Platyceps atayevi (TUNIYEV & SHAMMAKOV, 1993)
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Platyceps atayevi
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| Higher Taxa | Colubridae, Colubrinae, Colubroidea, Caenophidia, Alethinophidia, Serpentes, Squamata (snakes) |
| Subspecies | |
| Common Names | |
| Synonym | Coluber atayevi TUNIYEV & SHAMMAKOV 1993: 2 Platyceps atayevi — NAGY et al. 2004 Platyceps najadum atayevi — SCHÄTTI et al. 2005 Platyceps najadum atayevi — VENCHI & SINDACO 2006: 286 Platyceps atayevi — WALLACH et al. 2014: 564 Platyceps atayevi — ZAHER et al. 2019 |
| Distribution | Turkmenistan (Kopet-Dag Mountains), probably Iran. Type locality: “environs of Saivan Village, Saivan-Nokhur Plateau, western Kopet-Dag, Bakharden Region,Turkmenistan” |
| Reproduction | oviparous |
| Types | Holotype: SNP (given as Collection of the Caucasian Reserve, Sochi, Russia), No. 420, adult male, 12 May 1991, collected by B. S. Tuniyev; paratypes: SNP, CAS |
| Diagnosis | Diagnosis: “Comparatively small snake (Fig. 2), smaller than C. n. najadum, C. n. dahli, and C. r. rubriceps in dimensions. It is comparable in size with the European Subspecies, C. rubriceps thracius. In contrast to C. najadum, whose tail constitutes 1/3 of its total length, C. atayevi has a comparatively short tail, approximately 1/4 of total length, also characteristic of C. rubriceps. Habitus and elements of coloration of C. atayevi are intermediate between C . najadum and C. rubriceps; its narrow, sharp, and flat head with the rostrum beveled downward is closer to the C. rubriceps head shape than to that of C. najadum, with its comparatively wide, rounded, and high head, where the upper and lower surfaces of head are parallel. Color pattern of C. atayevi resembles that of C. najadum, but brown colors prevail instead of olive-green ones. Lateral abdominal ridges are practically absent in C. atayevi, in contrast to the above mentioned species, and consequently the body is round in cross-section and not rectangular as in C. najadum and C. rubriceps. Genial scutes of C. atayevi contact one another along the mental groove, rarely a having a few isolated granules between the posterior pair, whereas between the widely separated posterior genials of C. najadum there are always 2-4 rows of well developed scales (Fig. 3). Posterior upper labials of C. atayevi are weakly distinguished from the throat scales, whereas all upper labials of C. najadum are strongly pronounced.” (TUNIYEV & SHAMMAKOV 1993) |
| Comment | Synonymy: Coluber atayevi has been synonymized with C. najadum by TOKAR et al. (1995) but considered as a valid species by more recent authors. Similar species: See also P. najadum. |
| Etymology | Named after Turkmen herpetologist, Chary Ataevich Ataev, who studies reptiles of the mountains of Turkmenistan. |
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