Barbour's tropical racer

Barbour's tropical racer (Mastigodryas bruesi) is a species of snake in the family Colubridae. The species is endemic to the Caribbean.

Barbour's tropical racer
Picture taken in Lance Aux Epines, Grenada, West Indies.
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Suborder:	Serpentes
Family:	Colubridae
Genus:	Mastigodryas
Species:	M. bruesi
Binomial name
Mastigodryas bruesi (Barbour, 1914)
Synonyms[2]
Alsophis bruesi Barbour, 1914 Mastigodryas bruesi — Schwartz & Henderson, 1991

Etymology

The specific name, bruesi, is in honor American entomologist Charles Thomas Brues, who was one of the collectors of the holotype.^[3]

Geographic range

M. bruesi is native to Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and Grenada.^[1][2]

Description

M. bruesi can reach a snout-to-vent length (SVL) of about 83 cm (33 in). Dorsally, it is blue-gray to brown, with lighter lateral stripes. Ventrally, it is whitish.^[2]

Behavior and diet

M. bruesi is diurnal, hunting frogs and lizards.^[1]

Habitat

The preferred natural habitat of M. bruesi is forest, both mesic and xeric.^[1] It can be found on the ground, and in bushes, where it sleeps at night.^{[citation needed]}

Reproduction

M. bruesi is oviparous.^[1][2]

Locality records

M. bruesi has been recorded in the southwest corner of Saint Vincent and is widespread all over the Grenadines islands.^{[citation needed]} It is also found on the southern half of Grenada, which is the farthest south it is distributed.^{[citation needed]} It has been introduced to Barbados,^[1] probably around thirty years ago, where it has been incorrectly identified as Liophis perfuscus.^{[citation needed]}