Trachischium

Trachischium
Trachischium tenuiceps (yellowbelly worm-eating snake)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Suborder:	Serpentes
Family:	Colubridae
Subfamily:	Natricinae
Genus:	Trachischium Günther, 1858

Trachischium is a genus of snakes, known commonly as slender snakes or worm-eating snakes, in the subfamily Natricinae of the family Colubridae.^[1] The genus is endemic to Asia.

Geographic range[]

Species of the genus Trachischium are found through montane regions of the countries of Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, and Nepal.

Description[]

Snakes of the genus Trachischium exhibit the following characters: head not distinct from neck; eye small, with vertically subelliptic pupil; nostril between two small nasals; prefrontals sometimes united; body cylindrical; dorsal scales smooth, in 13 or 15 rows, without apical pits; ventrals rounded; tail short; subcaudals divided; maxillary teeth 18–20, subequal; posterior mandibular teeth shorter than anterior; hypapophyses developed throughout vertebral column.^[2]

Species[]

There are 7 species in the genus Trachischium which are recognized as being valid.^[1]

• Bhosale, Gowande, & Mirza, 2019
• Trachischium fuscum (Blyth, 1854) – blackbelly worm-eating snake, Darjeeling slender snake
• Trachischium guentheri Boulenger, 1890 – Günther's Oriental slender snake, rosebelly worm-eating snake
• Trachischium laeve Peracca, 1904 – olive Oriental slender snake
• Trachischium monticola (Cantor, 1839) – mountain worm-eating snake
• , , , & , 2018
• Trachischium tenuiceps (Blyth, 1854) – yellowbelly worm-eating snake

Nota bene: A binomial authority in parentheses indicates that the species was originally described in a genus other than Trachischium.

References[]

Further reading[]

• Boulenger GA (1890). The Fauna of British India, Including Ceylon and Burma. Reptilia and Batrachia. London: Secretary of State for India in Council. (Taylor and Francis, printers). xviii + 541 pp. (Genus Trachischium, p. 284).
• Günther A (1858). Catalogue of Colubrine Snakes in the Collection of the British Museum. London: Trustees of the British Museum. (Taylor and Francis, printers). xvi + 281 pp. (Trachischium, new genus, p. 30).
• Smith MA (1943). The Fauna of British India, Ceylon and Burma, Including the Whole of the Indo-Chinese Sub-region. Reptilia and Amphibia. Vol. III.—Serpentes. London: Secretary of State for India. (Taylor and Francis, printers). xii + 583 pp. (Genus Trachischium, p. 321).

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