Transcaucasian ratsnake
The Transcaucasian ratsnake, also commonly known as the Gavand snake, is a species of nonvenomous ratsnake in the family Colubridae. The species is endemic to Western Asia and the Middle East.Etymology
The specific name, hohenackeri, is in honor of Rudolph Friedrich Hohenacker, who was a Swiss missionary, physician, and naturalist.Z. hohenackeri is found in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Lebanon, southwestern Russia, Syria, and Turkey.Description
Z. hohenackeri may attain a total length of, which includes a tail long. Dorsally, it is gray with four alternating series of dark brown spots. Ventrally, it is reddish or yellowish, marbled or spotted with gray. On the head, there is a diagonal black streak from the eye to the corner of the mouth, and a vertical black line below the eye.Habitat
Z. hohenackeri is found in mountainous areas, in a variety of habitats, from dry to wet, including agricultural areas.Reproduction
Z. hohenackeri is oviparous. Clutch size is 3–7 eggs.Subspecies
Two subspecies are recognized as being valid, including the nominotypical subspecies.
- Zamenis hohenackeri hohenackeri
- Zamenis hohenackeri tauricus
Nota bene: A trinomial authority in parentheses indicates that the subspecies was originally described in a genus other than Zamenis.
