Borikenophis sanctaecrucis (COPE, 1862)

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Higher Taxa	Colubridae (Dipsadinae), Alsophiini, Colubroidea, Caenophidia, Alethinophidia, Serpentes, Squamata (snakes)
Subspecies
Common Names	E: Saint Croix Racer, St. Croix Racer
Synonym	Alsophis sancticrucis COPE 1862: 76 Dromicus sanctae-crucis BOULENGER 1893: 122 (emendation) Dromicus sanctae-crucis — BOULENGER 1894: 122 Alsophis sanctae-crucis — BARBOUR 1914 Alsophis sanctae-crucis — GRANT 1937: 513 Alsophis sanctaecrucis — SCHWARTZ & HENDERSON 1991: 576 Alsophis sanctaecrucis — CROTHER 1999 Alsophis sanctaecrucis — ZAHER et al. 2009 Borikenophis sanctaecrucis — HEDGES et al. 2009 Borikenophis sancticrucis — WALLACH et al. 2014: 109
Distribution	US Virgin Islands, St. Croix, Puerto Rico Bank Type locality: St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands.
Reproduction	oviparous
Types	Syntype: ANSP 5405; other(s) unlocated.
Diagnosis	DESCRIPTION: Maximum SVL 1025 mm; dorsal scale rows at midbody 17; ventrals 191-198 in females (males unknown); subcaudals 140-145; supralabials 8/8; infralabials 10/10; preoculars 1/1; postoculars 2/2; temporals 1+2/1+2 or 1+1/1+1; anal divided. Head (as preserved) dark with snout and lores pale yellowish; black mask, more or less outlined above from eye posteriorly by bold yellow stripe (which disappears behind temporals); dorsal ground color dark, bluish black; neck with a series of 15-20 pale, transverse bars, less than 1 scale in width; remainder of dorsum with pale flecking or pale anterior scale edges; venter pale, margins of ventrals heavily marked blue-black, remainder of scale with some smudges connected to dark ventral margins; subcaudals similarly marked (Schwartz & Henderson 1991: 576).
Comment	Illustrations: Schwartz, 1966. Conservation: Probably extinct since around 1898.
Etymology	Named after the type locality.
References	Boulenger, George A. 1894. Catalogue of the snakes in the British Museum (Natural History). Volume II., Containing the Conclusion of the Colubridæ Aglyphæ. British Mus. (Nat. Hist.), London, xi, 382 pp. - get paper here Cope, E.D. 1862. Synopsis of the species of Holcosus and Ameiva, with diagnoses of new West Indian and South American Colubridae. Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia 14: 60-82. - 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 Grant, C. 1937. Herpetological notes with new species from the American and British Virgin Islands, 1936. J. Dept. Agric. Puerto Rico 21: 503-522. Hedges, S. Blair; Arnaud Couloux; Vidal, Nicolas 2009. Molecular phylogeny, classification, and biogeography of West Indian racer snakes of the Tribe Alsophiini (Squamata, Dipsadidae, Xenodontinae). Zootaxa 2067: 1-28 - get paper here Henderson R W. Powell R. 1996. Alsophis sanctaecrucis. Catalogue of American Amphibians and Reptiles (634): 1-2 - get paper here Joseph-Ouni, M. 2006. Profiles of extinction #20 - St. Croix Racer, Alsophis sanctaecrucis. Reptilia (GB) (46): 82 - get paper here Schwartz, A. 1966. Snakes of the genus Alsophis in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. Stud. Fauna Curaçao and Carib. Is. 23(90):175-227. - get paper here Schwartz, A. & Henderson, R.W. 1991. Amphibians and Reptiles of the West Indies. University of Florida Press, Gainesville, 720 pp. 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, 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
External links	IUCN Red List Google images

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