Braid snake or Jan's cliff racer (Platyceps rhodorachis) is a species of snake found in Central Asia.
Distribution
It is found in Algeria, Libya, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Syria, Sudan?, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Somalia, Chad, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Oman, Iraq, Iran (Kavir desert), Afghanistan, W Pakistan, Yemen, S Turkmenistan, S Uzbekistan, NW Tajikistan, W Kyrgyzstan, S Kazakhstan
Races:
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subniger: Eritrea to Somalia.
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ladacensis: Iran, east to Afghanistan, north to S Turkmenistan, S Uzbekistan, W Tajikistan., Pakistan
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kashmirensis: Pakistan (KHAN, pers. comm.); Type locality: from under pile of faggots near house of Master Muhammad Sadiq Goi Madan, Kotli, Azad Kashmir 33°30'N, 74°00'E. 1315 m
Type locality: Arabian Peninsula; Shiraz (Iran) [fide SCHÄTTI & McCARTHY 2004]
Highly variable in external morphology, particularly ventral scales.
References
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^ Els, J.; Al Johany, A.M.H.; Amr, Z.S.S.; Orlov, N.L.; Shafiei Bafti, S.; Werner, Y.L.; Disi, A.M.; Papenfuss, T.; Ananjeva, N.B.; Borkin, L.; Milto, K.; Golynsky, E.; Rustamov, A; Munkhbayar, K.; Nuridjanov, D.; Dujsebayeva, T.; Shestopal, A.; Das, A. (2021). "Platyceps rhodorachis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2021: e.T164605A1060890. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2021-3.RLTS.T164605A1060890.en. Retrieved 21 February 2022.
- Boulenger, G.A. 1887 A list of the reptiles and batrachians obtained near Muscat, Arabia, and presented to the British Museum by Surgeon-Major A.S.G. Jayakar. Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist. (5) 20: 407-408
- Jan 1865 in: De Filippi, Viagg. Pers.: 356
- Perry, G. 1985 A new subspecies of Coluber rhodorachis (Ophidia: Colubridae) from Israel. Israel Journal of Zoology 33:123
- Utiger, Urs, Notker Helfenberger, Beat Schätti, Catherine Schmidt, Markus Ruf and Vincent Ziswiler 2002 Molecular systematics and phylogeny of Old World and New World ratsnakes, Elaphe Auct., and related genera (Reptilia, Squamata, Colubridae). Russ. J. Herpetol. 9 (2): 105–124.
