Telescopus hoogstraali

Telescopus hoogstraali, common names of which include Hoogstraal's cat snake and the Sinai cat snake,[1] is an endangered species of snake in the family Colubridae. The species is native to the Middle East.

Telescopus hoogstraali
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Serpentes
Family: Colubridae
Genus: Telescopus
Species:
T. hoogstraali
Binomial name
Telescopus hoogstraali
Schmidt & Marx, 1956
Synonyms[2][3]
  • Telescopus hoogstraali
    Schmidt & Marx, 1956
  • Telescopus fallax hoogstraali
    Zinner, 1977
  • Telescopus hoogstraali
    Venchi & Sindaco, 2006
  • Telescopus hoogstraali
    Wallach et al., 2014

Etymology

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The specific name, hoogstraali, is in honor of American entomologist and parasitologist Harry Hoogstraal.[4]

Description

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T. hoogstraali has a black-coloured neck and head. Its eyes are small with vertical, cat-like pupils. The snake's underbelly is grey and is covered with black spots.[5]

Geographic range

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T. hoogstraali is found around the Sinai region, in Egypt and Israel, as well as Jordan.[1]

In Egypt, it is found in Santa Catarina and Gebel Maghara of northern Sinai Peninsula, while in Israel it can be found only in Negev Desert. It is also known from one city in Jordan, Petra.[1]

Habitat

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T. hoogstraali can be found at an elevation of 1,500 metres (4,900 ft) in natural habitats such as subtropical or tropical dry shrubland, subtropical or tropical dry lowland grassland, rocky areas, and hot deserts.[1]

Behaviour

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T. hoogstraali is terrestrial.[1]

Reproduction

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T. hoogstraali is oviparous.[1][2]

Conservation status

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T. hoogstraali is threatened by habitat loss and distribution.[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h Disi, M.A.M.; Werner, Y.; El Din, S.B. (2006). "Telescopus hoogstraali ". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2006: e.T61582A12498578. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2006.RLTS.T61582A12498578.en. Retrieved 13 November 2021.
  2. ^ a b Species Telescopus hoogstraali at The Reptile Database www.reptile-database.org.
  3. ^ Zinner, Hermann (1977). "The status of Telescopus hoogstraali Schmidt & Marx 1956 and the Telescopus fallax Fleischmann 1831 complex (Reptilia, Serpentes, Colubridae)". Journal of Herpetology 11 (2): 207–212. (Telescopus fallax hoogstraali, new combination).
  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. (Telescopus hoogstraali, p. 126).
  5. ^ Amr ZS, Disi AM (2011). "Systematics, distribution and ecology of the snakes of Jordan". Vertebrate Zoology 61 (2): 179–266.

Further reading

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  • Bar, Aviad; Haimovitch, Guy; Meiri Shai (2021). Field Guide to the Amphibians and Reptiles of Israel. Frankfurt am Main, Germany: Edition Chimaira. 512 pp. ISBN 9783899731200.
  • Disi AM, Modrý D, Nečas P, Rifai L (2001). Amphibians and Reptiles of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan: An Atlas and Field Guide. Frankfurt am Main, Germany: Edition Chimaira. 408 pp. ISBN 9783930612123.
  • Schmidt KP, Marx H (1956). "The Herpetology of Sinai". Fieldiana Zoology 39 (4): 21–40. (Telescopus hoogstraali, new species, pp. 33–35, Figures 5 & 6).
  • Sindaco R, Venchi A, Grieco C (2013). The Reptiles of the Western Palearctic 2. Annotated checklist and distributional atlas of the snakes of Europe, North Africa, Middle East and Central Asia, with an update to the Vol. 1. (Monographs of the Societas Herpetologica Italica). Latina, Italy: Edizioni Belvedere. 544 pp. ISBN 978-88-89504-34-5.