Platyceps najadum, also known commonly as Dahl's whip snake or the slender whip snake, is a species of non-venomous snake in the familyColubridae. The species is native to Eurasia. Four subspecies are recognized as being valid.
Taxonomy
P. najadum was first described by Karl Eichwald in 1831,[1] as Tyria najadum.[2]
P. najadum has a slim body, and is rarely over a metre (39 inches) in total length (including tail).[4]
Conservation status
P. najadum is threatened by direct persecution, forest fires and intensive agriculture, where its range interacts with human interests. The species is listed on Annex II of the Bern Convention and Annex IV of the European Union Habitats Directive. It has varying protection in some countries including Serbia, Montenegro, Russia, and Lebanon.[1]
Reproduction
P. najadum is an egg laying species. Females lay between 3 and 16 eggs in a clutch.[1]
Both the subspecific name, dahlii, and the common name, Dahl's whip snake, are in honor of Austrian entomologistGeorg Dahl (1769–1831) who collected the type specimen in Dalmatia in 1824.[5]
^Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. ISBN978-1-4214-0135-5. (Platyceps najadum dahlii, p. 64; P. n. schmidtleri, p. 236).
Further reading
Arnold EN, Burton JA (1978). A Field Guide to the Reptiles and Amphibians of Britain and Europe. (Illustrated by D.W. Ovenden). London: Collins. 272 pp. + Plates 1-40. ISBN0-00-219318-3. (Coluber najadum, pp. 194–195 + Plate 35, figure 4 + Map 106).
Eichwald [K]E (1831). Zoologia specialis quam expositis animalibus tum vivis, tum fossilibus potissimum Rossiae in universum, et Poloniae in specie, in usum lectionum publicarum, in Universitate Caesarea Vilnensi [Volume 3]. Vilnius: J. Zawadzki. 404 pp. + one plate. (Tyria najadum, new species, p. 174). (in Latin).
