Leptophis

Leptophis is a genus of colubrid snakes, commonly known as parrot snakes. The species within this genus are widely distributed throughout Mexico, Central and South America.^[1]

Leptophis
Leptophis ahaetulla
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Suborder:	Serpentes
Family:	Colubridae
Subfamily:	Colubrinae
Genus:	Leptophis Bell, 1825
Species
see text

Classification

The genus Leptophis belongs to the subfamily Colubrinae, of the family Colubridae. The species relationships within Leptophis can be shown in the cladogram below, with possible paraphyletic species identified:^[2]

	L. depressirostris
	L. diplotropis L. cupreus L. riveti L. occidentalis (Panama & Honduras) (paraphyletic) L. bocourti L. occidentalis (Ecuador) (paraphyletic) L. ahaetulla (Guyana) (paraphyletic) L. marginatus L. nigromarginatus (paraphyletic) L. nigromarginatus (paraphyletic) L. coeruleodorsus L. sp. nov. L. ahaetulla (Brazil) (paraphyletic)

Description

Snakes of the genus Leptophis are slender with a long tail. The body is cylindrical or slightly laterally compressed. The head is elongated and distinct from the neck. The eye is large with a round pupil. The dorsal scales are arranged in 15 rows at midbody. The maxillary teeth, which number 20–32, are in a continuous series without any interspace, and are longest posteriorly. Conversely, the mandibular teeth are longest anteriorly.^[3]

Species and subspecies

The following species and subspecies are currently recognized as being valid:

• Leptophis ahaetulla (Linnaeus, 1758) – giant parrot snake^[4]
• Leptophis bocourti Boulenger, 1898^[5]
• Leptophis bolivianus Oliver, 1942^[6]
• Leptophis coeruleodorsus Oliver, 1942 – Oliver's parrot snake^[7]
• Leptophis cupreus (Cope, 1868) – copper parrot snake^[8]
• Leptophis depressirostris (Cope, 1861) – Cope's parrot snake^[9]
• Leptophis dibernardoi Albuquerque, Santos, Borges-Nojosa & R. Ávila, 2022^[10]
• Leptophis diplotropis (Günther, 1872) - Pacific Coast parrot snake^[11]
  • Leptophis diplotropis diplotropis (Günther, 1872)
  • Leptophis diplotropis forreri H.M. Smith, 1943
• Leptophis liocercus Wied-Neuwied, 1824^[12]
• Leptophis marginatus Cope, 1862^[13]
• Leptophis mexicanus A.M.C. Duméril, Bibron & A.H.A. Duméril, 1854 – Mexican parrot snake^[14]
  • Leptophis mexicanus hoeversi Henderson, 1976
  • Leptophis mexicanus mexicanus A.M.C. Duméril, Bibron & A.H.A. Duméril, 1854
  • Leptophis mexicanus septentrionalis Mertens, 1972
  • Leptophis mexicanus yucatanensis Oliver, 1942
• Leptophis modestus (Günther, 1872) – cloud forest parrot snake^[15]
• Leptophis mystacinus Albuquerque et al., 2025^[16]
• Leptophis nebulosus Oliver, 1942 – Oliver's parrot snake^[17]
• Leptophis nigromarginatus (Günther, 1866) - black-skinned parrot snake^[18]
• Leptophis occidentalis (Günther, 1859)^[19]
• Leptophis praestans Cope, 1868^[20]
• Leptophis riveti Despax, 1910 – Despax's parrot snake^[21]
• Leptophis stimsoni Harding, 1995 – Trinidad upland parrot snake^[22]
• Leptophis urostictus (W. Peters, 1873)^[23]

Nota bene: A binomial authority or trinomial authority in parentheses indicates that the species or subspecies was originally described in a genus other than Leptophis.