''Lycodon bibonius'', also known as Ota's wolf snake, is a species of colubrid snake found on the islands of Camiguin Norte and

Babuyan Claro Babuyan Claro Volcano, also known as Mount Pangasun, is a potentially active volcano located on Babuyan Island, the northernmost of the Babuyan group of islands in Luzon Strait, north of the main island of Luzon in the Philippines. It is class ...

in the Philippines.

Etymology

The species name "bibonius" is derived from the Latin word "bibo," meaning "to drink." The name was chosen by Hidetoshi Ota and Charles Ross, the biologists who described the snake, in honor of their colleague R. I. Crombie, "who, often while sharing beverages, has shared his expertise and friendship without reservation."

Description

The head of ''Lycodon bibonius'' is distinct from the neck and slightly flattened. The snout projects forward beyond the lower jaw. The body of the snake is cylindrical, slightly flattened on the belly. The rostral scale is large and triangular, clearly visible from above the snake. The body of the snake is dark brown, with lighter stripes across the back and tail. These stripes are narrower than the spaces between them, and are narrowest on the spine, broadening as they descend down the side of the snake. A holotype for the species had a snout-to-vent length of 37.1 centimetres and a tail-length of 14 centimetres, giving it a total length of 51.1 centimetres. ''Lycodon bibonius'' is distinguished from other '' Lycodon'' species by the fact that its upper pre-ocular scale is larger than the lower scale, as well by the presence of 16-21 lighter bands across its back and tail.

Reproduction

''Lycodon bibonius'' is

oviparous Oviparous animals are animals that lay their eggs, with little or no other embryonic development within the mother. This is the reproductive method of most fish, amphibians, most reptiles, and all pterosaurs, dinosaurs (including birds), and ...

, or egg-laying.

Phylogeny

''Lycodon bibonius'' is a member of the genus '' Lycodon'', a genus of snakes commonly known as wolf snakes. The genus belongs to the snake family

Colubridae Colubridae (, commonly known as colubrids , from la, coluber, 'snake') is a family of snakes. With 249 genera, it is the largest snake family. The earliest species of the family date back to the Oligocene epoch. Colubrid snakes are found on ever ...

, the largest snake family, with member species being found on every continent except Antarctica.

Habitat and ecology

During the day, the species is found on the leaf axils of palm trees. During the night, it is found on tree trunks. It has been observed in both forested and agricultural areas. They are known to eat

skink Skinks are lizards belonging to the family Scincidae, a family in the infraorder Scincomorpha. With more than 1,500 described species across 100 different taxonomic genera, the family Scincidae is one of the most diverse families of lizards. Ski ...

Distribution

Prior to 2004, ''Lycodon bibonius'' was only known from the volcanic island of Camiguin Norte in the Babuyan island group in the Philippines. In 2006, it was newly observed on the island of

, within the same island group. The size of their range is less than 300 square kilometres.

Conservation

Despite the range of the snake being limited to 300 square kilometers, the International Union for Conservation of Nature considers ''Lycodon alcalai'' to be a species of least concern, based on a survey in 2007. The island of

Babuyan The Babuyan Islands ( ), also known as the Babuyan Group of Islands, is an archipelago in the Philippines, located in the Luzon Strait north of the main island of Luzon and south of Taiwan via Bashi Channel to Luzon Strait. The archipelago consi ...

is within a proposed protected zone, and both Babuyan and Camiguin have an extremely low population density. The species is common within its limited range, and its population is thought to be stable. The loss of forest habitats might pose a threat to it on Camiguin island.

References

External links

Lycodon bibonius
at the Reptile Database. {{Taxonbar, from=Q3268420 bibonius Reptiles described in 1994 Reptiles of the Philippines Endemic fauna of the Philippines Fauna of the Babuyan Islands