Julia's ground snake (''Erythrolamprus juliae'') 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 family date back to the Oligocene epoch. Colubrid snakes are found on ever ...
. The species is found in the
Caribbean
The Caribbean (, ) ( es, El Caribe; french: la Caraïbe; ht, Karayib; nl, De Caraïben) is a region of the Americas that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (some surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and some bordering both the Caribbean Se ...
, on the
Lesser Antilles islands of
Dominica
Dominica ( or ; Kalinago: ; french: Dominique; Dominican Creole French: ), officially the Commonwealth of Dominica, is an island country in the Caribbean. The capital, Roseau, is located on the western side of the island. It is geographically ...
and
Guadeloupe
Guadeloupe (; ; gcf, label=Antillean Creole, Gwadloup, ) is an archipelago and overseas department and region of France in the Caribbean. It consists of six inhabited islands—Basse-Terre, Grande-Terre, Marie-Galante, La Désirade, and the ...
.
Etymology
The
specific name Specific name may refer to:
* in Database management systems, a system-assigned name that is unique within a particular database
In taxonomy, either of these two meanings, each with its own set of rules:
* Specific name (botany), the two-part (bino ...
, ''juliae'', is in honor of Julia Cope Collins (1866–1959), who was the only child of
American
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, pe ...
herpetologist Edward Drinker Cope
Edward Drinker Cope (July 28, 1840 – April 12, 1897) was an American zoologist, paleontologist, comparative anatomist, herpetologist, and ichthyologist. Born to a wealthy Quaker family, Cope distinguished himself as a child prodigy interested ...
, the describer of this species.
[Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). ''The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles''. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. . (''Liophis juliae'', p. 137).]
Subspecies
The
nominate subspecies
In biological classification, subspecies is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (morphology), but that can successfully interbreed. Not all species ...
, ''E. j. juliae'', is
endemic to Dominica, where it may be found everywhere but the highest elevations. ''E. j. copeae'' is found on numerous islands in the Guadeloupean archipelago, while ''E. j. mariae'' is restricted to the Guadeloupean island of
Marie-Galante. Its relative rareness in Guadeloupe is attributed to the presence of the
mongoose, which is absent from Dominica.
Description
''E. juliae'' can reach half a meter (20 inches) in total length (including tail). Its coloration is typically white or yellowish flecks on a glossy dark ground color, but some individuals are uniformly dark.
Diet
Julia's ground snake eats lizards, frogs, and insects.
Defensive behavior
''E. juliae'' is harmless to humans, but may release a foul-smelling
cloacal secretion if provoked.
References
Further reading
*
Barbour T (1914). "A Contribution to the Zoögeography of the West Indies, with Especial Reference to Amphibians and Reptiles". ''Memoirs of the Museum of Comparative Zoölogy'' 44 (2): 205-359 + one plate. (''Leimadophis mariae'', new species, p. 340).
*
Cope ED (1879). "Eleventh Contribution to the Herpetology of Tropical America". ''Proc. Amer. Philosophical Soc.'' 18: 261–277. ("''Aporophis juliæ'' ", new species, pp. 274–275).
*Malhotra, Anita; Thorpe, Roger S. (1999). ''Reptiles and Amphibians of the Eastern Caribbean''. London and Oxford: Macmillan Education Ltd. . (pp. 39–40, 84, 86–88, 123).
*
Powell, Robert; Henderson, Robert W. (2005). "Conservation Status of Lesser Antillean Reptiles". ''Iguana'' 12 (2): 63–77.
*
Schwartz A,
Thomas R (1975). ''A Check-list of West Indian Amphibians and Reptiles''.
Carnegie Museum of Natural History Special Publication No. 1. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: Carnegie Museum of Natural History. 216 pp. (''Dromicus juliae'', p. 182).
External links
*.
''Liophis juliae''at the
Encyclopedia of Life.
*.
juliae
Snakes of the Caribbean
Reptiles of Dominica
Reptiles of Guadeloupe
Reptiles described in 1879
Taxa named by Edward Drinker Cope
{{Dipsadinae-stub