''Telescopus,'' the Old World catsnakes, is a

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 ...

of 12

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 mildly

venom Venom or zootoxin is a type of toxin produced by an animal that is actively delivered through a wound by means of a bite, sting, or similar action. The toxin is delivered through a specially evolved ''venom apparatus'', such as fangs or a sti ...

ous

opisthoglyphous A snake skeleton consists primarily of the skull, vertebrae, and ribs, with only vestigial remnants of the limbs. Skull The skull of a snake is a very complex structure, with numerous joints to allow the snake to swallow prey far larger than it ...

snakes Snakes are elongated Limbless vertebrate, limbless reptiles of the suborder Serpentes (). Cladistically Squamata, squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping Scale (zoology), scales much like other members of ...

in the

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 ...

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 ...

Geographic range

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 the genus ''Telescopus'' are found from the

Balkans The Balkans ( , ), corresponding partially with the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throug ...

and

Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...

through to southern and western

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...

, plus two species in northern

Eurasia Eurasia ( , ) is a continental area on Earth, comprising all of Europe and Asia. According to some geographers, Physical geography, physiographically, Eurasia is a single supercontinent. The concept of Europe and Asia as distinct continents d ...

Description

The genus ''Telescopus'' is characterised by having a slender slightly flattened cylindrical body and attaining a total length (including tail) of between 80–180 cm (about 2.5–6 feet). They have medium-large eyes with vertical pupils, a typical feature of nocturnal reptiles, and have smooth

dorsal scales In snakes, the dorsal scales are the longitudinal series of plates that encircle the body, but do not include the ventral scales. Campbell JA, Lamar WW (2004). ''The Venomous Reptiles of the Western Hemisphere''. Ithaca and London: Comstock Publis ...

. The dentition of the genus is as follows; typically 10–12 maxillary teeth, with a space before a pair of grooved fangs at the rear of the mouth, approximately level with the eyes. The anterior mandibular teeth are usually longer than the posterior mandibular teeth, perhaps to aid the arboreal species in catching and holding prey whilst in trees. The species are mostly drab, spotted snakes, but include the spectacular tiger snake ''( T. semiannulatus)'', which is orange in color with black saddles along its back. Boulenger GA (1896). ''Catalogue of the Snakes in the British Museum (Natural History). Volume III., Containing the Colubridæ (Opisthoglyphæ and Proteroglyphæ), ....'' London: Trustees of the British Museum. (Taylor and Francis, printers). xiv + 727 pp. + Plates I- XXV. (Genus ''Tarbophis'', p. 47).

Habitat and Behaviour

The genus ''Telescopus'' includes both arboreal and terrestrial species, and can be found from sea level up to 2,000 metres (about 6,600 feet) above sea level. They are nocturnal hunting snakes with a distinct head and large eyes.

Diet

The primary

prey Predation is a biological interaction in which one organism, the predator, kills and eats another organism, its prey. It is one of a family of common feeding behaviours that includes parasitism and micropredation (which usually do not ki ...

species of ''Telescopus'' are small

lizards Lizard is the common name used for all 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 oceanic island chains. The ...

, including

geckos Geckos are small, mostly carnivorous lizards that have a wide distribution, found on every continent except Antarctica. Belonging to the infraorder Gekkota, geckos are found in warm climates. They range from . Geckos are unique among lizards f ...

, although some members of the genus may occasionally prey on small

birds Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class (biology), class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the Oviparity, laying of Eggshell, hard-shelled eggs, a high Metabolism, metabolic rate, a fou ...

rodents Rodents (from Latin , 'to gnaw') are mammals of the order Rodentia ( ), which are characterized by a single pair of continuously growing incisors in each of the upper and lower jaws. About 40% of all mammal species are rodents. They are n ...

and

amphibians Amphibians are ectothermic, anamniote, anamniotic, tetrapod, four-limbed vertebrate animals that constitute the class (biology), class Amphibia. In its broadest sense, it is a paraphyletic group encompassing all Tetrapod, tetrapods, but excl ...

Reproduction

All species in the genus ''Telescopus'' are

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 ...

, laying clutches of 5–15 eggs.

Venom

All species in the genus ''Telescopus'' are venomous, with the venom being of a

neurotoxic Neurotoxicity is a form of toxicity in which a biological, chemical, or physical agent produces an adverse effect on the structure or function of the central and/or peripheral nervous system. It occurs when exposure to a substance – specifical ...

nature; however, they are not considered particularly harmful to man. This is because the opisthoglyphous venom-delivery system is not as efficient as the delivery systems found in

Elapidae Elapidae (, commonly known as elapids , from , variant of "sea-fish") is a family of snakes characterized by their permanently erect fangs at the front of the mouth. Most elapids are venomous, with the exception of the genus '' Emydocephalus ...

and

Viperidae Vipers are snakes in the family Viperidae, found in most parts of the world, except for Antarctica, Australia, Hawaii, Madagascar, New Zealand, Ireland, and various other isolated islands. They are venomous snake, venomous and have long (relat ...

. However, some members of the genus ''Telescopus'' such as ''T. dhara'' have particularly large venom glands, and the venom toxicity in some species has been compared to that of the ''

Acanthophis ''Acanthophis'' is a genus of Elapidae, elapid snakes. Commonly called ''death adders'', they are native to Australia, New Guinea and nearby islands, and are among the most venomous snakes in the world. Despite their common name, they are not ...

'' species. For these reasons, it is advisable that all ''Telescopus'' species be handled with caution. It is also important to consider that

allergic Allergies, also known as allergic diseases, are various conditions caused by hypersensitivity of the immune system to typically harmless substances in the environment. These diseases include hay fever, food allergies, atopic dermatitis, alle ...

reactions are possible after a bite, and such reactions would significantly worsen the effects of an

envenomation Envenomation is the process by which venom is injected by the bite or sting of a venomous animal. Many kinds of animals, including mammals (e.g., the northern short-tailed shrew, ''Blarina brevicauda''), reptiles (e.g., many snakes), spiders, i ...

Species

*'' Telescopus beetzi'' ( Barbour, 1922) – Beetz's tiger snake, Karoo tiger snake, Namib tiger snake *'' Telescopus dhara'' ( Forskål, 1775) – Arabian cat snake, large-eyed cat snake, Israeli cat snake *'' Telescopus fallax'' ( Fleischmann, 1831) – European cat snake, Mediterranean cat snake *'' Telescopus finkeldeyi'' Haacke, 2013 – Damara tiger snake *'' Telescopus gezirae'' Broadley, 1994 - Blue Nile cat snake *'' Telescopus hoogstraali'' K.P. Schmidt &

Marx Karl Marx (; 5 May 1818 – 14 March 1883) was a German philosopher, political theorist, economist, journalist, and revolutionary socialist. He is best-known for the 1848 pamphlet '' The Communist Manifesto'' (written with Friedrich Engels) ...

, 1956 *'' Telescopus nigriceps'' ( Ahl, 1924) - black-headed snake *'' Telescopus obtusus'' (

Reuss Reuss may refer to: *Reuss (surname) * Reuss (river) in Switzerland * Imperial County of Reuss or Reuß, several former states or countries in present-day Germany, and the People's State of Reuss * Principality of Reuss-Greiz and Principality of R ...

, 1834) – Egyptian cat snake *'' Telescopus pulcher'' ( Scortecci, 1935) - beautiful cat snake *'' Telescopus rhinopoma'' ( Blanford, 1874) - Indian desert tiger snake *'' Telescopus semiannulatus''

A. Smith A is the first letter of the Latin and English alphabet. A may also refer to: Science and technology Quantities and units * ''a'', a measure for the attraction between particles in the Van der Waals equation * ''A'' value, a measure of s ...

, 1849 - common tiger snake, tiger cat snake, western tiger snake, eastern tiger snake *'' Telescopus tessellatus'' (

Wall A wall is a structure and a surface that defines an area; carries a load; provides security, shelter, or soundproofing; or serves a decorative purpose. There are various types of walls, including border barriers between countries, brick wal ...

, 1908) – Soosan tiger snake *'' Telescopus tripolitanus'' (

F. Werner Franz Josef Maria Werner (15 August 1867 in Vienna – 28 February 1939 in Vienna) was an Austrians, Austrian zoology, zoologist and exploration, explorer. Specializing as a herpetology, herpetologist and entomology, entomologist, Werner describ ...

, 1908) *'' Telescopus variegatus'' ( J.T. Reinhardt, 1843) - variable cat snake ''

Nota bene ( ; plural: ) is the Latin language, Latin phrase meaning ''note well''. In manuscripts, ''nota bene'' is abbreviated in upper-case as NB and N.B., and in lower-case as n.b. and nb; the editorial usages of ''nota bene'' and ''notate bene'' fi ...

'': A

binomial authority In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, both of which use Latin grammatical forms, altho ...

in parentheses indicates that the species was originally described in a genus other than ''Telescopus''.

References

External links

* Crochet P-A, Rasmussen JB, Wilms T, Geniez P, Trape J-F, Böhme W (2008). "Systematic status and correct nomen of the western North African cat snake: ''Telescopus tripolitanus'' (Werner, 1909) (Serpentes: Colubridae), with comments on the other taxa in the ''dhara-obtusus'' group". ''Zootaxa'' 1703: 25-4
(Abstract)
{{Taxonbar, from=Q2487102 Snake genera Taxa named by Johann Georg Wagler Taxonomy articles created by Polbot