''Liophidium'' 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
snakes
Snakes are elongated, limbless, carnivorous reptiles of the suborder Serpentes . Like all other squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping scales. Many species of snakes have skulls with several more joi ...
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 ...
Pseudoxyrhophiidae
The Pseudoxyrhophiidae is a family of elapoid snakes, found mostly in Madagascar. They were formerly placed as a subfamily of the Lamprophiidae, but have been more recently identified as a distinct family.
It contains about 22 genera in two s ...
. The genus contains ten species, nine of which 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 elsew ...
to the island of
Madagascar
Madagascar (; mg, Madagasikara, ), officially the Republic of Madagascar ( mg, Repoblikan'i Madagasikara, links=no, ; french: République de Madagascar), is an island country in the Indian Ocean, approximately off the coast of East Africa ...
and one to the island of
Mayotte
Mayotte (; french: Mayotte, ; Shimaore: ''Maore'', ; Kibushi: ''Maori'', ), officially the Department of Mayotte (french: Département de Mayotte), is an overseas department and region and single territorial collectivity of France. It is loc ...
.
[ All species of ''Liophidium'' are harmless to humans.
]
Species
The following species are recognized as being valid.
*'' Liophidium apperti'' Domergue, 1984
*'' Liophidium chabaudi'' Domergue, 1984
*'' Liophidium maintikibo'' Franzen, Jones
Jones may refer to:
People
*Jones (surname), a common Welsh and English surname
*List of people with surname Jones
* Jones (singer), a British singer-songwriter
Arts and entertainment
* Jones (''Animal Farm''), a human character in George Orwell ...
, Raselimanana, Nagy Nagy () is the most common Hungarian surname, meaning "great".
The surname is also common among ethnic Hungarians in the northern Serbian province of Vojvodina, where it is spelled Nađ () and may be transliterated in other languages as Nadj.
...
, D’Cruze, Glaw & Vences, 2009
*'' Liophidium mayottensis'' ( W. Peters, 1874) - Peters' brightsnake
*'' Liophidium pattoni'' Vieites, Ratsoavina, Randrianiaina, Nagy, Glaw & Vences, 2010
*'' Liophidium rhodogaster'' (Schlegel
Schlegel is a German occupational surname. Notable people with the surname include:
* Anthony Schlegel (born 1981), former American football linebacker
* August Wilhelm Schlegel (1767–1845), German poet, older brother of Friedrich
* Brad Schlege ...
, 1837) - gold-collared snake
*'' Liophidium therezieni'' Domergue, 1984
*'' Liophidium torquatum'' (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 (1858–1 ...
, 1888)
*'' Liophidium trilineatum'' Boulenger, 1896 - Madagascar three-lined snake
*'' Liophidium vaillanti'' ( Mocquard, 1901)
''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 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, bot ...
in parentheses indicates that the species was originally described in a genus other than ''Liophidium''.
References
Further reading
* Boulenger GA (1896). ''Catalogue of the Snakes in the British Museum (Natural History). Volume III., Containing the Colubridæ (Opisthoglyphæ and Proteroglyphæ), ...'' London: Trustees of the British Museum (Natural History). (Taylor and Francis, printers). xiv + 727 pp. + Plates I-XXV. (''Liophidium'', new genus, pp. 598–599).
* Glaw F, Vences M (2007). ''A Field Guide to the Amphibians and Reptiles of Madagascar, Third Edition''. Cologne, Germany: Vences & Glaw Verlag. 496 pp. .
Snakes of Africa
Reptiles of Madagascar
Snake genera
Taxa named by George Albert Boulenger
Pseudoxyrhophiidae
{{Madagascar-stub