Xenochrophis cerasogaster (CANTOR, 1839)
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Higher Taxa | Colubridae (Natricinae), Colubroidea, Caenophidia, Alethinophidia, Serpentes, Squamata (snakes) |
Subspecies | |
Common Names | E: Painted Keelback G: Dunkelbäuchige Fischnatter |
Synonym | Psammophis cerasogaster CANTOR 1839: 52 ? Tropidonotus cerasogaster — GÜNTHER 1859: 224 Xenochrophis cerasogaster — GÜNTHER 1864 Amphiesma schistaceum JAN 1865 (fide SMITH 1943) Xenochrophis cerasogaster — BOULENGER 1893: 191 Xenochrophis cerasogaster — WALL 1907: 104 Xenochrophis cerasogaster — SMITH 1943: 317 Xenochrophis cerasogaster — DAS 1996: 59 Xenochrophis cerasogaster — WALLACH et al. 2014: 797 |
Distribution | Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, India (Meghalaya, Assam, Uttar Pradesh), West Malaysia Type locality: Vicinity of Calcutta ( Smith (1943: 317; Cantor 1839 did not designate a type locality). |
Reproduction | oviparous |
Types | Lectotype: iconotype, color plate in the Bodleian Library, London (fide KRAMER 1977) |
Diagnosis | Diagnosis (genus): Günther (1864) erected the genus Xenochrophis with the following diagnostic characters: body cylindrical, rather stout; head narrow, elongate; eye with round pupil; nostrils lateral, situated in the upper part of a single plate; shields of the head regular; scales keeled, in nineteen rows; ventrals rounded; anal bifid; subcaudals paired; no conspicuously longer teeth; they are widely set, those in middle of maxillary series and those in front of mandible being rather larger than the others (fide Purkayashata et al. 2018). |
Comment | Distribution: Possibly in Bhutan (Lenz 2012). Type species: Psammophis cerasogaster CANTOR 1839: 52 is the type species of the genus Xenochrophis GÜNTHER 1864. Key: Cheng et al. 2021 provide a key to the genera of Xenochrophis sensu stricto, Atretium, and Fowlea. Synonymy: Cheng et al. 2021 doubted the generic assignment of the members of Xenochrophis and accepted only cerasogaster as the only member of the genus. |
Etymology | The genus nomen of Xenochrophis is presumably derived from the Greek xénos, meaning foreign, strange; chros, meaning color; and ophis, meaning snake. The generic nomen probably refers to the distinctive color pattern of this type species. The gender of this generic name is masculine. |
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