Lamprophis abyssinicus
Encyclopedia
The Abyssinian House Snake, Lamprophis abyssinicus is a small Colubrid
Snake in the genus Lamprophis
. It was once thought to be endemic to Ethiopia but has been found in Eritrea recently.
as the females grow larger than the males. The overall colour is a tan brown through orange to red with large, deep brown or black stripes running from the rostral scale through the eye to the rear of the head where they continue down the body. The eye is large and the pupil vertically elliptic due to its nocturnal nature.
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 in the genus Lamprophis
Lamprophis
Lamprophis is a genus of colubrid snakes commonly referred to as African house snakes. They are small, non-venomous snakes. They exhibit a wide variety of pattern variation, and may be spotted, striped, or solid colored...
. It was once thought to be endemic to Ethiopia but has been found in Eritrea recently.
Appearance
This is a small Snake, attaining lengths of 20-24". They are sexually dimorphicSexual dimorphism
Sexual dimorphism is a phenotypic difference between males and females of the same species. Examples of such differences include differences in morphology, ornamentation, and behavior.-Examples:-Ornamentation / coloration:...
as the females grow larger than the males. The overall colour is a tan brown through orange to red with large, deep brown or black stripes running from the rostral scale through the eye to the rear of the head where they continue down the body. The eye is large and the pupil vertically elliptic due to its nocturnal nature.