Zamenis
| Zamenis | |
|---|---|
| |
| Z. longissimus | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Suborder: | Serpentes |
| Family: | Colubridae |
| Subfamily: | Colubrinae |
| Genus: | Zamenis Wagler, 1830 |
Zamenis is a genus of Old World non-venomous snakes in the family Colubridae.
Etymology
The generic name Zamenis comes from Greek ζαμενής (lat. vehemens, iracundus)[1] meaning "angry", "irritable", "fierce".
Species
The following six species are recognized as being valid:[2]
- Zamenis hohenackeri (Strauch, 1873) – Transcaucasian ratsnake
- Zamenis lineatus (Camerano, 1891) – Italian Aesculapian snake
- Zamenis longissimus (Laurenti, 1768) – Aesculapian snake
- Zamenis persicus (F. Werner, 1913) – Persian ratsnake
- Zamenis scalaris (Schinz, 1822) – ladder snake
- Zamenis situla (Linnaeus, 1758) – European ratsnake
Nota bene: A binomial authority in parentheses indicates that the species was originally described in a genus other than Zamenis.
References
- ^ Wagler, J. (1830). Natürliches System der Amphibien : mit vorangehender Classification der Säugethiere und Vögel : ein Beitrag zur vergleichenden Zoologie. Munich, Stuttgart and Tübingen: J.G. Cotta. vi + 354 pp. + one plate, in German and Latin. (Zamenis, new genus, p. 188.) Available online at the Biodiversity Heritage Library (BHL).
- ^ Genus Zamenis at The Reptile Database www.reptile-database.org.