''Rhabdophis adleri'' is a
species
In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...
of
keelback Keelback may refer to any of the following snake genera:
* ''Amphiesma''
* ''Amphiesmoides'', a monotypic genus in the Colubridae with its sole representative, the white-eyed keelback, ''Amphiesmoides ornaticeps''
* '' Atretium'', a monotypic genus ...
snake
Snakes are elongated, Limbless vertebrate, limbless, carnivore, carnivorous reptiles of the suborder Serpentes . Like all other Squamata, squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping Scale (zoology), scales. Ma ...
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 ...
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
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
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
.
[
]
Etymology
The specific name, ''adleri'', is in honor of American herpetologist Kraig Adler Kraig is a male given name as well as a family name. Notable people with the name include:
As a given name:
*Kraig Chiles, American soccer player
*Kraig Grady, musician
*Kraig Kann, anchor on The Golf Channel
*Kraig Kinser, American race car driver ...
.[ Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). ''The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles''. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. . (''Rhabdophis adleri'', p. 2).]
Geographic range
''R. adleri'' is found on Hainan Island
Hainan (, ; ) is the smallest and southernmost province of the People's Republic of China (PRC), consisting of various islands in the South China Sea. , the largest and most populous island in China,The island of Taiwan, which is slightly l ...
, China.[
]
Habitat
The preferred natural habitat
In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species habitat can be seen as the physical ...
s of ''R. adleri'' are forest
A forest is an area of land dominated by trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, and ecological function. The United Nations' ...
, shrubland
Shrubland, scrubland, scrub, brush, or bush is a plant community characterized by vegetation dominated by shrubs, often also including grasses, herbs, and geophytes. Shrubland may either occur naturally or be the result of human activity. It m ...
, and grassland
A grassland is an area where the vegetation is dominated by grasses (Poaceae). However, sedge (Cyperaceae) and rush (Juncaceae) can also be found along with variable proportions of legumes, like clover, and other herbs. Grasslands occur natur ...
, at altitudes of .
Diet
''R. adleri'' preys
Predation is a biological interaction where one organism, the predator, kills and eats another organism, its prey. It is one of a family of common feeding behaviours that includes parasitism and micropredation (which usually do not kill th ...
upon fishes and frogs.
Reproduction
''R. adleri'' 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 ...
.[
]
References
Further reading
* Mori A, Jono T, Ding L, Zhu G-X, Wang J, Shi H-T, Tang Y (2016). "Discovery of Nucho-Dorsal Glands in ''Rhabdophis adleri'' ". ''Current Herpetology'' 35 (1): 53–58.
* Zhao E (1997). "A New Species of ''Rhabdophis'' (Serpentes: Colubridae) from Hainan Island, China". ''Asiatic Herpetological Research'' 7: 166–169. (''Rhabdophis adleri'', new species).
*Zhao E (2006). 'Snakes of China'' Hefei, China: Anhui Science and Technology Press. Volume I, 372 pp. Volume II, 280 pp., color plates. . (in Chinese).
Rhabdophis
Snakes of Southeast Asia
Reptiles of China
Endemic fauna of China
Reptiles described in 1997
{{colubrids-stub