Degen's water snake
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Serpentes
Family: Colubridae
Genus: Crotaphopeltis
Species:
C. degeni
Binomial name
Crotaphopeltis degeni
(Boulenger, 1906)
Synonyms[2]
  • Leptodira degeni
    Boulenger, 1906
  • Crotaphopeltis degeni
    — Barbour & Amaral, 1927

Degen's water snake (Crotaphopeltis degeni), also known commonly as Degen's herald snake and the yellow-flanked snake, is a species of snake in the family Colubridae. The species is native to Sub-Saharan Africa.

Etymology

The specific name, degeni, is in honor of Swiss-born Edward J. E. Degen (1852–1922), who collected natural history specimens in Africa, and later worked as a taxidermist at the British Museum (Natural History).[3]

Geographic range

C. degeni is found in Cameroon, Central African Republic, Ethiopia, Kenya, South Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda.[2]

Habitat

The preferred natural habitats of C. degeni are mesic savanna and freshwater wetlands, at altitudes of 500–2,700 m (1,600–8,900 ft).[1]

Behavior

C. degeni is semiaquatic[1][2] and nocturnal.[1] It swims well, and during the day it hides in holes in the ground and in vegetation near water.[1]

Diet

C. degeni preys upon amphibians and perhaps also upon small fishes.[1]

Reproduction

C. degeni is oviparous.[2] Clutch size is six eggs.[1]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Howell K, Msuya CA, Malonza PK, Spawls S (2021). "Crotaphopeltis degeni ". The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2021: https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2021-1.RLTS.T13264951A13264961.en. Accessed on 29 June 2022.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Species Crotaphopeltis degeni at The Reptile Database
  3. ↑ Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. ISBN 978-1-4214-0135-5. (Crotaphopeltis degeni, p. 67).

Further reading

  • Barbour T, Amaral A (1927). "Studies on African Opidia". Bulletin of the Antivenin Institute of America 1 (1): 25–29. (Crotaphopeltis degeni, new combination, p. 26).
  • Boulenger GA (1906). "Additions to the Herpetology of British East Africa". Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London 1906 (2): 570–573. (Leptodira degeni, new species, p. 572, figures 97 a-c).
  • Rasmussen JB (1997). "On two little known African water snakes (Crotaphopeltis degeni and C. barotseensis)". Amphibia-Reptilia 18 (2): 191–206.
  • Spawls S, Howell K, Hinkel H, Menegon M (2018). Field Guide to East African Reptiles, Second Edition. London: Bloomsbury Natural History. 624 pp. ISBN 978-1472935618. (Crotaphopeltis degeni, p. 524).


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