Report of a dicephalic steppes ratsnake (Elaphe dione) collected in South Korea

Document Type

Journal article

Source Publication

Asian Herpetological Research

Publication Date

7-21-2013

Volume

4

Issue

3

First Page

182

Last Page

186

Publisher

Zhongguo Kexueyuan Chengdu Shengwu Yanjiusuo,Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu Institute of Biology

Keywords

dicephalism, morphology, Steppes Ratsnake, Elaphe dione

Abstract

In this report, we describe morphological characteristics of a dicephalic Steppes Ratsnake (Elaphe dione) collected from the wild in 2011 in South Korea. The specimen has two heads and two long necks. Unlike normal individuals, the dicephalic snake has divided ventral scales under the necks of the bifurcated columns. The snoutvent length (SVL) and overall total length of the individual are shorter than those of normal snakes of the same age. Nevertheless, the counts of nine different scale types that are often used for classification are all within the ranges of normal individuals. As far as we know, this is the first detailed morphological description of a dicephalic E. dione in the scientific literature.

DOI

10.3724/SP.J.1245.2013.00182

Print ISSN

20950357

Publisher Statement

Copyright © 2013 Asian Herpetological Research. Access to external full text or publisher's version may require subscription.

Full-text Version

Publisher’s Version

Language

English

Recommended Citation

Kim, I.-H., Kim, J.-K., Fong, J. J., & Park, D. (2013). Report of a dicephalic steppes ratsnake (Elaphe dione) collected in South Korea. Asian Herpetological Research, 4(3), 182–186. doi: 10.3724/SP.J.1245.2013.00182

Share

COinS