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Pseudalsophis biserialis (GÜNTHER, 1860)

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Higher TaxaColubridae (Dipsadinae), Alsophiini, Colubroidea, Caenophidia, Alethinophidia, Serpentes, Squamata (snakes)
Subspecies 
Common NamesE: Galapagos Racer 
SynonymHerpetodryas biserialis GÜNTHER 1860: 78
Dromicus biserialis — HELLER 1901: 93
Alsophis biserialis biserialis — THOMAS 1997
Alsophis biserialis —CROTHER 1999
Philodryas biserialis biserialis — SWASH & STILL 2000
Alsophis biserialis — GREHAN 2001
Pseudalsophis biserialis —ZAHER et al. 2009
Alsophis biseralis — ZUG 2013 (in error)
Pseudalsophis biserialis — WALLACH et al. 2014: 595
Pseudalsophis biserialis — CISNEROS-HEREDIA & REYES-PUIG 2023 
DistributionEcuador: Galapagos Islands

Type locality: “Charles Island (Galapagos Islands)” [= Floreana Island, Galapagos, Ecuador].  
Reproductionoviparous 
TypesHolotype: BMNH 1946.1.4.56 
DiagnosisUnfortunately we had to temporarily remove additional information as this was scraped by multiple AI companies who sell that data to their customers. These details, e.g. detailed descriptions or comparisons (about 2458 characters), are available for collaborators and contributors. Please contact us for details. 
CommentAlsophis biserialis dorsalis (STEINDACHNER 1876) and Alsophis biserialis occidentalis (VAN DENBURGH 1912) have been reassigned to A. dorsalis.

Zaher et al. (2008) state that this form clearly does not belong to Philodryas. We thus relegate it back to Alsophis despite recent assignments to Philodryas. 
EtymologyNamed after Latin biserialis, having two rows or series. [“...with a dark-brown dorsal band, serrated on the anterior portion of the trunk, and formed by a double series of spots on the middle and on the posterior part of the back...”]. (from Esteban Lavilla, pers. comm., May 2024) 
References
  • Arteaga, A.; Bustamante, L.; Vieira, J. 2024. Reptiles of Ecuador. Khamai Foundation & Tropical Herping, 1073 pp. - get paper here
  • Cisneros-Heredia, Diego F. and Carolina Reyes-Puig 2023. Natural History and Conservation of the Galapagos Snake Radiation. In: Lillywhite & Martins, eds., Islands and snakes, vol. II. Oxford University Press, p. 157 ff - get paper here
  • Crother, Brian I. 1999. PHYLOGENETIC RELATIONSHIPS AMONG WEST INDIAN XENODONTINE SNAKES (SERPENTES; COLUBRIDAE) WITH COMMENTS ON THE PHYLOGENY OF SOME MAINLAND XENODONTINES. Contemporary Herpetology 2 - get paper here
  • Grehan, John 2001. Biogeography and evolution of the Galapagos: integration of the biological and geological evidence. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society 74: 267–287 - get paper here
  • Günther, A. 1860. On a new snake from the Galapagos islands. Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist. (3) 6: 78-79 - get paper here
  • Heller, Edmund 1901. Papers from the Hopkins Stanford Galapagos Expedition, 1898-1899. WIV. Reptiles. Proc. Washington Academy Sci. 14: 39-98 - get paper here
  • Mertens, Robert 1960. Über die Schlangen der Galapagos Inseln. Senckenbergiana Biologica 41 (3/4): 133-141
  • Ortiz-Catedral, L., Christian, E., Rueda, D., Sevilla, C., Daltry, J. C. 2025. Population status of the Floreana racer (Pseudalsophis biserialis biserialis (Günther, 1860)) on islets off the coast of Floreana Island, Galápagos Islands, Ecuador. Perspectives in Biodiversity, 3(1): 76–82 - get paper here
  • Ortiz-Catedral, Luis; Eli Christian, Michael J. A. Skirrow, Danny Rueda, Christian Sevilla, Kumar Kirtana, Enzo MR Reyes, Jennifer C. Daltry 2019. Diet of six species of Galapagos terrestrial snakes (Pseudalsophis spp.) inferred from fecal samples. Herpetology Notes 12: 701-704 - get paper here
  • Steindachner, F. 1876. Die Schlangen und Eidechsen der Galapagos-Inseln. Festschr. zool.-bot. Ges., Wien 1876: 303-329 - get paper here
  • Swash, A. & Still, R. 2000. Birds, Mammals and Reptiles of the Galapagos Islands. Pica Press, 168 pp.
  • Thomas, Robert A 1997. Galapagos terrestrial snakes: biogeography and systematics. Herpetological Natural History 5 (1): 19-40
  • Torres-Carvajal O, Pazmiño-Otamendi G, Salazar-Valenzuela D. 2019. Reptiles of Ecuador: a resource-rich portal, with a dynamic checklist and photographic guides. Amphibian & Reptile Conservation 13 (1): [General Section]: 209–229 (e178) - get paper here
  • Van Denburgh, John 1912. Expedition of the California Academy of Sciences to the Galapagos Islands, 1905-1906. IV. The snakes of the Galapagos Islands. Proc. Cal. Acad. Sci. (Ser. 4) 1: 323-374 - get paper here
  • Wallach, Van; Kenneth L. Williams , Jeff Boundy 2014. Snakes of the World: A Catalogue of Living and Extinct Species. [type catalogue] Taylor and Francis, CRC Press, 1237 pp.
  • Zaher, H.; Scrocchi, G. & Masiero, R. 2008. Rediscovery and redescription of the type of Philodryas laticeps Werner, 1900 and the taxonomic status of P. oligolepis Gomes, 1921 (Serpentes, Colubridae). Zootaxa 1940: 25–40 - get paper here
  • Zaher, Hussam; Grazziotin, Felipe Gobbi; Cadle, John E.; Murphy, Robert W.; Moura-Leite, Julio Cesar de; Bonatto, Sandro L 2009. Molecular phylogeny of advanced snakes (Serpentes, Caenophidia) with an emphasis on South American Xenodontines: a revised classification and descriptions of new taxa. Pap. Avulsos Zool. (São Paulo) 49 (11): 115-153 - get paper here
  • ZUG, G.R. 2013. Reptiles and Amphibians of the Pacific Islands. University of California Press, Berkeley, 306 pp. - get paper here
 
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