| Xenocalamus mechowii | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Subphylum: | Vertebrata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Suborder: | Serpentes |
| Family: | Atractaspididae |
| Genus: | Xenocalamus |
| Species: | X. mechowii |
| Binomial name | |
| Xenocalamus mechowii Peters, 1881 |
|
Xenocalamus mechowii, or the elongate quill-snouted snake, is a species of venomous rear-fanged snake in the family Atractaspididae.[1] It is endemic to Africa.[2]
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The specific name or epithet, mechowii, is in honor of Friedrich Wilhelm Alexander von Mechow, a Silesian-German explorer of Africa.
It is found in Angola, Botswana, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Namibia, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.[3]
Dorsally yellowish with brown spots. Some spots arranged in alternating confluent pairs, others forming crossbands. Upper lip, sides of body, and ventrum unspotted.
A subadult 22.5 cm (8¾ inches) in total length has a tail 3.5 cm (1⅜ inch) long.
Dorsal scales smooth, without apical pits, arranged in 17 rows. Ventrals 229-239; anal plate divided; subcaudals 31-36, also divided.
Head scalation same as Xenocalamus bicolor, except no supraoculars and two postoculars.[4]
Two subspecies are recognized including the nominate race.
Intergrades of these two subspecies can be found in North-Western Province, Zambia.[6]