Biology Reference
In-Depth Information
(A)
(B)
Plate 4.1
(A and B) Asian vine snake; as gulla (
Ahaetulla nasuta
).
A slender, long-snouted,
arboreal colubrine species with horizontal-key-hole eye pupils,
A. nasuta
feeds on lizards,
nestling birds, and occasionally small fish. They are popular in private collections, and the few
documented bites caused only mild local effects.
Plate 4.1A, photo copyright to David A. Warrell, Sri Lanka; Plate 4.1B, photo copyright to
Julian White.
(A)
(B)
Plates 4.2, 4.3
West Indian, Caribbean or Central American, South American, and
Galapagos racers (
Alsophis
spp.).
These fast-moving, diurnal snakes belong to the family
Dipsadidae, subfamily Xenodontinae, tribe Alsophiini, and also are commonly known by the
useless name “racer,” a name applied to many diverse species (e.g., see
Philodryas
,
Coluber
,
Platyceps
, and
Hemorrhois
). This group is taxonomically unstable and has recently been reviewed
with many taxa re-assigned to either new or previously named genera (Hedges et al., 2009; see text,
Section 4.2). Some limited insular
Alsophis
spp. populations are probably in danger of extirpation
due to predation by rats. Some specimens exhibit damage to their posterior body/tail that has been
presumed to be due to natural predatory attempts by soldier crabs (
Coenobita clypeatus
; Barun
et al., 2007). Although there are very few documented medically significant bites by members of
the Alsophiini, a handful of bites by
A. portoricensis
, and
A. cantherigerus
have caused