Hierophis cypriensis

Taxonavigation

Taxonavigation: Colubroidea

Superregnum: Eukaryota Cladus: Unikonta Cladus: Opisthokonta Cladus: Holozoa Regnum: Animalia Subregnum: Eumetazoa Cladus: Bilateria Cladus: Nephrozoa Superphylum: Deuterostomia Phylum: Chordata Subphylum: Vertebrata Infraphylum: Gnathostomata Megaclassis: Osteichthyes Cladus: Sarcopterygii Cladus: Rhipidistia Cladus: Tetrapodomorpha Cladus: Eotetrapodiformes Cladus: Elpistostegalia Superclassis: Tetrapoda Cladus: Reptiliomorpha Cladus: Amniota Classis: Reptilia Cladus: Eureptilia Cladus: Romeriida Subclassis: Diapsida Cladus: Sauria Infraclassis: Lepidosauromorpha Superordo: Lepidosauria Ordo: Squamata Cladus: Unidentata, Episquamata Cladus: Toxicofera Subordo: Serpentes Infraordo: Caenophidia Superfamilia: Colubroidea

Familia: Colubridae
Subfamilia: Colubrinae
Genus: Hierophis
Species: Hierophis cypriensis

Name

Hierophis cypriensis (Schätti, 1985)

• Holotype: MHNG 2206.30, ♀, collected by native on 14 April 1983.
• Type locality: “zwischen Arakapás und Kalokhorio, Zypern [= between Arakapás and Kalokhorio, Cyprus]”.
• Paratypes (n=2): BMNH 1887.9.27.25, ♂, “Cyprus”, donated by Lord Lilford; and NHMW 15185:1, ♀, from “Platraes, Troodos, 1400 m”, collected by F. Werner on May 1935.

Combinations

• Coluber cypriensis Schätti, 1985: 472 [original combination]
• Hierophis cypriensis — Schätti & Sigg, 1989 [subsequent combination]
• Dolichophis cypriensis — Nagy, Lawson, Joger & Wink, 2004: 231 [subsequent combination]

Native distribution areas

• Cyprus (Troodos massif and foothills).

References

Primary references

• Schätti, B. 1985. Eine neue Zornnatter aus Zypern, Coluber cypriensis n. sp. (Reptilia, Serpentes, Colubridae). Revue suisse de Zoologie 92(2): 471–477. BHL
• Schätti, B. & Sigg, H. 1989. Die herpetofauna der Insel Zypern. Teil 2. Schildkroten, Echsen und Schlangen. Herpetofauna 11(62): 17–26.
• Nagy, Z.T., Lawson, R., Joger, U. & Wink, M. 2004. Molecular systematics of racers, whipsnakes and relatives (Reptilia, Colubridae) using mitochondrial and nuclear markers. Journal of Zoological Systematics and Evolutionary Research 42(3): 223–233. DOI: 10.1111/j.1439-0469.2004.00249.x Reference page. 

Additional references

• Schätti, B. & Utiger, U. 2001. Hemerophis, a new genus for Zamenis socotrae Günther, and a contribution to the phylogeny of Old World racers, whip snakes, and related genera (Reptilia: Squamata: Colubrinae). Revue suisse de zoologie 108(4): 919–948. BHL Reference page. 
• Utiger, U. & Schätti, B. 2004. Morphology and phylogenetic relationships of the Cyprus racer, Hierophis cypriensis, and the systematic status of Coluber gemonensis gyarosensis Mertens (Reptilia: Squamata: Colubrinae). Revue Suisse de Zoologie 111(1): 225–238. BHL Reference page. 
• Venchi, A. & Sindaco, R. 2006. Annotated checklist of the reptiles of the Mediterranean countries, with keys to species identification. Part 2 -Snakes (Reptilia, Serpentes). Annali del Museo Civico di Storia Naturale "Giacomo Doria" XCVIII: 259–364.
• Baier, F., Nicolaou, H. & Rödder, D. 2014. A species distribution model for the endemic Cyprus whip snake (Hierophis cypriensis) is consistent with a transient period isolated evolution in the Troodos Range. The Herpetological Journal 24 (3): 175-181. PDF
• Kyriazi, P., Kornilios, P., Nagy, Z.T., Poulakakis, N., Kumlutaş, Y., Ilgaz, Ç., Avcı, A., Göçmen, B. & Lymberakis, P. 2013. Comparative phylogeography reveals distinct colonization patterns of Cretan snakes. Journal of Biogeography 40(6): 1143–1155. DOI: 10.1111/jbi.12057

Links

• Uetz, P. & Hallermann, J. 2024. Hierophis cypriensis. The Reptile Database. Accessed on 7 July 2021.
• Wolfgang Böhme, Petros Lymberakis, Pierre-André Crochet. 2009. IUCN: Hierophis cypriensis  (Endangered). The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2009: e.T61443A12485322. DOI: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2009.RLTS.T61443A12485322.en. Accessed on 12 June 2023.

Vernacular names

Deutsch: Zypern-Zornnatter
English: Cyprus Whip Snake