Psammophis leightoni

Psammophis leightoni
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Suborder:	Serpentes
Family:	Psammophiidae
Genus:	Psammophis
Species:	P. leightoni
Binomial name
Psammophis leightoni Boulenger, 1902[2]

Psammophis leightoni, also called commonly the Cape sand racer, Cape sand snake, fork-marked sand snake, and Namib sand snake, is a species of mildly venomous snake in the family Psammophiidae. The species is native to the western part of southern Africa.[3]

Etymology

The specific name, leightoni, is in honor of British herpetologist Gerald Rowley Leighton.[4]

Description

P. leightoni is a slender snake. It has eight upper labials, the fourth and fifth of which contact the eye. The smooth dorsal scales are arranged in 17 rows at midbody. Males grow to be longer than females. Maximum recorded snout-to-vent lengths (SVL) are 96 cm (38 in) for a male, and 80 cm (31 in) for a female.[5]

Habitat and geographic range

P. leightoni is found in fynbos, veld, and the Karoo, Kalahari and Namib desert biomes of South Africa, Botswana and Namibia, and in a small section of coastal southern Angola.[1]

Diet

P. leightoni preys predominately upon small lizards and small rodents, but will also eat other snakes.[5]

Reproduction

P. leightoni is oviparous.[6] Clutch size is about eight eggs, and each hatchling has a total length (including tail) of 22–24 cm (8.7–9.4 in).[5]

Taxonomy

The former species P. namibensis and P. trinasalis have been moved to P. leightoni as junior synonyms.[6]

References

1. Tolley, K.A.; Alexander, G.J. (2021). "Psammophis leightoni ". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2021: e.T160436721A160436794. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2021-2.RLTS.T160436721A160436794.en. Retrieved 15 December 2024.
2. Boulenger, G.A. (1902). "Description of a new snake of the genus Psammophis, from Cape Colony". Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London. 72: 126. doi:10.1111/j.1469-7998.1902.tb08212.x. (Psammophis leightoni, new species).
3. "Cape Sand Snake - ASI". African Snakebite Institute. Retrieved 2024-12-29.
4. Beolens, B.; Watkins, M.; Grayson, M. (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. ISBN 978-1-4214-0135-5. (Psammophis leightoni, p. 154).
5. Branch, Bill (2004). Field Guide to Snakes and other Reptiles of Southern Africa. Third Revised edition, Second impression. Sanibel Island, Florida: Ralph Curtis Books.399 pp. ISBN 0-88359-042-5. (Psammophis leightoni, p. 90 + Plate 23).
6. Species Psammophis leightoni at The Reptile Database www.reptile-database.org.

Further reading

• Broadley, D.G. (1975). "A review of Psammophis leightoni and Psammophis notostictus in southern Africa (Serpentes: Colubridae)". Arnoldia 7 (13): 1–17.
• Broadley, D.G.; Blaylock, R. (2013). The Snakes of Zimbabwe and Botswana. Frankfurt am Main, Germany: Edition Chimaira / Serpents Tale. 387 pp. ISBN 978-3899734690.
• Shine, R.; Branch, W.R.; Webb, J.K.; Harlow, P.S.; Shine, T. (2006). "Sexual Dimorphism, Reproductive Biology, and Dietary Habits of Psammophiine Snakes (Colubridae) from Southern Africa". Copeia 2006 (4): 650–664.