Pareas xuelinensis

Pareas xuelinensis
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Suborder:	Serpentes
Family:	Pareidae
Genus:	Pareas
Species:	P. xuelinensis
Binomial name
Pareas xuelinensis Liu & Rao, 2021

Pareas xuelinensis is a small, harmless slug-eating snake native to Yunnan, China.^[1]

Description

P. xuelinensis is a small snake whose scales are dusted with many small, black dots. The top of P. xuelinensis is typically orange, while the belly and sides are yellow-orange. Its irises are orange, but the pupil is black. A thin, broken, black stripe extends from the postocular scale on each side of the head to the beginning of the neck, where they connect to a much thicker line which curves forward toward the parietals. Many irregular, vertical black stripes mark the snake's sides and tail, but do not connect across the vertebral scales.^[1]

Behaviour

Like others of its genus, P. xuelinensis is a nocturnal invertebrate-eating snake.

Etymology

The specific epithet xuelinensis refers to Xuelin Township, the type locality of the species.^[2]

References

1. Liu, Shuo (January 2021). "A new species of the genus Pareas (Squamata, Pareidae) from Yunnan, China". ZooKeys (1011): 121–138. Bibcode:2021ZooK.1011..121L. doi:10.3897/zookeys.1011.59029. PMC 7843430. PMID 33564273.
2. Uetz, P.; et al. (eds.). "Pareas xuelinensis". The Reptile Database. Retrieved 2024-01-19.