Yellow-red rat snake
Kingdom
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Subphylum
Class
Order
Suborder
Family
Genus
SPECIES
Pseudelaphe flavirufa

The yellow-red rat snake (Pseudelaphe flavirufa ) is a species of snake in the family Colubridae. The species is endemic to Mexico and Central America. Three subspecies are recognized.

Animal name origin

The subspecific name, matudai, is in honor of Japanese-Mexican botanist Eizi Matuda.

Appearance

P. flavirufa may attain a total length of 1.22 m (4.0 ft), which includes a tail 26 cm (10 in) long. Dorsally, it is yellowish or pale brown with a series of reddish or chestnut-brown spots, which are black-edged and may be confluent into a zigzag stripe. There is an alternating lateral series of smaller spots on each side of the dorsal series. Ventrally, it is yellowish, either plain or with small brown spots.

Distribution

Geography

P. flavirufa is found in the Mexican states of Campeche, Chiapas, Oaxaca, Puebla, Querétaro, Quintana Roo, San Luis Potosí, Tamaulipas, and Zacatecas. It is also found in Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua.

Biome

Habits and Lifestyle

Lifestyle

Diet and Nutrition

Mating Habits

P. flavirufa is oviparous.

Population

References

1. Yellow-red rat snake Wikipedia article - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yellow-red_rat_snake
2. Yellow-red rat snake on The IUCN Red List site - https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/63879/12716388

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