Spalerosophis diadema

Diadem Snake
File:Clifford's Snake.jpg
Israeli subspecies, Spalerosophis diadema cliffordi, commonly called Clifford's Snake
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Suborder:	Serpentes
Family:	Colubridae
Subfamily:	Colubrinae
Genus:	Spalerosophis
Species:	S. diadema
Binomial name
Spalerosophis diadema (Schlegel, 1837)
Synonyms
Coluber diadema Schlegel, 1837 Zamenis diadema - Boulenger, 1893

The diadem snake (Spalerosophis diadema) is a species of large colubrine snake.

Geographic range

It is found in Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, Western Pakistan, Northern India, U.S.S.R., South Turkmenistan, South Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Sinai, Israel, Jordan, Syria Western Sahara, Mauritania, Mali, Niger, Northern Sudan, Turkey, Arabia, and Oman.

The named races or subspecies are found as follows:

• Race atriceps: Pakistan
• Race cliffordi: from Morocco to Egypt and Israel
• Race schiraziana: Zagros Mts. and the region of Bushire in W Iran, eastwards to S Turkmenistan into Afghanistan and India; Pakistan
• Race diadema: Pakistan, India

Type locality: Shiraz, Iran

Description

Adults may attain a total length of 1.8 m (about 6 feet) of which about 34 cm (13½ inches) is tail. Dorsally they are pale buff or sandy grey, with a median series of dark blotches, and smaller dark spots. Ventrally they are usually uniform white, but rarely have small blackish spots.

References

• Marx, H. 1959 Review of the colubrid snake genus Spalerosophis. Fieldiana Zoology 39: 347-361.
• Schlegel, H. 1837 Essai sur la physionomie des serpens. Partie Général xxviii +251 S. + Partie Descriptiv 606 S. + xvi. La Haye (J. Kips, J. HZ. et W. P. van Stockum)

External links

• http://itgmv1.fzk.de/www/itg/uetz/herp/photos/Spalerosophis_diadema.jpg
• http://itgmv1.fzk.de/www/itg/uetz/herp/photos/Spalerosophis_d_atriceps.jpg