Bluebelly Java snake

The bluebelly Java snake (Tetralepis fruhstorferi), also known commonly as Fruhstorfer's mountain snake and the Javan bluebelly snake, is a species of snake in the family Colubridae. The species, which is the only member of the genus Tetralepis, is endemic to Java.

Etymology

The specific name, fruhstorferi, is in honor of German lepidopterist Hans Fruhstorfer, who collected the holotype.

Habitat

The preferred natural habitat of T. fruhstorferi is forest, at altitudes of about .

Description

Dorsally, T. fruhstorferi is dark reddish brown, with an indistinct darker vertebral line. Ventrally, it is lead-colored or reddish gray. The holotype has a snout-to-vent length (SVL) of , plus a tail length of .

Behavior

T. fruhstorferi is terrestrial, semi-fossorial, and nocturnal or crepuscular.

Reproduction

The mode of reproduction of T. fruhstorferi is unknown.

References

Further reading

• Boettger O (1892). "Listen von Kriechtieren und Lurche aus dem tropischen Asien u[nd]. aus Papuasien ". Bericht über die Thätigkeit des Offenbacher Vereins für Naturkunde 1892: 65–164. (Tetralepis fruhstorferi, new species, pp. 125–126). (in German).
• de Lang R (2017). The Snakes of Java, Bali and Surrounding Islands. Frankfurt am Main: Chimaira. 435 pp. .
• Inger RF, (2001). "The biogeographical relations of the frogs and snakes of Sundaland". Journal of Biogeography 28: 863–891. ("Tretralepis [sic] fruhstorferi ", typographical error).
• , (1997). Amphibien & Reptilien Südostasiens. Münster: Natur und Tier Verlag. 512 pp. . (Tetralepis fruhstorferi, p. 395). (in German).