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Duberria lutrix (LINNAEUS, 1758)

IUCN Red List - Duberria lutrix - Least Concern, LC
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Higher TaxaPseudoxyrhophiidae(Amplorhininae), Colubroidea, Caenophidia, Alethinophidia, Serpentes, Squamata (snakes)
SubspeciesDuberria lutrix abyssinica (BOULENGER 1894)
Duberria lutrix atriventris (STERNFELD 1912)
Duberria lutrix basilewskyi SKELTON-BOURGEOIS 1961
Duberria lutrix currylindahli LAURENT 1956
Duberria lutrix lutrix (LINNAEUS 1758) 
Common NamesE: Common Slug Eater 
SynonymColuber Lutrix LINNAEUS 1758: 216
Calamaria arctiventris SCHLEGEL 1837: 131
Duberria arctiventris — FITZINGER (fide FILIPPI 1840)
Homalosoma lutrix — DUMÉRIL & BIBRON 1854: 110
Cyclophis catenatus THEOBALD 1868 (fide BOULENGER 1890)
Homalosoma lutrix — ANGEL 1925
Homalosoma lutrix — DE WITTE 1933
Duberria lutrix lutrix — BOYCOTT 1992
Duberria lutrix — BROADLEY 1998
Duberria lutrix — MATTISON 2007: 100
Duberria lutrix — WALLACH et al. 2014: 247
Duberria lutrix lutrix — BATES et al. 2014: 385
Duberria lutrix — SPAWLS et al. 2018: 418
Deberria lutrix — BEHANGANA et al. 2023 (in error)

Duberria lutrix abyssinica (BOULENGER 1894)
Homalosoma abyssinicum BOULENGER 1894: 276
Duberria lutrix abyssinica — LOVERIDGE 1944: 139
Duberria lutrix abyssinica — SKELTON-BOURGEOIS 1961: 334

Duberria lutrix atriventris (STERNFELD 1912)
Homalosoma lutrix var. atriventris STERNFELD 1912: 271
Duberria lutrix atriventris — PITMAN 1974
Duberria lutrix atriventris — BROADLEY & HOWELL 1991: 26

Duberria lutrix basilewskyi SKELTON-BOURGEOIS 1961
Duberria lutrix basilewskyi SKELTON-BOURGEOIS 1961: 334
Duberria lutrix basilewskyi — BROADLEY & HOWELL 1991: 26

Duberria lutrix currylindahli LAURENT 1956: 146
Duberria lutrix curry-lindahli — SKELTON-BOURGEOIS 1961: 334
Duberria lutrix currylindahli — GREENBAUM & KUSAMBA 2012: 253 
DistributionS/E Republic of South Africa (Eastern Cape etc.), Swaziland, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Tanzania, Kenya, Ethiopia, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, N/E/S Democratic Republic of the Congo (Zaire), Republic of South Sudan (RSS)

Type locality: “Indiis” (in error)

atriventris: Highlands of Uganda, Kenya and N Tanzania west through Rwanda to NE Zaire. Type locality: Kissenje = Kisenyi, Rwanda.

basilewskyi: Ngorongoro north to the Kenya highlands (east of the rift valley); Type locality: Ngorongoro (subalpine grassland at 2600 m), Tanzania.

currylindahli: Type locality: Haute Lubitshako, 1900-2000 m elevation, Terr. de Fizi, Kivu.  
Reproductionovovivparous 
TypesType: NRM = NHRM fide Hughes (fide V. Wallach, pers. comm.), but not designated, present location unknown
Holotype: RMCA (= MRAC) (was RGMC) 21901-903 [basilewskyi]
Holotype: RMCA (= MRAC) (was RGMC) 18224, female [currylindahli]
Holotype: BMNH 1946.1.5.64, collected by W.T. Blanford [abyssinica]
Holotype: ZMB, cat. no. unknown, collected by Schubotz in 1907–1908 [atriventris] 
Diagnosis 
CommentDuberria shirana (Boulenger, 1894) may be a subspecies of D. lutrix or a valid species (as listed in a separate entry).

Type species: Coluber arctiventris Daudin (= Coluber duberria Merrem = Coluber lutrix Linnaeus) is the type species of the genus Duberria FITZINGER 1826 (by tautonymy, see Loveridge, 1944: 138). 
References
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  • Ollonen, J., Khannoon, E. R., Macrì, S., Vergilov, V., Kuurne, J., Saarikivi, J., ... & Di-Poï, N. 2024. Dynamic evolutionary interplay between ontogenetic skull patterning and whole-head integration. Nature Ecology & Evolution, 1-16 - get paper here
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