Thrasops jacksonii, also known commonly as the black tree snake and Jackson's black tree snake, is a species of snake in the subfamily Colubrinae of the family Colubridae.[2] The species is native to Central Africa.

Thrasops jacksonii
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Serpentes
Family: Colubridae
Genus: Thrasops
Species:
T. jacksonii
Binomial name
Thrasops jacksonii
Günther, 1895
Synonyms[2]
  • Thrasops jacksonii
    Günther, 1895
  • Rhamnophis jacksonii
    Boulenger, 1896
  • Thrasops Rothschildsi
    Mocquard, 1905
  • Thrasops jacksonii
    Schmidt, 1923

Geographic range edit

T. jacksonii is found in Angola, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo, Gabon, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania, and Zambia.[2]

Habitat edit

The preferred natural habitats of T. jacksonii are forest and savanna, at altitudes of 549–2,400 m (1,801–7,874 ft).[1]

Description edit

T. jacksonii may attain a total length (including tail) of about 2.0 m (6.6 ft).[3]

Behavior edit

T. jacksonii is diurnal and arboreal, and has been found as high as 30 m (98 ft) in the canopy.[1]

Diet edit

A generalist, T. jacksonii preys upon frogs, arboreal lizards, birds and their eggs, and mammals.[1]

Reproduction edit

T. jacksonii is oviparous.[1][2] Clutch size is 7–12 eggs.[1]

Etymology edit

The specific name, jacksonii, is in honor of English ornithologist Frederick John Jackson.[4]

References edit

  1. ^ a b c d e f Wagner, P.; Branch, W.R.; Safari, I.; Chenga, J. (2021). "Thrasops jacksonii ". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2021: e.T44929924A44929946. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2021-2.RLTS.T44929924A44929946.en. Retrieved 9 August 2023.
  2. ^ a b c d "Thrasops jacksonii ". The Reptile Database. Retrieved 10 December 2021.
  3. ^ Schmidt KP (1923). "Contributions to the Herpetology of the Belgian Congo Based on the Collection of the American Museum Congo Expedition, 1909–1915. Part II. Snakes, with Field Notes by Herbert Lang and James P. Chapin". Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 49 (1): 1–146. (Thrasops jacksonii, pp. 85–87).
  4. ^ 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. ("Thrasops jacksoni [sic]", p. 132).

Further reading edit

  • Günther A (1895). "Notice of Reptiles and Batrachians collected in the Eastern Half of Tropical Africa". Annals and Magazine of Natural History, Sixth Series 15: 523–529 + Plate XXI. (Thrasops Jacksonii, new species, pp. 528–529).
  • Spawls S, Howell K, Hinkel H, Menegon M (2018). Field Guide to East African Reptiles, Second Edition. London: Bloomsbury Natural History. 624 pp. ISBN 978-1472935618. (Thrasops jacksonii, p. 500).