''Xenopeltis hainanensis'' is a non-venomous sunbeam snake

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 ...

found in

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 ...

and

Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...

. This is a primitive snake known for its highly iridescent scales. No

subspecies In biological classification, subspecies is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (morphology), but that can successfully interbreed. Not all species ...

are recognized.

Description

This snake grows to an average of about .5 to 1 m. A

fossorial A fossorial () animal is one adapted to digging which lives primarily, but not solely, underground. Some examples are badgers, naked mole-rats, clams, meerkats, and mole salamanders, as well as many beetles, wasps, and bees. Prehistoric eviden ...

species, the head is wedge-shaped and narrow with little neck delineation, which makes it easy to push through the soil. Its most defining characteristic is its

iridescent Iridescence (also known as goniochromism) is the phenomenon of certain surfaces that appear to gradually change color as the angle of view or the angle of illumination changes. Examples of iridescence include soap bubbles, feathers, butterfl ...

, highly polished scales that give this snake its common name (sunbeam snake). The dorsal scales a layer of dark (indigo-brown) pigmentation just below the surface on each scale that enhances the iridescence. The ventral scales are greyish-white. This species differs from its sister taxon ''

Xenopeltis unicolor :''Common names: sunbeam snake, common sunbeam snake, iridescent snake.Mehrtens JM. 1987. ''Living Snakes of the World in Color''. New York: Sterling Publishers. 480 pp. .'' ''Xenopeltis unicolor'' is a non-venomous sunbeam snake species found i ...

'' in several ways. It has a singular postocular scale rather than two, fewer ventral, supralabial, and infralabial scales, a shorter tail, and fewer maxillary teeth. The holotype of the species is Chengdu Institute of Biology specimen CIB 64III6016, a male collected in 1964. The paratype, CIB 64III6650, is a female collected the same year. Both species together form the family

Xenopeltidae ''Xenopeltis'', the sunbeam snakes, are the sole genus of the monotypic family Xenopeltidae, the species of which are found in Southeast Asia. Sunbeam snakes are known for their highly iridescent scales. Two species are recognized, each one with ...

, a primitive group of snakes with both

boid The Boidae, commonly known as boas or boids, are a family of nonvenomous snakes primarily found in the Americas, as well as Africa, Europe, Asia, and some Pacific Islands. Boas include some of the world's largest snakes, with the green anaconda ...

and pythonid characteristics.

Geographic range

''Xenopeltis hainanensis'' is found in "isolated pockets" of southeastern China (from Guangxi east to Zhejiang and south to Hainan) and northern Vietnam. The type locality given is Dali village, Diaoluo Shan (Mount Diaoluo) on

Hainan 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 ...

island, China.

Habitat

This snake tends to live on forest slopes, at heights between 900 and 1100 metres above sea level.

Behavior

These snakes are not venomous, but are constrictors, killing their prey by suffocation in their muscular coils. They are

and spend most of their time below ground.

Feeding

The diet is varied, consisting primarily of frogs, reptiles, including other snakes, and small mammals. The young look very similar to the adults, except that they have a strong white "collar" of scales evident just below the head. This coloration fades within the first year.

Reproduction

This species of snake 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 ...

, with females laying up to 10 eggs at a time.

References

External links

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of this species of snake {{Taxonbar, from=Q3021747 Xenopeltidae Reptiles of China Reptiles of Vietnam Reptiles described in 1972 Taxa named by Zhao Ermi Snakes of China Snakes of Vietnam Snakes of Asia