''Atractus'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...

colubrid Colubridae (, commonly known as colubrids , from la, coluber, 'snake') is a family of snakes. With 249 genera, it is the largest snake family. The earliest species of the family date back to the Oligocene epoch. Colubrid snakes are found on ever ...

ground snakes in the

subfamily In biological classification, a subfamily (Latin: ', plural ') is an auxiliary (intermediate) taxonomic rank, next below family but more inclusive than genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classifica ...

Dipsadinae Dipsadinae is a large subfamily of colubroid snakes, sometimes referred to as a family (Dipsadidae). They are found in most of the Americas, including the West Indies, and are most diverse in South America. There are more than 700 species. Dips ...

. The genus includes more than 140 distinct

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriat ...

Geographic range

Snakes of the genus ''Atractus'' are

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found else ...

Central Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center of some place or (mathematical) object. Central may also refer to: Directions and generalised locations * Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa continent, also known a ...

and

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the sou ...

Description

In the genus ''Atractus'' the

maxilla The maxilla (plural: ''maxillae'' ) in vertebrates is the upper fixed (not fixed in Neopterygii) bone of the jaw formed from the fusion of two maxillary bones. In humans, the upper jaw includes the hard palate in the front of the mouth. T ...

is short, with 8–12 teeth; the maxillary and

mandibular In anatomy, the mandible, lower jaw or jawbone is the largest, strongest and lowest bone in the human facial skeleton. It forms the lower jaw and holds the lower tooth, teeth in place. The mandible sits beneath the maxilla. It is the only movabl ...

teeth decrease in size posteriorly. The head is not distinct from the neck. The eye is small, with a round or subelliptic pupil. The nostril is between two nasal scales. The

preocular In scaled reptiles, the ocular scales are those forming the margin of the eye.Wright AH, Wright AA. 1957. ''Handbook of Snakes''. Comstock Publishing Associates (7th printing, 1985). 1105 pp. . The name originates from the term ''oculus'' which ...

is usually absent, and the loreal and

prefrontal scales The prefrontal scales on snakes and other reptiles are the scales connected to the frontals, towards the tip of the snout, which are in contact with the internasals. See also * Snake scales * Scale (zoology) In most biological nomenclature, a ...

enter the orbit. The body is cylindrical. The

dorsal scales In snakes, the dorsal scales are the longitudinal series of plates that encircle the body, but do not include the ventral scales. Campbell JA, Lamar WW (2004). ''The Venomous Reptiles of the Western Hemisphere''. Ithaca and London: Comstock Publ ...

are smooth, without apical pits, in 15 or 17 rows. The

ventral scales In snakes, the ventral scales or gastrosteges are the enlarged and transversely elongated scales that extend down the underside of the body from the neck to the anal scale. When counting them, the first is the anteriormost ventral scale that cont ...

are rounded. The tail can be either short or rather long. The

subcaudals In snakes, the subcaudal scales are the enlarged plates on the underside of the tail.Wright AH, Wright AA. 1957. Handbook of Snakes. Comstock Publishing Associates (7th printing, 1985). 1105 pp. . These scales may be either single or divided (pair ...

are paired.

Reproduction

The genus ''Atractus'' is

oviparous Oviparous animals are animals that lay their eggs, with little or no other embryonic development within the mother. This is the reproductive method of most fish, amphibians, most reptiles, and all pterosaurs, dinosaurs (including birds), and m ...

Species

The following species are recognized as being valid.. www.reptile-database.org. ''

Nota bene (, or ; plural form ) is a Latin phrase meaning "note well". It is often abbreviated as NB, n.b., or with the ligature and first appeared in English writing . In Modern English, it is used, particularly in legal papers, to draw the atte ...

'': A

binomial authority In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called nomenclature ("two-name naming system") or binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, bo ...

in parentheses indicates that the species was originally described in a genus other than ''Atractus''. *''

Atractus aboiporu ''Atractus aboiporu'' is a species of snake in the family Colubridae Colubridae (, commonly known as colubrids , from la, coluber, 'snake') is a family of snakes. With 249 genera, it is the largest snake family. The earliest species of the fa ...

'' *''

Atractus acheronius ''Atractus acheronius'' is a species of snake in the family Colubridae. The species can be found in Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a countr ...

'' *'' Atractus akerios'' *'' Atractus albuquerquei'' Cunha & Nascimento, 1983 – Albuquerque ground snake *'' Atractus alphonsehogei'' Cunha & Nascimento, 1983 *''

Atractus altagratiae ''Atractus altagratiae'' is a species of snake in the family Colubridae Colubridae (, commonly known as colubrids , from la, coluber, 'snake') is a family of snakes. With 249 genera, it is the largest snake family. The earliest species of t ...

'' *'' Atractus alytogrammus'' *'' Atractus andinus''

Prado The Prado Museum ( ; ), officially known as Museo Nacional del Prado, is the main Spanish national art museum, located in central Madrid. It is widely considered to house one of the world's finest collections of European art, dating from the ...

, 1944 *'' Atractus apophis'' *'' Atractus atlas'' Passos, Scanferla, Melo-Sampaio, Brito & Almendariz, 2018 *'' Atractus atratus'' *'' Atractus attenuatus'' *'' Atractus avernus'' *'' Atractus ayeush'' *'' Atractus badius'' ( F. Boie, 1827) *''

Atractus biseriatus ''Atractus biseriatus'', the two-lined ground snake, is a species of snake in the family Colubridae. The species can be found in Colombia. References

Atractus Reptiles of Colombia Endemic fauna of Colombia category:Snakes of South Amer ...

'' Prado, 1941 – two-lined ground snake *'' Atractus bocki'' F. Werner, 1909 – Bock's ground snake *'' Atractus bocourti''

Boulenger Boulenger is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Benjamin Boulenger (born 1990), French footballer * Edward George Boulenger (1888–1946), British zoologist, director of aquarium at London Zoo * George Albert Boulenger (1858– ...

, 1894 – Bocourt's ground snake Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). ''The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles''. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. . (''Atractus bocki'', p. 28; ''A. bocourti'', p. 29; ''A. riveroi'', p. 222; ''A. roulei'', p. 227). *'' Atractus boimirim'' Passos, Prudente & J.D. Lynch, 2016 *'' Atractus boulengerii'' Peracca, 1896 *'' Atractus caete'' *'' Atractus careolepis'' *''

Atractus carrioni ''Atractus carrioni'', Parker's ground snake or Carrion's ground snake, is a species of snake in the family Colubridae. The species can be found in Ecuador. References

Atractus Reptiles of Ecuador Endemic fauna of Ecuador category:Snak ...

'' Parker, 1930 *'' Atractus caxiuana'' *'' Atractus cerberus'' – Cerberus ground snake Arteaga A, Mebert K, Valencia JH, Cisneros-Heredia DF, Peñafiel N, Reyes-Puig C, Vieira-Fernandes JL, Guayasamin JM (2017). "Molecular Phylogeny of ''Atractus'' (Serpentes, Dipsadidae), with emphasis on Ecuadorian species and the description of three new taxa". ''Zookeys'' 661: 91-123. https://zookeys.pensoft.net/articles.php?id=11224 *'' Atractus charitoae'' *'' Atractus chthonius'' *'' Atractus clarki'' Dunn & Bailey, 1939 *'' Atractus collaris'' *'' Atractus crassicaudatus'' ( A.M.C. Duméril,

Bibron Gabriel Bibron (20 October 1805 – 27 March 1848) was a French zoologist and herpetologist. He was born in Paris. The son of an employee of the Museum national d'histoire naturelle, he had a good foundation in natural history and was hir ...

& A.H.A. Duméril, 1854) – thickhead ground snake *'' Atractus dapsilis'' Melo-Sampaio, Passos, Fouquet, Prudente & Torres-Carvajal, 2019 *'' Atractus darienensis'' *'' Atractus depressiocellus'' *'' Atractus duboisi'' *'' Atractus duidensis'' Roze, 1961 – Venezuela ground snake *'' Atractus dunni'' Savage, 1955 *'' Atractus echidna'' *'' Atractus ecuadorensis'' Savage, 1955 *'' Atractus edioi'' *'' Atractus elaps'' ( Günther, 1858) *'' Atractus emigdioi'' Gonzalez-Sponga, 1971 *'' Atractus emmeli'' ( Boettger, 1888) *'' Atractus eriki'' *'' Atractus erythromelas'' Boulenger, 1903 *'' Atractus esepe'' – indistinct ground snake *'' Atractus favae'' ( de Filippi, 1840) *'' Atractus flammigerus'' (F. Boie, 1827) *'' Atractus franciscopaivai'' *'' Atractus francoi'' *'' Atractus fuliginosus'' ( Hallowell, 1845) *''

Atractus gaigeae ''Atractus gaigeae'', also known Common name, commonly as Gaige's ground snake, is a species of snake in the family Colubridae. The species is Endemism, endemic to Ecuador. Etymology The Specific name (zoology), specific name, ''gaigeae'', is in ...

'' Savage, 1955 *'' Atractus gigas'' *'' Atractus guentheri'' ( Wucherer, 1861) *'' Atractus heliobelluomini'' *'' Atractus heyeri'' Esqueda &

McDiarmid McDiarmid, also MacDiarmid, is an Irish surname originating from a high king of Ireland circa 657 AD, popular in Scotland. People Notable people with this surname include: McDiarmid * Archie McDiarmid (1881–1957), Scottish-born Canadian tra ...

, 2015 *'' Atractus hoogmoedi'' *'' Atractus hostilitractus'' *'' Atractus imperfectus'' *'' Atractus indistinctus'' Prado, 1940 *'' Atractus insipidus'' Roze, 1961 *'' Atractus iridescens'' Peracca, 1896 *'' Atractus lancinii'' Roze, 1961 *'' Atractus lasallei'' Amaral, 1931 *'' Atractus latifrons'' (Günther, 1868) *'' Atractus lehmanni'' Boettger, 1898 *'' Atractus loveridgei'' Amaral, 1930 *'' Atractus macondo'' *'' Atractus maculatus'' (Günther, 1858) *'' Atractus major'' Boulenger, 1894 – brown ground snake *'' Atractus manizalesensis'' Prado, 1940 *''

Atractus mariselae ''Atractus mariselae'',Marisela's ground snake, is a species of snake in the family Colubridae Colubridae (, commonly known as colubrids , from la, coluber, 'snake') is a family of snakes. With 249 genera, it is the largest snake family. The ...

'' Lancini, 1969 *'' Atractus marthae'' Meneses-Pelayo & Passos, 2019 *'' Atractus matthewi'' *'' Atractus medusa'' *'' Atractus melanogaster'' F. Werner, 1916 *'' Atractus melas'' Boulenger, 1908 *'' Atractus meridensis'' *'' Atractus micheleae'' *'' Atractus microrhynchus'' (

Cope The cope (known in Latin as ''pluviale'' 'rain coat' or ''cappa'' 'cape') is a liturgical vestment, more precisely a long mantle or cloak, open in front and fastened at the breast with a band or clasp. It may be of any liturgical colour. A c ...

, 1868) *'' Atractus mijaresi'' , 2005 *'' Atractus modestus'' Boulenger, 1894 – modest ground snake *'' Atractus multicinctus'' ( Jan, 1865) *'' Atractus multidentatus'' *'' Atractus nasutus'' *'' Atractus natans'' *'' Atractus nawa'' *'' Atractus nicefori'' Amaral, 1930 – northern ground snake *'' Atractus nigricauda'' Schmidt &

Walker Walker or The Walker may refer to: People * Walker (given name) *Walker (surname) * Walker (Brazilian footballer) (born 1982), Brazilian footballer Places In the United States *Walker, Arizona, in Yavapai County *Walker, Mono County, California ...

, 1943 *'' Atractus nigriventris'' Amaral, 1933 *'' Atractus obesus''

Marx Karl Heinrich Marx (; 5 May 1818 – 14 March 1883) was a German philosopher, economist, historian, sociologist, political theorist, journalist, critic of political economy, and socialist revolutionary. His best-known titles are the 1848 ...

, 1960 *''Atractus obtusirostris'' F. Werner, 1916 – bignose ground snake *''Atractus occidentalis'' Savage, 1955 *''Atractus occipitoalbus'' (Jan, 1862) *''Atractus ochrosetrus'' *''Atractus oculotemporalis'' Amaral, 1932 *''Atractus orcesi'' *''Atractus pachacamac'' *''Atractus paisa'' *''Atractus pamplonensis'' Amaral, 1937 *''Atractus pantostictus'' *''Atractus paraguayensis'' F. Werner, 1924 *''Atractus paucidens'' species:Raymond Justin Marie Despax, Despax, 1910 *''Atractus pauciscutatus'' Schmidt & Walker, 1943 – little-scaled ground snake *''Atractus peruvianus'' (Jan, 1862) *''Atractus poeppigi'' (Jan, 1862) – basin ground snake *''Atractus potschi'' *''Atractus punctiventris'' Amaral, 1933 *''Atractus resplendens'' F. Werner, 1901 *''Atractus reticulatus'' (Boulenger, 1885) *''Atractus riveroi'' Roze, 1961 – Juan A. Rivero, Rivero's ground snake *''Atractus ronnie'' *''Atractus roulei'' Despax, 1910 – Louis Roule, Roule's ground snake *''Atractus sanctaemartae'' Dunn, 1946 *''Atractus sanguineus'' Prado, 1944 *''Atractus savagei'' species:David Salazar-Valenzuela, Salazar-Valenzuela, Torres-Carvajal & Passos, 2014 *''Atractus schach'' (F. Boie, 1827) *''Atractus serranus'' Amaral, 1930 *''Atractus snethlageae'' Cunha & Nascimento, 1983 *''Atractus spinalis'' *''Atractus steyermarki'' Roze, 1958 *''Atractus stygius'' *''Atractus surucucu'' *''Atractus tamaensis'' *''Atractus tamessari'' *''Atractus taphorni'' *''Atractus tartarus'' *''Atractus thalesdelemai'' *''Atractus titanicus'' *''Atractus torquatus'' (A.M.C. Duméril, Bibron & A.H.A. Duméril, 1854) *''Atractus touzeti'' *''Atractus trefauti'' Melo-Sampaio, Passos, Fouquet, Prudente & Torres-Carvajal, 2019 *''Atractus trihedrurus'' *''Atractus trilineatus'' Johann Georg Wagler, Wagler, 1828 – three-lined ground snake *''Atractus trivittatus'' Amaral, 1933 *''Atractus turikensis'' *''Atractus typhon'' *''Atractus ukupacha'' *''Atractus variegatus'' Prado, 1942 *''Atractus ventrimaculatus'' Boulenger, 1905 *''Atractus vertebralis'' Boulenger, 1904 *''Atractus vertebrolineatus'' Prado, 1941 *''Atractus vittatus'' *''Atractus wagleri'' Prado, 1945 *''Atractus werneri'' Peracca, 1914 *''Atractus zebrinus'' *''Atractus zidoki'' species:Jean-Pierre Gasc, Gasc & :fr:Miguel Trefaut Rodrigues, Rodriques, 1979

Geographic range

Description

Reproduction

Species

References

Further reading