''Thermophis baileyi'', also known commonly as Bailey's snake, the hot-spring keelback, the hot-spring snake, and the Xizang hot-spring keelback, is a rare

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 ...

colubrid 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 ...

snake

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 ...

Tibet Tibet (; ''Böd''; ) is a region in East Asia, covering much of the Tibetan Plateau and spanning about . It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people. Also resident on the plateau are some other ethnic groups such as Monpa people, ...

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 ...

, ''baileyi'', is in honor of Frederick M. Bailey, a

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

army officer and

explorer Exploration refers to the historical practice of discovering remote lands. It is studied by geographers and historians. Two major eras of exploration occurred in human history: one of convergence, and one of divergence. The first, covering most ...

Geographic range

''T. baileyi'' is found only at high altitudes on the

Tibetan Plateau The Tibetan Plateau (, also known as the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau or the Qing–Zang Plateau () or as the Himalayan Plateau in India, is a vast elevated plateau located at the intersection of Central, South and East Asia covering most of the Ti ...

. The species is endemic to Tibet and was recorded for the first time in 1907 by

Wall A wall is a structure and a surface that defines an area; carries a load; provides security, shelter, or soundproofing; or, is decorative. There are many kinds of walls, including: * Walls in buildings that form a fundamental part of the supe ...

near Gyantze at above sea level (no exact coordinates available). Wall F (2007). "Some new Asian snakes". ''Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society'' 17 (3): 612–618 + three unnumbered plates. (''Tropidonotus baileyi'', new species, pp. 617–618 + second unnumbered plate, six views). In 1990

Macey Macey may refer to: Places * Macey, Aube, a commune in the Aube ''département'', France * Macey, Manche, a former commune in the Manche ''département'', France * Mount Macey, Mac. Robertson Land, Antarctica * Macey Cone, Australian Territory ...

and Papenfuss reported the species from Yangbajain hot spring area. So far ''T. baileyi'' is known only from a few sites.Zhao E-m (1998). "''Thermophis baileyi'' ". pp. 318–320. ''In'': Zhao E-m et al. (1998). ''Fauna Sinica, Reptilia, vol. 3, Serpentes''. Beijing: Science Press. A comprehensive distribution map of ''T. baileyi'' was provided by

Hofmann Hoffman is a surname of German and Jewish origin. The original meaning in medieval times was "steward", i.e. one who manages the property of another. In English and other European languages, including Yiddish and Dutch, the name can also be spelle ...

et al. (2014), showing that the geographic range of the snake is a restricted area between the

Transhimalaya The Transhimalaya (also spelled Trans-Himalaya), or "Gangdise – Nyenchen Tanglha range" ( zh, s=冈底斯-念青唐古拉山脉, p=Gāngdǐsī-Niànqīngtánggǔlā Shānmài), is a mountain range in China, India and Nepal, extending in a west ...

and the

Himalaya The Himalayas, or Himalaya (; ; ), is a mountain range in Asia, separating the plains of the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau. The range has some of the planet's highest peaks, including the very highest, Mount Everest. Over 100 ...

, along the central part of the Yarlung Zhangbo suture zone.

Description

''Thermophis baileyi'' is olive green, with five series of indistinct spots

dorsally Standard anatomical terms of location are used to unambiguously describe the anatomy of animals, including humans. The terms, typically derived from Latin or Greek roots, describe something in its standard anatomical position. This position prov ...

, most pronounced in the forebody. It has a dusky postocular streak, and dusky posterior edges to the labials. The belly is bluish-grey, with each

ventral Standard anatomical terms of location are used to unambiguously describe the anatomy of animals, including humans. The terms, typically derived from Latin or Greek language, Greek roots, describe something in its standard anatomical position. Th ...

black basally. The young are darker than adults. The

dorsal scales In snakes, the dorsal scales are the longitudinal series of plates that encircle the body, but do not include the ventral scales. Campbell JA, Lamar WW (2004). ''The Venomous Reptiles of the Western Hemisphere''. Ithaca and London: Comstock Publis ...

are in 19 rows at midbody, all keeled except the last row, with indistinct double apical facets. The ventrals number 201–221. The

anal Anal may refer to: Related to the anus *Related to the anus of animals: ** Anal fin, in fish anatomy ** Anal vein, in insect anatomy ** Anal scale, in reptile anatomy *Related to the human anus: ** Anal sex, a type of sexual activity involvin ...

is divided. The

subcaudals In snakes, the subcaudal scales are the enlarged plates on the underside of the tail.Wright AH, Wright AA. 1957. Handbook of Snakes. Comstock Publishing Associates (7th printing, 1985). 1105 pp. . These scales may be either single or divided (pair ...

number 91-111, mostly divided, but with a few entire. Adults may attain a total length (including tail) of .

Conservation status

Bailey's snake is considered

Near Threatened A near-threatened species is a species which has been categorized as "Near Threatened" (NT) by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as that may be vulnerable to endangerment in the near future, but it does not currently qualify fo ...

IUCN The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN; officially International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natu ...

. In the last decades, the growing exploitation of geothermal energy has led to a destruction of hot spring habitats, resulting in an increased threat to populations of hot-spring snakes.

Taxonomy

The existence of Bailey's snake was first announced in the scientific literature in 1907, when it was described as a new species by Frank Wall. Wall originally classified it as ''Tropodinotus baileyi''. In 1953 Malnate referred to it as ''Tropidonotus (= Natrix) baileyi'', and realizing that Bailey's snake did not fit in the

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

''Natrix'', placed it in the new genus ''Thermophis'', designating ''T. baileyi'' as the type species.

Habitat

Snakes of the genus ''

Thermophis ''Thermophis'' is a genus of snakes in the family Colubridae. The genus is endemic to China. Species The genus includes three species: www.reptile-database.org. * '' Thermophis baileyi'' (Wall A wall is a structure and a surface that ...

'' live probably at the highest altitude of any snakes in the world. The presence of ''T. baileyi'' is strongly attributable to hot springs with low sulphur concentration, locations in river valleys that provide rocky slopes and vegetated shorelines, and existence of a river within a radius.

References

External links

Hot spring snakes at Life is Short but Snakes are Long
{{Taxonbar, from=Q1037366 Thermophis Snakes of China Endemic fauna of Tibet Reptiles described in 1907 Taxa named by Frank Wall