Aparallactus niger
Encyclopedia
Aparallactus niger is a species
of venomous rear-fanged snake
in the family Atractaspididae
. It is endemic to Western Africa
.
The type specimen is 33.5 cm (13⅛ inches) in total length, 8 cm (3⅛ inches) of which is the tail.
The dorsal scales are arranged in 15 rows. Ventrals 164; anal plate entire; subcaudals 60.
Portion of rostral visible from above ⅓ as long as its distance from the frontal. Internasals slightly broader than long, widely separated from the preocular. A single prefrontal, forming sutures with the nasal and the preocular. Frontal nearly 1½ times as long as broad, as long as its distance from the end of the snout, much shorter than the parietals. Nasal semidivided, in contact with the preocular. Two postoculars. A single temporal. Seven upper labials, third and fourth entering the eye, fifth and sixth in contact with the parietal. First lower labial in contact with its fellow behind the mental. Four lower labials in contact with anterior chin shield. Anterior chin shields longer than posterior chin shields.
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
of venomous rear-fanged snake
Snake
Snakes are elongate, legless, carnivorous reptiles of the suborder Serpentes that can be distinguished from legless lizards by their lack of eyelids and external ears. Like all squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping scales...
in the family Atractaspididae
Atractaspididae
The Atractaspididae are a family of snakes found in Africa and the Middle East. Currently, 12 genera are recognized.-Description:This family includes many genera formerly classed in other families, on the basis of fang type. It includes fangless , rear-fanged , fixed-fanged , and viper-like species...
. It is endemic to Western Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
.
Description
Aparallactus niger is completely black dorsally, to which the specific name, niger, refers. Ventrally, the ventral scales are white, edged with black, and the subcaudal scales are black in the middle and on the posterior and outer borders.The type specimen is 33.5 cm (13⅛ inches) in total length, 8 cm (3⅛ inches) of which is the tail.
The dorsal scales are arranged in 15 rows. Ventrals 164; anal plate entire; subcaudals 60.
Portion of rostral visible from above ⅓ as long as its distance from the frontal. Internasals slightly broader than long, widely separated from the preocular. A single prefrontal, forming sutures with the nasal and the preocular. Frontal nearly 1½ times as long as broad, as long as its distance from the end of the snout, much shorter than the parietals. Nasal semidivided, in contact with the preocular. Two postoculars. A single temporal. Seven upper labials, third and fourth entering the eye, fifth and sixth in contact with the parietal. First lower labial in contact with its fellow behind the mental. Four lower labials in contact with anterior chin shield. Anterior chin shields longer than posterior chin shields.