Eirenis coronella

Eirenis coronella or crowned dwarf racer, is a non-venomous[1] snake found in the Near and Middle East.

Eirenis coronella
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Serpentes
Family: Colubridae
Genus: Eirenis
Species:
E. coronella
Binomial name
Eirenis coronella
(Schlegel, 1837)

Description

Eirenis coronella adults range from 25-30 cm in length. The head is a little wider than the body, although the body is a little bulky and has smooth dorsal scales. The tail is distinctly narrower than the main body and constitutes about 20% of the total length. The dorsal surface is usually pale brown to grey, with darker bands. They have a thick brown crescent-shaped collar, and the underside is yellowish to white with round brown spots.[2]

Distribution

S Turkey, Jordan, Syria, Egypt (Sinai), Iraq, W Iran, N/NE Saudi Arabia, Israel.[3]

This species is found in arid, sparsely vegetated mountainous and hilly areas on hard and rocky soils. It can be found between rocks and on the banks of dry wadis. They are often found in agricultural land and other man made habitats (Egan 2007). It is not known from agricultural areas.

Reproduction

Oviparous, the female lays between three and five eggs in a clutch.

References
  1. "WCH Clinical Toxinology Resources". www.toxinology.com. Retrieved 2019-01-23.
  2. e-Nature, Qatar. "Qatar e-Nature – Crowned Dwarf Snake". Retrieved 2019-01-23.
  3. "Eirenis coronella". The Reptile Database. Retrieved 2019-01-23.
  • Schlegel, H. 1837. Essai sur la physionomie des serpens. Partie Générale: xxviii +251 S. + Partie Descriptive: 606 S. + xvi. La Haye (J. Kips, J. HZ. et W. P. van Stockum).
  • Haas G. and Werner, Y. L. 1969. Lizards and snakes from Southwestern Asia, collected by Henry Field. Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology 138: 327–406.
  • Baran, I. 1978. Some rare species of snakes from Turkey. Annalen des Naturhistorischen Museums, Wien 81 [1977]: 261–265.
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