Atractaspis leucomelas
Encyclopedia
Atractaspis leucomelas, or the Ogaden burrowing asp, is a species
of venomous snake
in the Atractaspididae
family.
leuco ("white") and Greek
μέλας (melas,"black"), and refers to this snake's "white and black" coloration.
. The type locality is "Ogaden, Somaliland".
Snout very short. Portion of rostral visible from above nearly as long as its distance from the frontal. Suture between the internasals half as long as the suture between the prefrontals. Frontal one and two fifths as long as broad, much longer than its distance from the end of the snout.
Dorsal scales in 23 rows. Ventrals 243; anal entire; subcaudals 27, nearly all entire.
The holotype specimen, a female, is 57.5 cm (22⅝ inches) in total length, with a tail 4 cm (1½ inch) long.
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 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 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...
family.
Etymology
The specific epithet, leucomelas, is derived from New LatinNew Latin
The term New Latin, or Neo-Latin, is used to describe the Latin language used in original works created between c. 1500 and c. 1900. Among other uses, Latin during this period was employed in scholarly and scientific publications...
leuco ("white") and Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
μέλας (melas,"black"), and refers to this snake's "white and black" coloration.
Geographic range
It is endemic to AfricaAfrica
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...
. The type locality is "Ogaden, Somaliland".
Description
Dorsally black, with a white vertebral line, occupying one row plus two half rows of dorsal scales. Head white, with a black blotch covering the nasals and the upper head shields; neck entirely black. Ventrals and subcaudals, and four adjacent dorsal scale rows on each side, white.Snout very short. Portion of rostral visible from above nearly as long as its distance from the frontal. Suture between the internasals half as long as the suture between the prefrontals. Frontal one and two fifths as long as broad, much longer than its distance from the end of the snout.
Dorsal scales in 23 rows. Ventrals 243; anal entire; subcaudals 27, nearly all entire.
The holotype specimen, a female, is 57.5 cm (22⅝ inches) in total length, with a tail 4 cm (1½ inch) long.