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Tantilla melanocephala
Species of snake From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Tantilla melanocephala, commonly known as the black-headed snake, the neotropical black-headed snake, and la culebra de cabeza negra in Spanish, is a small species of snake in the subfamily Colubrinae of the family Colubridae. The species is native to Central America and South America.
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Geographic range
In Central America Tantilla melanocephala is found from Guatemala south to Panama.[3] In South America it is found from Trinidad and Tobago south to northern Argentina.[4]
Habitat
The preferred natural habitats of Tantilla melanocephala are grassland, savanna, and forest, at altitudes from sea level to 2,750 m (9,020 ft), and it has also been found in artificial habitats such as pastures, gardens, and plantations.[1]
Description
Tantilla melanocephala may attain a total length of 50 cm (20 in), which includes a tail 10 cm (3.9 in) long.[2]
Dorsally, it is pale brown or red, and some specimens also have 3 or 5 narrow brown stripes. The top of the head and neck are black or dark brown. Ventrally, it is yellowish white.[2]
The dorsal scales are smooth, without apical pits, and arranged in 15 rows at midbody.[2]
Behavior
Tantilla melanocephala is terrestrial and diurnal.[1]
Diet
Tantilla melanocephala preys predominately upon centipedes.[1]
Reproduction
Taxonomy
Several species of snakes, which were originally described as species new to science, are synonyms of Tantilla melanocephala. The following is a partial list in chronological order.[5]
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Etymology
The synonym Tantilla marcovani was named in honor of Brazilian biologist Marcovan Porto.[6]: 168
References
External links
Further reading
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