Kingdom Animalia Class Reptilia Family Atractaspididae Scientific name Xenocalamus bicolor Rank Species | Subphylum Vertebrata Suborder Serpentes Genus Xenocalamus Phylum Chordata Order Scaled reptiles | |
Similar Amblyodipsas, Scaled reptiles, Aparallactus lunulatus, Atractaspis bibronii | ||
Xenocalamus bicolor, or the slender quill-snouted snake, is a species of venomous rear-fanged snake in the family Atractaspididae. It is endemic to Africa.
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Geographic range
It is found in Angola, Botswana, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Mozambique, Namibia, Republic of South Africa, and Zimbabwe.
Description
Black dorsally. White ventrally including the upper lip and the first two rows of dorsal scales on each side.
Total length 43 cm (16 7⁄8 in); tail 3 cm (1 1⁄8 in).
Dorsal scales smooth, without apical pits, arranged in 17 rows. Ventrals 218; anal plate divided; subcaudals 24, also divided.
Portion of rostral visible from above nearly half as long as the frontal. Frontal extremely large, more than half as long as the shielded part of the head. Internasals large, forming a short median suture. Supraocular very narrow. One large elongate preocular, contacting the posterior nasal, the internasal, the frontal, and the third upper labial. One minute postocular. One temporal. Six upper labials, the first very small, third and fourth entering the eye, the fifth very large and contacting the parietal. One pair of narrow chin shields. Three lower labials in contact with the chin shield. Third lower labial extremely large.
[Nota bene: the description above is a description of the species X. bicolor. The subspecies listed below vary somewhat from this description.]
Subspecies
Seven subspecies are recognized including the nominate race.