Thelotornis capensis

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Regnum: Animalia
Subregnum: Eumetazoa
Cladus: Bilateria
Cladus: Nephrozoa
Superphylum: Deuterostomia
Phylum: Chordata
Cladus: Craniata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Infraphylum: Gnathostomata
Superclassis: Tetrapoda
Cladus: Reptiliomorpha
Cladus: Amniota
Classis: Reptilia
Cladus: Eureptilia
Cladus: Romeriida
Subclassis: Diapsida
Cladus: Sauria
Infraclassis: Lepidosauromorpha
Superordo: Lepidosauria
Ordo: Squamata
Subordo: Serpentes
Infraordo: Caenophidia
Superfamilia: Colubroidea

Familia: Colubridae
Subfamilia: Colubrinae
Genus: Thelotornis
Species: Thelotornis capensis
Name

Thelotornis capensis Smith, 1849

Holotype: unlocated. [fide FitzSimons (1937: 274)]

Type locality: “Kaffirland and the country toward Port Natal”.
References
Additional references

Smith, A. 1838–1849. Illustrations of the Zoology of South Africa; Consisting Chiefly of Figures and Descriptions of the Objects of Natural History Collected During an Expedition Into the Interior of South Africa, in the Years 1834, 1835, and 1836; Fitted Out by “The Cape of Good Hope Association for Exploring Central Africa.” Published Under the Authority of the Lords Commissioners of Her Majesty’s Treasury. Reptilia. Vol. 2. Smith, Elder and Co.: London. [100] + 28 pp., pls. 1–78. BHL Reference page.

Links

Uetz, P. & Hallermann, J. 2022. Thelotornis capensis. The Reptile Database. Accessed on 23 October 2018.

Vernacular names
English: Southern Twig Snake

The savanna vine snake (Thelotornis capensis) is a species of venomous snake in the family Colubridae.

Geographic range

Thelotornis capensis is found in southern Africa.[2]
Description

Thelotornis capensis is slender and has a long tail. The longest museum specimen is a male with a snout-to-vent length (SVL) of 106 cm (42 in), a tail 62 cm (24 in) long, and a combined total length of 168 cm (66 in).[2][3]
Reproduction

Thelotornis capensis is oviparous.[2][3] The eggs are elongated and rather small, each measuring on average 36 mm (1.4 in) long and 16 mm (0.63 in) wide.[2]
Subspecies

There are three subspecies of T. capensis which are recognized as being valid, including the nominotypical subspecies.[3]

Thelotornis capensis capensis A. Smith, 1849
Thelotornis capensis oatesi (Günther, 1881)
Thelotornis capensis schilsi Derleyn, 1978

Nota bene: A trinomial authority in parentheses indicates that the subspecies was originally described in a genus other than Thelotornis.
Etymology

The subspecific name, oatesi, is in honor of British naturalist Frank Oates.[4]
References

Spawls, S. (2021). "Thelotornis capensis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2021: e.T164904938A120632972. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2021-2.RLTS.T164904938A120632972.en. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
Branch, William R. (1994). "Thelotornis capensis". Bill Branch's Field Guide to the Snakes and Other Reptiles of Southern Africa. Struik Publishers. pp. 100-101 + Plates 18 & 31. ISBN 978-1-86825-575-7.
"Thelotornis capensis ". The Reptile Database. www.reptile-database.org.

Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). "Oates, F.". The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. JHU Press. p. 193. ISBN 978-1-4214-0135-5.

Further reading
Access Professional Development. 2022. Vine Snake (Thelotornis capensis capensis). [Online] Available: https://accesspd.co.za/species/vine-snake (Accessed: 02/02/2022)
Smith, A (1849). "Thelotornis capensis, new species". Illustrations of the Zoology of South Africa ... Reptilia. London: Smith, Elder, and Co.