Xenophidion schaeferi

Xenophidion schaeferi, also known commonly as the Malayan spinejaw snake[2] or Schäfer's spiny-jawed snake,[1] is a species of snake in the monotypic family Xenophidiidae.[2] The species is endemic to Malaysia.

Xenophidion schaeferi
Conservation status
Data Deficient  (IUCN 2.3)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Suborder:	Serpentes
Family:	Xenophidiidae
Genus:	Xenophidion
Species:	X. schaeferi
Binomial name
Xenophidion schaeferi R. Günther & Manthey, 1995

Etymology

The specific name, schaeferi is in honor of German herpetologist Christian Schäfer who collected the holotype.[3]

Geographic range

X. schaeferi is found in the Malaysian state of Selangor, in western Peninsular Malaysia.[1][2]

Habitat

The preferred natural habitat of X. schaeferi is forest.[1]

Reproduction

X. schaeferi is oviparous.[2]

DNA sequence divergence of sibling species

In the genus Xenophidion, there is one sister species, X. acanthognathus. Molecular analyses of a new specimen of X. acanthognathus reveal that it only differs from the holotype of X. schaeferi by a minimum sequence divergence of 0.27%.[4]

References

1. Grismer L (2012). "Xenophidion schaeferi ". The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2012: e.T192091A2038648. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2012-1.RLTS.T192091A2038648.en. Downloaded on 15 December 2018.
2. Xenophidion schaeferi at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database. Accessed 14 December 2018.
3. 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. (Xenophidion schaeferi, p. 234).
4. Quah, Evan S.H.; Grismer, L. Lee; Jetten, Thom; Wood, Perry L. Jr.; Miralles, Aurélien; Sah, Shahrul Anuar Mohd; Guek, Kurt H.P.; Brady, Matthew L. (2018-06-27). "The rediscovery of Schaefer's Spine-jawed Snake (Xenophidion schaeferi Günther & Manthey, 1995) (Serpentes, Xenophidiidae) from Peninsular Malaysia with notes on its variation and the first record of the genus from Sumatra, Indonesia". Zootaxa. 4441 (2): 366–378. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.4441.2.10. ISSN 1175-5334. PMID 30314015.

Further reading

• Manthey U, Günther R (1995). "Xenophidion, a new genus with two new species of snakes from Malaysia (Serpentes, Colubridae)". Amphibia-Reptilia 16 (3): 229–240. (Xenophidion schaeferi, new species).