Leptophis ahaetulla nigromarginatus

Leptophis ahaetulla nigromarginatus, commonly known as the black-skinned parrot snake, is a snake of the family Colubridae.[3] Endemic to South America, it is one of ten recognized subspecies of the parrot snake, Leptophis ahaetulla.[2]

Leptophis ahaetulla nigromarginatus
black-skinned parrot snake
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Suborder:	Serpentes
Family:	Colubridae
Genus:	Leptophis
Species:	L. ahaetulla
Subspecies:	L. a. nigromarginatus
Trinomial name
Leptophis ahaetulla nigromarginatus (Günther, 1866)
Synonyms
Ahætulla nigromarginata Günther, 1866 Leptophis nigromarginatus — Boulenger, 1894 Leptophis occidentalis nigromarginatus — Schmidt & Walker, 1943 Thalerophis richardi nigromarginatus — Oliver, 1948[1][2]

Geographic range

It is found in the Amazon Rainforest in Peru.

Description

Leptophis ahaetulla nigromarginatus (black-skinned parrot snake), Amazon Rainforest, near Nauta, Peru, 2011

L. a. nigromarginatus is a bright green, slender, medium-sized, snake. Adults are typically 60–100 cm (23.5–39.5 in) in total length. Black edges around the outer margin of each scale form a distinctive net-like pattern on the dorsal surface of the animal. The ventral surface has a metallic sheen, and may be green or rust-colored.

Habitat

It is arboreal, living in dense brushy vegetation. It is found in secondary and primary forest.

Behavior

Active during the daytime, it sleeps in vegetation at night.

Diet

It feeds on lizards, frogs, and small birds.

References

1. Boulenger, G.A. 1894. Catalogue of the Snakes in the British Museum (Natural History). Volume II., Containing the Conclusion of the Colubridæ Aglyphæ. Trustees of the British Museum (Natural History). (Taylor and Francis, Printers.) London. xi + 382 pp. + Plates I.- XX. (Leptophis nigromarginatus, pp. 112-113 & Plate III., fig. 3.)
2. Leptophis ahaetulla at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database. Accessed 31 December 2017.
3. Lawson, R.; Slowinski, J. B.; Crother, B. I.; Burbrink, F. T. (2005). "Phylogeny of the Colubroidea (Serpentes): New evidence from mitochondrial and nuclear genes" (PDF). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 37 (2): 581–601. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2005.07.016. PMID 16172004. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-07-27.

Further reading

• Günther, A. 1866. Fifth Account of new Species of Snakes in the Collection of the British Museum. Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., Third Series 18: 24-29. ("Ahætulla nigromarginata", p. 28.)