Eirenis barani, also known commonly as Baran's dwarf racer and the Baran dwarf racer, is a species of snake in the subfamily Colubrinae of the family Colubridae. The species is native to the Near East. There are two recognized subspecies.
Etymology
The specific name, barani, is in honor of Turkish herpetologist .
The subspecific name, bischofforum (Latin, genitive, plural), is in honor of German herpetologist and his wife Ulla Bischoff.
Geographic range
Eirenis barani is found in southern Turkey and northwestern Syria.
Habitat
The natural habitats of Eirenis barani are Mediterranean-type shrubby vegetation and rocky areas, at altitudes from sea level to .
Description
The holotype of Eirenis barani has a snout-to-vent length (SVL) of and a tail length of . The dorsal scales are smooth, and are arranged in 17 rows at midbody.
Reproduction
Eirenis barani is oviparous.
Subspecies
Two subspecies are recognized as being valid, including the nominotypical subspecies.
- Eirenis barani barani
- Eirenis barani bischofforum
References
Further reading
- , , , (2013). "An annotated checklist, description and key to the dwarf snakes of the genus Eirenis Jan, 1863 (Reptilia: Squamata: Colubridae), with special emphasis on the dentition". Vertebrate Zoology 63 (1): 41âÂÂ85.
- Schmidtler JF (1988). "Eirenis barani n. sp. aus dem Mediterranen Süden der Türkei ". Salamandra 24 (4): 203âÂÂ214. (Eirenis barani, new species). (in German, with an abstract in English).
- Schmidtler JF (1977). "Die Zwergnattern (Eirenis modestus-Komplex) des Antitaurus in Süd-Anatolien und ihre geographischen Beziehungen zur begleitenden Herpetofauna". Salamandra 33 (1): 33âÂÂ60. (Eirenis barani bischofforum, new subspecies). (in German).
- , , (2013). The Reptiles of the Western Palearctic: 2. Annotated checklist of the snakes of Europe, North Africa, Middle East and Central Asia, with an update to the Vol. 1. (Monographs of the Societas Herpetologica Italica). Latina, Italy: Edizioni Belvedere. 544 pp. .