Leptophis
Genus of snakes
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Leptophis is a genus of colubrid snakes, commonly known as parrot snakes. The species within this genus are widely distributed throughout Mexico, Central and South America.[1]
| Leptophis | |
|---|---|
| |
| Leptophis ahaetulla | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Suborder: | Serpentes |
| Family: | Colubridae |
| Subfamily: | Colubrinae |
| Genus: | Leptophis Bell, 1825 |
| Species | |
| |
Classification
The genus Leptophis belongs to the subfamily Colubrinae, of the family Colubridae. The species relationships within Leptophis can be shown in the cladogram below, with possible paraphyletic species identified:[2]
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Description
Snakes of the genus Leptophis are slender with a long tail. The body is cylindrical or slightly laterally compressed. The head is elongated and distinct from the neck. The eye is large with a round pupil. The dorsal scales are arranged in 15 rows at midbody. The maxillary teeth, which number 20–32, are in a continuous series without any interspace, and are longest posteriorly. Conversely, the mandibular teeth are longest anteriorly.[3]
Species and subspecies
The following species and subspecies are currently recognized as being valid:
- Leptophis ahaetulla (Linnaeus, 1758) – giant parrot snake[4]
- Leptophis bocourti Boulenger, 1898[5]
- Leptophis bolivianus Oliver, 1942[6]
- Leptophis coeruleodorsus Oliver, 1942 – Oliver's parrot snake[7]
- Leptophis cupreus (Cope, 1868) – copper parrot snake[8]
- Leptophis depressirostris (Cope, 1861) – Cope's parrot snake[9]
- Leptophis dibernardoi Albuquerque, Santos, Borges-Nojosa & R. Ávila, 2022[10]
- Leptophis diplotropis (Günther, 1872) - Pacific Coast parrot snake[11]
- Leptophis diplotropis diplotropis (Günther, 1872)
- Leptophis diplotropis forreri H.M. Smith, 1943
- Leptophis liocercus Wied-Neuwied, 1824[12]
- Leptophis marginatus Cope, 1862[13]
- Leptophis mexicanus A.M.C. Duméril, Bibron & A.H.A. Duméril, 1854 – Mexican parrot snake[14]
- Leptophis mexicanus hoeversi Henderson, 1976
- Leptophis mexicanus mexicanus A.M.C. Duméril, Bibron & A.H.A. Duméril, 1854
- Leptophis mexicanus septentrionalis Mertens, 1972
- Leptophis mexicanus yucatanensis Oliver, 1942
- Leptophis modestus (Günther, 1872) – cloud forest parrot snake[15]
- Leptophis mystacinus Albuquerque et al., 2025[16]
- Leptophis nebulosus Oliver, 1942 – Oliver's parrot snake[17]
- Leptophis nigromarginatus (Günther, 1866) - black-skinned parrot snake[18]
- Leptophis occidentalis (Günther, 1859)[19]
- Leptophis praestans Cope, 1868[20]
- Leptophis riveti Despax, 1910 – Despax's parrot snake[21]
- Leptophis stimsoni Harding, 1995 – Trinidad upland parrot snake[22]
- Leptophis urostictus (W. Peters, 1873)[23]
Nota bene: A binomial authority or trinomial authority in parentheses indicates that the species or subspecies was originally described in a genus other than Leptophis.
