''Lycodon ruhstrati'', also known as Ruhstrat's wolf snake, the mountain wolf snake, or the Formosa wolf snake, is a species of non-venomous

colubrid 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. Colu ...

snake found in Taiwan, southern and eastern China, and northern Vietnam.

Taxonomy

The

specific name Specific name may refer to: * in Database management systems, a system-assigned name that is unique within a particular database In taxonomy, either of these two meanings, each with its own set of rules: * Specific name (botany), the two-part (bino ...

, ''ruhstrati'', was chosen to honor German-born Ernst Konrad A. Ruhstrat (died 1913), of the Imperial Chinese Customs Service, who collected the

type specimen In biology, a type is a particular wikt:en:specimen, specimen (or in some cases a group of specimens) of an organism to which the scientific name of that organism is formally associated. In other words, a type is an example that serves to ancho ...

s of this species in southern Taiwan. ''Lycodon ruhstrati'' is a member of the

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

Lycodon ''Lycodon'' is a genus of colubrid snakes, commonly known as wolf snakes. The Neo-Latin name ''Lycodon'' is derived from the Greek words λύκος (''lykos'') meaning wolf and οδόν (''odon'') meaning tooth, and refers to the fang-like ant ...

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

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 ...

. Colubridae is the largest snake family, with member

genera Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family as used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In binomial nomenclature, the genus name forms the first part of the binomial s ...

and species being found on every continent except Antarctica. The genus ''Lycodon'' has at times been placed in the genus ''

Oligodon ''Oligodon'' is Genus (biology), genus of Colubridae, colubrid snakes that was first described by Austrian people, Austrian zoologist Leopold Fitzinger in 1826. This genus is widespread throughout Central Asia, central and tropical Asia. The snak ...

'', but this classification is under dispute. The species '' Lycodon multifasciatus'' was previously listed as a

subspecies In Taxonomy (biology), biological classification, subspecies (: subspecies) is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (Morphology (biology), morpholog ...

of ''L. ruhstrati'', being classified as ''Lycodon ruhstrati multifasciatus'' in 1984. However, in 2008 it was classified as a separate species as ''Lycodon multifasciatus''. The species '' Dinodon futsingensis'', first described in 1928, was synonymised with ''Lycodon ruhstrati'' in 1929. However, in 2009 it was recognized as a separate species, and named '' Lycodon futsingensis''. In 2013, the genetic sequence of ''L. ruhsrati'' was used as part of a study which suggested combining the genera ''

'' and ''Dinodon''. ''L. ruhstrati'' currently has two subspecies: ''Lycodon ruhstrati ruhstrati'' , the

nominate subspecies In biological classification, subspecies (: subspecies) is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics ( morphology), but that can successfully interbreed. ...

, first described from Taiwan; and ''Lycodon ruhstrati abditus'' , described from Vietnam.

Description

The color pattern of ''L. ruhstrati'' is highly variable, although it tends to be dark-colored with several light-colored crossbands on its back. The largest specimen found prior to 2008 had a total length (including tail) of .

Habitat and ecology

''L. ruhstrati'' 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 ...

, or egg-laying, with females laying four eggs in each clutch. It is a montane species and is found on slopes, in caves, and beneath stones in mountain streams. It is also found in agricultural land and both natural and plantation forests in the foothills. The snake is known to predate upon the

brown anole The brown anole (''Anolis sagrei''), also known Common name, commonly as the Cuban brown anole, Bahaman anole, or De la Sagra's anole, is a species of lizard in the Family (biology), family Dactyloidae. The species is native to Cuba, the Bahamas, ...

, ''Anoles sagrei'', as well as upon '' Diploderma swinhonis''.

Range and distribution

''L. ruhstrati'' occurs in the Tranninh Plateau of Laos, northern Vietnam, Taiwan, and southern China. It has been found in the Chinese provinces of

Anhui Anhui is an inland Provinces of China, province located in East China. Its provincial capital and largest city is Hefei. The province is located across the basins of the Yangtze and Huai rivers, bordering Jiangsu and Zhejiang to the east, Jiang ...

Fujian Fujian is a provinces of China, province in East China, southeastern China. Fujian is bordered by Zhejiang to the north, Jiangxi to the west, Guangdong to the south, and the Taiwan Strait to the east. Its capital is Fuzhou and its largest prefe ...

Gansu Gansu is a provinces of China, province in Northwestern China. Its capital and largest city is Lanzhou, in the southeastern part of the province. The seventh-largest administrative district by area at , Gansu lies between the Tibetan Plateau, Ti ...

Guangdong ) means "wide" or "vast", and has been associated with the region since the creation of Guang Prefecture in AD 226. The name "''Guang''" ultimately came from Guangxin ( zh, labels=no, first=t, t= , s=广信), an outpost established in Han dynasty ...

Guanxi ''Guanxi'' () is a term used in Chinese culture to describe an individual's social network of mutually beneficial personal and business relationships. The character ''guan'', 关, means "closed" and "caring" while the character ''xi'' 系 mean ...

Guizhou ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = , image_map = Guizhou in China (+all claims hatched).svg , mapsize = 275px , map_alt = Map showing the location of Guizhou Province , map_caption = Map s ...

Jiangxi ; Gan: ) , translit_lang1_type2 = , translit_lang1_info2 = , translit_lang1_type3 = , translit_lang1_info3 = , image_map = Jiangxi in China (+all claims hatched).svg , mapsize = 275px , map_caption = Location ...

Shaanxi Shaanxi is a Provinces of China, province in north Northwestern China. It borders the province-level divisions of Inner Mongolia to the north; Shanxi and Henan to the east; Hubei, Chongqing, and Sichuan to the south; and Gansu and Ningxia to t ...

Sichuan Sichuan is a province in Southwestern China, occupying the Sichuan Basin and Tibetan Plateau—between the Jinsha River to the west, the Daba Mountains to the north, and the Yunnan–Guizhou Plateau to the south. Its capital city is Cheng ...

, and

Zhejiang ) , translit_lang1_type2 = , translit_lang1_info2 = ( Hangzhounese) ( Ningbonese) (Wenzhounese) , image_skyline = 玉甑峰全貌 - panoramio.jpg , image_caption = View of the Yandang Mountains , image_map = Zhejiang i ...

, as well as

Hong Kong Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...

. The subspecies '' Lycodon ruhstrati multifasciatus'' has also been found in Japan's

Ryukyu Islands The , also known as the or the , are a chain of Japanese islands that stretch southwest from Kyushu to Geography of Taiwan, Taiwan: the Ryukyu Islands are divided into the Satsunan Islands (Ōsumi Islands, Ōsumi, Tokara Islands, Tokara and A ...

; however, this subspecies was subsequently reclassified as a separate species. ''L. ruhstrati'' is classified as a species of Least Concern by the

International Union for Conservation of Nature The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natural resources. Founded in 1948, IUCN has become the global authority on the stat ...

, because it is presumed to have a large population and to be distributed over a large area. It is also not thought to be declining very fast. No steps are currently being taken to specifically conserve this species, although it is thought to be found in a number of protected areas.

References

External links