Atractus emmeli

{{Speciesbox

| image = Emmel's Ground Snake imported from iNaturalist photo 268163495 on 28 October 2023.jpg

| image_caption = Emmel's Ground Snake, Vaca Diez, Bolivia (2023)

| status = LC

| status_system = IUCN3.1

| status_ref = {{cite iucn|access-date=26 April 2023|author1=Aguayo, R.|author2=Aparicio, J.|author3=Gonzales, L.|author4=Cortez, C.|doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-1.RLTS.T50951705A50951714.en|page=e.T50951705A50951714|title=Atractus emmeli|volume=2016|year=2016}}

| genus = Atractus

| species = emmeli

| authority = (Boettger, 1888)

| synonyms = *Geophis emmeli
{{small|Boettger, 1888}}

Atractus emmeli
{{small|— Boulenger, 1894}}
Atractus boettgeri
{{small|Boulenger, 1896}}
Atractus balzani
{{small|Boulenger, 1898}}
Atractus taeniatus
{{small|Griffin, 1916}}
Atractus paravertebralis
{{small|Henle & Ehrl, 1991}}
Atractus occiptoalbus
{{small|— Fugler & Cabot, 1995}}
Atractus emmeli
{{small|— Nogueira et al., 2019}}

| synonyms_ref =

}}

Atractus emmeli, also known commonly as Emmel's ground snake and Boettger's ground snake, is a species of snake in the family Colubridae. The species is native to northwestern South America.

Etymology

The specific name, emmeli, is in honor of Ferdinand Emmel who sent the first two specimens of this snake to German herpetologist Oskar Boettger, which Boettger described as a species new to science.Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. {{ISBN|978-1-4214-0135-5}}. (Atractus emmeli, p. 83).

Geographic range

A. emmeli is found in Bolivia and Peru, east of the Andes.

Habitat

The preferred natural habitat of A. emmeli is forest, at altitudes of {{cvt|134|–|360|m|ft}}, but it is also found in artificial habitats such as gardens and farms.

Description

A. emmeli may attain a snout-to-vent length (SVL) of about {{cvt|38|cm|in}} for females, and about {{cvt|30|cm|in}} for males. Dorsally, it is uniformly light brown, dark brown, or black. Often there is a whitish or tan band across the parietals, especially in juveniles. Ventrally, it is cream-colored, with black spots or dots. It has smooth dorsal scales, without apical pits. The dorsal scales are arranged in 15 rows throughout the length of the body (15/15/15). The ventrals number 154–187 in females, and 147–169 in males. The subcaudals number 14–25 in females, and 20–31 in males.

Behavior

A. emmeli is terrestrial and fossorial.

Reproduction

A. emmeli is oviparous.

References

{{Reflist|refs=

{{NRDB species|genus=Atractus|species=emmeli|access-date=8 October 2021}}

}}