You are here » home › search results › Lamprophis aurora

Lamprophis aurora (LINNAEUS, 1758)

IUCN Red List - Lamprophis aurora - Least Concern, LC
iNaturalist logo

Can you confirm these amateur observations of Lamprophis aurora?

Add your own observation of
Lamprophis aurora »

Find more photos by Google images search: Google images

Higher TaxaLamprophiidae (Boaedontini), Colubroidea, Caenophidia, Alethinophidia, Serpentes, Squamata (snakes)
Subspecies 
Common NamesE: Aurora House Snake
G: Aurora-Hausschlange 
SynonymColuber Aurora LINNAEUS 1758: 219 (?)
Coluber aurora — SHAW 1802: 544
Natrix aurora — MERREM 1820: 97
Lycodon aurora BOIE 1827: 523
Coronella aurora — SCHLEGEL 1837: 75
Lamprophis aurora — FITZINGER 1843: 25
Lamprophis aurora — DUMÉRIL, BIBRON & DUMÉRIL 1854: 431
Lamprophis aurora — SYMONDS 1887: 488
Lamprophis aurora — BOULENGER 1893: 321
Lamprophis aurora — SCHMIDT & KUNZ 2005: 91
Lamprophis aurora — MATTISON 2007: 242
Lamprophis aurora — KELLY et al. 2011
Lamprophis aurora — WALLACH et al. 2014: 353
Lamprophis aurora — TIUTENKO et al. 2022
Lamprophis aurora — STANDER 2023: 277 
DistributionRepublic of South Africa (Cape Province north to Transvaal), Eswatini (Swaziland), E Botswana

Type locality: “America” (fide LINNAEUS 1758; in error)  
Reproductionoviparous 
TypesType: NRM (= NHRM) (Stockholm) 
DiagnosisDiagnosis (genus, revised fide KELLY et al. 2011): An endemic southern African genus diagnosed by the following combination of characters: body elongated to stocky, and tail moderate to short; head moderate to small and generally rounded, slightly to moderately broader than neck and distinct from it; eye small to moder-ate, with vertically elliptical pupil; midbody scale rows 19–25,vertebral row not enlarged; dorsal scales smooth, generally without apical pits (except in some aurora); ventrals 165–230, without lateral keel; subcaudals paired, 28–74; anal entire; maxilla with six anterior teeth increasing in size to the 6th, followed (sometimes after a short diastema) by 9–13 ungrooved teeth gradually decreasing in size posteriorly; hemipenis variable – unforked (guttatus) or shallowly forked, shaft nude or spinose, with or without basal spines; distally, 6–8 pinnate rows of ossified spines that may be slightly webbed and decrease in size towards organ apex; lobes encircled by 3–4 (fuscus) or 6–8 (aurora) rows of fine spines; sulcus semi-centrifugal, divided (Bogert, 1940; Broadley, 1990; Branch,1998). See Table 4 in KELLY et al. 2011 for additional data.


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 318 characters) are available for collaborators and contributors. Please contact us for details. 
CommentSynonymy partly after DUMÉRIL, BIBRON & DUMÉRIL 1854.

Type species: Coluber Aurora LINNAEUS 1758 is the type species of the genus Lamprophis Fitzinger, 1843. Note that KELLY et al. (2011) distinguish between Lamprophis (sensu strictu) and Boaedon (which they resurrected).

Distribution: for a map of the genus see Tiutenko et al. 2022: 258 (Fig. 12). 
EtymologyThe genus was named after Greek lampros (λαμπρός), bright, shining + Greek ophis (ὄφις), snake. [?]. 
References
  • Bates, M.F.; Branch, W.R., Bauer, A.M.; Burger, M., Marais, J.; Alexander, G.J. & de Villliers, M.S. (eds.) 2014. Atlas and Red List of the Reptiles of South Africa, Lesotho, and Swaziland. Suricata 1. South African National Biodiversity Institute, Pretoria, 512 pp.
  • Bates, M.F.; Douglas, R.M. 1993. Life History Notes - Lamprophis aurora. J. Herp. Assoc. Africa (42): 38-39 - get paper here
  • Boie, F. 1827. Bemerkungen über Merrem's Versuch eines Systems der Amphibien, 1. Lieferung: Ophidier. Isis von Oken 20: 508-566. - get paper here
  • Boulenger, G.A. 1887. Synopsis of the snakes of South Africa. The Zoologist, London, (3) 11: 171-182
  • Boulenger, G.A. 1893. Catalogue of the snakes in the British Museum (Nat. Hist.) I. London (Taylor & Francis), 448 pp. - get paper here
  • Branch W R 1984. The house snakes of southern Africa (genus Lamprophis). Litteratura Serpentium 4 (3-4): 106-120
  • Branch, William R. 1993. A Photographic Guide to Snakes and Other Reptiles of Southern Africa. Cape Town: Struik Publishers, 144 S.
  • Broadley, D. & Blaylock 2013. The Snakes of Zimbabwe and Botswana. Chimaira, Frankfurt, 387 pp. [book review in Sauria 35 (2): 59 and Copeia 2014: 388] - get paper here
  • Broadley, D. G. 1990. Geographical Distribution - Lamprophis aurora. J. Herp. Assoc. Africa (37): 56-56 - get paper here
  • Fitzinger, L. 1843. Systema Reptilium, fasciculus primus, Amblyglossae. Braumüller et Seidel, Wien: 106 pp. - get paper here
  • Fitzsimons, V. 1966. A check-list, with syntopic keys, to the snakes of southern Africa. Annals Transvaal Museum 25 (3): 35-79 - get paper here
  • Fraser M. 2023. Reptiles and Amphibians of the Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve, Western Cape, South Africa. Biodiversity Observations 13: 162–185. 14 March 2023 - get paper here
  • Hall, R.; Haagner, G.V. 1993. Life History Notes - Lamprophis aurora. J. Herp. Assoc. Africa (42): 38-38 - get paper here
  • Hermann R 1989. Lamprophis aurora (Linnaeus 1754), eine selten gehaltene Hausschlange. Sauria 11 (3): 25-30 - get paper here
  • Hörold, Ralf 2020. Haltung und Nachzucht von Lepidodactylus lugubris (DUMERIL & BIBRON, 1836) als Aufzuchtfutter für Echsen fressende Schlangen. Ophidia 14 (1): 2-14
  • Kelly, Christopher M.R.; William R. Branch, Donald G. Broadley, Nigel P. Barker, Martin H. Villet 2011. Molecular systematics of the African snake family Lamprophiidae Fitzinger, 1843 (Serpentes: Elapoidea), with particular focus on the genera Lamprophis Fitzinger 1843 and Mehelya Csiki 1903. Mol Phylogenet Evol. 58(3): 415-426 - get paper here
  • Kunz, K. 2018. Götterdämmerung! Haltung und Nachzucht der Aurora-Hausschlange. Reptilia 23 (129): 30-37
  • Laita, Mark 2013. Serpentine. Abrams and PQ Blackwell, Auckland, New Zealand, 200 unnumbered pages
  • Linnaeus, C. [= Linné, C. von] 1758. Systema naturæ per regna tria naturæ, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis. Tomus I. Editio decima, reformata. Laurentii Salvii, Holmiæ. 10th Edition: 824 pp. - get paper here
  • Mattison, Chris 2007. The New Encyclopedia of Snakes. Princeton University Press
  • Merrem, B. 1820. Versuch eines Systems der Amphibien I (Tentamen Systematis Amphibiorum). J. C. Kriegeri, Marburg, 191 pp. - get paper here
  • O’Shea, M. 2018. The Book of Snakes. Ivy Press / Quarto Publishing, London, - get paper here
  • Rupert Wilkey & Sarah Nann 2025. Field Guide to the Snakes of Eswatini. Pelagic, 208 pp., DOI: 10.53061/FWDV3720 - get paper here
  • Schiffers-Lange, Josef 1995. Erfolgreiche Nachzucht von Lamprophis aurora (Linnaeus 1754). Elaphe 3 (4): 18-21
  • Schlegel, H. 1837. Essai sur la physionomie des serpens. Partie Descriptive. La Haye (J. Kips, J. HZ. et W. P. van Stockum), 606 S. + xvi - get paper here
  • Schmidt, D. & Kunz, K. 2005. Ernährung von Schlangen. Natur und Tier Verlag, Münster, 159 pp. - get paper here
  • Shaw, G. 1802. General Zoology, or Systematic Natural History. Vol.3, part 2. G. Kearsley, Thomas Davison, London: 313-615 - get paper here
  • Stander, R.I. 2023. The Reptiles of the Limpopo Province and Kruger National Park. Herp Nomad, Polokwane, South Africa, 367 pp. - get paper here
  • Symonds, E. 1887. Notes on some species of South-African snakes. Proc. Zool. Soc. London 1887: 486-489 - get paper here
  • Tiutenko, A., A. Maliuk & C. Koch 2025. Generic affinities of African house snakes revised: a new genus for Lamprophis inornatus (Serpentes: Lamprophiidae: Lamprophiinae: Boaedontini). Salamandra 61 (2): 215-239
  • Tiutenko, A., Koch, C., Pabijan, M., & Zinenko, O. 2022. Generic affinities of African house snakes revised: a new genus for Boodon erlangeri (Serpentes: Elapoidea: Lamprophiidae: Lamprophiinae). SALAMANDRA, 58(4), 235-262 - get paper here
  • Tolley, K.A., Conradie, W., Pietersen, D.W., Weeber, J., Burger, M. & Alexander, G.J. (eds) 2023. Conservation status of the reptiles of South Africa, Eswatini and Lesotho. Suricata 10. South African National Biodiversity Institute, Pretoria
  • Wallach, Van; Kenneth L. Williams , Jeff Boundy 2014. Snakes of the World: A Catalogue of Living and Extinct Species. [type catalogue] Taylor and Francis, CRC Press, 1237 pp.
 
External links  
Is it interesting? Share with others:

As link to this species use URL address:

https://reptile-database.reptarium.cz/species?genus=Lamprophis&species=aurora

without field 'search_param'. Field 'search_param' is used for browsing search result.



Please submit feedback about this entry to the curator