Liopholidophis sexlineatus (GÜNTHER, 1882)
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Liopholidophis sexlineatus
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| Higher Taxa | Pseudoxyrhophiidae, Colubroidea, Caenophidia, Alethinophidia, Serpentes, Squamata (snakes) |
| Subspecies | |
| Common Names | E: Six-lined Water Snake |
| Synonym | Dromicus sexlineatus GÜNTHER 1882 Dromicus macrocercus GÜNTHER 1882 (?) Tropidonotus sexlineatus — BOULENGER 1893: 246 Natrix sexlineatus — BARBOUR 1918: 487 Liopholidophis sexlineatus — GLAW & VENCES 1994: 338 Liopholidophis sexlineatus — CADLE 1996: 408 Liopholidophis sexlineatus — WERNING & WOLF 2007 Liopholidophis sexlineatus — WALLACH et al. 2014: 396 |
| Distribution | Madagascar (elevations up to more than 2000 m). Type locality: “Eastern Betsileo, Madagascar” [= N Fianarantsoa Province, C Madagascar]. |
| Reproduction | ovovivparous |
| Types | Type: BMNH 1946.1.13.28-30 (and possibly additional specimens). |
| Diagnosis | Diagnosis: Liopholidophis sexlineatus is distinguished from members of the stumpffi group in having 17-17-15 scale rows (vs. 19-19-17). It differs in details of color pattern from dolicocercus, grandidieri, and rhadinaea: venter largely solid black, or solid black with marginal white stripe, in grandidieri or dolicocercus, respectively; whitish to heavily, but irregularly, splotched with black (never solid black) in sexlineatus; three light nape spots and dorsolateral light stripe in rhadinaea (absent in sexlineatus). Liopholidophis sexlineatus is most similar to L. pinguis in overall habitus and color pattern. Males of pinguis have short tails ( <35% total length; < 110 subcaudals) compared to males of sexlineatus (>40% total length; >120 subcaudals), and the relative eye size of pinguis is smaller than that of sexlineatus (Table 1). Most specimens of pinguis have less distinct stripes on the anterior body than sexlineatus, and the venter in the former is usually lightcolored (sometimes with edges of ventrals blackened or with a median series of small paired spots); in sexlineatus, the stripes are distinct the entire length of the body (flanks may be entirely darkened) and, although the venter may be immaculate, it is often heavily and irregularly splotched with black (Cadle 1996: 408). |
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