e.T164595A92254626. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-2.RLTS.T164595A92254626.en.
  2. ^ a b Species Dolichophis schmidti 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. (Dolichophis schmidti, p. 236).

Further reading

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  • Nikolsky AM (1909). "[Novae species reptiliem e Caucaso]". Tiflis Mitteilungen Kaukasische Museum 4: 301–306. (Coluber schmidti, new species, pp. 303–306). (in Latin and Russian).