Open AccessGoing out tonight? When insular Hierophis viridiflavus breaks the Whip Snakes Rules
Author(s) -
Michel Delaugerre
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
shilap revista de lepidopterología
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.334
H-Index - 15
eISSN - 2340-4078
pISSN - 0300-5267
DOI - 10.13128/acta_herpetol-11697
Subject(s) - whip (tree) , rhythm , forage , adaptation (eye) , circadian rhythm , ecology , geography , biology , zoology , neuroscience , art , forestry , aesthetics
Hierophis viridiflavus has a strong diurnal rhythm as demonstrated by many field studies. It belongs to the "Whip snakes" characterized by slender bodies, large eyes, high speed, saurophagy and diurnality. On Giraglia island (Corsica) the snakes do forage also nightly. This unexpected shift in the circadian rhythm might be related to a local adaptation to trophic requirements.
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