Edge Rewrite
// HTMLRewriter · presentation

This page was redesigned at the edge.

Cloudflare fetched the original article and streamed it through HTMLRewriter to apply an entirely new visual system without rebuilding the source page.

Jump to content

Conophis lineatus

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Conophis lineatus
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Serpentes
Family: Colubridae
Genus: Conophis
Species:
C. lineatus
Binomial name
Conophis lineatus
Synonyms[2]
  • Tomodon lineatum
    A.M.C. Duméril, Bibron & A.H.A. Duméril, 1854
  • Lygophis lineatus
    (A.M.C. Duméril, Bibron & A.H.A. Duméril, 1854)
  • Tachymenis lineata
    (A.M.C. Duméril, Bibron & A.H.A. Duméril, 1854)
  • Conophis pulcher
    Cope, 1869

Conophis lineatus, also known commonly as the road guarder and la culebra guardacaminos lineada in local Spanish, is a species of mildly venomous snake in the subfamily Dipsadinae of the family Colubridae. The species is native to southern Mexico, Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua. There are two recognized subspecies.[2]

Eating a rose-bellied lizard (Sceloporus variabilis)

Description

[edit]

Dorsally, Conophis lineatus has 6–11 dark stripes. The areas between the stripes are tan or whitish. The lower portions of the upper labials are brown. The smooth dorsal scales are arranged in 19 rows on the neck, 19 rows at midbody, and 17 rows posteriorly.[2]

Habitat

[edit]

The preferred natural habitats of Conophis lineatus are forest and savanna, but it has also been found in disturbed habitats.[1]

Behavior

[edit]

Conophis lineatus is terrestrial.[1]

Diet

[edit]

Conophis lineatus preys upon lizards, predominately species of the family Teiidae, and also eats eggs of ground-nesting birds.[1]

Venom

[edit]

Conophis lineatus is rear-fanged and mildly venomous. Bites to humans cause pain, swellling, and bruising, with symptoms lasting as long as two months.[3]

Reproduction

[edit]

Conophis lineatus is oviparous.[1][2]

Subspecies

[edit]

Two subspecies of Conophis lineatus are recognized as being valid, including the nominotypical subspecies.[2]

References

[edit]
  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Flores-Villela, O.; Köhler, G.; Sunyer, J.; Townsend, J.H.; Wilson, L.D. (2013). "Conophis lineatus ". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2013 e.T63758A3128953. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2013-2.RLTS.T63758A3128953.en. Retrieved 27 November 2025.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Species Conophis lineatus at The Reptile Database www.reptile-database.org.
  3. Keyler, Daniel E. (2025). "Road Guarder (Conophis lineatus concolor: Dipsadidae): Case documentation of a clinically significant envenoming". Toxicon. 255: 108215.

Further reading

[edit]
  • Boulenger, G.A. (1896). Catalogue of the Snakes in the British Museum (Natural History). Volume III. Containing the Colubridæ (Opisthoglyphæ and Proteroglyphæ), Amblycephalidæ, and Viperidæ. London: Trustees of the British Museum (Natural History). (Taylor and Francis, printers). xiv + 727 pp. + Plates I–XXV. (Conophis lineatus, pp. 122–123).
  • Duméril, A.-M.-C.; Bibron, G.; Duméril, A.-[H.-A.] (1854). Erpétologie générale ou histoire copmplète des reptiles. Tome septième. Deuxième partie. Comprenant l'histoire des serpents venimeux. Paris: Roret. xii + pp. 781–1536. (Tomodon lineatum, new species, pp. 936–938). (in French).
  • Heimes, P. (2016). Snakes of Mexico: Herpetofauna Mexicana Vol. I. Frankfurt am Main, Germany: Edition Chimaira. ISBN 978-3899731002. 572 pp.
  • Savage, J.M. (2002). The Amphibians and Reptiles of Costa Rica: A Herpetofauna between Two Continents, between Two Seas. Chicago and London: University of Chicago Press. ISBN 0-226-73537-0. xx + 945 pp.