Platyceps rhodorachis

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Regnum: Animalia
Subregnum: Eumetazoa
Cladus: Bilateria
Cladus: Nephrozoa
Superphylum: Deuterostomia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Infraphylum: Gnathostomata
Megaclassis: Osteichthyes
Superclassis: Sarcopterygii
Superclassis: Tetrapoda
Cladus: Reptiliomorpha
Cladus: Amniota
Classis: Reptilia
Cladus: Eureptilia
Cladus: Romeriida
Subclassis: Diapsida
Cladus: Sauria
Infraclassis: Lepidosauromorpha
Superordo: Lepidosauria
Ordo: Squamata
Subordo: Serpentes
Infraordo: Caenophidia
Superfamilia: Colubroidea

Familia: Colubridae
Subfamilia: Colubrinae
Genus: Platyceps
Species: Platyceps rhodorachis
Subspecies: P. r. kashmirensis – P. r. ladacensis – P. r. rhodorachis – P. r. subniger
Name

Platyceps rhodorachis (Jan, 1865)

Type locality: Arabian Peninsula; Shiraz (Iran).
Synonyms

Zamenis rhodorhachis Jan, 1865: 356
Zamenis ventromaculatus Günther, 1858 (nom. nud.)
Zamenis ventrimaculatus — Boulenger, 1887: 408
Zamenis rhodorhachis — Boulenger, 1893: 398
Zamenis rhodorhachis — Wall, 1908
Zamenis ventrimaculatus — Nikolsky, 1916
Coluber rhodorachis — Parker, 1931
Coluber rhodorachis — Smith, 1943
Coluber rhodorhachus rhodorhachus [sic] — Sochurek, 1979
Coluber rhodorachis — Frynta et al., 1997
Haemorrhois rhodorhachis — Welch
Eremiophis rhodorhachis
Coluber rhodorachis — Schleich, Kästle & Kabisch, 1996: 484
Platyceps rhodorachis — Utiger et al., 2002
Coluber rhodorachis — Szczerbak, 2003
Platyceps rhodorachis — Nagy et al., 2004

References

Jan, G. 1865: in: De Filippi, Note di un Viaggio in Persia nel 1862. G. Daelli & C. Editori, Milan, xi + 396 pp.
Utiger, Urs, Notker Helfenberger, Beat Schätti, Catherine Schmidt, Markus Ruf and Vincent Ziswiler 2002: Molecular systematics and phylogeny of Old World and New World ratsnakes, Elaphe Auct., and related genera (Reptilia, Squamata, Colubridae). Russ. J. Herpetol. 9 (2): 105–124.
Nagy, Z.T.; R. Lawson, U. Joger, M. Wink 2004: Molecular systematics of racers, whipsnakes and relatives (Reptilia: Colubridae) using mitochondrial and nuclear markers. Journal of Zoological Systematics and Evolutionary Research, 42 (3): 223–233.
Sinaiko, G., Magory-Cohen, T., Meiri, S. & Dor, R. 2018. Taxonomic revision of Israeli snakes belonging to the Platyceps rhodorachis species complex (Reptilia: Squamata: Colubridae). Zootaxa 4379(3): 301–346. DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4379.3.1 Reference page.

Links

Platyceps rhodorachis at the New Reptile Database. Accessed on 30 oct 2008.

Vernacular names
English: Braid Snake, Jan’s Cliff Racer, Wadi Racer

Braid Snake or Jan's Cliff Racer (Platyceps rhodorachis) is a species of snake found in Central Asia.
Distribution

It is found in Algeria, Libya, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Syria, Sudan?, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Somalia, Chad, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Oman, Iraq, Iran (Kavir desert), Afghanistan, W Pakistan, Yemen, S Turkmenistan, S Uzbekistan, NW Tajikistan, W Kyrgyzstan, S Kazakhstan

Races:

subniger: Eritrea to Somalia.
ladacensis: Iran, east to Afghanistan, north to S Turkmenistan, S Uzbekistan, W Tajikistan., Pakistan
kashmirensis: Pakistan (KHAN, pers. comm.); Type locality: from under pile of faggots near house of Master Muhammad Sadiq Goi Madan, Kotli, Azad Kashmir 33°30'N, 74°00'E. 1315 m

Type locality: Arabian Peninsula; Shiraz (Iran) [fide SCHÄTTI & McCARTHY 2004]

Highly variable in external morphology, particularly ventral scales.
References

Boulenger, G.A. 1887 A list of the reptiles and batrachians obtained near Muscat, Arabia, and presented to the British Museum by Surgeon-Major A.S.G. Jayakar. Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist. (5) 20: 407-408
Jan 1865 in: De Filippi, Viagg. Pers.: 356
Perry, G. 1985 A new subspecies of Coluber rhodorachis (Ophidia: Colubridae) from Israel. Israel Journal of Zoology 33:123
Utiger, Urs, Notker Helfenberger, Beat Schätti, Catherine Schmidt, Markus Ruf and Vincent Ziswiler 2002 Molecular systematics and phylogeny of Old World and New World ratsnakes, Elaphe Auct., and related genera (Reptilia, Squamata, Colubridae). Russ. J. Herpetol. 9 (2): 105–124.

External links

Platyceps rhodorachis at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database
http://www.podarcis.nl/downloads/2001/2/eng/OmanDeel422001Eng.pdf[permanent dead link]