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Citation: Midtgaard, Rune. RepFocus - A Survey of the Reptiles of the World. (www.repfocus.dk).
Latest update: December 31st, 2022.


Taxonomy of the family Colubridae
Bibliography of the genus Hierophis
Biodiversity of the family Colubridae








Genus
Hierophis

Eurasian Whip Snakes

Eurasische Zornnattern

Eurasiske Pilsnoge

1834 Hierophis Fitzinger (type species: Coluber viridi-flavus Lacepede 1789)
Contents: 4 species, of which 1 (25.0%) is endemic.
Endemism: 0% 100%
Remarks: Previously included Dolichophis andreanus and Orientocoluber spinalis.
Distribution: S. Europe, Cyprus.
Reported from: Albania, Andorra, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, Cyprus, France (incl. Corsica), Greece (incl. Aegean Islands [incl. Sporades Islands], Crete), Italy (incl. Aeolian Islands, Capri, Elba, Montecristo, Pelagie Islands [Linosa Islands], Sardinia, Sicily), Malta, Montenegro, North Macedonia, San Marino, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland.

Hierophis carbonarius

European Black Whip Snake

Schwarze Zornnatter

Sort Pilsnog

1833 Coluber viridiflavus carbonarius Bonaparte
Haemorrhois viridiflavus carbonarius [sic] Welch 1983
Hierophis viridiflavus carbonarius Utiger & Schätti 2004
Hierophis carbonarius Mezzasalma, Dall'Asta, Loy, Cheylan, Lymberakis, Zuffi, Tomovic, Odierna, Guarino 2015
1868 Zamenis aristotelis Gistel [substitute name for Coluber viridiflavus carbonarius Fitzinger 1826] (Mertens & Wermuth 1960)
1968 Coluber gemonensis gyarosensis Mertens (Utiger & Schätti 2004)
Hierophis gyarosensis Schätti 1988
Coluber gyarosensis Böhme 1993
Dolichophis gyarosensis Wallach, Williams & Boundy 2014

Other common names:
gyarosensis: Gyaros Whip Snake
Remarks: Previously regarded as a subspecies of viridiflavus. Raised to species status by Mezzasalma, Dall'Asta, Loy, Cheylan, Lymberakis, Zuffi, Tomovic, Odierna & Guarino (2015), although rejected by Speybroeck, Beukema, Dufresnes, Fritz, Jablonski, Lymberakis & al. (2020). The population in the Greek island Gyaros (gyarosensis), once thought to be a subspecies of gemonensis, is now considered a synonym of carbonarius, most probably introduced in historical times (Utiger & Schätti 2004; Sindaco, Venchi & Grieco 2013). Nevertheless, for unknown reasons and without discussion, Wallach, Williams & Boundy (2014) still listed gyarosensis as a valid species and reassigned it to the genus Dolichophis.
Introduced to: Greece (Aegean Islands: Cyclades Islands: Gyaros), Italy (Pelagie Islands: Linosa Islands).
Distribution: Croatia, Italy (incl. Aeolian Islands, Capri, Sicily), Malta, San Marino, Slovenia, Switzerland.


Hierophis cypriensis

Cyprus Whip Snake

Zypern-Zornnatter, Zypern-Schlanknatter

Cypriotisk Pilsnog

1985 Coluber cypriensis Schätti
Hierophis cypriensis Schätti 1988
Dolichophis cypriensis Wallach, Williams & Boundy 2014

Distribution: Cyprus.


Hierophis gemonensis

Balkan Whip Snake

Balkanzornnatter

Balkanpilsnog, Egentlig Pilsnog

1768 Natrix gemonensis Laurenti
Zamenis gemonensis Boulenger 1893
Coluber gemonensis Mertens & Müller 1928
Haemorrhois gemoensis [sic] Welch 1980
Eremiophis gemonensis Welch 1983
Hierophis gemonensis Nagy, Schmidtler, Joger & Wink 2003
1881 Zamenis gemonensis laurentii Bedriaga (Böhme (ed.) 1993)
Coluber laurenti Lanza 1987
Hierophis laurenti Schätti 1988

Remarks: Records from NE. Italy and Slovenia refer to carbonarius (Speybroeck, Beukema, Bok & Voort 2016).
Distribution: Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, Greece (incl. Aegean Islands [incl. Sporades Islands], Crete), Montenegro, North Macedonia.


Hierophis gemonensis
© Henrik Bringsøe

Hierophis viridiflavus

Western Whip Snake, European Whip Snake, Yellow-green Whip Snake, (Green Whip Snake)

Gelbgrüne Zornnatter

Gulgrøn Pilsnog

1789 Coluber viridi-flavus Lacepede
Zamenis viridiflavus Wagler 1830
Hierophis viridiflavus Fitzinger 1843
Zamenis gemonensis viridiflavus Bedriaga 1883
Haemorrhois viridiflavus [sic] Welch 1980
Eremiophis viridiflavus Welch 1983
1790 Coluber vulgaris Bonnaterre (Böhme (ed.) 1993)
1798 Coluber communis Donndorff (Böhme (ed.) 1993)
1798 Coluber franciae Suckow (Böhme (ed.) 1993)
1798 Coluber sardus Suckow (Böhme (ed.) 1993)
1799 Coluber luteo-striatus Gmelin (Böhme (ed.) 1993)
1802 Coluber atrovirens Shaw (Böhme (ed.) 1993)
Coluber gemonensis atrovirens Werner 1903
1803 Coluber personatus Daudin (Böhme (ed.) 1993)
1828 Coluber glaucoides Millet (Böhme (ed.) 1993)
1874 Zamenis viridiflavus ocellata De Betta (Böhme (ed.) 1993)
1971 Coluber viridiflavus kratzeri Kramer (Böhme (ed.) 1993)
1984 Coluber viridiflavus antoniimanueli Capolongo (Böhme (ed.) 1993)

Remarks: Previously included carbonarius. Presence in Luxembourg needs confirmation (Engel, Gassert & Proess 2007; Proess 2007). The common name Green Whip Snake has also been used for Dolichophis jugularis.
Distribution: Andorra, France (incl. Corsica), Italy (incl. Elba, Montecristo, Sardinia), Spain, Switzerland.


Hierophis viridiflavus
© Henrik Bringsøe