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Eryx muelleri

Eryx muelleri, known commonly as Müller's sand boa or the Saharan sand boa, is a species of snake in the subfamily Erycinae of the family Boidae. The species is endemic to Africa. There are two recognized subspecies. It is kept fairly regularly in the pet industry due to its docile nature and easy care.

Etymology

The specific name, muelleri, is in honor of Swiss herpetologist Fritz Müller.

Geographic range

Eryx muelleri is found in Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Chad, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, the Ivory Coast, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sudan, and Togo.

Habitat

The preferred natural habitats of Eryx muelleri are savanna and desert, at elevations from sea level to .

Behavior

Eryx muelleri is terrestrial, nocturnal, and fossorial.

Diet

Eryx muelleri preys predominately upon small rodents, but also eats lizards.

Reproduction

Eryx muelleri is oviparous.

Subspecies

Two subspecies are recognized as being valid, including the nominate subspecies.

Nota bene: The trinomial authority in parentheses indicates that the subspecies was originally described in a genus other than Eryx.

References

Further reading

  • Angel F (1938). "Liste des reptiles du Mauritanie recueillis par la mission d'études de la biologie des Acridiens en 1936 et 1937. Description d'une sous-espèce nouvelle d Eryx muelleri". Bulletin du Muséum national d'histoire naturelle de Paris, Series 2, 10: 485–487. (Eryx muelleri subniger, new subspecies). (in French).
  • Boulenger GA (1892). "Description of a new Snake from Nubia". Annals and Magazine of Natural History, Sixth Series 9: 74–76. (Gongylophis muelleri, new species).
  • Boulenger GA (1893). Catalogue of the Snakes in the British Museum (Natural History). Volume I., Containing the Families ... Boidæ .... London: Trustees of the British Museum (Natural History). (Taylor and Francis, printers). xiii + 448 pp. + Plates I–XXVIII. (Eryx muelleri, new combination, p. 128 + Plate V, figure 2).