Zamenis

Aesculapian ( Zamenis longissimus )

Zamenis is a genus of non-toxic snakes from the family of snakes, more precisely, the subfamily of snakes authentics. The distribution of the genus covers large parts of Europe and the Middle East.

Features

The snakes of the genus Zamenis be 60-140 centimeters long. The elongated head is barely separated from the body. Like most snakes have round pupils and large, smooth head scales. The body scales are keeled but not smooth. The scale counts around eye is characteristic: Outside the eye is a praeocular, behind close to two Postoculare. Suboculare missing, so that the eye is directly adjacent to the upper lip shields. Zamenis have ( caudal Scutum ) on the waist of 21-27 dorsal scale rows and 192-255 ventral scales, on the 51-92 tail scales connect. The snakes of the genus Zamenis have a single hook at the base of hemipenis. In contrast, other closely related snakes ( Elaphe in the previous definition) have more or less equal size peaks.

Way of life

The snakes prefer dry, open woods, field edges and laying stone walls or ruins. Coming from sea level to 2000 meters above sea level. NN. before. Only Zamenis hohenackeri lives at an altitude of up to 3000 meters above sea level. NN.

The snakes of the genus Zamenis are oviparous ( oviparous ).

System

In the genus Zamenis the following five snake species are classified:

• Zamenis hohenackeri ( Bush, 1873)
• Italian Aesculapian Zamenis lineatus ( Camerano, 1891)
• Aesculapian Zamenis longissimus ( Laurenti, 1768)
• Zamenis persicus ( Werner, 1913)
• Leopard Snake Zamenis situla (Linnaeus, 1758)

The following cladogram shows the phylogenetic relationships of the genus Zamenis:

Zamenis hohenackeri

Zamenis longissimus

Zamenis situla

Zamenis lineatus

Zamenis persicus

Oocatochus

Coronella