Stenorrhina degenhardtii

Stenorrhina degenhardtii
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Suborder:	Serpentes
Family:	Colubridae
Genus:	Stenorrhina
Species:	S. degenhardtii
Binomial name
Stenorrhina degenhardtii (Berthold, 1846)
Synonyms[2]
Calamaria degenhardtii Berthold 1846 Stenorhina ventralis A.M.C. Duméril, Bibron & A.H.A. Duméril, 1854 Stenorhina kennicottiana Cope, 1860 Stenorrhina degenhardtii — Cope, 1876

Stenorrhina degenhardtii, also known by its common name Degenhardt's scorpion-eating snake, is a species of snake in the family Colubridae.[3][4] The species is native to southeastern Mexico, Central America, and northwestern South America. There are three recognized subspecies.

Etymology

The specific name, degenhardtii, is in honor of a German named Degenhardt who collected amphibians and reptiles in northern South America in the 1840s.[5]

Geographic range

S. degenhardtii is found in the Mexican states of Chiapas, Oaxaca, and Veracruz;[2] in the Central American countries of Belize, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Panama;[1] and in the South American countries of Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela.[1]

Habitat

The preferred natural habitats of S. degenhardti are forest and savanna, at altitudes from sea level to 2,800 m (9,200 ft), but it has also been found in agricultural areas.[1]

Description

A medium-sized snake, S. degenhardtii may attain a total length (including tail) of 65 cm (26 in).[2]

Behavior

S. degenhardtii is diurnal and terrestrial.[1]

Diet

S. degenhardtii preys predominately upon scorpions and spiders, but also eats crickets, grasshoppers, and insect larvae.[1]

Reproduction

S. degenhardtii is oviparous.[2] Clutch size is 11–12 eggs.[1]

Subspecies

Three subspecies are recognized as being valid, including the nominotypical subspecies.[2]

• Stenorrhina degenhardtii degenhardtii (Berthold, 1846)
• Stenorrhina degenhardtii mexicana (Steindachner, 1867)
• Stenorrhina degenhardtii ocellata Jan & Sordelli, 1876

References

1. Lee J, Mandujano RC, Rivas G, Schargel W, Wilson LD (2017). "Stenorrhina degenhardtii ". The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2017: https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-2.RLTS.T198516A2528344.en. Accessed on 30 June 2022.
2. Species Stenorrhina degenhardtii at The Reptile Database www.reptile-database.org.
3. Berthold AA (1846). "Über verschiedene neue oder seltene Reptilien aus Neu-Granada und Crustaceen aus China". Abhandlungen der Königlichen Gesellschaft der Wissenschaften zu Göttingen 3: 3-32 + Plates I–III. (Calamaria degenhardtii, new species, p. 8 + Plate I, figures 3–4). (in German and Latin).
4. "Stenorrhina degenhardtii ". iNaturalist. Retrieved 2022-05-11.
5. Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. ISBN 978-1-4214-0135-5. (Stenorrhina degenhardtii, p. 67).

Further reading

• Boulenger GA (1896). Catalogue of the Snakes in the British Museum (Natural History). Volume III., Containing the Colubridæ (Opisthoglyphæ and Proteroglyphæ) .... London: Trustees of the British Museum (Natural History). (Taylor and Francis, printers). xiv + 727 pp. + Plates I–XXV. (Stenorrhina degenhardti, pp. 229–231).
• Freiberg M (1982). Snakes of South America. Hong Kong: T.F.H. Publications. 189 pp. ISBN 0-87666-912-7. (Stenorrhina degenhardti, p. 111).
• Heimes P (2016). Snakes of Mexico: Herpetofauna Mexicana Vol. I. Frankfurt, Germany: Chimaira. 572 pp. ISBN 978-3899731002.

Media related to Stenorrhina degenhardtii at Wikimedia Commons