Alsophis sibonius COPE, 1879
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Alsophis sibonius
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| Higher Taxa | Colubridae (Dipsadinae), Alsophiini, Colubroidea, Caenophidia, Alethinophidia, Serpentes, Squamata (snakes) |
| Subspecies | |
| Common Names | E: Dominica Racer, Dominican Racer |
| Synonym | Alsophis sibonius COPE 1879: 275 Alsophis sibonius — GARMAN 1887: 283 Alsophis leucomelas sibonius — PARKER 1933: 157 Alsophis antillensis sibonius — WHITE & MUELLEMAN 2008 Alsophis sibonius — HEDGES et al. 2009 Alsophis sibonius — WALLACH et al. 2014: 25 |
| Distribution | Dominica Type locality: Dominica. |
| Reproduction | oviparous (not imputed, fide Zimin et al. 2022) |
| Types | Holotype: USNM 10138 |
| Diagnosis | Diagnosis: “Scale-formula 19-1917; ventral 191- 201 subcaudals, female 112-115 +1, male 112-122 +1. Colour pattern in juveniles consisting of an undulating dark vertebral stripe, a narrow lateral line, and dark spots on the flanks and hinder part of the belly. In adults the posterior part of the body is almost entirely black, but anteriorly the dorsal stripe is broken up into a series of large oval spots narrowly separated from one another ; the light interspaces may be fused on the sides of the neck to form a fairly distinct light stripe. Eleven specimens examined, seven females and four males. This form is readily distinguished from the typical form by the higher number of scales in front of the vent and the lower number of subcaudals in the male.” (Parker 1933: 157) Additional details (3032 characters) are available for collaborators and contributors. Please contact us for details. |
| Comment | |
| Etymology | The species epithet, sibonius, (sibon + -ius) "like a sibon snake" is a reference to the coloration of the species, as Cope stated, "the coloration resembles that of the common South American Sibon annulatum." May be named after the Latin noun sibonis, a kind of hunting spear" (Lee, 1996:357, cited in McCranie 2011). See also Sibon nebulatus, the type species of the genus Sibon. |
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