Erythrolamprus pseudoreginae

Tobago stream snake
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Suborder:	Serpentes
Family:	Colubridae
Subfamily:	Dipsadinae
Genus:	Erythrolamprus
Species:	E. pseudoreginae
Binomial name
	Erythrolamprus pseudoreginae; Murphy, Braswell, Charles, Auguste, Rivas, Borzee, Lehtinen, & Jowers, 2019

Erythrolamprus pseudoreginae, the Tobago stream snake, is a species of snake in the family Colubridae. The species is found in the northeastern forests of the island of Tobago.^[1]^[2]

Etymology

The species name pseudoreginae was chosen because it was previously considered to be a member of the separate species Erythrolamprus reginae.^[1]^[2]

Classification

Erythrolamprus pseudoreginae belongs to the genus Erythrolamprus, which contains over 50 species. The genus Erythrolamprus belongs to the subfamily Dipsadinae, which is sometimes referred to as the family Dipsadidae. The relationships of Erythrolamprus species located in northern South America (Venezuela) can be shown in the cladogram below, based on molecular DNA analysis:^[2]

E. poecilogyrus (paraphyletic)

	E. ceii

	E. poecilogyrus (paraphyletic)

E. miliaris

E. typhlus (Brazil) (paraphyletic)

E. reginae (paraphyletic)

	E. reginae (paraphyletic)

	E. zweifeli

E. breviceps

E. epinephalus (Peru) (paraphyletic)

	E. epinephalus (Costa Rica) (paraphyletic)

	Erythrolamprus pseudoreginae

E. melanotus

E. atraventer

	E. jaegeri

	E. almadensis

	E. juliae

	E. cursor

E. typhlus (French Guiana) (paraphyletic)

E. cobella

	E. aesculapii (Brazil) (paraphyletic)

	E. ocellatus

E. aesculapii (French Guiana & Guyana) (paraphyletic)

	E. bizona

	E. mimus

Description

Erythrolamprus pseudoreginae is dark moss green to olive brown colored, with a lighter yellow to red colored belly, and a faint lateral stripe. Specimens measured in length from 47.6 cm (18.7 in) to 56.6 cm (22.3 in). It is diurnal, and likely preys upon small ground-dwelling frogs.^[2]

Distribution

It lives in northeastern Tobago, within forested ravines of the Main Ridge. Its habitat appears to be restricted to the lower montane rainforests of the region.^[2]

References

^ ^a ^b Erythrolamprus pseudoreginae at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database. Accessed 25 August 2014.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Murphy, John C.; Braswell, Alvin L.; Charles, Stevland P.; Auguste, Renoir J.; Rivas, Gilson A.; Borzée, Amaël; Lehtinen, Richard M.; Jowers, Michael J. (15 Jan 2019). "A new species of Erythrolamprus from the oceanic island of Tobago (Squamata, Dipsadidae)". ZooKeys (817): 131–157. doi:10.3897/zookeys.817.30811.

[RDB-1] Erythrolamprus pseudoreginae at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database. Accessed 25 August 2014.

[Murphy2019-2] Murphy, John C.; Braswell, Alvin L.; Charles, Stevland P.; Auguste, Renoir J.; Rivas, Gilson A.; Borzée, Amaël; Lehtinen, Richard M.; Jowers, Michael J. (15 Jan 2019). "A new species of Erythrolamprus from the oceanic island of Tobago (Squamata, Dipsadidae)". ZooKeys (817): 131–157. doi:10.3897/zookeys.817.30811.

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[2]