Hi, Toby.



Carinata is still in the Elaphe group, but I'm sure DNA studies in the future will erect a new genus for it and it's close allies, quadrivirgata and davidi. It's natural history and unique morphological characteristics make it to be very different from dione and bimaculata.



Carinata is one of those part ratsnake, part racer, Asian ratsnakes, like many of the other Asians. Notice the ridge above the eye. The partially elliptical pupil is similar to Pseudelaphe flavirufus. Could be they are mostly nocturnal. Remember, southern China has brutally hot and humid summers. Carinata also has hypopophyses (sp?), which are bony projections in the throat for breaking up bird eggs. They are snake-eaters too, and have heavily keeled scales. Behaviorally, they are a bit like racers and probably have a pretty high metabolism. They get pretty large and should challenge your bimaculata as the queens of musk.



I'm mostly interested in carinata for the taxonomy, but am hoping to pick up some davidi someday to work with. Gidi has davidi now. Carinata would probably do well in hot, humid TX though...



Terry





>>Yeah, it seems like pics I've seen of adults looked about as girthy as adult bullsnakes - good comparison there. That would be a "heavy-bodied" ratsnake IMO, although as you said not thick like pythons or boas. I know what you mean on conflicting info on adult size, but seems like I've heard they can get pretty big - for a ratsnake.

>>

>>They seem like an interesting species to me - one reason being they are one of the species still considered Elaphe, and (to my knowledge) there have not been any new proposals to move them into different genera. Another interesting thing IMO is their semi-elliptical pupils - interesting for a ratsnake.

>>

>>I have kept a few Old World species, and two are also still considered Elaphe; Elaphe dione and Elaphe bimaculata. Both are very interesting species, but with very different temperaments - in my experience. I have found most dione to be very mellow and inquisitive while most of the bimaculata I have kept have been flighty, musky, and sometimes nippy. I wonder how carinata compares to those two species, as far as handling...

>>-----

>>-Toby Brock

>>Southwestern Center for Herpetological Research




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