| Atractaspis branchi | |
|---|---|
_Figure_1.jpg.webp) | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Suborder: | Serpentes |
| Family: | Atractaspididae |
| Genus: | Atractaspis |
| Species: | A. branchi |
| Binomial name | |
| Atractaspis branchi Rödel et al., 2019 | |
Atractaspis branchi, known commonly as Branch's stiletto snake, is a species of fossorial, venomous snake in the family Atractaspididae.[1][2] The species is endemic to West Africa.[1]
Etymology
The specific name branchi is to honor South African herpetologist William Roy (Bill) Branch, a world-leading expert on African reptiles.[3]
Description
The species A. branchi, like other species of its genus, is notable for its unusual skull, allowing it to stab sideways with a fang sticking out of the corner of its mouth.[4] A. branchi has morphological similarities to A. reticulata, but is distinguished by having 19 rows of dorsal scales at midbody.[1]
Habitat and geographic range
Atractaspis branchi lives in primary rainforest and rainforest edges in the western part of the Upper Guinea forests in Guinea and Liberia.[1]
References
- 1 2 3 4 Rödel, Mark-Oliver [in French]; Kucharzewski, Christoph; Mahlow, Kristin; Chirio, Laurent; Pauwels, Olivier [in French]; Carlino, Piero; Sambolah, Gordon; Glos, Julian (2019). "A new stiletto snake (Lamprophiidae, Atractaspidinae, Atractaspis) from Liberia and Guinea, West Africa". Zoosystematics and Evolution. 951 (107). doi:10.3897/zse.95.31488. (Atractaspis branchi, new species).
- ↑ "New species of stiletto snake capable of sideways strikes discovered in West Africa". sciencedaily. 2019-03-11. Retrieved 2019-03-13.
- ↑ Species Atractaspis branchi at The Reptile Database . www.reptile-database.org.
- ↑ "SNAKE THAT CAN STAB SIDEWAYS WITH FANGS STICKING OUT CORNER OF ITS MOUTH DISCOVERED". newsweek. 2019-03-12. Retrieved 2019-03-13.