This is the Mexican form of Spilotes pullatus, S. p. mexicana.
Spilotes, long a monotypic genus of beautiful black and yellow, neotropical, arboreal, snake, has recently become bitypic—and polymorphic. This was accomplished when a group of herpetologists (see paper mentioned below) undertook the reevaluation of the genus
Pseustes, the bird snakes.
The result of their studies are that 3 species previously in the genus
Pseustes are now in the resurrected genus
Phrynonax and the 3 meter long, olive and brownish
Pseustes sulphureus has become
Spilotes sulphureus.
In a facebook quote Cesar Barrio Amoros (a member of the research team) stated “in this article we change the use of
Psustes (sic) (no longer a valid genus) per
Phrynonax for
poecilonotus,
shoepshirei and
polylepis and
sulphureus become
Spilotes.”
In explanation of the above, with the removal of
Pseustes sulphureus, the type species of the genus,
Psuestes becomes an invalid generic name and has necessitated the elevation of the senior synonym, in this case
Phrynonax as the valid name for the remaining 3 taxa.
So those among you who used to have
Pseustes sulphureus now have
Spilotes sulphureus and those that have any of the other three
Pseustes species now have
Phrynonax sp. But fret not. As long as they are properly cared for the snakes couldn’t care less.
And for further information please reference: Jadin, R., Burbrink, F., Rivas, G. Vitt, L., Barrio-Amorós, C.L. & Guralnick, R. 2013. Finding arboreal snakes in an evolutionary tree: phylogenetic placement and systematic revision of the Neotropical birdsnakes. J. Zoolog Syst Evol Res doi: 10.1111/jzs.12055: 1-8.
Formerly in the genus
Pseustes, this snake is now
Spilotes sulphureus. Note the distended neck, a defensive mechanism.
Spilotes sulphureus may attain or even exceed 10 feet in length.
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