Barbour's tropical racer (''Mastigodryas bruesi'') 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 endemic to 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 ...

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 ...

, ''bruesi'', is in honor American

entomologist Entomology () is the scientific study of insects, a branch of zoology. In the past the term "insect" was less specific, and historically the definition of entomology would also include the study of animals in other arthropod groups, such as arach ...

Charles Thomas Brues, who was one of the collectors of the holotype. Beolens B, Watkins M,

Grayson M Grayson may refer to: Places Canada * Grayson, Saskatchewan * Rural Municipality of Grayson No. 184, Saskatchewan United States * Grayson, California * Grayson, Georgia ** Grayson High School * Grayson, Kentucky * Grayson, Louisiana * Gray ...

(2011). ''The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles''. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. . (''Mastigodryas bruesi'', p. 41).

Geographic range

''M. bruesi'' is native to Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and

Grenada Grenada ( ; Grenadian Creole French: ) is an island country in the West Indies in the Caribbean Sea at the southern end of the Grenadines island chain. Grenada consists of the island of Grenada itself, two smaller islands, Carriacou and Pe ...

Description

''M. bruesi'' can reach a snout-to-vent length (SVL) of about . Dorsally, it is blue-gray to brown, with lighter lateral stripes. Ventrally, it is whitish.

Behavior and diet

''M. bruesi'' is diurnal, hunting frogs and

lizard Lizards are a widespread group of squamate reptiles, with over 7,000 species, ranging across all continents except Antarctica, as well as most oceanic island chains. The group is paraphyletic since it excludes the snakes and Amphisbaenia alt ...

Habitat

The preferred natural habitat of ''M. bruesi'' is forest, both

mesic Mesic may refer to: * Mesic, North Carolina, a town in the United States * Mesic habitat, a type of habitat See also *Mesić (disambiguation) *Mešić Mešić is a Bosnian surname, a patronymic derived from the masculine given name '' Meša'', it ...

and xeric. It can be found on the ground, and in bushes, where it sleeps at night.

Reproduction

''M. bruesi'' 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 ...

Locality records

''M. bruesi'' has been recorded in the southwest corner of Saint Vincent and is widespread all over the

Grenadines The Grenadines is a chain of small islands that lie on a line between the larger islands of Saint Vincent and Grenada in the Lesser Antilles. Nine are inhabited and open to the public (or ten, if the offshore island of Young Island is counted): ...

islands. It is also found on the southern half of Grenada, which is the farthest south it is distributed. It has been introduced to Barbados, probably around thirty years ago, where it has been incorrectly identified as '' Liophis perfuscus''.

References

Sources

*. *. *

External links

*
''Mastigodryas bruesi''
at the Encyclopedia of Life Colubrids Snakes of the Caribbean Reptiles of Barbados Fauna of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Fauna of Grenada Reptiles described in 1914 {{Colubrids-stub