Dolichophis schmidti

Dolichophis schmidti
Conservation status
	; Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Suborder:	Serpentes
Family:	Colubridae
Genus:	Dolichophis
Species:	D. schmidti
Binomial name
	Dolichophis schmidti; (Nikolsky, 1909)
Synonyms
	Coluber schmidti ; Nikolsky, 1909; Coluber jugularis schmidti ; — L. Müller, 1939; Hierophis schmidti ; — Schätti, 1988; Dolichophis schmidti ; — Nagy et al., 2004;

Dolichophis schmidti, known commonly as the red-bellied racer and Schmidt's whip snake, is a species of snake in the family Colubridae. The species is endemic to Western Asia.

Geographic range

D. schmidti is found in the Caucasus and the Middle East, from Dagestan to Turkmenistan and south into Syria, Jordan, and northern Iran.^[1]^[2]

Habitat

D. schmidti occurs in a wide variety of habitats including rocky, stony and bushy river banks, deserts, semi-deserts, rocky outcrops, hillsides, montane steppe, cultivated fields, gardens, vineyards and other rural areas, from sea level to 2,000 m (6,600 ft). It can occur close to human habitation and tolerates human disturbance.^[1]

Diet

D. schmidti is often observed near to large colonies of rodents on which it preys. It also preys on lizards, birds, and snakes.^[1]

Reproduction

Adult females of D. schmidti lay clutches of between 5 and 11 eggs.^[1]

Etymology

The specific name, schmidti, is in honor of Russian ichthyologist Petr Yulevich Schmidt.^[3]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Tok, V.; Ugurtas, I.H.; Sevinç, M.; Böhme, W.; Crochet, P.-A.; Kaya, U.; Borkin, L.; Milto, K.; Golynsky, E.; Rustamov, A; Nuridjanov, D.; Munkhbayar, K.; Shestapol, A. (2017). "Dolichophis schmidti ". The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2017: e.T164595A92254626. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-2.RLTS.T164595A92254626.en.
^ ^a ^b Species Dolichophis schmidti at The Reptile Database www.reptile-database.org.
^ 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. (Dolichophis schmidti, p. 236).