''Madagascarophis'' is a
genus of small, mildly
venomous snakes native to the island of
Madagascar. They are commonly referred to as Malagasy cat-eyed snakes. Five
species are in the genus.
Species
*''
Madagascarophis colubrinus''
**''Madagascarophis colubrinus citrinus'' (
Boettger, 1877)
**''Madagascarophis colubrinus colubrinus'' (
Schlegel, 1837)
**''Madagascarophis colubrinus insularis''
Domergue Domergue is a French surname. Notable people with the surname include:
*Faith Domergue (1924–1999), American film actress
*François-Urbain Domergue (1745–1810), French grammarian and journalist
*Jacques Domergue (born 1953), French politician
...
, 1987
**''Madagascarophis. colubrinus occidentalis''
Domergue Domergue is a French surname. Notable people with the surname include:
*Faith Domergue (1924–1999), American film actress
*François-Urbain Domergue (1745–1810), French grammarian and journalist
*Jacques Domergue (born 1953), French politician
...
, 1987
**''Madagascarophis colubrinus pastoriensis''
Domergue Domergue is a French surname. Notable people with the surname include:
*Faith Domergue (1924–1999), American film actress
*François-Urbain Domergue (1745–1810), French grammarian and journalist
*Jacques Domergue (born 1953), French politician
...
, 1987
**''Madagascarophis colubrinus septentrionalis''
Domergue Domergue is a French surname. Notable people with the surname include:
*Faith Domergue (1924–1999), American film actress
*François-Urbain Domergue (1745–1810), French grammarian and journalist
*Jacques Domergue (born 1953), French politician
...
, 1987
*''
Madagascarophis fuchsi
''Madagascarophis'' is a genus of small, mildly venomous snakes native to the island of Madagascar. They are commonly referred to as Malagasy cat-eyed snakes. Five species are in the genus.
Species
*'' Madagascarophis colubrinus''
**''Madagas ...
'' Glaw, Kucharzewski, Köhler, Vences & Nagy, 2013
*''
Madagascarophis lolo'' Ruane, Burbrink, Randriamahatantsoa, & Raxworthy, 2016
*''
Madagascarophis meridionalis
''Madagascarophis'' is a genus of small, mildly venomous snakes native to the island of Madagascar. They are commonly referred to as Malagasy cat-eyed snakes. Five species are in the genus.
Species
*'' Madagascarophis colubrinus''
**''Mad ...
''
Domergue Domergue is a French surname. Notable people with the surname include:
*Faith Domergue (1924–1999), American film actress
*François-Urbain Domergue (1745–1810), French grammarian and journalist
*Jacques Domergue (born 1953), French politician
...
, 1987
*''
Madagascarophis ocellatus''
Domergue Domergue is a French surname. Notable people with the surname include:
*Faith Domergue (1924–1999), American film actress
*François-Urbain Domergue (1745–1810), French grammarian and journalist
*Jacques Domergue (born 1953), French politician
...
, 1987
Description
''Madagascarophis'' species are small snakes, rarely exceeding 100 cm in adult size. They are highly variable in color,
greys,
browns,
yellows,
greens, and
oranges with darker colored blotches. They have large
eye
Eyes are organs of the visual system. They provide living organisms with vision, the ability to receive and process visual detail, as well as enabling several photo response functions that are independent of vision. Eyes detect light and conv ...
s with vertical
pupils.
Behavior
Malagasy cat-eyed snakes are found in a wide variety of habitats throughout the island of Madagascar, from montane regions to rain forest. Primarily
nocturnal
Nocturnality is an animal behavior characterized by being active during the night and sleeping during the day. The common adjective is "nocturnal", versus diurnal meaning the opposite.
Nocturnal creatures generally have highly developed sens ...
and
terrestrial, they are capable of climbing and are strong swimmers. They feed on a variety of prey, including
chameleon
Chameleons or chamaeleons (family Chamaeleonidae) are a distinctive and highly specialized clade of Old World lizards with 202 species described as of June 2015. The members of this family are best known for their distinct range of colors, bein ...
s and
rodents. Their venom is mild and often not powerful enough to subdue their chosen prey items, so they also employ
constriction as necessary.
In captivity
''Madagascarophis colubrinus'' and ''M. ocellatus'' are frequently imported for the exotic
pet trade, and for educational research. Th
Ophidian Research Colonyof the
University of Texas at Tyler is known to keep a breeding group of ''M. colubrinus''.
The eggs take 83 days to hatch as young snakes at 27 °C.
References
*
{{Taxonbar, from=Q511334
Pseudoxyrhophiidae
Reptiles of Madagascar
Snake genera
Taxa named by Robert Mertens