Mimophis mahfalensis explained
Mimophis mahfalensis, also known as the common big-eyed snake,[1] is a species of snake in the family Psammophiidae. The species is endemic to Madagascar and occurs in the central and southern parts of the island. What had been considered a northern population has been split off as a separate species, Mimophis occultus.
Subspecies
Two subspecies are recognized as being valid.
Nota bene
A trinomial authority in parentheses indicates that the subspecies was originally described in a genus other than Mimophis.
Description
M. mahfalensis may attain a total length of, including a tail length of .[2]
Habitat
The preferred natural habitats of M. mahfalensis are forest, savanna, and shrubland, and it has also been found in disturbed and artificial habitats.
Diet
M. mahfalensis preys upon frogs, lizards, and snakes.
Reproduction
M. mahfalensis is oviparous.
Further reading
- Aprea G, Odierna G, Andreone F, Glaw F, Vences M (2003). "Unusual karyotype in the Malagasy colubrid snake Mimophis mahfalensis ". Amphibia-Reptilia 24 (2): 215–219.
- Glaw F, Vences M (2006). A Field Guide to the Amphibians and Reptiles of Madagascar, Third Edition. Cologne, Germany: Vences & Glaw Verlag. 496 pp. .
- Grandidier A (1867). "Liste des reptiles nouveaux découverts, en 1866, sur la côte sud-ouest de Madagascar ". Revue et Magazine de Zoologie (Paris), 2e Série 19: 232–234. (Psammophis mahfalensis, new species, p. 234. (in French and Latin).
- Günther A (1868). "Sixth Account of new Species of Snakes in the Collection of the British Museum". Annals and Magazine of Natural History, Fourth Series 1 (6): 413–429 + Plates XVII–XIX. (Mimophis madagascariensis, new species, pp. 421–422 + Plate XVIII).
Notes and References
- Rosa . Gonçalo M. . species:Gonçalo M. Rosa . Castelo Branco . João . Couto . Henrique . Eusebio Bergò . Paolo . Andreone . Franco . species:Franco Andreone . Mimophis mahfalensis (common big-eyed snake) predation on Furcifer major (giant carpet chameleon) in Isalo, Madagascar . The Herpetological Bulletin . 138 . 2016 . 40–41 .
- [George Albert Boulenger|Boulenger GA]
