Forest sharp-tailed snake

The forest sharp-tailed snake (Contia longicaudae) is a species of snake in the family Colubridae. The species is endemic to the western coast of the United States.[2]

Forest sharp-tailed snake
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Serpentes
Family: Colubridae
Genus: Contia
Species:
C. longicaudae
Binomial name
Contia longicaudae
Feldman & Hoyer, 2010[1]
Synonyms[2]
  • Contia longicaudae Feldman & Hoyer, 2010
  • Contia longicauda — Crother et al., 2012
  • Contia longicaudae — Wallach et al., 2014

Geographic range

C. longicaudae is found in northern California and southern Oregon.[2]

Distribution and habitat

The forest sharp-tailed snake is not as widespread as its relative Contia tenuis (the sharp-tailed snake). The forest sharp-tailed snake is found in shaded wet forests along the western coast of the United States. The forest sharp tailed snake went unnoticed for a long time due to its vast similarities to Contia tenuis and because of the secretive nature of both species of sharp-tailed snakes, and also of their seasonally limited amount of activity.[1]

Identification

The easiest way to set the two species apart is by looking at the tail length and the subcaudal scales. The forest sharp-tailed snake has a longer tail than Contia tenuis and more subcaudal scales. Specifically, the forest sharp-tailed snake has 43 to 58 subcaudal scales, whereas Contia tenuis has 24 to 42.[2]

References
  1. Feldman CR, Hoyer RF (2010). "A new species of snake in the genus Contia (Squamata: Colubridae) from California and Oregon". Copeia. 2010 (2): 254–267. doi:10.1643/CH-09-129.
  2. Contia longicaudae at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database. Accessed 21 May 2013.


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