Italian Aesculapian snake

Italian Aesculapian snake
File:Benny Trapp Zamenis lineatus Sizilien.jpg
An adult Zamenis lineatus from Sicily.
Conservation status
Data Deficient (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Subphylum:	Vertebrata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Suborder:	Serpentes
Family:	Colubridae
Subfamily:	Colubrinae
Genus:	Zamenis
Species:	Z. lineatus
Binomial name
Zamenis lineatus (Camerano, 1891)
Synonyms
Coluber romanus Suckow, 1798 Callopeltis longissimus var. lineata Camerano, 1891 Elaphe longissima romana — Capocaccia, 1964 Elaphe lineata — Lenk & Wüster, 1999 Zamenis lineatus — Utiger et al., 2002 Zamenis lineata — Venchi & Sindaco, 2006 Zamenis lineatus — Li Vigni, 2013

The Italian Aesculapian snake (Zamenis lineatus) is a species of snake in the Colubridae family.

Geographic range

Z. lineatus is endemic to southern Italy and Sicily. The northern limit of its geographical range is the Province of Caserta in the west and the Province of Foggia in the east. It is absent from the Salentine Peninsula (Salento), which is the "heel" of the "boot" of Italy.

Description

The Italian Aesculapian snake is a medium to large snake that reaches a maximum total length (including tail) of . Dorsally, it is yellowish brown and may have four dark brown stripes. If present, the stripes are of equal width and equidistant. The dorsal scales are smooth. The iris of the eye is red, giving it the common name in Italian of saettone occhirossi (red-eyed racer).

Habitat

The natural habitats of Z. lineatus are temperate forests, temperate shrubland, Mediterranean-type shrubby vegetation, arable land, pastureland, rural gardens, and urban areas.

Diet

The Italian Aesculapian snake feeds on lizards, small mammals, and eggs.

Sources

• Corti C. 2005. Zamenis lineatus. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Downloaded on 29 July 2007.

Further reading

• Camerano L. 1891. "Monografia degli ofidi italiani. Parte seconda — colubridi e monografia dei cheloni italiani ". Memorie della Reale Accademia delle Scienze di Torino, Serie seconda 41 (2): 403-469. (Callopeltis longissimus Var. lineata, p. 458).
• Lenk P, Wüster W. 1999. "A Multivariate Approach to the Systematics of Italian Rat Snakes of the Elaphe longissima Complex (Reptilia, Colubridae): Revalidation of Camerano's Callopeltis longissimus var. lineata". The Herpetological Journal 9 (4): 153-162.
• Utiger U, Helfenberger N, Schätti B, Schmidt C, Ruf M, Ziswiler V. 2002. "Molecular systematics and phylogeny of Old World and New World ratsnakes, Elaphe Auct., and related genera (Reptilia, Squamata, Colubridae)". Russian Journal of Herpetology 9 (2): 105-124.

See also

• List of reptiles of Italy