Tantilla melanocephala
Species of snake
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Tantilla melanocephala, commonly known as the black-headed snake, the neotropical black-headed snake, and la culebra de cabeza negra in Spanish, is a small species of snake in the subfamily Colubrinae of the family Colubridae. The species is native to Central America and South America.
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| Tantilla melanocephala | |
|---|---|
| |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Suborder: | Serpentes |
| Family: | Colubridae |
| Genus: | Tantilla |
| Species: | T. melanocephala |
| Binomial name | |
| Tantilla melanocephala | |
| Synonyms | |
Geographic range
In Central America Tantilla melanocephala is found from Guatemala south to Panama.[3] In South America it is found from Trinidad and Tobago south to northern Argentina.[4]
Habitat
Description
Tantilla melanocephala may attain a total length of 50 cm (20 in), which includes a tail 10 cm (3.9 in) long.[2]
Dorsally, it is pale brown or red, and some specimens also have 3 or 5 narrow brown stripes. The top of the head and neck are black or dark brown. Ventrally, it is yellowish white.[2]
The dorsal scales are smooth, without apical pits, and arranged in 15 rows at midbody.[2]
Behavior
Tantilla melanocephala is terrestrial and diurnal.[1]
Diet
Tantilla melanocephala preys predominately upon centipedes and possibly occasionally other arthropods.[1]
As prey
Tantilla melanocephala is preyed upon by the venomous snake Micrurus paraensis.[5]: 207
Reproduction
Taxonomy
Several species of snakes, which were originally described as species new to science, are synonyms of Tantilla melanocephala. The following is a partial list in chronological order.[6]
Etymology
The synonym Tantilla marcovani was named in honor of Brazilian biologist Marcovan Porto.[7]: 168