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Anilius scytale (LINNAEUS, 1758)

IUCN Red List - Anilius scytale - Least Concern, LC
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Higher TaxaAniliidae, Henophidia, Alethinophidia, Serpentes, Squamata (snakes)
SubspeciesAnilius scytale phelpsorum ROZE 1958
Anilius scytale scytale (LINNAEUS 1758) 
Common NamesE: Coral Cylinder Snakes
G: Korallen-Rollschlange
phelpsorum: Coral False Amazon
Portuguese: Cobra-Cega, Cobra-Coral, Cobra-Coral-Falsa, Cobra-de-Duas-Cabeças, Coral, Coral-D’Água, Coral-Falsa, Falsa-Coral 
SynonymAnguis Scytale LINNAEUS 1758: 228
Anguis Scytale — SHAW & NODDER 1789
Anilius scytale — OKEN 1816
Ilysia scytale — WAGLER 1828
Tortrix scytale — DE FILIPPI 1840
Tortrix scytale — DUMÉRIL & BIBRON 1844: 585
Tortrix scytale — JAN 1862: 249
Ilysia scytale — BOULENGER 1893: 133
Inilius scytale — BEEBE 1946: 11
Anilius scytale — DUELLMAN 1978: 224)
Anilius scytale — STARACE 1998: 84
Anilius scytale — MCDIARMID, CAMPBELL & TOURÉ 1999: 157
Anilius scytale — WALLACH et al. 2014: 42

Anilius scytale scytale (LINNAEUS 1758)
Anguis annulata LAURENTI 1768: 69
Anguis fasciata LAURENTI 1768: 70
Anguis caerulea LAURENTI 1768: 71
Anguis corallina LAURENTI 1768: 71
Anguis atra LAURENTI 1768: 71
Anilius scytale scytale — PETERS & OREJAS-MIRANDA 1970: 19
Anilius scytale scytale — GASC & RODRIGUES 1980
Anilius scytale scytale — BOOS 2001

Anilius scytale phelpsorum ROZE 1958
Anilius scytale phelpsorum ROZE 1958: 258
Anilius scytale phelpsorum — GORZULA & SEÑARIS 1999
Anilius phelpsorum — NATERA-MUMAW et al. 2015
Anilius phelpsorum — WALLACH 2025 
DistributionAmazonian Brazil (Ceará, Goiás, Mato Grosso [HR 32: 277], Pará, Roraima, Amazonas), Venezuela (Mérida [HR 33: 66]), Trinidad, Colombia, Bolivia (Beni), Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Peru

Elevation 30-700 m (in Venezuela)

Type locality: “Indiis”

phelpsorum: Venezuela (Bolivar); Type locality: “La base del Auyantepui, Estado Bolívar, Venezuela”.  
Reproductionovoviviparous 
TypesHolotype: AMNH 61047
Syntypes: RMS
Holotype: AMNH 61037 [phelpsorum] 
DiagnosisUnfortunately 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 1294 characters), are available for collaborators and contributors. Please contact us for details. 
CommentSynonymy: after PETERS & OREJAS-MIRANDA 1970.

Type species: Anguis Scytale LINNAEUS 1758 is the type species of the genus Anilius OKEN 1816.

Distribution: Anilius scytale is not in Venezuela fide NATERA-MUMAW et al. 2015 (but A. phelpsorum is). See map in Nogueira et al. 2019.

Genome: Colston et al. 2025. 
EtymologyNamed after Greek skutale = staff or cylinder which can mean a serpent of uniform roundness and thickness; this also accounts for the English name Pipe Snakes.

A. s. phelpsorum was named after the collector of the type, Dr. W. H. Phelps and his family.

The genus was named after Greek anileos = cruel; the species bears a distinct likeness to the poisonous Coral Snake, with rings of black and brilliant red, which evidently gave rise to the name, according to Gotch 1986. 
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