Telescopus beetzi
| Telescopus beetzi | |
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Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Suborder: | Serpentes |
| Family: | Colubridae |
| Genus: | Telescopus |
| Species: | T. beetzi
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| Binomial name | |
| Telescopus beetzi (Barbour, 1922)
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| Synonyms[2] | |
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Telescopus beetzi, commonly known as Beetz's tiger snake, is a species of snake in the family Colubridae. The species is native to southern Africa.
Etymology[edit]
The specific name, beetzi, is in honor of German geologist Paul Friedrich Werner Beetz (1887–1954), who collected the holotype.[3][4]
Common names[edit]
Common names for T. beetzi include Beetz's tiger snake,[3] Karoo tiger snake,[2] and Namib tiger snake.[2]
Geographic range[edit]
T. beetzi is found in southern Namibia and northwestern South Africa.[2]
Habitat[edit]
The preferred natural habitats of T. beetzi are shrubland, desert, and rocky areas, at altitudes of 50–1,500 m (160–4,920 ft).[1]
Description[edit]
T. beetzi is a slender, medium-sized snake. Females are larger than males. The maximum recorded snout-to-vent length (SVL) is 59 cm (23 in) for a female, but the maximum recorded SVL is only 43.5 cm (17.1 in) for a male. The dorsal scales are arranged in 21 rows at midbody, and the anal plate is undivided.[5]
Behavior[edit]
T. beetzi is nocturnal[5] and partially arboreal.[2]
Diet[edit]
T. beetzi preys upon lizards.[5]
Reproduction[edit]
T. beetzi is oviparous.[2] Clutch size is 3–5 eggs. The eggs are elongate, with an average size of 12 mm × 44 mm (0.47 in × 1.73 in). The average total length (including tail) of a hatchling is 18 cm (7.1 in).[5]
References[edit]
- ^ a b Marais J, Turner AA, Becker F, Bauer AM (2020). "Telescopus beetzi ". The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2020: https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-3.RLTS.T13265579A139707679.en. Downloaded on 03 July 2021.
- ^ a b c d e f Species Telescopus beetzi at The Reptile Database www.reptile-database.org.
- ^ a b Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. ISBN 978-1-4214-0135-5. (Telescopus beetzi, p. 22).
- ^ "Beetz, Dr Paul Friedrich Werner (geology)". S2A3 Biographical Database of South African Science. www.s2a3.or.za/bio/Biograph_final.php?serial=203.
- ^ a b c d Branch, Bill (2004). Field Guide to Snakes and other Reptiles of Southern Africa. Third Revised edition, Second impression. Sanibel Island, Florida: Ralph Curtis Books. 399 pp. ISBN 0-88359-042-5. (Telescopus beetzii, p. 98 + Plate 19).
Further reading[edit]
- Baard EHW, Boycott RC, Broadley DG, Lambiris AJL (1987). "New herpetological distribution records in the Western Cape Province". Journal of the Herpetological Association of Africa 33 (1): 29–31. (Telescopus beetzi, p. 29).
- Barbour T (1922). "A New Snake from Southwest Africa". Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington 35: 229–230. (Tarbophis beetzii, new species, p. 230).
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