Class Reptilia Rank Species | Subphylum Vertebrata Suborder Serpentes Subfamily Xenodontinae Phylum Chordata Order Scaled reptiles | |
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Similar Oxyrhopus, Oxyrhopus petolarius, Liophis reginae, Drepanoides, Oxyrhopus guibei | ||
Oxyrhopus melanogenys, commonly known as Tschudi's false coral snake, is a colubrid snake species found in the northern part of South America.
Contents
Description
Adults may attain a total length of 68 cm (27 in), which includes a tail 17 cm (6.7 in) long.
Dorsally, it is red or reddish brown, with the dorsal scales black-edged or black-tipped. There may be a few black crossbands in groups of three (triads) on the anterior portion of the body. The top of the head and the nape of the neck are black. Ventrally, it is yellowish. It is often confused with Oxyrhopus trigeminus.
The dorsal scales are smooth, with apical pits, and are arranged in 19 rows at midbody.
Subspecies
There are two subspecies, including the nominate subspecies:
Geographic range
O. m. melanogenys is native to Bolivia, Peru, Brazil (Rondônia, Amazonas, Pará), Ecuador, Colombia, Guyana, Venezuela (Amazonas, Bolívar).
O. m. orientalis is found in Peru and Brazil (Pará).