Chironius multiventris, commonly known as the long-tailed machete savane, is species

Species

In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...

 of colubrid

Colubrid

A colubrid is a member of the snake family Colubridae. This broad classification of snakes includes about two-thirds of all snake species on earth. The earliest species of the snake family date back to the Oligocene epoch. With 304 genera and 1,938 species, Colubridae is the largest snake family...

 snake

Snake

Snakes are elongate, legless, carnivorous reptiles of the suborder Serpentes that can be distinguished from legless lizards by their lack of eyelids and external ears. Like all squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping scales...

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Description

The body is elongate, and strongly laterally compressed. The tail is long, as the common name implies. The dorsum is olive to light brown. There is a narrow whitish, black-edged, vertebral stripe. The upper labials and the ventrum are yellowish.

The ventrals are 178-183, and the subcaudals are 172-202. (Both these counts are higher than in C. carinatus.) The dorsal scales are arranged in 12 rows anteriorly and at midbody, in 10 rows posteriorly. (C. carinatus has 8 rows posteriorly.)

Adults may attain a total length of 136 cm (4 feet 6 inches), with a tail 56 cm (22 inches) long.