Added 11 March 2014.

A Look at the Family Colubridae

Aeluroglena

Somali Snake


Introduction

A monotypic genus restricted to the Horn of Africa.

Boulenger (1898) gives the characteristics of the genus as follows: 11 maxillary teeth, increasing in size posteriorly, forming an uninterrupted series; mandibular teeth subequal; head elongate, slightly distinct from neck; eye moderate, with vertically elliptical pupil; nostril pierced between 2 nasals and the supranasal; body slender, cylindrical; scales smooth, with apical pits, in 21 rows; ventrals rounded; tail moderate; subcaudals paired.

I have not heard of this snake being kept by hobbyists.

Scientific Name

Common Name

Distribution

Size

Notes

Aeluroglena

A. cucullata

Somali Snake

Ethiopia, N Somalia

SVL 30cm/12", TL 37½cm/15"

Scalation details: rostral much broader than deep, not visible from above; internasals as long as prefrontals; frontal bell-shaped, one and a half times as long as broad, broader than the supraocular, as long as its distance from end of the snout, shorter than the parietals; loreal twice as long as deep; single large preocular, narrowly separated from the frontal; 2 postoculars; temporals 1+2; 8 supralabials, of which 4th and 5th enter the eye; 5 infralabials in contact with the anterior chinshields, which are shorter than the posterior; latter separated from each other by scales; scales in 21 rows at midbody; 216 ventrals; anal plate divided; 67 subcaudals. Other: snout rather long, slightly prominent; . Coloration: pale bluff above; head dorsally dark brown, speckled with whitish, shading into a blackish blotch on the nape; 2 large cream-coloured spots on upper lip, in front of and behind the eye; lower surface of head dark brown, with cream-coloured spot on each side of the chin; band of same colour below each mandibular ramus, sending up a process to meet the preocular labial spot; brown is prolonged as a median stripe along the throat; lower parts cream coloured. Reproduction: no details available. [SOURCE: Boulenger

Bibliography



Links


Back to Colubridae | Back to Snakes | Back to Reptiles | Back to Herpetology | Back to Homepage