The Colombian longtail snake (Enuliophis sclateri), also known commonly as the sock-headed snake and the white-headed snake, is a species of snake in the family Colubridae. The species is native to the humid forests of Central America and northern South America.
| Colombian longtail snake | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Suborder: | Serpentes |
| Family: | Colubridae |
| Genus: | Enuliophis McCranie & Villa, 1993 |
| Species: | E. sclateri |
| Binomial name | |
| Enuliophis sclateri (Boulenger, 1894) | |
| Synonyms[2] | |
Taxonomy and etymology
editThe species was first described by George Albert Boulenger in 1894 under the name Leptocalamus sciateri. The species was later placed in Enulius, and remained there until 1993, when James R. McCranie and Jaime Villa designated the species as the sole member of the new genus Enuliophis, which as of 2026[update] remains monotypic.
The name Enuliophis is derived from the Greek words hen (one), oule (scar or mark) and ophis (snake), and is allusion to the genus Enulius, the species of which, according to James R. McCranie, Enuliophis sciateri shares a resemblance with.[3]
The specific name, sclateri, is in honor of British zoologist Philip Lutley Sclater, who donated the holotype to the British Museum (Natural History), where Boulenger worked.[4][3][5]
Distribution and habitat
editDescription and behaviour
editE. sclateri can reach lengths of 55–70 cm (22–28 in), and has a long, thick tail that makes up 37–42% of the total length of the snake. The snake's belly is pale grey while its back is sleet grey to black or blue-black, with the dark colouration being broken up by a white or pale yellow collar. The snake has 129–151 ventral scales and 96–103 subcaudal scales.[3]
E. sclateri is known to exhibit both diurnality and nocturnality.[3]
Reproduction
editReferences
edit- 1 2 Köhler, G.; Lamar, W.; Nicholson, K.; Townsend, J.H.; Wilson, L.D.; Daza, J.; Bolívar, W.; Velasco, J.; Caicedo, J. (2016). "Enuliophis sclateri". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016 e.T203505A2766613. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-1.RLTS.T203505A2766613.en. Retrieved 18 November 2021.
- 1 2 3 Species Enuliophis sclateri at The Reptile Database www.reptile-database.org.
- 1 2 3 4 5 McCranie, James R. (2004). Wilson, Larry David (ed.). Enuliophis, E. sclateri. Catalogue of American Amphibians and Reptiles. Vol. 799. Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles. doi:10.15781/T20Z7122N. Retrieved 20 May 2026 – via University of Texas.
- ↑ Beolens B, Watkins M, Grayson M (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. ISBN 978-1-4214-0135-5. (Enuliophis sclateri, p. 239).
- ↑ Boulenger, George Albert (1894). Catalogue of the Snakes in the British Museum (Natural History). Vol. 2. Retrieved 20 May 2026 – via Biodiversity Heritage Library.
Further reading
edit- Boulenger GA (1894). Catalogue of the Snakes in the British Museum (Natural History). Volume II., Containing the Conclusion of the Colubridæ Aglyphæ. London: Trustees of the British Museum (Natural History). (Taylor and Francis, printers). xi + 382 pp. + Plates I–XX. (Leptocalamus sclateri, new species, p. 251 + Plate XII, figure 1).
- McCranie JR, Villa J (1993). "A new genus for the snake Enulius sclateri (Colubridae: Xenodontinae)". Amphibia-Reptilia 14 (3): 261–267. (Enuliophis, new genus; Enuliophis sclateri, new combination).
- Savage JM (2002). The Amphibians and Reptiles of Costa Rica: A Herpetofauna between Two Continents, between Two Seas. Chicago and London: University of Chicago Press. xx + 945 pp. ISBN 0-226-73537-0. (Enulius sclateri, pp. 589–590).
- Taylor EH (1954). "Further Studies on the Serpents of Costa Rica". University of Kansas Science Bulletin 36 (2): 673–800. (Enulius sclateri, pp. 707–708).