Lycodon bicolor
| Lycodon bicolor | |
|---|---|
| |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Suborder: | Serpentes |
| Family: | Colubridae |
| Genus: | Lycodon |
| Species: | L. bicolor
|
| Binomial name | |
| Lycodon bicolor (Nikolsky, 1903)
| |
| Synonyms[2] | |
| |
Lycodon bicolor, commonly known as the two-coloured wolf snake, bicolored wolf snake, golden wolf snake, and Mackinnon's wolf snake, is a species of colubrid snake native to the Western Himalayas.
Distribution
[edit | edit source]Lycodon bicolor is restricted to the western Himalayas, ranging from Uttarakhand in India east through IOK to POK in Pakistan. It was originally described from Mussoorie, but was not found again at its type locality for over 112 years until it was rediscovered in 2019 during survey work in Binog Wildlife Sanctuary; these findings were reported in 2021. As Mussoorie is a major tourist destination, L. bicolor may be threatened by vehicular traffic, pollution, and other tourism-related activities near the sanctuary; due to this, a detailed status survey and further research into the species are required.[3][4]
Description
[edit | edit source]Adults may attain a total length of 36.5 cm (14.4 in), which includes a tail 6.5 cm (2.6 in) long. Dorsally, it is brown, with a network of white lines. Ventrally, it is uniformly white, or white with brown-edged ventrals. The dorsal scales are smooth, and are arranged in 17 rows at midbody. The anal plate is divided.[5]
Habitat
[edit | edit source]The preferred natural habitats of Lycodon bicolor are rocky areas and shrubland, at altitudes of 1,500–2,200 m (4,900–7,200 ft).[1]
Reproduction
[edit | edit source]Lycodon bicolor is oviparous.[2]
References
[edit | edit source]- ^ a b Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ a b Species Lycodon bicolor at The Reptile Database . www.reptile-database.org.
- ^ Wall (1906).
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Smith MA (1943).
Further reading
[edit | edit source]- Lanza B (1999). "A new species of Lycodon from the Philippines, with a key to the genus (Reptilia: Serpentes: Colubridae)". Tropical Zoology 12: 89–104.
- Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value). (Contia bicolor, new species). (in French).
- Smith MA (1943). The Fauna of British India, Ceylon and Burma, Including the Whole of the Indo-Chinese Sub-region. Reptilia and Amphibia. Vol. III.—Serpentes. London: Secretary of State for India. (Taylor and Francis, printers). xii + 583 pp. (Lycodon mackinnoni, p. 263).
- Wall F (1906). "A New Himalayan Snake (Lycodon mackinnoni )". Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society 17: 29–30.
- Wall F (1923). "A Hand-list of the Snakes of the Indian Empire. Part 2". J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc. 29 (3): 598–632. (Ophites mackinnoni, p. 614).
Lua error in Module:Taxonbar at line 165: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value). Lua error in mw.title.lua at line 392: bad argument #2 to 'title.new' (unrecognized namespace name 'Portal').
 | This article relating to Colubrinae is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |