Species: Psammophis lineolatus Brandt = Arrow snake. Arrow snake: description of the species and its features Arrow snake - Psammophis lineolatus Brandt

Arrow snake - Psammophis lineolatus. The typical area is deserts near the Caspian Sea. Brandt's description indicates: the eastern shore of the Caspian Sea, Turkmenistan and the surrounding Astrabad (Gorgan, or Gurgan) in northern Persia (Iran).

The head is narrow, long, more than twice as wide less length. The surface of the muzzle is concave, the lateral ribs are pointed. The eyes are large, the pupil is round. The frontal shield is narrow and long. There are 17 rows of smooth scales around the body. Three upper labial scutes are in contact with the eye.

Long thin snakes with a whip-like body. Body length up to 910 mm, tail length about 300 mm. There are 17 scales around the middle of the body; abdominal scutes 168-204; subcaudal - 71-114 pairs. The anal shield is divided; temporal scutes 2+3+3 or 1+2. The anterior end of the muzzle is bluntly rounded. The intermaxillary shield almost does not protrude between the internasal ones. The seam between the internasals is at least three times shorter than the seam between the prefrontals. The posterior edge of the frontal shield is more or less rounded. The postero-superior end of the posterior nasal shield is elongated into a pointed process, overlying the anterior part of the zygomatic shield. One low and long zygomatic shield; its length is approximately equal to the length of both nasal shields combined. One large preorbital shield in contact with the frontal, no infraorbital shield. There are two postorbitals, very rarely three.

The maxillary teeth vary in length: 10-13 teeth, of which the middle one is the largest; in the back of the upper jaw there are 1-2 large teeth with a groove, separated from a number of small teeth by a toothless gap.

• Species range.

The arrow-snake is distributed from the southern half of Kazakhstan and Central Asia to southern Mongolia, northwestern China, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran and the southernmost regions of southeastern Transcaucasia (Azerbaijan). In northwestern China, its range covers the Xinjiang-Uyghur region autonomous region, Gansu Province and Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region. The collection of the Zoological Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences contains collections of P.K. Kozlov from Inner Mongolia (ruins dead city Khara-Khoto and southern regions of Mongolia - ridge. Gurvan-Saikhan-Ula, ridge. Savrey-Ula, southern slopes of the Mongolian Altai).

• Distribution in Mongolia.

For the first time on the territory of the country, the species was discovered, oddly enough, only in 1925 by the expedition of P.K. Kozlov in the mountains of the Gobi Altai. These findings were published by Tsarevsky. Bannikov, summing up all the data, indicated only 10 locations of the snake arrow on the map, and one of them is very isolated from the others (Dariganga).

Our data significantly expands the understanding of the distribution of the arrow-snake in Mongolia. It is obvious that this species inhabits almost the entire Gobi part of the country, sticking mainly to the desert zone (from extremely arid to semi-desert). Our data for the first time indicates the habitat of the arrow-snake in the Dzungarian Gobi in the Kobdo aimag. The finds noted by Orlova and Terbish belong to the eastern slope of the ridge. Takhiin-Shara-Nuru and are geographically isolated by this ridge from the Mongolian part of the Dzungarian Gobi. Considering that this species does not occur high in the mountains, it can be assumed that the mountain ranges of the Mongolian Altai form a barrier to dispersal. In the eastern and northern regions of the Gobi, this one is known from isolated finds. Borkin classifies the arrow-snake, according to the nature of its habitat, as belonging to the Turanian faunal complex, Orlova and Semenov - to the group of Asian southern Palaearctic species.

• Variability.

Comparison of our data with variations morphological characteristics in the arrow-snake in Central Asia and China does not give grounds to identify any features of the Mongolian specimens.

Thus, the number of ventral scutes in the arrow-snake from Mongolia ranges between 173 and 191, and the number of pairs of subcaudal scutes ranges from 77 to 102. The number of scales around the body and upper labial scutes is strictly constant, and the row of lower labial scutes consists of 10 or 11 scutes. The anal scutes are always divided.

• Taxonomic position.

Despite huge range, the species is very monomorphic. Until now, intraspecific forms have not been identified. Comparative analysis individuals from Mongolia and Central Asia do not show significant differences.

• Vertical distribution.

In Mongolia, the mountains rise to 1800-2000 m above sea level. m. The minimum height of finds is 700 m (Ingeni-Khovryn-Kholoi basin, N 16). Thus, the altitude range is 1100-1300 m.

According to data on the entire range, this species often enters mountains along the slopes to an altitude of 2600 m above sea level. m. in Afghanistan, 1700 m above sea level. m. in Kyrgyzstan, 1500 m. u. m. in Tajikistan. In the Kopetdag it penetrates up to a height of 1000 m along wide intermountain depressions.

• Biotopes.

The arrow-snake more often inhabits areas with loose substrate in desert and semi-desert areas; Avoids open sands. Usually these are areas with sparse vegetation (wormwood, solyanka, caragana, almond, reomuria, parfolia, etc.). Snakes often stick to thorny rosehip or saltpetre bushes; they are found in low-growing saxauls, etc., where they find permanent reliable shelter and food in the form of lizards. They also overlook takyrs and gravelly-stony gammads with extremely poor vegetation. Avoid steep hillsides and saury banks. They are found in oases, wide, well-lit sauries and gorges.

Alsophylax pipiens, Teratoscincus przewalskii, Cyrtopodion elongatus, Phrynocephalus versicolor, Laudakia stoliczkana altaica, Eremias argus, E. multiocellata, E. przewalskii, E. vermiculata, Eryx tataricus, Elaphe dione, Coluber spinalis and Agkistrodon are found in arrow snake habitats in Mongolia halys.

• Seasonal activity.

Activity is purely daytime, even in the hottest time of the year. The period of seasonal activity in Mongolia is much shorter than in Central Asia and southern Kazakhstan. In the southern regions of the Gobi it lasts from May to September.

• Reproduction.

Data on the breeding ecology of the arrow snake in Mongolia are very fragmentary. A pregnant female caught in the Bayan-Khongor aimag near the Ekhiin-Gol oasis on August 12 laid a clutch of eight eggs measuring 8.0-10.5 x 37.5-44.0 mm. All captured sexually mature females in July in Bayan-Khongor and South Gobi aimags had from 5 to 11 eggs in their oviducts.

In Central Asia and Kazakhstan, the laying of 3-15 highly elongated eggs measuring 7.5-15 x 30-55 mm occurs in June and early July. At the end of July-August, young snakes 250-330 mm long emerge. In northern Tajikistan, egg laying occurs at the end of May-June, and young of the year appear at the end of August.

• Nutrition.

The arrow-snake is a typical saurophage; feeding on lizards has been observed everywhere. In Mongolia, its most common food items include foot-and-mouth disease and roundheads (Eremias sp. and Phrynocephalus versicolor). In the South Gobi aimag, near the village of Noen, Alsophylaxpipiens was found in the stomach of an arrow-snake; in Bayan-Khongor aimak, south of the Shara-Khalsny-Bulak oasis, a captured arrow-snake regurgitated Teratoscincus przewalskii.

The feeding pattern remains similar in this species throughout its entire range. According to the frequency of occurrence in the diet of arrow snakes in Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, the basis of nutrition is made up of various species of foot-and-mouth mosquitoes living there, less often - geckos, holly-eyes, roundheads and agamas, in in some cases- snakes. Indications of insect remains in the contents of the arrow-snake's stomachs are erroneous; most likely, they enter the snake's stomachs from the stomachs of insect-eating lizards that become the prey of these snakes.

• Enemies.

No data available for Mongolia. According to data from Central Asia, this snake is hunted and eaten by gray monitor lizards, sand frets, kites, snake-eaters, black crow, long-eared hedgehog, fox. In Mongolia, apparently, many people eat it predator birds and mammals.

• Behavior.

It can lie in wait for prey on the branches of bushes. The arrow-snake first bites the victim and then wraps its body in rings. Poisonous teeth are located at the rear end of the upper jaw, deep in the mouth. Poisonous to small animals - lizards die from the poison of the arrow-snake in a few seconds. This snake is not dangerous to humans. The snake is distinguished by its swift movements, which is why it got its name. These same features of her locomotion probably served as the basis for the belief in Mongolia that she is able to fly several meters behind a person, chasing him, and upon reaching, passes through the body and kills the victim. Similar legends are known regarding the snake arrow in Central Asia, where it is also considered very dangerous and even poisonous.

• Conservation status.

A species with a vast Eurasian range, which occupies a significant part of the south of Mongolia, and an almost continuous distribution pattern. Most of the arrowhead snake's range is located in protected areas. The destruction of these snakes by the population as poisonous is called a specific anthropic load.

Subfamily False snakes - Boiginae

Class: Reptilia = Reptiles

Subclass: Lepidosauria = Lepidosaurs, scaly lizards

Order: Squamata Oppel = Scaly

Suborder: Serpentes (Ophidia) Linnaeus = Snakes

Species: Psammophis lineolatus Brandt = Arrow snake

Arrow snake - Psammophis lineolatus Brandt

Class Reptiles, or Reptiles - Reptilia Suborder Snakes - Ophidia, or Serpentes Family Colubridae - Colubridae Subfamily False snakes - Boiginae

A slender snake up to 90 cm long. The upper side of the body is grayish-olive, sandy, and brown. There are two dark stripes on the sides.

Distributed in Kazakhstan and Central Asia. It lives on sand, rocky or clayey slopes, salt marshes, and saxaul thickets. It climbs well and often escapes from danger on branches. The movements are extremely rapid, justifying the name. Able to lift and hold horizontally the front part of the body. It feeds mainly on lizards, which it envelops in body rings, but kills with the bite of its poisonous teeth. The bite is harmless to humans.

There is a belief about a snake's arrow that it rushes at a person or animal and pierces the heart with all its might. There are many tales told about snakes, but this is only about one. And a legend was born thanks to the snake’s ability to move very quickly. Indeed, like an arrow fired from a bow, she rushes along the ground - thin, slender, elastic, with a small pointed head. This snake is very accurately named - an arrow. And it’s not clear whether they called her that because of her fast movement or her appearance. Rather, for both. The arrow snake moves at such a speed that a person cannot always catch up with it. But this snake rushes not in order to “pierce the heart,” but in order to save itself. All her dexterity, all her skill are aimed precisely at this. Leave, run away, hide in some rodent's hole, under stones, in a crack in the ground. If there is no suitable shelter underground, she will just as quickly climb a tree and hide there, becoming completely invisible due to her coloring.

A snake can jump up to 40 centimeters, and in length - half a meter or more. But again, not in order to pierce someone’s heart, but in order to grab a gaping lizard.

ARROW SNAKE (Psammophis lineolatus)

ARROW SNAKE (Psammophis lineolatus) is widespread in deserts and semi-deserts of Kazakhstan, Central Asia, Central Asia, Northern Iran, Afghanistan and Eastern Transcaucasia. Its body length reaches 90 cm. The color of the upper side is olive-gray, sandy or brownish, and the edges of the scales are slightly lighter than their middle. On the sides of the ridge there are two longitudinal stripes of a dark color; there is one slightly lighter stripe on the sides of the body. The space between the lateral and dorsal stripes on the head and neck is yellow or orange. The arrow-snake lives on sand, rocky or clayey slopes with sparse bushes, and is often found on mountains and salt marshes. It is especially numerous in saxaul thickets. Rodent holes, cracks in the soil, and piles of stones serve as hiding places. In these same shelters, snakes spend the winter and also spend the hottest months (in the southern part of their range) in summer hibernation. The snake arrow received its name for its extraordinary swiftness of movements. Behind the creeping large snake, writes V.N. Shnitnikov, a person has to run under great stress, and she often manages to escape even by open place. The movement of a large arrow-snake gives the impression as if it were moving with the help of some hidden mechanism, and not by the forces of the animal itself, - the speed of movement is so inconsistent with the barely noticeable movements of the body that actually cause it. It seems that the snake, straightened, slides along the ground completely independently of itself. The rapidity of the snake's arrow movements gave rise to an ancient Turkmen legend that it can "suddenly kill people, horses, camels and mules, piercing their hearts with one leap." The arrow-snake climbs well and often escapes pursuit on branches. Thanks to its protective coloring and thin body, it can be very difficult to detect even among the rare branches of saxaul. On the branches, snakes escape from day heat, since at some distance from the hot soil surface the temperature is much lower. The jumping height of a fast-moving arrow-snake reaches 30-40 cm. The caught animal energetically tries to free itself, but bites relatively rarely. Taken in hand, the snake has tensed its muscles and is unusual to the touch: it seems that it is very dense and thin body elastic wire inserted. It can lift its body vertically upward by more than half its length and stretch horizontally by 35-40 cm when suspended. Even in a calm state, resting or basking in the sun, the arrow-snake prefers to straighten its body rather than curl up into a ball. The food of the arrow-snake consists exclusively of lizards: round-headed lizards, foot-and-mouth lizards, agamas. She hunts by lying in wait or hiding her prey and, when the latter is close enough, she makes a swift, barely perceptible to the eye throw, wrapping the victim in several rings of her body. After the lizard is firmly grasped, the poisonous teeth are used. With its mouth open wide, the snake bites the prey on the neck, clenches its jaws tightly and loosens its grip only when the prey’s resistance weakens. Even paralysis from poison large lizards occurs within a few seconds after the bite. After this, the arrow-snake opens its coils and, after licking the prey, slowly swallows it. Small and young snakes often feed on large insects. Snake arrow bite for large mammals and is completely harmless to humans. Eggs in the amount of 2-6 pieces are laid by females in June - July, young ones hatch in August...

Poisonous animals and plants of the USSR/B.N. Orlov, D.B. Gelashvili, A.K. Ibragimov. - M.: Higher. school, 1990. - 272 s.

ARROW SNAKE (Psammophis lineolatus) is widespread in the deserts and semi-deserts of Kazakhstan, Central Asia, Central Asia, Northern Iran, Afghanistan and Eastern Transcaucasia. Its body length reaches 90 cm. The color of the upper side is olive-gray, sandy or brownish, and the edges of the scales are slightly lighter than their middle. On the sides of the ridge there are two longitudinal stripes of a dark color; there is one slightly lighter stripe on the sides of the body. The space between the lateral and dorsal stripes on the head and neck is yellow or orange. The arrow-snake lives on sand, rocky or clayey slopes with sparse bushes, and is often found on mountains and salt marshes. It is especially numerous in saxaul thickets. Rodent holes, cracks in the soil, and piles of stones serve as hiding places. In these same shelters, snakes spend the winter and also spend the hottest months (in the southern part of their range) in summer hibernation. The snake arrow received its name for its extraordinary swiftness of movements. According to V.N. Shnitnikov, a person has to run with great effort after a large snake crawling, and it often manages to escape even in the open. The movement of a large arrow-snake gives the impression as if it were moving with the help of some hidden mechanism, and not by the forces of the animal itself, - the speed of movement is so inconsistent with the barely noticeable movements of the body that actually cause it. It seems that the snake, straightened, slides along the ground completely independently of itself. The rapidity of the snake's arrow movements gave rise to an ancient Turkmen legend that it can "suddenly kill people, horses, camels and mules, piercing their hearts with one leap." The arrow-snake climbs well and often escapes pursuit on branches. Thanks to its protective coloring and thin body, it can be very difficult to detect even among the rare branches of saxaul. On the branches, snakes also escape the heat of the day, since at some distance from the hot surface of the soil the temperature is much lower. The jumping height of a fast-moving arrow-snake reaches 30-40 cm. The caught animal energetically tries to free itself, but bites relatively rarely. Taken in hand, with its muscles tensed, the snake is unusual to the touch: it seems that an elastic wire is inserted into its very dense and thin body. It can lift its body vertically upward by more than half its length and stretch horizontally by 35-40 cm when suspended. Even in a calm state, resting or basking in the sun, the arrow-snake prefers to straighten its body rather than curl up into a ball. The food of the arrow-snake consists exclusively of lizards: round-headed lizards, foot-and-mouth lizards, agamas. She hunts by lying in wait or hiding her prey and, when the latter is close enough, she makes a swift, barely perceptible to the eye throw, wrapping the victim in several rings of her body. After the lizard is firmly grasped, the poisonous teeth are used. With its mouth open wide, the snake bites the prey on the neck, clenches its jaws tightly and loosens its grip only when the prey’s resistance weakens. Paralysis from venom even in large lizards occurs within a few seconds after the bite. After this, the arrow-snake opens its coils and, after licking the prey, slowly swallows it. Small and young snakes often feed on large insects. The bite of an arrow snake is completely harmless for large mammals and humans. Eggs in the amount of 2-6 pieces are laid by females in June - July, young ones hatch in August.

The front end of the snout of an arrow-snake is bluntly rounded. The intermaxillary shield is almost Not protrudes between the internasals. The suture between the internasals is less than 3 times shorter than the suture between the prefrontals. The posterior edge of the frontal shield is more or less rounded.

The posterosuperior end of the posterior nasal shield is elongated into a pointed process, overlying the anterior part of the zygomatic shield. One low and long zygomatic shield; its length is approximately equal to the length of both nasals combined. One large preorbital shield in contact with the frontal; there is no infraorbital one. Postorbitals - 2, very rarely 3. Upper labial scutes 9, of which 4 th, 5th and 6th touch the eye. The posterior mandibles are the same size as the anterior ones, or slightly longer.

From above, the body of the arrow-snake is olive, sandy or brownish in color, with the edges of the scales being slightly lighter than their middle. On the sides of the ridge there are 2 brown-brown or gray-brown longitudinal stripes, starting on the supraorbital scutes; their edges are often outlined black-brown. There is one slightly lighter stripe on the sides of the body and head, where, tapering, they continue forward along the lower part of the preorbital, zygomatic and nasal scutes. Gap between side and back stripes on the head and neck, and sometimes on the front of the body, are yellow or yellowish-orange.

The degree of expression of the pattern varies greatly, is almost completely absent, and often only traces of medium longitudinal stripes are preserved on the body in the form of narrow dark dashed lines formed by dashes running in the middle of the back of the scales. Along the frontal shield and in the area of ​​the suture between the parietals there is a longitudinal dark stripe. The anterior part of the belly is yellowish, the posterior part is white; blurred grayish, brownish or olive-gray spots, usually occupying the middle of the abdominal scutes, are expressed mainly in the anterior part of the abdomen. The lower labial and mandibular scutes and the adjacent throat scales are usually covered with longitudinally located spots of the same color.

Arrow-snake (Psammophis lineolatus)

The snake arrow is distributed from the southern half of Kazakhstan and Central Asia to Southern Mongolia, Northwestern China, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran and the extreme south of Eastern Transcaucasia in the west.

The arrow-snake inhabits sandy deserts (Karakum, Kyzylkum, Muyunkum, etc.), where meets in consolidated and semi-consolidated sands. Less common V clayey and wormwood semi-deserts, on takyrs, plump salt marshes, various kinds of gravelly and rocky soils, in loess foothills, in oases and mountain valleys, where in some places it is known to an altitude of 2600 m above sea level. In Transcaucasia, it lives on rocky slopes with hodgepodge and wormwood bushes.

As shelters it uses burrows of rodents and lizards, spaces under stones and dense basal growths of desert shrubs. On fixed sands the number is 2-3 individuals per 1 km of route. After wintering in the deserts Average Asia appears in February, higher in the mountains (in Kyrgyzstan) - no earlier than the beginning of April. Active until mid-November.

The arrow-snake feeds on lizards, mainly various foot-and-mouth lizards and roundheads, also eating geckos, agamas and holo-eyes. It also eats snakes less often. It often lies in wait for prey, hiding on the branches of bushes. It first bites the victim, opening its mouth wide, and then wraps several rings around its body. Lizards die from a bite within a few seconds. For humans, the bite of an arrow-snake is not dangerous.

Laying of 3-11 highly elongated eggs measuring 7.5-15x30-55 mm in June-July. Young length 250-330 mm appear V late July - August.

Literature: Determinant amphibians and reptiles of the fauna of the USSR. Textbook manual for students of biology. specialties ped. Inst. M., “Enlightenment”, 1977. 415 p. with ill.; 16 l. ill.

Snake arrow Snake arrow

reptile of the snake family. Length up to 90 cm. Lives in sandy deserts Western, Central and Central Asia. It moves quickly (hence the name). The bite is not dangerous to humans.

ARROW SNAKE (Psammophis lineolatus), species poisonous snake subfamilies of false snakes of the family Colubridae (cm. SNAKES). Body length up to 90 cm. The color of the top is olive-gray, sandy or brown with a delicate light mesh. There are two dark stripes on the sides, separated by a wide light area, yellow or orange on the head and neck. The belly is light.
The arrow-snake is common in the deserts and semi-deserts of Western, Central and Central Asia and Eastern Transcaucasia. It lives on sand, as well as on rocky or clayey slopes overgrown with sparse bushes, and is often found in the mountains. It is especially numerous in saxaul thickets. Adults feed exclusively on lizards: roundheads, agamas and various foot and mouth diseases, and young ones often hunt large insects. Protective coloration and its thin body makes it completely invisible in the branches of bushes. It catches prey in a swift rush from an ambush, wrapping rings around its body. The fatal bite is delivered only after the victim is firmly grasped. In times of danger, it can jump up to 30-40 cm in height. When resting or basking in the sun, it prefers to straighten its body rather than curl up into a ball. Breeds in June–July. There are from 2 to 6 eggs in a clutch. Young snakes hatch in August. It got its name for the speed of its movements. Even a running person cannot always catch up with her. According to an ancient Turkmen legend, a snake arrow can instantly kill a person, horse, camel or mule by piercing its heart while jumping. The local population considers it dangerous to humans, but the bite of an arrow-snake is not dangerous to people.

encyclopedic Dictionary. 2009 .

See what a “snake arrow” is in other dictionaries:

Snake arrow ... Wikipedia

- (Psammophis lineolatus), snake of the family. snakes. Body thin, long. up to 90 cm. On the dorsal side there are 4 longitudinal dark stripes on an olive-gray background, bordered by black. The scales are smooth. Poison-conducting grooved teeth at the posterior end of the maxillary bone.... ... Biological encyclopedic dictionary

Noun, number of synonyms: 2 snake (72) reptile (63) ASIS Dictionary of Synonyms. V.N. Trishin. 2013… Synonym dictionary

A reptile of the snake family. Length up to 90 cm. Lives in the sandy deserts of the Front and Center. and Wed. Asia. It moves quickly (hence the name). The bite is not dangerous to humans... Big Encyclopedic Dictionary

Snake arrow, snake arrows... Spelling dictionary-reference book

snake arrow- arrow/snake/, arrows/snake/, pl. arrows to the snake, arrows to the snake... Together. Apart. Hyphenated.

- (Psammophis lineolatus) reptile of the subfamily of false snakes. The body is thin, length up to 120 cm. The scales are smooth. Coloration on an olive gray or sandy gray background of the body: 4 longitudinal dark stripes, bordered by black. Distributed S. z. V… … Great Soviet Encyclopedia

Reptile fam. snakes Length up to 90 cm. Lives in the sandy deserts of the Front, center. and Wed. Asia. It moves quickly (hence the name). The bite is not dangerous to humans... Natural science. encyclopedic Dictionary

snake arrow- (1 f 1 f), R. arrows / snakes / ... Spelling dictionary of the Russian language

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