You are here » home › search results › Psammophis punctulatus

Psammophis punctulatus DUMÉRIL, BIBRON & DUMÉRIL, 1854

IUCN Red List - Psammophis punctulatus - Least Concern, LC
iNaturalist logo

Can you confirm these amateur observations of Psammophis punctulatus?

Add your own observation of
Psammophis punctulatus »

Find more photos by Google images search: Google images

Higher TaxaPsammophiidae, Colubroidea, Caenophidia, Alethinophidia, Serpentes, Squamata (snakes)
Subspecies 
Common NamesE: Speckled Sand Racer, Sand snake 
SynonymPsammophis punctulatus DUMÉRIL, BIBRON & DUMÉRIL 1854: 897
Psammophis punctulatus — BOULENGER 1895
Psammophis punctulatus — SCORTECCI 1929: 305
Psammophis punctulatus — SCORTECCI 1939: 280
Psammophis punctulatus — LARGEN & SPAWLS 2010: 560
Psammophis punctulatus — WALLACH et al. 2014: 579
Psammophis punctulatus — SPAWLS et al. 2018: 438
Psammophis punctulatus — ŠMÍD et al. 2023 
DistributionS Egypt, Sudan (Jumhūriyyat), Republic of South Sudan (RSS), N Ethiopia, Eritrea, Djibouti, N Somalia

Type locality: “Taita”  
Reproductionoviparous 
TypesHolotype: MNHN-RA 6552 
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 959 characters), are available for collaborators and contributors. Please contact us for details. 
CommentDistribution: CORKILL & COCHRANE 1966 list this species from the Arabian peninsula, probably in error. See map in Mazuch & Spawls 2023.

Subspecies: Psammophis punctulatus trivirgatus is now considered as a valid species.

Genome: Colston et al. 2025. 
EtymologyPresumably named after the Latin punctula (small spot), plus the suffix -atus (having), in reference to the numerous small dark spots in this species. 
References
  • Baha El Din, Sherif and Osama Fathalla Ghazali 2005. On the occurrence of Psammophis punctulatus Bibron & Duméril 1854 in Egypt. Herpetological Bulletin 94: 4-5. - get paper here
  • Boulenger,G.A. 1895. Rettili e Batraci. in, Esplorazione del Giuba e dei suoi Affluenti compiuta dal Cap. V. Bottego durante gli Anni 1892-93 sotto gli auspicii della Società Geografica Italiana. Annali Mus. civ. Stor. nat. Giacomo Doria (2) 15: 9-18 - get paper here
  • Broadley, D. G. & HOWELL, K. M. 1991. A check list of the reptiles of Tanzania, with synoptic keys. Syntarsus 1: 1—70
  • Cimatti, E. 2005. Scaly encounters in Kenya. Reptilia (GB) (42): 65-69 - get paper here
  • Colston, Timothy J., Stacy Pirro, and R. Alexander Pyron. 2025. The Complete Genome Sequences of 101 Species of Reptiles. Biodiversity Genomes, February - get paper here
  • Corkill, N. L. and Cochrane, J. A. 1966. The snakes of the Arabian Peninsula and Socotra. J. Bombay nat. Hist. Soc. 62 (3): 475-506 (1965) - get paper here
  • Duméril, A. M. C., Bibron, G. & DUMÉRIL, A. H. A., 1854. Erpétologie générale ou histoire naturelle complète des reptiles. Tome septième. Deuxième partie, comprenant l'histoire des serpents venimeux. Paris, Librairie Encyclopédique de Roret: i-xii + 781-1536 - get paper here
  • Ineich, I. 1999. Reptiles & Amphibiens de la République de Djibouti. BNDB, UICN, PNUD, Djibouti & MNHN, Paris, 60 pp. - get paper here
  • Kirchhof S, Wasonga V, Mazuch T, Spawls S, Malonza KP. 2023. An annotated checklist of the herpetofauna of the Sibiloi National Park in northern Kenya based on field surveys. Amphibian & Reptile Conservation 17(1/2) [General Section]: 1–18 (e324) - get paper here
  • Kirchhof, S; Losogo, L B & Malonza, P K 2018. Psammophis punctulatus trivirgatus (Southern Speckled Sand Snake) Diet. Herpetological Review 49 (3): 552-553 - get paper here
  • Lanza, B. 1990. Amphibians and reptiles of the Somali Democratic Republic: check list and biogeography. Biogeographia, 14: 407-465 [1988] - get paper here
  • Largen, M.J.; Spawls, S. 2010. Amphibians and Reptiles of Ethiopia and Eritrea. Edition Chimaira, Frankfurt, 694 pp.
  • Largen,M.J. 1997. An annotated checklist of the amphibians and reptiles of Eritrea, with keys for their identification. Tropical Zoology 10: 63-115 - get paper here
  • Largen,M.J. & Rasmussen,J.B. 1993. Catalogue of the snakes of Ethiopia (Reptilia Serpentes), including identification keys. Tropical Zoology 6: 313-434 - get paper here
  • Massimo Capalbo 2024. The World's Most Dangerous Snakes - Volume I: From the fast-lightning Black Mamba to the insidious Hook-nosed Sea Snake, through the formidable Coastal Taipan. Privately published, 252 pp. - get paper here
  • Mazuch, Tomáš 2013. Amphibians and Reptiles of Somaliland and Eastern Ethiopia. Tomáš Mazuch Publishing, 80 pp. ISBN: 978-80-905439-0-4 - get paper here
  • Peters,W.C.H. 1878. Über die von Hrn. J. M. Hildebrandt während seiner letzten ostafrikanischen Reise gesammelten Säugethiere und Amphibien. Mber. Akad. Wiss. Berlin 1878: 194-209 - get paper here
  • Pitman,C.R.S. 1974. A guide to the snakes of Uganda. Codicote, Wheldon & Wesley, L., 290 pp.
  • Saber, S. A., Gebresenbet, F., Bekele, A., & Salama, E. N. 2024. Survey of Reptiles in Nechisar National Park, Southern Ethiopia. Russian Journal of Herpetology, 31(5), 293-301 - get paper here
  • Scortecci ,G. 1939. Spedizione zoologica del Marchese Saverio patrizi nel Basso Giuba e nell'Oltre Giuba. Giugno-agosto 1934. XII. Rettili Ofidi. Annali Mus. civ. Stor. nat. Giacomo Doria 58: 263-291 - get paper here
  • Scortecci, G. 1929. Rettili dell'Eritrea esistenti nelle Collezioni del Museo Civico de Milano. Atti della Società Italiana di Scienze Naturali, e del Museo Civico di Storia Naturale, Milano 67 (3-4): 290-339 [1928] - get paper here
  • Šmíd J, Fernández SM, Elmi HSA, Mazuch T 2023. Diversity of Sand Snakes (Psammophiidae, Psammophis) in the Horn of Africa, with the description of a new species from Somalia. Zoosystematics and Evolution 99(2): 345-361 - get paper here
  • Spawls, S.; Howell, K.; Drewes, R.C. & Ashe, J. 2002. A field guide to the reptiles of East Africa. Academic Press, 543 pp. [reviews in HR 34: 396 and Afr. J. Herp. 51; 147] - get paper here
  • Spawls, Stephen; Tomáš Mazuch & Abubakr Mohammad 2023. Handbook of Amphibians and Reptiles of North-east Africa. Bloomsbury, 640 pp. - get paper here
  • Spawls, Steve; Kim Howell, Harald Hinkel, Michele Menegon 2018. Field Guide to East African Reptiles. Bloomsbury, 624 pp. - get paper here
  • Trape, J.-F. 2023. Guide des serpents d’Afrique occidentale, centrale et d’Afrique du Nord. IRD Éditions, Marseille, 896 pp.
  • 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.
  • Werner,F. 1919. Wissenschaftliche Ergebnisse der mit Unterstützung der Kaiserlichen Akademie der Wissenschaften in Wien aus der Erbschaft Treitl von F. Werner unternommenen zoologischen Expedition nach dem Anglo-Aegyptischen Sudan (Kordofan) 1914. IV. Bearbeitung der Fische, Amphibien und Reptilien. Denkschr. Akad. Wiss Wien, Math.-Naturw. Klasse 96: 437-509 - get paper here
 
External links  
Is it interesting? Share with others:

As link to this species use URL address:

https://reptile-database.reptarium.cz/species?genus=Psammophis&species=punctulatus

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



Please submit feedback about this entry to the curator