Polemon gracilis
Encyclopedia
Polemon gracilis, or the graceful snake-eater, is a species
of venomous rear-fanged snake
in the family Atractaspididae
. It is endemic to Africa
.
The type specimen is 285 mm (11¼ inches) in total length, of which 18 mm (⅝ inch) is tail.
Head very small, not distinct from neck. Eye minute, with round pupil. Body cylindrical, very slender. Tail very short, ending in a very obtuse point.
Dorsal scales smooth, without apical pits, arranged in 15 rows. Ventrals 296; anal plate divided; subcaudals 25, also divided.
Rostral small, broader than high, not visible from above. Nostril in a single nasal, which is in contact with the preocular and separated from the rostral by the first upper labial, which forms a suture with the internasal. Internasals slightly longer than broad, slightly longer than the prefrontals. Frontal as broad as long, twice as broad as the supraocular, shorter than its distance from the end of the snout, much shorter than the parietals. One preocular. One postocular. Six upper labials, the third entering the eye, the fifth forming a suture with the parietal. Only one pair of chin shields, separated from the mental by the first lower labial.
Maxillary short, with few teeth, the last feebly enlarged and grooved, situated below the eye.
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 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
Dorsally dark brown, with five narrow black stripes and interrupted light stripes on the scales between them. Snout, occiput, and end of tail yellow. Ventrally yellowish, including 1½ rows of dorsal scales adjacent to the ventrals on each side.The type specimen is 285 mm (11¼ inches) in total length, of which 18 mm (⅝ inch) is tail.
Head very small, not distinct from neck. Eye minute, with round pupil. Body cylindrical, very slender. Tail very short, ending in a very obtuse point.
Dorsal scales smooth, without apical pits, arranged in 15 rows. Ventrals 296; anal plate divided; subcaudals 25, also divided.
Rostral small, broader than high, not visible from above. Nostril in a single nasal, which is in contact with the preocular and separated from the rostral by the first upper labial, which forms a suture with the internasal. Internasals slightly longer than broad, slightly longer than the prefrontals. Frontal as broad as long, twice as broad as the supraocular, shorter than its distance from the end of the snout, much shorter than the parietals. One preocular. One postocular. Six upper labials, the third entering the eye, the fifth forming a suture with the parietal. Only one pair of chin shields, separated from the mental by the first lower labial.
Maxillary short, with few teeth, the last feebly enlarged and grooved, situated below the eye.