Liophidium pattoni
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| Liophidium pattoni | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Suborder: | Serpentes |
| Family: | Pseudoxyrhophiidae |
| Genus: | Liophidium |
| Species: | L. pattoni |
| Binomial name | |
| Liophidium pattoni | |
Liophidium pattoni is a species of snake in the subfamily Pseudoxyrhophiinae of the family Pseudoxyrhophiidae.[2] The species is endemic to Madagascar. Little is known about the snake as it was recently described in 2010, although its existence had been known for some decades (one was pictured in a 1996 guidebook[3]) before a specimen could be caught for detailed study.
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The specific name, pattoni, is in honor of American mammalogist James L. Patton.[4]
Geographic range and habitat
L. pattoni is known to occur in two sites in Madagascar, the Masoala peninsula and the Makira Plateau.[1] It has been found in primary rainforest vegetation[5] at elevations up to 1,000 m (3,300 ft).[1]
Taxonomy
Originally described in 2010, Liophidium pattoni is a member of the pseudoxyrhophiine genus Liophidium, which is a genus of lamprophiid snakes. Which means that Liophidium pattoni is harmless to humans. Previously, nine species of Liophidium from Madagascar had been formally described. Molecular evidence indicates that the closest sister taxon to L. pattoni is L. rhodogaster (Schlegel, 1837).[5]