Opisthotropis andersonii (BOULENGER, 1888)
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Opisthotropis andersonii
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| Higher Taxa | Colubridae (Natricinae), Colubroidea, Caenophidia, Alethinophidia, Serpentes, Squamata (snakes) |
| Subspecies | |
| Common Names | E: Anderson's Mountain Keelback Chinese: 香港后棱蛇 |
| Synonym | Calamohydrus (Homalopsinarum) Andersonii BOULENGER 1888 Opisthotropis andersonii — BOULENGER 1891 Opisthotropis andersonii — BOULENGER 1893: 284 Opisthotropis andersoni — SMITH 1943: 333 Opisthotropis andersoni — BROWN & LEVITON 1961 Opisthotropis andersonii — LI et al. 2010 Opisthotropis andersonii — WALLACH et al. 2014: 508 |
| Distribution | China (Hong Kong), Vietnam Type locality: Hong Kong. |
| Reproduction | oviparous |
| Types | Type: BMNH 1901.9.14.11 possibly (not marked as type currently) |
| Diagnosis | Diagnosis: This species is characterized by the combination of (1) TL 378–462 mm in adult specimens; (2) TaL 15–20% of TL; (3) rostral concave, slightly large, RW 31–37% of HW; (4) nasal in contact with first and second supralabials; (5) loreal more than twice as long as deep; (6) loreal entering orbit or not, in contact with second to fourth or to fifth supralabials; (7) supralabials 7–8, the last one significantly smaller than the adjacent preceding one; (8) infralabials 7–10; (9) dorsal scale rows 17:17:17; (10) dorsal scales smooth on the neck, feebly keeled on the middle part of body, rather strongly keeled on posterior part of body, strongly keeled on the tail; (11) ventrals 141–174; subcaudals 43–60; (12) olive-green to olive-brown above, with distinct or barely perceptible longitudinal black stripes parallel to each other, crossing each scale; yellow beneath, with black markings in life (Wang et al. 2017: 401). Unfortunately 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 78 characters) are available for collaborators and contributors. Please contact us for details. |
| Comment | Opisthotropis andersonii (Boulenger, 1888) was described originally from a single juvenile specimen and was re-described based on two specimens deposited in the Natural History Museum, London (Zheng 1992). Habitat: aquatic, inhabiting flowing streams. Diet: fishes, frogs, tadpoles, freshwater shrimp and earthworms. Behavior: nocturnal |
| Etymology | Named after Dr. John Anderson (1833-1900), a naturalist and Professor of Natural History at Free Church College, Edinburgh. He became Curator of the Indian Museum, Calcutta (1865). |
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