The Italian Aesculapian snake (''Zamenis lineatus'') is a
species
A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...
of
snake
Snakes are elongated limbless reptiles of the suborder Serpentes (). Cladistically squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping scales much like other members of the group. Many species of snakes have s ...
in the
Colubridae
Colubridae (, commonly known as colubrids , from , 'snake') is a family of snakes. With 249 genera, it is the largest snake family. The earliest fossil species of the family date back to the Late Eocene epoch, with earlier origins suspected. C ...
family
Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...
.
Geographic range

''Z. lineatus'' is
endemic
Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also foun ...
to southern
Italy
Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...
and
Sicily
Sicily (Italian language, Italian and ), officially the Sicilian Region (), is an island in the central Mediterranean Sea, south of the Italian Peninsula in continental Europe and is one of the 20 regions of Italy, regions of Italy. With 4. ...
. The northern limit of its geographical range is the Province of
Caserta
Caserta ( ; ) is the capital of the province of Caserta in the Campania region of Italy. An important agricultural, commercial, and industrial ''comune'' and city, Caserta is located 36 kilometres north of Naples on the edge of the Campanian p ...
in the west and the Province of
Foggia
Foggia (, ; ; ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) of Apulia, in Southern Italy, capital of the province of Foggia. In 2013, its population was 153,143. Foggia is the main city of a plain called Tavoliere delle Puglie, Tavoliere, also know ...
in the east. It is absent from the Salentine Peninsula (
Salento
Salento (; Salentino dialect, Salentino: ''Salentu''; Griko language, Salento Griko: ) is a Cultural area, cultural, List of historical states of Italy, historical, and geographic region at the southern end of the administrative region of Apuli ...
), which is the "heel" of the "boot" of Italy.
The
type locality is
Naples
Naples ( ; ; ) is the Regions of Italy, regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 908,082 within the city's administrative limits as of 2025, while its Metropolitan City of N ...
.
[
]
Description
The Italian Aesculapian snake is a medium to large snake that reaches a maximum total length (including tail) of . Dorsally, it is yellowish brown and may have four dark brown stripes. If present, the stripes are of equal width and equidistant. The dorsal scales are smooth. The iris of the eye is red, giving it the common name in Italian of ''saettone occhirossi'' (red-eyed racer).
Habitat
The natural habitat
In ecology, habitat refers to the array of resources, biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species' habitat can be seen as the physical manifestation of its ...
s of ''Z. lineatus'' are temperate forest
A forest is an ecosystem characterized by a dense ecological community, community of trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, ...
s, temperate shrubland, Mediterranean-type shrubby vegetation, arable land, pastureland, rural gardens, and urban area
An urban area is a human settlement with a high population density and an infrastructure of built environment. Urban areas originate through urbanization, and researchers categorize them as cities, towns, conurbations or suburbs. In urbani ...
s, at altitudes from sea level to .
Behavior
''Z. lineatus'' is partly arboreal.[
]
Diet
The Italian Aesculapian snake feeds on lizard
Lizard is the common name used for all Squamata, squamate reptiles other than snakes (and to a lesser extent amphisbaenians), encompassing over 7,000 species, ranging across all continents except Antarctica, as well as most Island#Oceanic isla ...
s, small mammal
A mammal () is a vertebrate animal of the Class (biology), class Mammalia (). Mammals are characterised by the presence of milk-producing mammary glands for feeding their young, a broad neocortex region of the brain, fur or hair, and three ...
s, and eggs.
Reproduction
''Z. lineatus'' is oviparous
Oviparous animals are animals that reproduce by depositing fertilized zygotes outside the body (i.e., by laying or spawning) in metabolically independent incubation organs known as eggs, which nurture the embryo into moving offsprings kno ...
.[
]
See also
* List of reptiles of Italy
References
Further reading
* Camerano L (1891). "''Monografia degli ofidi italiani. Parte seconda — colubridi e monografia dei cheloni italiani'' ". ''Memorie della Reale Accademia delle Scienze di Torino, Serie seconda'' 41 (2): 403–469. (''Callopeltis longissimus'' Var. ''lineata'', p. 458). (in Italian).
* Lenk P, Wüster W (1999). "A Multivariate Approach to the Systematics of Italian Rat Snakes of the ''Elaphe longissima'' Complex (Reptilia, Colubridae): Revalidation of Camerano's ''Callopeltis longissimus'' var. ''lineata''". ''The Herpetological Journal'' 9 (4): 153–162.
* Utiger U, Helfenberger N, Schätti B, Schmidt C, Ruf M, Ziswiler V (2002). "Molecular systematics and phylogeny of Old World and New World ratsnakes, ''Elaphe'' Auct., and related genera (Reptilia, Squamata, Colubridae)". ''Russian Journal of Herpetology'' 9 (2): 105–124.
Zamenis
Reptiles of Europe
Endemic fauna of Italy
Reptiles described in 1891
Taxa named by Lorenzo Camerano
Taxonomy articles created by Polbot
{{Colubrids-stub