''Platyceps'' is a genus of snakes of 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 ...

endemic to Eurasia.

Taxonomy

The genus was erected in 1860 by

Edward Blyth Edward Blyth (23 December 1810 – 27 December 1873) was an English zoologist who worked for most of his life in India as a curator of zoology at the museum of the Asiatic Society of India in Calcutta. Blyth was born in London in 1810. In 1841 ...

, allying species previously described. The genus name ''Platyceps'' was inadvertently used for a fossil species in 1877, now recognised as ''

Platycepsion wilkinsoni ''Platycepsion wilksoni'' is an extinct species of prehistoric amphibian, known from partial skeleton deposited in shale at the Gosford Quarry site of the Terrigal Formation in Australia. Taxonomy The species is assigned to a currently monotyp ...

''.

Species

The following 30 species are recognized as being valid. *'' Platyceps afarensis'' Schätti & Ineich, 2004 *'' Platyceps atayevi'' ( Tuniyev & Shammakov, 1993) *''

Platyceps bholanathi ''Platyceps bholanathi'', also known as the Nagarjun Sagar racer, Nagarjunasagar racer, Nagarjuna racer, Bhola Nath's racer, or Sharma's racer, is a species of colubrid snake. It is found in peninsular India, in the Eastern Ghats and the Deccan ...

'' (

Sharma Sharma is a Brahmin Hindu surname in India and Nepal. The Sanskrit stem ( nom. ) can mean 'joyfulness', 'comfort', 'happiness'. Sarma is an alternative English spelling of the name. Some Assamese Brahmins use Sarmah. According to Bhavishya P ...

, 1976) *'' Platyceps brevis'' (

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 ...

, 1895) *''

Platyceps collaris The red whip snake or collared dwarf racer (''Platyceps collaris'') is a species of snake in the family Colubridae. Native to the Middle East, its natural habitats are Mediterranean-type shrubby vegetation, rocky areas, arable land, pastureland, ...

'' ( F. Müller, 1878) *''

Platyceps elegantissimus ''Platyceps elegantissimus'' is a species of snake of 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 ...

'' ( Günther, 1878) *'' Platyceps florulentus'' ( I. Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, 1827) *'' Platyceps gracilis'' *'' Platyceps insulanus'' (

Mertens __NOTOC__ Mertens () is a surname of Flemish Origin, meaning "son of Merten" (Martin). It is the fifth most common name in Belgium with 18,518 people in 2008. Geographical distribution As of 2014, 43.4% of all known bearers of the surname ''Merte ...

, 1965) *'' Platyceps josephi'' Deepak,

Narayanan Narayana (Also rendered Narayane, Narayanan, Narain, Narayankar or Narine) (from Sanskrit नारायण, ''nārāyaṇá'', literally "eternal man") is an Indian name. It is identical in form to the name of the deity Narayana, another name ...

, Mohapatra,

Dutta Dutta, also spelled Dutt or Datta, is a Hindu family name found primarily among Bengali Kayasthas,Assamese Kayasthas and also among Suvarna Baniks, Gandhabaniks in India. The name is also found among certain North Indian Brahmin communities g ...

, Melvinselvan,

Khan Khan may refer to: *Khan (inn), from Persian, a caravanserai or resting-place for a travelling caravan *Khan (surname), including a list of people with the name *Khan (title), a royal title for a ruler in Mongol and Turkic languages and used by ...

Mahlow Blankenfelde-Mahlow is a Municipalities of Germany, municipality in the Teltow-Fläming district of Brandenburg, Germany. It is situated approximately south of Berlin. History The municipality shared its borders with the former West Berlin, and ...

& Tillack, 2021 *''

Platyceps karelini ''Platyceps karelini'' is a species of snake in the family Colubridae. The species is endemic to Asia. Geographic range ''P. karelini'' is found in Afghanistan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. Descriptio ...

'' (

Brandt Brandt may refer to: Places United States * Brandt, Ohio, an unincorporated community * Brandt, South Dakota, a town * Brandt Township, Polk County, Minnesota Elsewhere * Mount Brandt, Queen Maud Land, Antarctica * Brandt Cove, South Georgia Is ...

, 1838) *'' Platyceps ladacensis'' ( Anderson, 1871) *'' Platyceps largeni'' (Schätti, 2001) *'' Platyceps messanai'' (Schätti &

Lanza Lanza may refer to: People Surname * Adam Lanza (1992–2012), American spree killer and perpetrator of the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting * Alcides Lanza (born 1929), Canadian composer * Andrew Lanza (born 1964), New York State senato ...

, 1989) *''

Platyceps najadum ''Platyceps najadum'', also known commonly as Dahl's whip snake, the slender whip snake, and the Zagros whip snake, is a species of snake in the family Colubridae. The species is native to Eurasia. Four subspecies are recognized as being valid. ...

'' (

Eichwald Eichwald may refer to: * Eichwald (surname) * Eichwald porcelain * part of the city of Kassel, Germany * part of the village of Schönborn, Germany See also * Chalampé, Alsace, France (German: Eichwald) * Dubí, Czech Republic (formerly Eichwa ...

, 1831) *'' Platyceps noeli'' Schätti, Tillack & Kucharzewski, 2014 *'' Platyceps plinii'' ( Merrem, 1820) *''

Platyceps rhodorachis Braid snake or Jan's cliff racer (''Platyceps rhodorachis'') is a species of snake found in Central Asia. Distribution It is found in Algeria, Libya, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Syria, Sudan?, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Somalia, Chad, Saudi Arabia, United A ...

'' (

Jan Jan, JaN or JAN may refer to: Acronyms * Jackson, Mississippi (Amtrak station), US, Amtrak station code JAN * Jackson-Evers International Airport, Mississippi, US, IATA code * Jabhat al-Nusra (JaN), a Syrian militant group * Japanese Article Num ...

, 1865) *''

Platyceps rogersi ''Platyceps rogersi'', Rogers's racer, is a species of snake of the family Colubridae. The snake is found in Libya, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, and Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Ira ...

'' *''

Platyceps saharicus ''Platyceps saharicus'' is a species of snake of the Family (biology), family Colubridae. The snake species distribution, is found in Algeria, Libya, Chad, Sudan, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia. References

Platyceps, saharicu ...

'' Schätti &

McCarthy McCarthy (also spelled MacCarthy or McCarty) may refer to: * MacCarthy, a Gaelic Irish clan * McCarthy, Alaska, United States * McCarty, Missouri, United States * McCarthy Road, a road in Alaska * McCarthy (band), an indie pop band * Château MacC ...

, 2004 *''

Platyceps schmidtleri ''Platyceps schmidtleri'' is a species of snake of the family Colubridae. The snake is found in Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered ...

'' (Schätti & McCarthy, 2001) *'' Platyceps scortecci'' (Lanza, 1963) *''

Platyceps sinai ''Platyceps sinai'' is a species of snake of the family Colubridae. It is commonly known as the Sinai racer or Sinai banded racer. Geographic range The snake is found in the Middle East, along the south Israel-Jordan border from the Dead Sea t ...

'' (

Schmidt Schmidt may refer to: * Schmidt (surname), including list of people with the surname * Schmidt (singer) (born 1990), German pop and jazz singer * Schmidt (lunar crater), a small lunar impact crater * Schmidt (Martian crater), a List of craters on ...

& Marx, 1956) *'' Platyceps sindhensis'' Schätti, Tillack & Kucharzewski, 2014 *'' Platyceps somalicus'' (Boulenger, 1896) *''

Platyceps taylori ''Platyceps taylori'', Taylor's racer, is a species of snake of the family Colubridae. The snake is found in Somalia, Ethiopia, Eritrea, and Djibouti Djibouti, ar, جيبوتي ', french: link=no, Djibouti, so, Jabuuti officially t ...

'' (

Parker Parker may refer to: Persons * Parker (given name) * Parker (surname) Places Place names in the United States *Parker, Arizona *Parker, Colorado * Parker, Florida * Parker, Idaho * Parker, Kansas * Parker, Missouri * Parker, North Carolina *Park ...

, 1949) *''

Platyceps thomasi ''Platyceps thomasi'', Thomas's semi-banded racer, is a species of snake of the family Colubridae. The snake is found in Oman and Yemen Yemen (; ar, ٱلْيَمَن, al-Yaman), officially the Republic of Yemen,, ) is a country in West ...

'' (Parker, 1931) *'' Platyceps variabilis'' (Boulenger, 1905) *'' Platyceps ventromaculatus'' ( Gray, 1834) *''

Platyceps vittacaudatus The striped-tailed racer (''Platyceps vittacaudatus'') is a snake in the family Colubridae. It is found in India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, ...

'' ( Blyth, 1854) '' Nota bene'': 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 ''Platyceps''.

Taxonomy

Species

References

Further reading