Citation: Midtgaard, Rune. RepFocus - A Survey of the Reptiles of the World. (www.repfocus.dk).
Latest update: March 2nd, 2024.
 
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Genus
Zamenis
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Western Palearctic Rat Snakes, (Racers)
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Westpaläarktische Kletternattern
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Vestpalæarktiske Rottesnoge
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1826 |  |
Coluber Boie [not Coluber Linnaeus 1758 (Serpentes); not Coluber Laurenti 1768 (Serpentes); not Coluber Boie 1826 (Serpentes: Rhinechis)] (type species: Coluber flavescens Scopoli = Natrix longissima Laurenti 1768) |
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1830 | |
Zamenis Wagler (type species: Coluber Aesculapii Lacepede 1789) |
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1833 | |
Rhinechis Michahelles in Wagler (type species: Rhinechis agassizii Michahelles in Wagler 1833; syn. Figueroa, KcKelvy, Grismer, Bell & Lailvaux 2016) |
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1834 | |
Callopeltis Fitzinger in Bonaparte (type species: Coluber leopardinus Fitzinger in Bonaparte 1834) |
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1838 | |
Simus Fitzinger in Bonaparte (type species: Simus danmanni Agassiz = Coluber scalaris Schinz 1822; syn. Williams & Wallach 1989) |
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1862 | |
Natrix Cope [not Natrix Laurenti 1768 (Serpentes); not Natrix Rafinesque 1817 (Serpentes); Stejneger (1907) erroneously recognized this name as a new genus by designating Coluber flavescens Gmelin 1789 as the type] |
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1862 | |
Tyria Cope [not Tyria Fitzinger 1826] [substitute name for Zamenis Wagler 1830] |
Contents:
6 species, of which 1 (16.7%) is endemic.
Endemism: 0%  100%
Remarks:
Previously included in the genus
Elaphe (e.g., Schulz 1996).
Distribution:
Europe, Middle East.
Reported from:
Albania,
Armenia,
Austria,
Azerbaijan,
Bosnia-Herzegovina,
Bulgaria,
Croatia,
Czech Republic,
France,
Georgia,
Germany,
Gibraltar,
Greece
(incl.
Aegean Islands
[incl.
Cyclades Islands,
Dodecanese Islands
(incl.
Rhodes),
Sporades Islands],
Crete),
Hungary,
Iran,
Iraq,
Israel,
Italy
(incl.
Elba,
Sicily),
Lebanon,
Malta,
Moldova,
Montenegro,
North Macedonia,
Poland,
Portugal,
Romania,
Russia,
San Marino,
Serbia,
Slovakia,
Slovenia,
Spain,
Switzerland,
Syria,
Turkey
(incl.
European Turkey),
Ukraine
(incl.
Crimea).
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Zamenis hohenackeri
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Transcaucasian Rat Snake, (Caucasian Snake)
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Transkaukasische Kletternatter
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Kaukasisk Rottesnog
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1873 | |
Coluber hohenackeri Strauch |
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Elaphe hohenackeri Müller 1939 |
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Zamenis hohenackeri Utiger, Helfenberger, Schätti, Schmidt, Ruf & Ziswiler 2002 |
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1898 | |
Coluber tauricus Werner |
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Elaphe hohenackeri taurica Bodenheimer 1944 |
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Zamenis hohenackeri taurica Sindaco, Serra & Menegon 2006 |
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2018 | |
Zamenis hohenackeri lyciensis Hofmann, Mebert, Schulz, Helfenberger, Göcmen & Böhme |
Other common names:
hohenackeri: Common Transcaucasian Rat Snake
taurica: Taurus Mountains Rat Snake
Remarks:
A single record from Cyprus, but the specimen may have been introduced from the Turkish mainland (Hofmann, Mebert, Schulz, Helfenberger, Göçmen & Böhme 2018).
Distribution:
Armenia,
Azerbaijan,
Georgia,
Iran,
Iraq,
Israel,
Lebanon,
Russia,
Syria,
Turkey.
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Zamenis lineatus
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South Italian Aesculapian Snake, Striped Aesculapian Snake, South Italian Rat Snake
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Süditalienische Äskulapnatter, Italienische Äskulapnatter
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Syditaliensk Æskulapsnog
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1891 | |
Callopeltis longissimus var. lineata Camerano |
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Elaphe lineata Lenk & Wüster 1999 |
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Zamenis lineatus Utiger, Helfenberger, Schätti, Schmidt, Ruf & Ziswiler 2002 |
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1944 | |
Coluber longissimus lineata Balli [not Callopeltis longissimus lineata Camerano 1891 (Mertens & Wermuth 1960) |
Remarks:
This species has been referred to as romana in older literature, however, that taxon was shown to be synonymous with longissimus.
Revalidated as a separate species by Lenk & Wüster (1999).
Status in Sardinia needs clarification.
The few reports may represent introduced animals and could refer to either longissimus or lineatus (Sindaco, Doria, Razzetti & Bernini (eds.) 2006).
Distribution:
Italy
(incl.
Sicily).
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Zamenis longissimus
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Common Aesculapian Snake
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Gewöhnliche Äskulapnatter
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Almindelig Æskulapsnog
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1768 | |
Natrix longissima Laurenti |
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Elaphe longissima Mertens 1925 |
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Zamenis longissimus Utiger, Helfenberger, Schätti, Schmidt, Ruf & Ziswiler 2002 |
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1789 | |
Coluber aesculapii Lacepede [not Coluber Aesculapii Linnaeus 1766] (Utiger, Helfenberger, Schaetti, Schmidt, Ruf & Ziswiler 2002) |
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1789 | |
Coluber flavescens Gmelin (Böhme (ed.) 1993) |
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1798 | |
Coluber asclepiadeus Donndorff (Böhme (ed.) 1993) |
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1798 | |
Coluber leprosus Donndorff (Böhme (ed.) 1993) |
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1798 | |
Coluber pannonicus Donndorff (Böhme (ed.) 1993) |
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1798 | |
Coluber romanus Suckow (Sindaco, Doria, Razzetti & Bernini (eds.) 2006) |
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Elaphe longissima romana Mertens & Müller 1928 |
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1798 | |
Coluber sellmanni Donndorff (Mertens & Wermuth 1960) |
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1820 | |
Natrix scopolii Merrem (Böhme (ed.) 1993) |
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1831 | |
Coluber fugax Eichwald (Böhme (ed.) 1993) |
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1853 | |
Coluber flavescens nigrescens Massalongo (Böhme (ed.) 1993) |
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1897 | |
Coluber aesculapii niger Dürigen (Böhme (ed.) 1993) |
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1897 | |
Coluber aesculapii ventrimaculatus Dürigen [substitute name for Coluber fugax Eichwald 1831] (Mertens & Wermuth 1960) |
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1897 | |
Coluber aesculapii virgatus Dürigen [substitute name for Coluber romanus Suckow 1798] (Mertens & Wermuth 1960) |
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1897 | |
Coluber longissimus deubeli Mehely (Mertens & Wermuth 1960) |
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1897 | |
Coluber longissimus subgrisea Werner (Böhme (ed.) 1993) |
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1944 | |
Coluber longissimus lineata Balli [not Callopeltis longissimus lineata Camerano 1897] (Böhme (ed.) 1993) |
Remarks:
Previously included lineatus. Some authors (e.g., Clark 1994) regard the form rechingeri as a subspecies or synonym of longissimus. Schulz (1996) is followed here in regarding it as a synonym of
Elaphe quatuorlineata muenteri. Status in Sardinia needs clarification; the few reports may represent introduced animals and could refer to either longissimus or lineatus (Sindaco, Doria, Razzetti & Bernini (eds.) 2006), however, presence in this island of any species of Zamenis remains unconfirmed (Pous, Speybroeck, Bogaerts, Pasmans & Beukema 2012). Regarded as extinct in Denmark, where it has not been reported since 1863 (Bringsøe & Graff (eds.) 1995). Records from Lebanon (e.g., Haas 1951) are regarded as erroneous (Schulz 1996).
Extinct in:
Denmark.
Distribution:
Albania,
Austria,
Bulgaria,
Croatia,
Czech Republic,
France,
Georgia,
Germany,
Greece,
Hungary,
Iran,
Italy
(incl.
Elba),
Moldova,
Montenegro,
North Macedonia,
Poland,
Romania,
Russia,
San Marino,
Serbia,
Slovakia,
Slovenia,
Spain,
Switzerland,
Turkey
(incl.
European Turkey),
Ukraine.
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Zamenis longissimus
© Henrik Bringsøe
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Zamenis persicus
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Persian Rat Snake
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Persische Kletternatter
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Persisk Rottesnog
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1913 | |
Coluber longissima var. persica Werner |
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Elaphe longissima persica Mertens & Müller 1928 |
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Elaphe persica Schulz 1996 |
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Zamenis persicus Utiger, Helfenberger, Schätti, Schmidt, Ruf & Ziswiler 2002 |
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1903 | |
Coluber longissimus nigra Nikolski (Böhme (ed.) 1993) |
Distribution:
Azerbaijan,
Iran.
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Zamenis scalaris
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Ladder Snake
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Treppennatter
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Trappesnog, Stigesnog
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1822 | |
Coluber scalaris Schinz |
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Elaphe scalaris Lankes 1911 |
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Rhinechis scalaris Helfenberger 2001 |
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Zamenis scalaris Zaher, Grazziotin, Graboski, Fuentes, Sanchez-Martinez, Montingelli, Zhang & Murphy 2012 |
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1833 | |
Coluber bilineatus Schinz (Böhme (ed.) 1993) |
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1833 | |
Rhinechis agassizii Michahelles in Wagler (Helfenberger 2001) |
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1835 | |
Coluber cruentatus Stevini (Mertens & Wermuth 1960) |
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1837 | |
Xenodon michahelles Schlegel [substitute name for Rhinechis agassizii Michahelles 1833] (Mertens & Wermuth 1960) |
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1840 | |
Simus danmanni Schinz |
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1841 | |
Coluber hermannii Lesson (status uncertain; Böhme (ed.) 1993) |
Remarks:
Previously placed in a separate, monotypic genus, Rhinechis, by some authors, but assignment to Zamenis was supported by
Figueroa, KcKelvy, Grismer, Bell & Lailvaux (2016).
Presence in Algeria is unconfirmed (Cheylan & Guillaume in Böhme [ed.] 1993).
Introduced to:
Spain
(Balearic Islands
[Mallorca,
Minorca,
Pityusic Islands
(Formentera,
Ibiza)]).
Distribution:
France,
Gibraltar,
Portugal,
Spain.
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Zamenis scalaris
© Rune Midtgaard
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Zamenis situla
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Leopard Snake
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Leopardnatter
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Leopardsnog
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1758 | |
Coluber situla Linnaeus |
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Elaphe situla Mertens 1923 |
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Zamenis situla Utiger, Helfenberger, Schätti, Schmidt, Ruf & Ziswiler 2002 |
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1814 | |
Coluber quadrilineatus Pallas [not Coluber quadrilineatus Sonnini & Latreille 1802] (Mertens & Wermuth 1960) |
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1834 | |
Coluber leopardinus Bonaparte (Böhme (ed.) 1993) |
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1835 | |
Coluber cruentatus Stevini (Mertens & Wermuth 1960) |
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1840 | |
Callopeltis leopardinus metaxa Bonaparte (Böhme (ed.) 1993) |
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1856 | |
Coluber leopardinus striata Dehne (Böhme (ed.) 1993) |
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1868 | |
Coelopeltis leopardinus otthianus Gistel (Mertens & Wermuth 1960) |
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1881 | |
Coluber quadrilineatus pallasii Bedriaga (Böhme (ed.) 1993) |
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1912 | |
Coluber leopardinus sparsus Schreiber (Böhme (ed.) 1993) |
Remarks:
Records from the Caucasus (e.g., Steward 1971; Terentjev & Chernov 1949) are in error (Szczerbak 2003).
A single record from Cyprus with no recent confirmation (Göcmen, Atatür, Budak, Bahar, Yildiz & Alpagut-Keskin 2009).
Distribution:
Albania,
Bosnia-Herzegovina,
Bulgaria,
Croatia,
Greece
(incl.
Aegean Islands
[incl.
Cyclades Islands,
Dodecanese Islands
(incl.
Rhodes),
Sporades Islands],
Crete),
Italy
(incl.
Sicily),
Malta,
Montenegro,
North Macedonia,
Serbia,
Turkey
(incl.
European Turkey),
Ukraine
(incl.
Crimea).
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Zamenis situla
© Henrik Bringsøe
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