''Lamprophis'' is a
genus
Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...
of medium-sized, non
venom
Venom or zootoxin is a type of toxin produced by an animal that is actively delivered through a wound by means of a bite, sting, or similar action. The toxin is delivered through a specially evolved ''venom apparatus'', such as fangs or a sti ...
ous
snake
Snakes are elongated, Limbless vertebrate, limbless, carnivore, carnivorous reptiles of the suborder Serpentes . Like all other Squamata, squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping Scale (zoology), scales. Ma ...
s commonly referred to as African house snakes, in the
family
Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...
Lamprophiidae
The Lamprophiidae are a family of snakes found throughout much of Africa, including the Seychelles. There are 89 species as of July 2022.
Biology
Lamprophiids are a very diverse group of snakes. Many are terrestrial but some are fossorial (e.g. ...
.
Description
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 appropriate s ...
of ''Lamprophis'' exhibit a wide variety of pattern variation, and may be spotted, striped, or solid in color. House snakes are
sexually dimorphic
Sexual dimorphism is the condition where the sexes of the same animal and/or plant species exhibit different morphological characteristics, particularly characteristics not directly involved in reproduction. The condition occurs in most ani ...
, the females grow significantly larger, to about in some species, and some specimens have been recorded over , the males only grow to around . Albino variants of ''
Lamprophis aurora
The Aurora house snake, Aurora snake, or night snake (''Lamprophis aurora'') is a species of snake in the family Colubridae. It is endemic to Southern Africa (South Africa, Lesotho, Eswatini, Botswana).
Distribution
This species is widespread in ...
'' have been found.
Species
As of 2022, 3 species in the genus ''Lamprophis'' are recognized:
*''
Lamprophis aurora
The Aurora house snake, Aurora snake, or night snake (''Lamprophis aurora'') is a species of snake in the family Colubridae. It is endemic to Southern Africa (South Africa, Lesotho, Eswatini, Botswana).
Distribution
This species is widespread in ...
'' – aurora house snake
*''
Lamprophis fiskii
Fisk's house snake (''Lamprophis fiskii'') is a species of snake in the family Lamprophiidae.
It is endemic to South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Afric ...
'' – Fisk's house snake, vulnerable (VU)
*''
Lamprophis fuscus
The yellow-bellied house snake (''Lamprophis fuscus'') is a species of snake in the family Colubridae . It is endemic to South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost countr ...
'' – yellow-bellied house snake, near threatened (LR/nt)
''
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 atten ...
'': A binomial authority in parentheses indicates that the species was originally described in a genus other than ''Lamprophis''.
The species formerly known as ''Lamprophis capensis'', the brown house snake or Cape house snake, has been assigned to the genus ''
Boaedon
''Boaedon'' is a genus of African lamprophiids consisting of the "brown" house snakes. The genus was originally described by Duméril but the species contained were reclassified as Lamprophis by Fitzinger in 1843, this taxonomy remained widely ...
'', as ''
Boaedon capensis
''Boaedon capensis'', the Cape house snake, also known as the brown house snake, is a species of lamprophiid from Botswana, South Africa (from KwaZulu-Natal all the way through to the Western Cape), Mozambique, Zambia and Zimbabwe. They are a ...
''.
The species formerly known as ''Lamprophis erlangeri'', the Ethiopian house snake, has been assigned to the genus ''Bofa'' as ''
Bofa erlangeri
''Bofa erlangeri'', also known commonly as the Ethiopian house snake, is a species of snake in the family Lamprophiidae. The species is endemic to Ethiopia.
Taxonomy
''B. erlangeri'' is the only species in the genus ''Bofa''.
Etymology
The ...
''.
Geographic range
House snakes are found throughout all of
sub-Saharan Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa is, geographically, the area and regions of the continent of Africa that lies south of the Sahara. These include West Africa, East Africa, Central Africa, and Southern Africa. Geopolitically, in addition to the List of sov ...
in a wide variety of habitats; some species are well adapted to living in burrows.
They are named "house" snakes as they are frequently found around human dwellings, feeding on the rodents that congregate around human waste. They are extremely adaptable snakes, which are found in scrubland, woodland, savannah, and montane regions.
Behaviour and diet
Wild house snakes are often very nervous, but are not prone to biting. Their first defensive reaction is to flee. They are frequently found in and around human dwellings, where they consume rodents, small lizards, and even birds. House snakes are prolific breeders and lay clutches averaging eight to 12 eggs that hatch after around two months of incubation. Hatchlings are typically around 20 cm long.
In captivity
African house snakes are common in the exotic pet trade. The primary species available is ''B. capensis'', with the others being harder to acquire. They are easy to care for and breed readily.
They can live up to 20 years with proper care. Males are smaller than females and seldom grow longer than . Females can attain lengths of , and specimens from the eastern region of southern Africa (
KwaZulu-Natal
KwaZulu-Natal (, also referred to as KZN and known as "the garden province") is a province of South Africa that was created in 1994 when the Zulu bantustan of KwaZulu ("Place of the Zulu" in Zulu) and Natal Province were merged. It is locate ...
) are reported to reach lengths of or more. These snakes are nocturnal. The female lays one clutch of 9 to 16 eggs in early spring. They are known to store sperm and can lay up to six clutches per year in captivity, but it rarely happens in nature. Hatchlings are upon hatching.
Diet
Their main diet consists of rodents; in captivity, smaller snakes take
pinkie mice
Pinkie may refer to:
Biology
* Pinky finger or little finger
* Pinkie, a baby mouse used as a food for exotic pets
* Bilby or pinkie, an animal in Southern Australia
* Pinkie, a rosemary cultivar
People
* Pinkie Barnes (1915–2012), English ...
, and in the wild they more commonly prey on
gecko
Geckos are small, mostly carnivorous lizards that have a wide distribution, found on every continent except Antarctica. Belonging to the infraorder Gekkota, geckos are found in warm climates throughout the world. They range from .
Geckos ar ...
s until they are powerful enough to constrict mice. Large females are known to occasionally eat weanling rats. Adult snakes get fed weekly. Hatchlings may eat small lizards, such as
skink
Skinks are lizards belonging to the family Scincidae, a family in the infraorder Scincomorpha. With more than 1,500 described species across 100 different taxonomic genera, the family Scincidae is one of the most diverse families of lizards. Ski ...
s and geckos, and newborn mice. In captivity, they can successfully be fed on gecko tails. Larger specimens are also known to take lizards, and in rare cases they will catch small bats. House snakes should be fed alone; their often violent feeding response may cause cannibalism.
References
External links
The African house snake page On Kingsnake.com''Lamprophis'' websiteAfrican house snakes''Lamprophis'' forumsHouse snake captive care guideInformational ''Lamprophis'' website and forum
Further reading
*
Boulenger GA (1893). ''Catalogue of the Snakes in the British Museum (Natural History). Volume I., Containing the Families ... Colubridæ Aglyphæ, part.'' London: Trustees of the British Museum (Natural History). (Taylor and Francis, printers). xiii + 448 pp. + Plates I-XXVIII. (Genus ''Lamprophis'', p. 39, Figure 19).
*
Branch, Bill (2004). ''Field Guide to Snakes and Other Reptiles of Southern Africa''. Third Revised edition, Second impression. Sanibel Island, Florida: Ralph Curtis Books. 399 pp. . (Genus ''Lamprophis''
'sensu lato''">sensu_lato.html" ;"title="'sensu lato">'sensu lato'' pp. 73–74).
*Leopold Fitzinger">Fitzinger L (1843). ''Systema Reptilium, Fasciculus Primus, Amblyglossae.'' Vienna: Braumüller & Seidel. 106 pp. + indices. (''Lamprophis'', new genus, p. 25). (in Latin).
*Vivian Frederick Maynard FitzSimons, FitzSimons V (1966). "A check-list, with synoptic keys, to the snakes of Southern Africa". ''Annals of the Transvaal Museum'' 25 (3): 35-79. (Genus ''Lamprophis'', Key to the species, p. 45).
{{Taxonbar, from=Q2132106
Lamprophiidae
Taxa named by Leopold Fitzinger
Snake genera