Calamaria gervaisii

Calamaria gervaisii
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Suborder:	Serpentes
Family:	Colubridae
Genus:	Calamaria
Species:	C. gervaisii
Binomial name
Calamaria gervaisii A.M.C. Dumeril, Bibron & A.H.A. Duméril, 1854

Calamaria gervaisii, commonly known as Gervais's worm snake and the Philippine dwarf snake, is a species of small fossorial snake in the family Colubridae. The species is native to the Philippines.

Etymology

The specific name, gervaisii, is in honor of French zoologist Paul Gervais.^[2]

Geographic range

C. gervaisii is endemic to the Philippine Islands.^[3] Its range includes the islands of Basilan, Catanduanes, Cebu, Lubang, Luzon, Mindanao, Mindoro, Negros, Panay, Polillo, and Tablas.^[1]

Habitat and behavior

C. gervaisii is found from near sea level up to altitudes of 1,000 m (3,281 ft). It lives in forests and plantations, burrowing in the leaf litter and hiding under stones and fallen logs, or between the buttresses of trees.^[1]

Description

The longest specimen of C. gervaisii measured by Boulenger (1894) had a total length of 25.5 cm (10.0 in), which included a tail 2.0 cm (0.79 in) long.

Reproduction

C. gervaisii is oviparous.^[4]

Conservation status

The IUCN has listed C. gervaisii as being of "least concern" because it has a wide range, appears to be abundant with a stable population, and seems to be tolerant of disturbance to its natural habitat. No particular threats to this species have been identified.^[1]

References

1. Maglangit EP, Realubit N (2022). "Calamaria gervaisi ". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2022: e.T169760A180329643. Retrieved 13 April 2023.
2. 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. (Calamaria gervaisii, p. 100).
3. Brown, Rafe M.; Siler, Cameron D.; Oliveros, Carl H.; Welton, Luke J.; Rock, Ashley; Swab, John; Van Weerd, Merlijn; van Beijnen, Jonah; Jose, Edgar; Rodriguez, Dominic; Jose, Edmund; Diesmos, Arvin C. (2013). "The amphibians and reptiles of Luzon Island, Philippines, VIII: the herpetofauna of Cagayan and Isabela Provinces, northern Sierra Madre Mountain Range". ZooKeys (266): 1–120. doi:10.3897/zookeys.266.3982. PMC 3591760. PMID 23653519.
4. Species Calamaria gervaisii at The Reptile Database www.reptile-database.org.

Further reading

• Boulenger GA (1894). Catalogue of the Snakes in the British Museum (Natural History). Volume II., Containing the Conclusion of the Colubridæ Aglyphæ. London: Trustees of the British Museum (Natural History). (Taylor and Francis, printers). xi + 382 pp. + Plates I-XX. (Calamaria gervaisii, pp. 338–339).
• Duméril A-M-C, Bibron G, Duméril A[-H-A] (1854). Erpétologie générale ou histoire naturelle complète des reptiles. Tome septième. Première partie. Comprenant l'histoire des serpents non venimeux [= General Herpetology or Complete Natural History of the Reptiles, Volume 7, Part 1, Containing the History of the Nonvenomous Snakes]. Paris: Roret. xvi + 780 pp. (Calamaria gervaisii, new species, pp. 76–78). (in French).
• Jan [G] (1865). Iconographie générale des Ophidiens, Dixième livraison [= General Iconography of the Snakes, Issue 10]. (illustrated by F. Sordelli). Paris: Baillière. Index + Plates I-VI. (Calamaria gervaisii, Plate II, figure 1). (in French).
• Weinell JL, Hooper E, Leviton AE, Brown RM (2019). "Illustrated Key to the Snakes of the Philippines". Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences, Fourth Series 66 (1): 1–49.